Sirsa, December 11
Anna Hazare’s day-long fast against the government’s weak Lokpal Bill has received support from people in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Ellenabad today.

The Sirsa Nagrik Manch organised a dharna in support of Anna Hazare in the local Town Park, where its members, Mahesh Parik, Anshul Chhatrapati, Sanjiv Kathpal, Lal Chand Godara, Prithvi Singh Sidhu, Pawan Parik, Ran Singh Yadav and Virender Nagpal observed a fast from 9 am to 5 pm.

The activists said they would support Hazare’s every move in ensuring the installation an effective Lokpal in the country.

Human rights activists Rajender Parshad Gupta led social activists, who sat on a fast at Panchmukhi Chowk in Ellenabad town in Sirsa.

Fatehabad: Activists of the Jan Kalyan Sewa Samiti, the Bharat Swabhiman Manch, the Patanjali Yog Samiti and Netaji Subhash Chander Bose Krantikari Sangthan today organised a day’s fast at Ambedkar Chowk.

The activists said they were ready for the second phase of Anna Hazare’s war against corruption and would support his every call on the issue.

Kurukshetra: In support of Anna Hazare’s one-day token fast and in protest against the non-fulfilment of the promise made by the Central Government to Anna Hazare, the members of various social organisations demonstrated, held a procession and burnt an effigy of the Central Government near the old bus stand here on Sunday.

Earlier, they assembled near Birla Mandir Chowk and marched in a procession through the main bazars of the town. They demonstrated at the old bus stand and burnt an effigy of the Central Government. They were also addressed by their leaders.

Sonepat, December 11
The state government’s decision to increase the land acquisition prices of around 2,000 acres in nine villages, acquired for setting up of the Rajiv Gandhi Education City, near Rai in the district, has encouraged the farmers of three other villages — Kundli, Kundli Garhi and Shersa, where around 620 acres was acquired in 2007 by the HSIIDC for setting up an industrial estate at Kundli — to start an indefinite dharna at Kundli from Thursday.

They have also demanded that the market rates of their acquired land as well as other benefits under the new land acquisition policy of the state government. A team of the Bhoomi Adhigrahan Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti of the nine villages, led by convener Rajpal Sewli, met them at Kundli and announced its support.

The convener of the agitating farmers at Kundli, Raj Kumar, alleged that their land was acquired at the rate of Rs 16 lakh per acre but was being sold to industrialists at a rate ranging between Rs 2 and Rs 3 crore per acre. It was injustice to the farmers and they must also be given the market rates and other benefits of the government’s new land acquisition policy, he added.

The government acquired 2006 acres from the farmers of nine villages — Sewli, Bahalgarh, Aswarpur, Patla, Badhkhalsa, Jakholi, Badhmalik, Khewra and Firozpur Khadar — in 2006 and paid them an acquisition amount of Rs 12.50 lakh per acre. Most of the farmers of these villages, except a majority of the farmers of Badhkhal village, accepted the award.

But after a steep hike in the land prices, the farmers started demanding an increase in the acquisition rates and even knocked at the doors of the courts. The also started an agitation and staged a 148-day dharna under the banner of the Bhoomi Adhigrahan Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti in the last quarter of 2006.

After waiting for more than four years for some announcement from the government in this regard, the farmers of Badhkhalsa, who had not accepted the award and did not take the payment, started an indefinite dharna outside their village near the GT road, demanding the complete release of their land.

Similarly, the farmers of the remaining eight villages again started an indefinite dharna at Beeswan Meel on the GT road . Their demands include payment of acquired land at market rates, government job to a member of the family and plots in the acquired area.

Bowing to pressure from the agitating farmers, the state government filed an affidavit in the court announcing that the land acquisition rate had been increased up to Rs 45.15 lakh per acre. Jai Tirth Dahiya, Congress MLA from Rai, said recently that the state government would also provide a government job to one member as well as a residential plot to the family of the farmer whose land had been acquired for the Rajiv Gandhi Education City. 

Kaithal , December 11
The Congress has won the Ratia assembly byelection through political manipulations but it will not be able to repeat this feat in the next assembly elections, said INLD Secretary-General Ajay Singh Chautala here today.

Ajay Chautala alleged that the Congress and the HJC were having a political understanding to defeat the INLD.

The victory of Kuldip Bishnoi in the Hisar Lok Sabha byelection and of the HJC-BJP candidate in Adampur and that of the congress’ nominee in Ratia was the result of this understanding .

The Congress in Haryana, Chautala said, had failed to implement its election manifesto announced during the last assembly elections .

The Congress promised to provide power round the clock but the state was facing the worst power crisis and long power cuts had made the life of rural and urban consumers miserable.

The law and order situation was worsening day by day. The promise to bring SYL water remained a distant dream. There was no equitable distribution of canal water in the state, the INLD leader said.

Hitting out at UPA government at the Centre Chautala said big scams and rampant corruption had tarnished the image of the country .

The prices were rising but the government had taken little action to control the situation. The government was misusing the CBI to crush its political opponents.

He criticised the alliance between the Congress and Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), saying that it was not based on any principles as Ajit Singh had opposed the Congress on many occasions and fought elections against the party. 

Kaithal, December 11
The green cover of the town is fast vanishing, posing a serious threat to ecology, thanks to the mindless cutting of trees by the Forest Department to facilitate the widening of certain roads by the PWD (B&R) at a cost of Rs 63 crore.

The residents are concerned over the way the government has been handling this issue while ignoring their need for a healthy and a clean environment. Though the trees were cut after obtaining permission from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the ill effects of this great loss to ecology will be felt in the years to come.

The town and other parts of the district, which have otherwise been witnessing unparallelled development for the past few years, have become a victim of the government’s callous attitude towards environment. Hundreds of crores of rupees have been spent on various development projects that will be beneficial to the population, running into lakhs, of the district.

The project of widening of roads by the state’s Public Works Department in the municipal areas at cost of Rs 63 crore notwithstanding, cutting of thousands of trees has become a matter of concern for the local population. Some old green trees on either sides of the road not only added to the scenic beauty of the town but also provided shelter to birds and animals during scorching heat. They have now vanished. No space will be left now to plant more trees after widening of the roads.

The situation reflects lack of farsightedness on the part of officials and the elected representatives as they worked without a proper strategy while preparing the much-publicised project to widen the roads They ignored the need to protect the green cover of the area while executing the project.

According to the local forest office, as many as 3,190 fully grown tress were axed and about 1,800 small plants were destroyed as result of the road-widening project. The trees and plants, which have become a victim of the government’s apathy, were growing on the Kaithal- Karnal road, the Kaithal-Kurukshetra road and the Kaithal-Ambala road, which fall under the Kaithal municipal area. Besides, hundreds of trees on the Kaithal-Patiala bypass had also been cut some time back.

According to the policy of the Ministry of Forests and Environment, the PWD has deposited Rs 1 crore approximately with the Forest Department as compensation. The department will now plant trees with this money at Kasan drain which is far away from the town. 

Chandigarh, December 11
The Kaushalya dam being constructed on the Ghaggar in Panchkula district at a cost of Rs 217 crore will soon be made functional. It will provide drinking water to Panchkula and check flash-floods.

A spokesman of the Irrigation Department said the government had been pursuing the construction of upstream storages, Renuka, Kishau and Lakhwar Vyasi dams on the Yamuna. He said unless these storages were constructed, assured water supply to Haryana from the Yamuna could not be ascertained.

The NCR water supply channel for augmenting drinking water supply to Gurgaon and other growing industrial townships such as Manesar, Bahadurgarh, Sampla and Badli had been completed . A carrier lined channel for supply of drinking water to Delhi would be completed shortly.

With a view to providing irrigation and drinking water facilities to the backward areas of Mewat, a Mewat feeder canal was proposed to be constructed. There was also a plan to create a water body in the shape of Kotla lake in Mewat district at a cost of Rs 116 crore. 

Gurgaon, December 11
Ever since homeopath-turned-bureaucrat-cum-social reformer Praveen Kumar joined as HUDA Administrator here a couple of months ago, he has not ceased to take the residents by surprise with his radical moves.

As if to announce his appointment to the millennium city, the Administrator challaned a local resident for wasting water by washing a vehicle. There have been no full-stops ever since.

One fine day, the IAS officer beat himself with his own shoe in order to placate local residents protesting against a demolition drive led by him.

On coming across a place of worship built on encroached land, he first religiously paid obeisance there; and then ordered to demolish the construction.

Dr Praveen Kumar also hit the headlines in local media when he slapped a junior employee at the HUDA office and justified the action as “well-meaning”.

The other day, he was seen pulling a rickshaw during a visit to a village.

In his social crusade, he rid the city residents and office-goers of some illegal parking lots where the parking mafia, backed by a sitting MLA of the ruling party, was charging a parking fee from vehicle owners illegally.

The HUDA Administrator once walked down the crowded Sadar Bazar area in old Gurgaon and told shopkeepers to remove encroachments in front of their shops or be prepared to face the music.

He also revived the system of open darbars introduced by a former HUDA Administrator, Deepti Umashankar, besides administering an oath to work with honesty and integrity to his subordinates.

Such is the terror of the Administrator that several government officials, who had been working with HUDA on deputation, were trying to come back to their parent departments.

The prompt and concrete measures initiated by Dr Praveen Kumar to redress public grievances have not only earned him appreciation from people in general, but also triggered similar steps by the district and municipal corporation authorities as well.

At the same time, he has invited the ire of some influential persons, which primarily include powerful local politicians. A section of Sadar Bazar traders also objected to his visit to their area, stating that the place did not come under his jurisdiction.

Another section of people have challenged removal of encroachments by him, claiming that they had stay orders issued by the court. But undeterred by the pitfalls, Dr Praveen Kumar continues with his campaign relentlessly, thereby making the presence of government machinery felt in the district.

Ratia, December 11
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said today that a new policy on fixing the minimum support prices (MSP) of crops was likely to be introduced soon by the Centre to make agriculture a profitable venture.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Hooda said the government was considering a proposal under which instead of making an annual increase in prices of agricultural produce, 50 per cent of the cost of agricultural production would be added as profit while fixing the MSP.

Hooda, who participated in a number of public receptions today on his Congress candidate’s victory in Ratia after three decades, said the people of Ratia had reposed faith in the developmental policies of the party and in Sonia Gandhi’s leadership.

The Chief Minister said the state government would implement the Right to Play on the pattern of the Right to Education in Haryana.

Earlier, speaking at a programme organised by the local Mother India Convent School, Hooda said the state government was in favour of imparting good moral education along with formal education. He said the government would set up new ITIs and polytechnics in the area to boost technical education. The Chief Minister announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh to the club wooden flooring of the badminton court at Lions Bhawan in Fatehabad. 

Jind, December 11
Wheat crop is likely to be sown over 2.15 lakh hectares of land in the coming Rabi season in the district. This is slightly higher than the target achieved last year.

The farmers who have not sown their crop are being encouraged to use the latest variety of seeds in order to get the optimum production.

Seed varieties that are cultivated in the district are WH-283, WH-542, HD-2285, PBW-343, UP-2338, HD-2329, and Raj-3765. The authorities concerned are also issuing advisories to the farmers regarding the cultivation and harvesting of various crops.

According to officials of the department, though majority of the farmers had sown their crop, there could be around 10 to 15 percent of farmers who are yet to inseminate wheat crop.

The delay is mainly because cotton is yet to be harvested and about 25 percent of cotton is still occupying the fields.

The department aims to achieve a target of 5,100 kg of wheat per hectare this season. The farmers have been asked to go for the latest variety of wheat crop in order to minimise the losses. It is said that a farmer stands to lose 5 to 7 kg of wheat due to the delay in sowing. Meanwhile, the district authorities have announced to bring at least 1,00,00 milch cattle under an insurance cover in the district during the present financial period. Under the scheme the department of animal husbandry will be bearing 75 percent of the premium of the insurance while the rest would be paid by the cattle owners. The scheme covers only the buffaloes and not cows.

Chandigarh, December 11
Mewat district in Haryana has the highest child population of 2,43,206 of which 1,15,420 are girls while Panchkula district has the lowest child population of 65,180, including 29,956 girls.

This has been revealed by the data released by the Director, Census Operations, of the state. Boys in Haryana outnumber girls by over three lakh. The child population in the age group of zero to six yearsis 32,97,724, of which 14,95,677 are girls and 18,02,047 boys. The child population in the rural areas is almost double of that in the urban areas. The child population of the rural and urban areas is 22,42,901 and 10,54,823, respectively.

Ambala district has a child population of 1,23,534, of which 55,169 are girls. Yamunanagar has a child population of 1,43,189, of which 64,718 are girls. Kurukshetra and Kaithal have a child population of 1,15,291 and 1,35,136, respectively. Their girl population is 51,829 and 60,919, respectively.

Karnal district has the child population of 1,94,403 in the age group of zero to six of which 87,594 are girls. Panipat and Sonepat districts have a child population of 1,64,778 and 1,87,955, respectively. These districts have a girl population of 74,897 and 82,954, respectively. The total child population in Jind stands at 1,64,579, of which 74,877 are girls. The child population of Fatehabad is accounted for at 1,18,446, of which 54,243 are girls. Sirsa has a child population of 1,53,495, of which 70,633 are girls. Hisar and Bhiwani districts have a child population of 2,11,204 and 2,06,023 respectively. Their girl population stands at 96,966 and 93,532 respectively.

The child population of Rohtak stands at 1,25,490, of which 56,057 are girls. The child population of Jhajjar and Mahendergarh is 1,16,160 and 1,09,928, respectively. Their girl population is 50,675 and 48,101. The child population of Rewari and district Gurgaon stand at 1,12,184 and 1,97,816, respectively. The girl population of these districts is 49,310 and 89,504, respectively.

The child population of Faridabad and Palwal district is 2,38,028 and 1,71,699, respectively. 

Karnal, December 11
The brother and not the estranged husband of Preeti, who was allegedly murdered in cold blood along with her four-year-old child in Buddha Khera village on September 3, has been found to be the culprit in the horrendous crime.

The investigating agencies had arrested Sandeep, husband of Preeti, on the complaint of Kamlesh, sister of the deceased and the investigations were moving in a wrong direction.

The needle of suspicion directed towards Varinder, brother of Preeti, when the police came to know that he was missing from the day the dual murder was committed and also traced his car which was spotted a few minutes before the murder in Sector 4 here.

The police probe zeroed in on Varinder and he was arrested along with his accomplice. They were produced in a local court that remanded them in three days’ police custody.

Preetam Saini, SHO Sadar police station, said that during interrogations, Varinder allegedly made the shocking revelations that he killed his sister, Preeti, as he was suspicious about her character and also killed her son to destroy evidence.

He even said that he wanted to kill his mother and the other sister, but they were not at home at that time. The weapon used for committing the heinous crime is yet to be recovered. However, the police claimed that Varinder had confessed to the crime.

Preeti had left the home of her husband one and half years ago and was living with her mother and sister along with her four year old child, Keshav. The police had earlier arrested Preeti’s husband, Sandeep, but could not find any proof pointing towards his involvement in the crime.

Preeti and her son were found dead in two separate rooms with their throats slit while the hand of the child had been chopped off.