Sonepat, January 29
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today announced that Jains, who formed 0.3 per cent of the population in Haryana, would be accorded the status of a minority community and all facilities and benefits being provided to minorities would be extended to them as well.

The CM was addressing “Shri Pant Balpati Panch Kalyanak Pratishtha Mahamastak Abhishek Samaroh” at Gupti Dham, near Gannaur. This announcement was made following a demand raised by Kuldeep Sharma, Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker, and Vijender Kumar Jain, a former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, who is also the national president of the Gupti Dham Trust.

Praising the services rendered by the Jain community for the welfare of society and for preaching Lord Mahavir’s teachings, Hooda said violence and terrorism were not the solution to problems.

Referring to other demands, the CM announced that the state government would send its recommendation to the Central Government for naming the Gannaur flyover on the GT Road as the Gupti Dham flyover.

He also announced that as Gupti Dham was one of the main temples of northern India, it would be included in the list of prominent tourist places in Haryana. He also directed the Sonepat Deputy Commissioner to identify the gram panchayat in the Gannaur region willing for sparing land for opening a world class university by the Gupti Dham Trust.

Jain saint Gupti Sagarji Maharaj said this temple, which had been constructed in 12 years at an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore, would give glimpses of Indian culture. He asked the people present on the occasion to take a pledge to make efforts for eradication of female foeticide.

Sharma lauded the role being played by the Jain community for launching various programmes for the welfare of society. Sharma also lauded its teachings that had promoted communal harmony, social amity and brotherhood.

The occasion was marked by taking out a ‘shobha yatra’ in Gannaur town in memory of the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir, last Tirthankar of Jainism.

Chandigarh, January 29
The Gurgaon district administration’s recommendation to transfer a piece of land in Sohna town, presently with the Public Health Department, to a society has not gone down well with Public Health Minister Kiran Choudhary.

In a letter to Deputy Commissioner PC Meena, with a copy to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, she has asked the administration to “thwart all attempts by vested interests to illegally occupy valuable government land”.

While maintaining that her department has been kept completely out of the loop in the matter though the land in question is with it, she has alleged that Chief Parliamentary Secretary and local MLA Dharambir’s role is also under question.

The minister said land measuring 19 kanals 14 marlas was meant for a sewage disposal project for the town which was later shifted out. Maintaining that this land become an easy target for the land mafia active in the area after land prices skyrocketed, she said the Gurgaon administration recommended the transfer of 2000 sq. yards from this land to a society to the Director, Urban Local Bodies, in June, 2011, without obtaining consent for its transfer from the Public Health Department.

Choudhry claimed that the Municipal Committee, Sohna, without such authorisation, passed a resolution to allot this land to 12 societies, further encouraging illegal encroachments by societies.

The letter adds that officers of the Public Health Department at Sohna and Gurgaon repeatedly approached the district Administration during the past three months to remove the said encroachments but to no avail. Charging the district administration with wrongly forwarding the case to the Urban Local Bodies Department for allotment of land to the Society/NGO, she has asked them to get the encroachments removed.

Deputy Commissioner PC Meena said a number of communities had represented to the administration for land for community centres. “We categorically told them that this was only possible if the government cleared such a proposal. Instead of a community centre for each such society, we convinced them to agree to having a single community centre which would be made by the committee to which they agreed and the committee, too, passed a resolution. However, all this will fructify only when the department concerned gives its consent and the government clears it,” he explained.

CPS Dharambir, too, maintained that the committee only had public welfare at heart in passing the resolution. “It passed a resolution even before I was MLA . This piece of land was turning into a slum and being encroached upon in view of which the committee decided to put it to good use in public interest. The rest is up to the government,” he stated. 

Karnal, January 29
The Karnal Municipal Corporation has finally woken up to crack the whip on unauthorized basements constructed by both shop and house owners over the years.

The construction of unauthorized basements to create additional space has been routine all these years but the corporation has finally launched a drive to stem the trend.

Preliminary estimates indicate that about 200 unauthorised basements have been constructed by house owners, shopkeepers and owners of commercial buildings. Teams of corporation officials are inspecting these buildings to know the exact position and deviations from the sanctioned building plans.

Sources in the corporation said that about 150 such buildings have already been detected and notices were being send to summon the owners with approved building plans to ascertain if the construction of basements had been permitted or not. The corporation officials would re-visit these premises with approved building plans to know the exact situation.

It is yet to be ascertain weather these illegal construction would be regularized by compounded the offence by charging some fine or the owners would be asked to close down the basements.

Panipat, January 29
Officials of National Fertilizers Limited has assured local farmers, saying that the conversion of NFL’s Panipat unit from oil-based to a gas-based plant would have minimal effect on local environment.

The multi-crore NFL project had hit a roadblock after local farmers raised concerns over environmental affects of using gas as a fuel in the plant. It was almost two years back that the Union Government approved three feedstock changeover projects for the NFL plants at Panipat, Nangal and Bathinda.

Under the project, the Panipat and other two NFL plants were to be converted from fuel- based units to gas-based plants. This was expected to help NFL save Rs 40 crore per unit per month and was likely to bring down the cost of production by Rs 600 crore. The conversion was also likely to modernise the existing ammonia plants and achieve better energy efficiency.

The estimated cost of the project was Rs 1,292.94 crore each for the Panipat and Bathinda plants while Rs 1,478.63 crore was to be spent on revamping of the Nangal plant. NFL was to finance the project from internal resources and loans from financial
institutions.

However, villagers started objecting the project as they apprehended that it would affect environment and farming in the long run. However, NFL officials assured them that the conversion from oil to gas would not only bring down emissions from the plant but also reduce greenhouse gases in the area.

Jhajjar, January 29
Over 1.5 lakh persons took part in a two-day campaign “Prayas” launched by the district authorities to construct concrete paths and repairing sheds of cremation grounds of villages through ’shramdaan’.

The campaign which concluded last evening was carried out in 262 villagers of the district where local residents with the help of social activists and government officials contributed in ‘shramdaan’ .

Jhajjar DC Ajil Balaji Joshi said schoolchildren, representatives of panchayati raj institutions, NGO functionaries and social activists participated in the campaign.

Joshi said the construction of concrete paths and repairing of sheds of cremation grounds were undertaken without taking any monetary aid from the government.

However, wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) would be disbursed among needy persons who had contributed in ‘shramdaan’.

A tree plantation programme was also organised during the campaign. 

Chandigarh, January 29
The state government has appointed Telu Ram Jangir of Hansi and Rao Ram Pal Singh of Gurgaon as members of the state Backward Classes Commission.

Earlier, the commission had three members, including the chairman. The commission was constituted after a section of Jats demanded inclusion in the Backward Class category so that they could get the benefit of reservation in jobs and admission to educational institutions.

The Chandigarh Jangir Brahmin Sabha has expressed its gratitude towards Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for expanding the commission and giving representation to Jangir Brahmins in it. 

Bhiwani, January 29
Brahmins today reiterated the demand for reservation on an economic basis at a state-level “ekta rally” held here.

Umesh Sharma, convener of the Brahmin Aarkshan Sangharsh Samiti, said a memorandum would be submitted in this connection to the Governor on February 26. It would be followed by a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and filing of a petition in the apex court if the demand was not given due response.

Pandit Hari Ram Dixit, state president of the samiti, who presided over the rally, said as the status of Brahmins, who constituted 22 per cent of the population in Haryana, was bad, they deserved reservation. He also demanded a Bhagwan Parshuram Brigade in the Army.

Gurgaon, January 29
If any resident has to suffer inconvenience due to inadequate/faulty public facilities like bad roads, erratic water supply or clogged sewerage, he/she can simply lodge a complaint against the service-providing agency at the SDM’s court.

Criminal cases in this regard can be filed against government departments as well as private colonisers responsible for the deficiency in service. This was stated by Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner PC Meena while chairing a meeting of the District Road Safety Committee at his office here recently. Aggrieved residents are not even required to consult a lawyer for the purpose. They can simply appear before the area SDM and submit an application on plain paper to get relief. On the basis of the application, a case under Section 133 of the CrPC will be registered against the agency at fault.

The court of the SDM concerned will issue a conditional order preferably on the same day, asking the agency to complete the work within a specified time limit. If the agency still fails to deliver, the SDM can issue an absolute order, following which an FIR can be lodged against the official(s) responsible for the deficiency in service.

The Deputy Commissioner clarified that such cases could be filed against the government agencies/departments like the National Highways Authority of India, HUDA, municipal bodies and the Public Works Department, which were responsible for providing civic amenities. He asked the SDMs and other officials concerned to ensure compliance.

Meena also directed the officials concerned of the related departments to take all necessary safety measures on the roads under their purview.

“There should be proper road signage, diversions, reflectors and speed breakers. Accident-prone areas should be identified and effective steps should be taken to deal with the situation,” he said and added that adequate arrangements should be made to assist the commuters in foggy weather. 

Fatehabad, January 29
Bishnois are up in arms against the killing of black bucks in the area, even as the Wildlife Protection officials has arrested one person in connection with the poaching of a black buck at Bosti yesterday.

A meeting of members of the Bishnoi community was held at the office of Manoj Bishnoi, a son of former Tohana MLA late Hanuman Bishnoi today. Parveen Bishnoi, a close kin of HJC supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi, Rameshwar Dass, president of the Akhil Bhartiya Jeev Raksha Samiti, Ishwar Bishnoi, president of the local unit of the Jeev Raksha Samiti and members of the community from some neighbouring villages attended the meeting.

“Nearly, 16 to 17 black bucks have been killed in Fatehabad and Hisar in the past one month,” said Ishwar Bishnoi after the meeting. He said all these killings had been carried out by poachers, who operated with impunity in connivance with the Wildlife officials. The Bishnois are known as conservationists to whom preservation of animal and vegetable life is part of their religion.

Ishwar said Bishnois alleged that these were the killings, which had come to light, but the actual number of poachings could be even bigger. They said the department had been hiding the poaching by maintaining that dogs had mauled the black bucks, though actually these were the handiwork of poachers, whose dogs chased the hapless animals, after they were first targeted by poachers’ bullets.

He said the Bishnoi community would launch an agitation in case the authorities did not stop the killing of black bucks immediately. “We have served 48-hour ultimatum to the authorities to arrest poachers and stop the killings of black bucks or face agitation,” said Ishwar.

Meanwhile, Satbir Singh Sheoran, Divisional Forest Officer, Fatehabad, said the Wildlife Protection officials had arrested Om Parkash, a villager from the Bawaria community for yesterday’s poaching. 

Faridabad, January 29
The Haryana Karamchaari Mahasangh yesterday charged the government with being insensitive to the demands of employees and said it would decided on launching agitation during its 21st two-day convention at Panipat to commence from February 4.

Amarjeet Yadav, Chief Organiser of the sangh, said the employees were constrained to toe a hard line as their pleas to the government had been ignored.

The demands include removal of anomalies in implementation of recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission, stop on outsourcing of jobs and other forms of privatisation, regularisation of services of ad hoc employees, and official permission to hold strikes.

New Delhi, January 29
An associate professor of Haryana Agriculture University has been ordered by the Delhi High Court to be appointed as a principal scientist in the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

A bench of justices BD Ahmed and VK Jain directed the Agriculture Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) to appoint Virender Singh Lather as a principal scientist in ICAR within eight weeks.

“Respondents (Ministry of Agriculture and ASRB) are directed to appoint the petitioner (Lather) to the available post of the principal scientist (Genetics/Cytogenetics) in ICAR subject to his fulfilling all requirements, post interview in which he was selected. The respondent shall comply with this order within eight weeks,” the bench said.

The court gave its order after the government informed it that there was no vacancy currently for the petitioner in the ASRB but a post of principal scientist was available in ICAR and he could be accommodated there.

Hissar-based Lather has moved the Delhi High Court against the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order dismissing his plea against the ASRB's decision not to appoint him on the post despite the fact that he had qualified for the post in an interview held for it in 2002.

The board had declined to issue an appointment letter to the senior professor for the post of the principal scientist (Genetics/Cytogenetics) in the ASRB on the ground that he did not fulfil the requisite criteria of having three years experience as a senior scientist. — PTI

Hisar, January 29
District Magistrate Amit Kumar has promulgated Section 144, Cr PC, under which school buses will have to fulfil several conditions to be able to ply.

Under these conditions the bus crew will carry the vehicle’s registration, insurance , permit and fitness certificates. The bus will be maintained properly, the crew will be properly trained and the maximum speed of the bus will not exceed 50 km per hour.

The students will be boarded and offloaded only within the school boundary. The bus will carry a first aid box, a fire extinguisher and a signboard depicting the route, time-table and the name of the school. The buses will be parked only inside the school campus.

The driver and the conductor will be in uniform. The driver and the conductor will have to attend a refresher course every two years in addition to getting themselves medically examined every five years. The driver will have a minimum driving experience of five years.

The bus will be allowed to carry 50 per cent more students than the rated seating capacity of the bus. A trained school employee will regulate movement of buses from and to the school campus.

The administration has directed that these conditions will also apply to all vehicles hired by schools for transporting students. 

Rewari, January 29
The police has arrested two city youths, Mukesh and Naresh, in connection with the demise of Mahipal who was done to death in a wedding ceremony over a trivial issue in Mohalla Nai Abadi here on Wednesday.

Mahipal, who was grievously injured by the assailants and was admitted in a private hospital in Gurgaon, succumbed to his injuries yesterday. Following a demand raised by some protesters last evening, the police registered a case of culpable homicide (not amounting to murder), against Mukesh, Naresh, Manoj and Mahender.

While Mukesh and Naresh have been arrested, Manoj and Mahender were at large. Mukesh and Naresh were today produced before the Duty Magistrate who remanded them to 14-day judicial custody.