Rohtak, January 7
Instead of taking comprehensive measures, the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) appears to be indulging in its own ways to recover the pending power bills.

The Nigam has disconnected as many as 23,182 connections in three districts of Rohtak, Jind and Jhajjar in the past nine months on the charge of non-payment of bills. More than 1,000 connections have been disconnected in Rohtak district in the past couple of months.

The number of disconnections has reportedly been low in areas having more defaulters.

Official sources said the department which carried out periodic drives to recover the pending dues from the defaulters had disconnected as many as 3,804 connections in the Rohtak circle between April and December last year. The number of such cases in the neighbouring district circles of Jind and Jhajjar had been 14,648 and 7,730 cases, respectively, in the same period.

While the total number of defaulters in these circles has not been disclosed by the authorities, the outstanding default amount of the various government departments in Rohtak circle has been around Rs 9.92 crore. The list of such defaulters includes Irrigation: Rs 3.27 crore, Public Health: 1.75 crore, Municipal Council: 66.72 lakh, Panchayat: 2.46 lakh and Rs 20 lakh in other accounts. The number of private defaulters has been in several thousands, it is learnt.

The number of defaulters in the Rohtak circle has been more than Jind and Jhajjar, but the disconnections have been lower as compared to both these circles, claim the sources in the department.

The main reason of low disconnection rate in this district has mainly been due to political factors, claimed an official on condition of anonymity.

Earlier the UHBVN had recovered over Rs 113 crore from non-paying consumers by launching a special recovery campaign last year. "Under the campaign, the power supply of over 2.65 lakh defaulters was disconnected temporarily or permanently and Rs 113.39 crore was recovered up to March 15, said a spokesperson.

He also claimed that the government departments could be allowed more time to pay the dues due to the fact that many of these provide essential public services and an immediate disconnection could hamper these services.

It is learnt that the Nigam snapped electricity supply of 69,997 non-payers in operation circle Ambala comprising Ambala and Panchkula districts, 49,376 in operation circle Kurukshetra, 47,578 in Yamunanagar, 25,962 in Panipat, 20,406 in Jind, 18,231 in Kaithal, 15,046 in Karnal, 9,967 in Jhajjar, 8,050 in Sonepat and 1,249 in Rohtak about a year ago.

Dadlana, (Panipat), January 7
A Rs 100-crore plan to strengthen power transmission and distribution system is on the anvil in the state to ensure quality power supply to consumers, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced here today. Inaugurating the 33 KV substation, Hooda said the projects approved for Panipat under the comprehensive plan would be completed in the next two-three years and consumers would get relief from power cuts and voltage problem.

The power substation, constructed at a cost of Rs 2.75 crore by the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) would cater to 1,680 electricity consumers, including 569 tubewell consumers of Kutana, Begumpur and Dadlana villages.

The CM stated that a plan to construct 132 KV substations at Kabri, Seekh and HSIIDC and 33 KV substations at Babarpur, Nauhara, Machhrauli, Babail, Dehra, Atta, Haldana and Chhadiya had been approved besides augmenting the existing capacity of five substations.

Referring to the works completed since April 2005 in Panipat district, he said two 220 KV substations, three 132 KV substations and five 33 KV substations had been commissioned and installed capacity of eight substations had been augmented.

As many as 3,894 new distribution transformers had been installed and 580 transformers had been replaced with higher capacity transformers. Further, to ensure three phase power supply in the villages, the load of 55 feeders had been segregated and new electricity connections had been given free of cost to 4,750 persons living below poverty line under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojna.

The government has identified 56 overloaded feeders in the district and it has been planned to bifurcate/ trifurcate these feeders by spending about Rs 13.80 crore and also add 750 new transformers in the system.

Gurgaon, January 7
Factionalism and infighting, which have become an integral part of the Congress organisation, have come to the fore yet again, this time in the political battlefield of south Haryana.

Senior leaders, including a sitting MP, a Cabinet minister, chief parliamentary secretaries and MLAs, have jumped into the verbal ‘akhara’ in favour of or against the party leaders at the helm of affairs in the state.

Launching a scathing attack on the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress regime in the state, Congress MP from Gurgaon Rao Inderjeet Singh has alleged that the south Haryana region as well as the old and loyal Congressmen were being ignored, whereas the newcomers were being given more and undue importance in the party.

Addressing a series of public meetings in and around Gurgaon, Rao Inderjeet exhorted the people and leaders of South Haryana to join hands and put up a united struggle to get their due power share in the state.

“If the Congress leadership fails to rise to the occasion and take immediate corrective steps, then the party may suffer humiliation like the Hisar byelection in other parts of the state as well,” he maintained.

The MP invited the people to the “Jan-Chetna” rally being organised in Mahendergarh tomorrow.

Addressing mediapersons on the sidelines of a workers-cum-public meeting at Pataudi township in the district yesterday, Inderjeet pointed out that even Gurgaon, which contributed the lion’s share of revenue to the state exchequer, was being discriminated against in provision of government jobs and development activities.

“The Chief Minister has the right to develop his own constituency, but the other parts of the state should not be ignored in matters of development,” the MP asserted.

He categorically stated that the situation was unlikely to improve until south Haryana got its due share in power in the state.

In response to a query, the former Union minister said through the rally, he wanted to tell the state leadership that ignoring old and loyal Congressmen would harm the party in the Haryana.

On the other hand, as many as six MLAs from the southern part of the state, including Haryana Health Minister Rao Narender Singh, chief parliamentary secretaries Rao Dan Singh, Dharambir Singh and Anita Yadav, and Congress MLAs Rao Dharampal and Aftab Ahmed, have rubbished the allegations of discrimination and defended the Chief Minister.

In a joint statement issued here today, the said leaders listed the developments carried out in South Haryana during Hooda’s tenure.

They also accused Rao Inderjeet Singh of pursuing his vested political interests by levelling such allegations against Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Chandigarh, January 7
It’s party loyalty versus family ties for Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the Abohar Assembly constituency bordering Haryana.

The election to the crucial seat has put Hooda and his MP son from Rohtak, Deepinder Hooda, in a Catch-22 situation with the BJP fielding Vijay Luxmi Bhadu, his ‘samdhan’ (his daughter’s mother-in-law) against Congress candidate Sunil Jakhar.

While his daughter and other relatives will naturally throw in their lot with Bhadu, locked in a tough contest against Sunil Jakhar, sitting MLA and son of former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar, Hooda and his son have been caught offguard on the issue of support to either of the candidates. If they support the official Congress candidate, they will face embarrassment from the relatives and earn their ire particularly the Bhadu family.

On the other, if they campaigned for Bhadu, it will amount to an anti-party activity, which will not be tolerated by the party high command. Hooda’s covert or overt support to his close relative, belonging to the opposition party, also will also provide fresh political ammunition to his detractors within the party. Hooda’s support to the BJP during the election will be seen as “endorsing” the policies of his bete noire and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, who has pledged “whole-hearted” support to the SAD-BJP alliance in the run-up to the January 30 Punjab elections.

Hooda’s political adviser, Prof Virender Singh, claimed that Hooda would campaign for the party candidates all over the state, including the Abohar seat. “There is no question of supporting the BJP candidate from any of the seats. In fact, Bhadu had been with the BJP from the very start of her political career,” he asserted.

However, sources informed The Tribune that though the Abohar Assembly segment was close to Haryana, yet both Hooda and his son, Deepinder, were unlikely to campaign here to “avoid embarrassment” to themselves and the Congress and the SAD-BJP candidates.

Recently, Hooda’s Punjab counterpart, Parkash Singh Badal, faced an almost identical situation in the Ratia bypoll in Haryana. The candidate of the party’s alliance partner BJP, in alliance with the HJC, was pitted against INLD candidate in the Ratia.

Chandigarh, January 7
The Haryana Government has revised its policy regarding higher studies (post-graduation level) for doctors to facilitate MBBS or BDS doctors in the Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) cadre to acquire MD or diploma or degree so that a strong resource base of specialist doctors could be built in the state.

Health and Medical Education Minister Rao Narender Singh said the policy would come into force from academic year 2011-2012. Under the policy, MBBS or BDS doctors would be eligible for doing a post-graduate course, both degree as well as diploma, after completion of four years of regular, satisfactory, qualifying service with two years’ rural service.

Only those fulfilling this condition would be eligible for sponsorship against reserved seats in PGIMS, Rohtak or other government institutions, and against the open seats in the government colleges of Haryana or any other state or well-established and reputed private medical education institutions, recognised by the Medical Council of India (MCI). Only 15 candidates would be sponsored per year in the private institutions which were recognised by MCI and were approved by the Government of Haryana from time to time, he added.

The minister said the eligible doctors would be entitled to draw full salary. However, the condition of rural service would not be applicable in some cases. The applicant doctors should have completed four years of service on the last date of application given in the prospectus, he added.

He said in HCMS, doctors could choose to do any post-graduate degree in PGIMS, Rohtak. However, in case of sponsorship of seats reserved for in-service candidates in government institutions or doctors going in private colleges, HCMS doctors would be sponsored only for specific disciplines.

A doctor with a post-graduate degree before recruitment would be allowed to join super-specialisation course only after serving the government for a period of at least five years of regular, satisfactory, qualifying service. The condition of two years’ rural service would not be applicable to such doctors having a post-graduate degree at the time of appointment.

Faridabad, January 7
Residents took part in a ‘half marathon’ organised by the Faridabad police on the last day of a week-long Road Safety Campaign in the city.

The marathon was flagged off by SS Kapur, Police Commissioner, Faridabad, at Sports Complex (Sector 12) and was terminated at Metro Hospital where a blood donation camp was organised. The marathon covered a distance of about 4 km.

The police authorities said the two events were organised with an aim to increase public awareness on the importance of road safety and to enlist peoples’ support to the cause. The main theme of the marathon was “Run for Road Safety”.

Hisar, January 7
The parents of a 10-year-old boy, Hritik who was found dead in a hostel of a coaching centre at Hansi near here earlier this week, have threatened to launch an agitation if the boy’s killers were not arrested by tomorrow.

The parents and some relatives of the boy met the IG AS Chawla and DC Amit Aggarwal today and expressed their dissatisfaction over the investigation so far by the police.

They said they suspected the owner of the coaching centre and his wife of murdering their son, Hritik.

Hritik was taking coaching classes at a private centre and was living in the hostel. He belonged to Khajuri village of Fatehabad district. The head of the coaching centre had lodged a complaint with the police that Hritik had gone with some boys to the market and had not returned. A few hours later, his body was found in a bedding in one of the hostel rooms. — TNS