Pasyala (Ambala), January 3
Two of the schoolchildren who were injured yesterday (11 schoolchidren were killed) when a truck and a school van collided on the Saha-Shahabad road, about 20 km from Ambala, were buried today. They had succumbed to their injuries at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32,Chandigarh, and their bodies were brought to Pasyala village late last night.

The residents of Pasyala village today bid a tearful adieu to the two little children. The relatives of the victims were inconsolable. Hundreds of villagers broke down as the bodies of Shivam and Ashish were buried on outskirts of the village.

There was anguish among the relatives of the victims who termed the ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 lakh, announced by the Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, as a cruel joke on the bereaved families. Some villagers said the compensation should at least be Rs 10 lakh for each victim. The resentment was echoed by former MP Rattan Lal Kataria and BJP MLA Jasbir Mallaur. They also demanded that the families of the victims should be given at least Rs 10 lakh as ex-gratia payment.

Relatives of the victims alleged that the Haryana government had added insult to their injury as no senior functionary of the district administration or a Congress minister, including Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal, bothered to come to the villages to console the bereaved families.

The villagers supported Kataria’s demand for more stringent checks to ensure that there was no overloading of school buses. They also demanded the deployment of highway patrol parties for checking vehicles.

The subdivisional magistrate, Prem Chand Gangal, ordered the closure of Arjun Public School till January 6 as a precautionary measure.The school will be closed from January 7 for the winter break for 10 days.

Nine of the victims were buried last evening as their bodies were handed over to the parents from the Civil Hospital Ambala Cantt without post-mortem examinations.

Deputy Commissioner Shekhar Vidyarthi today said that the police had arrested the missing truck driver, identified as Ashok Kumar, a resident of Bhona in Bihar, from Dinar Pur bus stand.

The Deputy Commissioner said stern action would also be taken against the school management for lapses in the transportation system.

Chandigarh, January 3
The absence of a speed governor and fog lights in the Tata Magic school van, which collided with a truck on the Saha-Shahbad road in Ambala district killing 11 schoolchildren yesterday, were apparently the main causes of the tragic accident.

In fact, Parliament had amended the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, in 2007 making installation of fog lights mandatory. The states were empowered to make rules with regard to speed governors and fog lights in the transport vehicles.

However, it seems that the Haryana Government authorities spared no thought for the amendment by Parliament. The officials found negligent in this regard should be prosecuted, demanded Ajay Jagga, an advocate. In fact, the installation of speed governors in school buses already finds a mention in the guildelines issued by the Supreme Court for the safety of school buses.

Meanwhile, the human rights cell of the Haryana BJP has moved the NHRC, demanding action in yesterday’s accident. This seems to be a clearcut case of human right violations in the wake of a number of violations such as negligent and rash driving by the truck driver, not adhering to the SC guidelines on ferrying schoolchildren in buses, overloading of school van (30 against the capacity of 10), RP Malhotra, state convener said urging the commission to take a suo motu notice of the report published in The Tribune.

Sirsa/Fatehabad, January 3
The tragic road accident in Ambala yesterday that claimed the lives of 11 schoolchildren made the Sirsa and Fatehabad authorities issue directions for safe transportation of children to the managements of private schools at a meeting held today.

The situation is no different in Fatehabad. Practically, none of the schools has been observing the norms for the safe transportation of children. In most cases, old and discarded buses are purchased by school owners and are used as school vans without painting these in yellow, as required under the rules and meeting other requirements like experienced drivers, first-aid boxes and fire-fighting systems.

Two school vans have met with accidents during fog in the past one week in Sirsa, but, luckily, children have escaped unhurt.

The district authorities in Fatehabad today banned the transportation of schoolchildren in rickshaws and auto- rickshaws.

Chandigarh, January 3
With a blank look on his face and tears rolling down his cheeks, Pawan Kumar stood outside the PGI's Neurosurgery ICU this afternoon, muttering something. Whenever the door of the ICU opened, his head turned almost instantaneously towards it and the blank look gave way to an expectant one.

However, with doctors and nurses giving no indication of any improvement in the condition of his nine-year- old child, Pankaj, a victim of yesterday's horrific road accident in Ambala, Pawan Kumar again starts muttering. "I'm praying for my son's life. He hasn't spoken a word since yesterday. His 10th birthday falls this Friday and I'm praying that he starts recovering and speaking before that," said Pawan Kumar.

According to doctors at the Neurosurgery Department, Pankaj's condition continues to be critical. Though doctors are not saying it officially, they maintain that chances of his survival are bleak as he is already brain dead. "He has severe head injuries and we have put him on artificial life support since yesterday," said a doctor.

Talking to The Tribune, Pawan said, “Pankaj started going to Arjun Public School in April. Earlier he was studying in a government school in the village. He's our only son and the doctors are refusing to say anything on his condition".

A few kilometres away, at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Ramsharan was undergoing the same anxious moments. Though Ramsharan's younger son, Sahil (Class II), who also sustained injuries in the mishap, was discharged today, Shubham (Class IV) continues to be in a critical state. The doctors attending on him revealed that he was put on artificial life support system and the chances of his survival were not much.

According to the GMCH-32 authorities, 11 children were admitted to the hospital yesterday. Of these, five children -- Harsh, Akshit, Uplash, Harman and Sahil -- were discharged today and six children are still under treatment at the emergency ward of the hospital. Four are admitted to the PGI and out of them two are critical.

Fatehabad, January 3
The district authorities have changed the timings of all government, aided and private schools in the district in view of the fog and cold wave prevailing in the area.

According to the orders issued by the Deputy Commissioner, ML Kaushik, today, the schools will open at 10 am from tomorrow and close according to their normal time of closure. The orders will remain in force till January 31, 2012, said an official spokesperson.

The Deputy Commissioner issued these orders after presiding over a meeting of the principals of various government, aided and private schools of the district in his office today.

Chandigarh, January 3
In an embarrassment to the Haryana Government, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has quashed the notifications for acquiring land to develop residential and commercial areas in Rewari after noticing that a major chunk had already been released from the acquisition process in favour of Suncity, a real estate developer.

The high court categorically asserted the state action smacks of arbitrariness and is violative of equality before law under Article 14 of the Constitution.

“The state counsel’s argument that the area belonging to Suncity has got nothing to do with the impugned notifications, would not cut any ice once he concedes that out of 316.84 acres, 283.23 acres was released from acquisition.

“It is a conceded fact that only an area of 35.30 acres was included in the award. Accordingly, we have no hesitation to reject the submission”, the Bench of Justices MM Kumar and Gurdev Singh asserted.

The assertion is significant as Satish Kumar and other petitioners had earlier contended that “the land of only selected influential persons has been released”. They had also quoted the example of Suncity.

The notifications were issued under Sections 4 and 6 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, on July 21, 2006, and July 20, 2007, respectively, for the development and utilisations of land for “residential and commercial Sector 6-7 part” at Rewari.

Allowing a bunch of petitions, the Bench asserted: “It has come on record that at the time when the notification under Section 4 of the Act was issued, the total area of land in both villages, Gokalgarh and Rewari, was 1.69 acres and 315.15 acres, respectively. However, at the time of announcement of the awards, a substantial area has been released primarily on the ground that 281.5 acres was thickly constructed.

“The basic public purpose of acquisition was to have planned development and utilization of land for residential and commercial area for Sector 6-7 part at Rewari….The public purpose of acquiring the land seems to have been defeated. Moreover, there is hostile discrimination violating Article 14 of the Constitution. A large tract of land has been released from acquisition whereas the land/construction belonging to the petitioners is sought to be acquired. Such an action would smack of arbitrariness and, thus, violative of Article 14 of the Constitution”.

The Bench concluded:” These petitions succeed. The acquisition proceedings initiated by issuing the notifications under Sections 4 and 6 of the Act as well as the awards subsequently passed, are hereby set aside”.

Chandigarh, January 3
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today made it clear that the Bench would examine whether a writ was maintainable for the removal of Haryana MLAs, if they were not disqualified at the time of their appointment as Ministers, in the defection case.

In a related matter, another Bench of the High Court put the three MLAs on notice on a petition seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against them.

Both petitions have been filed by Hisar MP-cum-Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) chief Kuldeep Bishnoi.

Acting on Bishnoi’s petition seeking the removal of the three MLAs, Justice Alok Singh adjourned the hearing of the case after observing:

“Satya Pal Jain, a senior advocate, appearing for the petitioner, seeks time to examine as to whether the writ of quo warranto is maintainable in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case that at the time of election and appointment as ministers the private respondents were not disqualified and have acquired alleged disqualification thereafter? “And, as to whether the present writ petition is maintainable to ensure compliance of the directions issued by a Division Bench of this court in order dated December 20, 2011, specifically when contempt petition has already been filed by the petitioner complaining deliberate non-compliance of the directions of the Division Bench of this court in its order dated December 20, 2011?”.

Taking up the other petition for contempt proceedings against three “unattached” MLAs, the Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant issued notice of motion for January 11 to Health and Medical Education Minister Narender Singh, Cooperation and Housing Minister Satpal Sangwan, and also Chief Parliamentary Secretary for Power, Jail and Law Vinod Bhayana.

Bishnoi, through counsel Satya Pal Jain, is seeking contempt proceedings due to non-implementation of the High Court orders in the defection case.

He contended the ministers could not hold office as per the High Court orders during the pendency of decision on his disqualification petition. But, till date they had not resigned from their offices.

The high court’s Division Bench, in its order dated December 20 last, had made it clear that five “defector” MLAs would not hold any office till their disqualification petitions were decided. The Bench had also declared them “unattached members of the Legislative Assembly”.

Chandigarh, January 3
In a major administrative reshuffle, the state Government has transferred 21 IAS officers.

Sanjeev Kaushal has been posted as Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary (FCPS), Technical Education, relieving Ajit M. Sharan. M. Kithan, MD, Haryana Diary Development Cooperative Federation, has been posted as FCPS, Housing Department, and Secretary, Cell for Proper Utilisation/Disposal of Government Property, nodal officer for monitoring of CM’s announcements and looking after the work of coordination against vacant posts.

Tarun Bajaj, MD, Haryana Power Generation Corporation, goes as MD, Haryana Vidhyut Prasaran Nigam, Special Secretary, Power Department and Director-General, Power Reforms.

Vineet Garg, State Project Director, Haryana Prathmic Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad, and Project Director, Rastriya Madhyamic Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), goes as Special Secretary, Haryana Personnel, Training, Vigilance and Parliamentary Affairs Department, Director-General, Training (ex-officio) and inquiry officer, Vigilance Department, in place of Anurag Agarwal, who goes as MD, Haryana Power Generation Corporation, and Director-General, Science and Technology in place of Tarun Bajaj.

Shrikant Walgad, Special Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, and Administrator, CADA, has been posted as Registrar, Cooperative Societies and Administrator, CADA in place of RP Gupta, who goes as Commissioner, Ambala Division.

Subprabha Dahiya, Administrator, HUDA, Rohtak goes as Commissioner, Rohtak Division, relieving TK Sharma. Vijayendra Kumar, Director-General and Special Secretary, Secondary Education Department, has been posted as MD, Agro-Industries Corporation in place of R. C. Verma, who goes as DC, Kaithal, in place of Mrs A. Mona Sreenivas, who goes as DC, Panipat, and Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Panipat, in place of JS Ahlawat, who has been posted as Administrator, HUDA, Faridabad, in place of Mrs Amneet P. Kumar, who goes as Director, Industrial Training, in place of Pradeep Kasni. Kasni becomes Joint Secretary, Health.

Chander Parkash, Secretary, Haryana Board of School Education, Bhiwani, goes as Administrator, HUDA, Rohtak.

CR Rana, Special Secretary, Health, and Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission and Commissioner, Food and Drugs Administration, has been given additional charge as Director, Medical Education and Research, in place of Pankaj Yadav, who goes as State Project Director, Haryana Prathmic Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad, and Project Director, Rastriya Madhyamic Shiksha Abhiyan.

ML Kaushik, DC, Fatehabad, has also been posted as Joint Secretary, Forests Department. A. Sreenivas, Deputy Secretary, General Administration Department, has been posted as DC, Sirsa, in place of Sameer Pal Srow, who goes as Director and Joint Secretary, Secondary Education Department.

DK.Behera, ADC-cum-CEO, DRDA, Sirsa, has been posted as Secretary, Haryana Board of School Education, Bhiwani.

Gurgaon, January 3
The Gurgaon district administration has got an FIR lodged against a former sarpanch of Bilaspur village for allegedly misusing his position to benefit Ansal, a real estate giant. The company management has also been booked.

The district administration also issued show-cause notices to three sarpanches in similar cases of alleged misuse of power and negligence today. The action has been taken on Deputy Commissioner PC Meena’s directions.

According to official sources, the district administration got complaints against Rampal, a former sarpanch of Bilaspur village. It was alleged that Rampal gave prime panchayat land measuring 6 kanal 3 marlas to the Ansal company for constructing a gutter without obtaining the requisite approvals.

Apart from benefitting the company this way, the former sarpanch also allegedly allotted the work of making concrete streets in the village to the same company illegally.

The Ansal group reportedly laid sewage pipelines up to the said piece of land through which sewage and effluents released by industrial units would be discharged into the village pond.

The complaint maintained that this would also lead to the contamination of groundwater, which is supplied to the village residents as potable water through a tubewell installed there by the Public Health Department.

The Deputy Commissioner got the complaint verified by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Zila Parishad, who confirmed the facts after an inquiry.

Following this, an FIR was lodged against the former sarpanch and the company management by the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO), Pataudi.

Meanwhile, in three other cases pertaining to alleged misuse of power and negligence, show-cause notices have been served on the sarpanches of Babupur, Dhanawas and Tajnagar villages in the district. They have been asked to explain their conduct within 15 days failing which disciplinary action would be initiated against them.

In the case of Babupur, it has been alleged that sarpanch Attar Singh got loose earth lifted from panchayat land and part of it was used to level the streets of plots allotted to the poor under the Mahatama Gandhi Grameen Basti Yojna.

However, 145 truckloads of loose earth lifted from the panchayat land went unaccounted for and no details of its use was given. The sarpanch also got concrete streets made in the village without obtaining the requisite approvals. In addition, 668 saplings were planted at various places in the village of which only 170 were found alive.

In the case of Dhanawas, sarpanch Neelam was not found discharging her duties properly as she allegedly took no interest in an ongoing court case. The case has been pending in evidence for want of witnesses from the panchayat since July 11, 2011.

Similar is the case of Tajnagar sarpanch Mahender, who is allegedly not pursuing a court case pending since October 18, 2010, for want of evidence from the village panchayat because of which the panchayat has suffered huge losses.

Sonepat, January 3
Six persons were killed and 10 others were injured, nine of them seriously, when a canter and a cruiser Jeep collided head on the Panipat-Gohana-Rohtak national highway between Murlana and Chidana villages this morning.

Five of the deceased were identified as Jeep driver Jitender of Israna in Panipat district, Harish of Shamri, Nisha of Chidana, Dinesh of Mokhra in Rohtak district and Abdul of Rithal village in Rohtak district. One deceased had not yet been identified.

According to information, the canter (CH-4L-0944) was on its way to Panipat when it had a head-on collusion with a passenger-loaded cruiser Jeep (HR-39B 5903) coming from Panipat around 8 am. The Jeep driver was reportedly overtaking another vehicle when the accident took place. A case of negligent driving has been registered against the Jeep driver in the Sadar police station, Gohana.

After receiving information of the incident, police personnel from the Murlana police post reached on the spot and with the help of other people, brought the accident victims to the Civil Hospital, Gohana.

The seriously injured were referred to the PGIMS, Khanpur Kalan, by the doctors in Gohana hospital. Jitender, Harish, Nisha and an unidentified person died on the spot while Abdul and Dinesh succumbed to their injuries while being taken to the PGI.

The families of the accident victims had been informed about the tragic incident by the police.

Karnal, January 3
The local police has adopted a unique way to create awareness about traffic rules and check violations by presenting flowers and distributing pamphlets instead of challaning the erring drivers.

A record number of over 5,000 vehicles were checked by the police in a single day but to the utter surprise of erring drivers, not even a single driver was challaned or fined and they were presented a flower with a smile on the face of the cops.

All the defaulting drivers were allowed to go with an advice not to repeat the mistake in future. They were also told about the risks and hazards of not following the traffic rules. The police also distributed pamphlets giving information about traffic rules to the drivers.

As many as 2,692 two-wheeler riders were caught for not wearing a hamlet, 61 drivers were not having the registration certificate (RC), 319 two-wheeler drivers were intercepted for "triple riding”, 64 drivers were without a driving licence, 508 vehicles were without the number plates according to the standard pattern, 82 vehicles were without the number plates and 462 drivers were without the seat belts. As many as 114 vehicles were warned against loading and 230 others for minor violations.

The local Doon International School also launched a campaign to motivate people to follow traffic rules for safe driving and set up a committee of school transport and road safety officials.

The drivers of the school buses were checked for physical fitness and eyesight, the staff and students of senior classes were imparted training in first aid and a mobile phone transport helpline was provided in the buses.

The students and staff also paid homage to the schoolchildren who died in an accident at Ambala yesterday.

Chandigarh, January 3
The Haryana Government has constituted district and state boards for implementation of the scheme called ‘financial assistance and support service to rape victims’

Women and Child Development Minister Geeta Bhukkal said that a district criminal injuries relief and rehabilitation board would be established in every district with the exclusive jurisdiction to deal with applications for assistance received under the scheme in that district.

She said the Deputy Commissioner concerned would serve as chairman of the board with the SP, Civil Surgeon and others as its members.

Bhukkal said that the district board would decide the claims made under the scheme and provide financial assistance and order other support services to the affected person. The board would have the powers of summoning and recording of evidence for carrying out its functions. It would also arrange shelter for the affected woman for such period as may be required and arrange for education or vocational or professional training as the case may be for the victim under the ongoing schemes or programmes.

Similarly, a state criminal injuries relief and rehabilitation board under the chairmanship of Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development Department, would be constituted in the state which would have the primary responsibility of coordination and monitoring the functions of district boards in the state.

The state board would entertain appeals against decisions of district boards with regard to rejection of applications filed under the scheme, delay in granting interim or final assistance, adequacy or otherwise of quantum of assistance provided in the form of support services and any other issue

The state board would also undertake the issues relates to enhancing the compensation amount up to Rs 1 lakh subject to a maximum limit of Rs 3 lakh of in special cases on receiving a reference from district boards. It would also disburse funds to district boards transferred by the Ministry of Women and Child Development as a grant to the state government.

Rohtak, January 3
A 21-year-old student was stabbed to death at the busy HUDA complex here last night by some unidentified assailants. Two of the deceased’s friends got injured in the incident when they were assaulted all of a sudden by a group of youths armed with sharp-edged weapons. The injured have been admitted to the PGIMS. A case has registered in this connection.

The incident took place around 8.30 pm yesterday when the victim, identified as Manoj Sindhu, hailing from Sector 1 here, had come to the spot along with his friends for some work. As they had been chatting there, some youths came all of sudden and started attacking them with sharp and pointed objects leading to Sindhu succumbing to injuries on the spot and before they could be provided any help by the passers-by, said the police. The two youths who got injured in the assault have been identified as Amar and Jaideep. It is learnt that all three friends had gone on one motorcycle and they were attacked without any warning, provocation or an argument.

Sindhi was a student of a hotel managament course at a private college in Meghalaya and had come here a few days ago during the winter break. The attackers fled immediately after the incident, taking benefit of the darkness, though the police arrived at the place a few minutes after. A hunt has been launched to arrest the culprits.

Panipat, January 3
The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Vani Gopal Sharma has awarded life imprisonment to eight persons after holding them guilty of murdering Surinder of Shiwa village in June 2008.

According to the records, Mandip Singh of Hanspur village in Sonepat district had shot Surinder in the neck, which proved fatal for him. The two had some dispute over a 200 square yard plot located in Ekta Vihar here. On June 1, 2008, the two groups came face to face following which a dispute erupted that ended in the death of Surinder.

Sher Singh, a resident of Shiwa, had told the police that he along with Surindra, Baseram and Mukesh had been called to Ekta Vihar to settle the dispute over the piece of land. They met Manoj Kumar,

Randeep, Mandeep, Anoop, Sunny, Mohan, Joginder and Surendra who were already present. There the two groups picked up a quarrel following which Surinder was shot dead.

After hearing both the prosecution and the defense counsel the court held the eight persons guilty under Sections 302, 506, 325, 323 and 148 of the IPC and awarded them life sentence along with a fine of Rs 18,000 on each of them.