Ambala, January 27
Governor Jagannath Pahadia asked the people to promote national unity. Unfurling the National Flag at the state-level Republic Day function at Ambala City, he said: “We should boldly fight against those anti-national elements who have been affecting brotherhood and communal harmony in the country.”

Referring to the first war of independence in 1857, he said it started from Ambala and the state government had decided to construct a national-level memorial in memory of martyrs at Ambala Cantt.

Speaking about development in Haryana, Pahadia said the state had set up new records in the fields of education, industry, sports and public welfare. He said Haryana was emerging as a hub of education. The government was taking up all necessary steps to make the state self-dependent in electricity, he added.

The Governor also honoured freedom fighters and martyrs’ kin. Two children were also awarded the bravery award on this occasion.

Later, At Home was organised at the Circuit House in Ambala Cantonment where Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda were among the dignitaries present.

Panipat: Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has called upon the masses to put in united efforts for the state’s development.

Addressing an impressive gathering during the Republic Day celebrations, Hooda paid rich tributes to freedom fighters and martyrs for making supreme sacrifices for the country’s freedom.

Referring to the development made during the past seven years, he said a number of welfare schemes had been implemented for the welfare of people belonging too all sections of society.

He said as per the Planning Commission the average growth rate of the state during the past five years was 11.6 per cent as against the national average of 8.2 per cent. The Chief Minister said Haryana had witnessed the highest per capita investment in the country. Similarly, the state was No 1 in wheat productivity.

Highlighting other development works currently in progress , Hooda said four new power plants were being set up at Yamunanagar, Jharli, Jhajjar and Khedar . He said 108 big or medium and 14,336 small industrial units had come up in the state during the past seven years .

The Chief Minister honoured 26 freedom fighters, four gallantry award winners and 25 martyrs on the occcasion.

Reports about Republic Day celebrations were also received from Hisar, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Rohtak, Karnal, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Sonepat and Faridabad.

Gurgaon, January 27
Members of the “Toll Hatao Sangharsh Samiti” chickened out on their major demand for the removal of both toll plazas from Gurgaon during a meeting convened by officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and attended by representatives of Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway concessionaire DSC Ltd here today.

The samiti members, who have been demanding outright removal of both toll plazas from Gurgaon till date, sought free passage for the vehicles registered in Gurgaon and relocation of the toll plazas beyond municipal limits till the requisite underpasses and sidelanes are completed.

Fatehabad, January 27
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev today opposed the Haryana Government’s proposal to set up a nuclear power project at Gorakhpur in Fatehabad and said there could be no progress at the expense of farmers.

Baba Ramdev, who made a brief stopover at a dharna site, where farmers under the aegis of the Kisan Sangharsh have been sitting on a dharna for the past 532 days, alleged that the state government wanted to set up the atomic power project on the dead bodies of farmers. Three farmers had so far lost their lives during this agitation.

He said the land where the government proposed to install the nuclear plant was highly fertile and giving three crops in a year to farmers. Besides, the area was densely populated and was not fit for the project. “If the government wanted to install a nuclear project, it could have chosen barren lands, which are in abundance in Rajasthan and MP. Even in Haryana, the state government could have opted for a lesser fertile land in a thinly populated area,” Ramdev said.

Chandigarh, January 27
Virtually rapping the Haryana Advocate-General’s office for the failure of law officers to appear before the courts, Justice LN Mittal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Principal Secretary (Home) to furnish an explanation.

He has been asked to explain why the law officers were not appearing in courts . This is the first time the Haryana AG office has been admonished by the High Court though the Punjab AG office has more than once been censured over the issue of non-appearance.

The strictures came on a revision petition filed by the state in the case of timber contractors after none appeared before the Court.

Justice Mittal asserted: “It has been observed time and again that the state of Haryana and its officers are not being represented by any law officer before this Bench very frequently. In one or two cases, even the copy of the order was sent to the Advocate-General, Haryana, to take necessary steps for proper representation of the state of Haryana and its officers. But, it appears that in spite thereof no steps have been taken. In the interest of justice, one adjournment is granted, subject to the deposit of Rs 2,000 costs by the appellants with the registry of this court.

Sonepat, January 27
The police has announced a cash award of Rs 1 lakh each for helping in the arrest of Praveen and Anil of Bhadana village who were allegedly involved in planning and execution of the plan for escaping of eight hardcore criminals from the local district jail on the night of January 17.

Both of them were in a group of youths, which was allegedly involved in arranging vehicles and ropes for the jail inmates who escaped from the district jail by cutting the iron grills of the windows of the jail barracks and scaling over the boundary wall of the district jail.

However, Ajai and Manish of the same village and in the same group were arrested by the police on January 24 and were in police custody.

The police had also earlier announced a cash award of Rs 1 lakh each for the arrest of the criminals- Vijay, Pradeep, Surender, Atender, Rajbir, Manoj, Pramod and Jaybir who escaped from the jail.