Chandigarh, February 6
Domestic and non-domestic electricity consumers be ready for a shock. From the next billing cycle, the power-starved Haryana distribution companies, the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, will start collecting additional security from them.

The additional security will be recovered from the existing as well as new consumers.

So far the security was linked to the sanctioned load at the rate of Rs 500 per KW for domestic consumers and Rs 1,000 per KW for non-domestic consumers. Now it will be linked to their consumption.

Earlier, the companies had recovered the additional consumption security, which was previously known as advance consumption deposit (ACD) from the industrial consumers. Now the companies have decided to recover the security from the domestic and non-domestic consumers also.

A spokesman of the power utilities said every consumer was required to deposit security with the distribution companies under Section 47 of the Electricity Act, 2003, at the rates decided by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC).

Justifying the decision of the companies, he said the HERC had ruled on July 26, 2005, that additional security should be charged from the new as well as existing consumers.

From the existing consumers, the companies will charge additional security equivalent to average of two billing cycles. Those consumers, who are issued bills once in two months, will have to deposit the security amount equivalent to consumption charges for four months. Those consumers who are billed on a monthly basis will be required to pay security amount equivalent to the consumption charges for two months.

The saving grace is that the domestic and non-domestic consumers will have to pay additional security in 24 months (12 billing cycles), while the consumers of categories other than these two, will have to pay in 12 months.

The decision will affect only the honest consumers, who regularly pay their bills. The companies are suffering losses because of those who do not pay the bills and still continue to use electricity. Moreover, there are large areas in Haryana from where the companies are not able to recover their dues at all.

The spokesman said the security equivalent to consumption charges for four months was required because a consumer’s consumption was noted after two months. It took another 25 days to prepare and issue the bill, which had to be cleared within 17 days. By the time the power supply to a defaulting consumer was disconnected, it was another two months.

He said the additional consumption security intended to cover the unpaid advance usage by the consumer. Moreover, he said, the companies were paying interest on the consumption security at a rate specified by the HERC. At present it was 6 per cent.

Faridabad, February 6
The Kisan Sangharsh Samiti constituted by farmers of 28 villages in the district to spearhead an agitation to press for higher compensation for their land proposed to be acquired by the Railways today further toughened its stand, gearing up for a showdown with the authorities.

The samiti has demanded Rs 5 crore per acre as compensation besides jobs to sons of the farmers whose land will be acquired. It categorically rejected the Railways’ move to pay compensation according to the “collectorate rate”.

Makrand Sharma, president of the samiti, said “the farmers will oppose acquisition of their land at all costs till the compensation demanded by them is met with fully.”

On the other hand, Vikas Saxena, project manager of the project, said, “The Railways will be constrained to resort to compulsory acquisition if the farmers persist with their unreasonable demands.” Some of the demands relating to jobs and royalty could not be accepted, according to the law, he added.

A survey with regard the project has been completed in 24 villages. The samiti asserted that the survey would not be allowed in the remaining villages.

The affected villages fall in Faridabad and Ballabgarh tehsils. They include Fatehpur Biloch, Prahladpur, Ladholi, Behwalpur, Neemka, Munjheri, Nawada, Bukharpur and Tigaon.

The Railways has initiated the process to acquire land in the villages for setting up about 1400 km-long “dedicated freight corridor” starting from Greater Noida (UP) to Mumbai.

The corridor is to be used exclusively for goods trains. The track will pass through this district.

Fatehabad, February 6
Activists of the Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, a group of farmers opposing the acquisition of their land for a nuclear power plant in Gorakhpur village of Fatehabad, held three officials of a private construction company captive for several hours today. These officials had come for land survey in the village .

After noticing the officials conducting a survey of the land for which the state government had issued notifications under the Land Acquisition Act, villagers informed the agitating farmers sitting in dharna outside the mini secretariat here.

Activists of the Kisan Sangharsh Samiti led by Hans Raj Siwach rushed to the fields and caught the three officials.

The farmers snatched their equipment and held them captive at a “dhani” in the fields.

Siwach said since the matter was in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the authorities should not have sent these officials for survey or any other work.

The matter was sorted out by the evening and the officials were let off after the intervention of the police and the district authorities.

Siwach maintained the farmers had been assured that none would visit the village for survey work in future.

Chandigarh, Februrary 6
Alleged failure of the Haryana and Punjab Governments in implementating notifications extending “lal dora” has earned the ire of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Taking serious note of the state governments’ dilly-dallying attitude in filing a status report in the court, Justices MM Kumar and Ajay Kumar Mittal asked the state governments to file it by the next date of hearing on March 1, 2012, failing which the Chief Secretaries would have to explain the conduct of the officials concerned.

The directions came in an ongoing case against the backdrop of public interest litigation (PIL) where the petitioner had alleged that the respective governments had failed to implement the notifications extending “lal dora” (abadi deh) — the boundary line beyond which any construction is declared illegal under various provisions of the Punjab New Capital(Periphery) Control Act,1952. While Haryana issued a notification extending “lal dora” in 2003, Punjab did so in 2006.

Pleading that “lal dora” was determined around a century ago when the land settlement took place, the petitioner asserted that the village population had increased manifold. The expansion of “lal dora” was the need of the hour and thousands of “need-based” constructions by owners on their land have taken place over the years.

The Department of the Town and Country Planning had declared controlled areas, including a large number of rural settlements, around towns and institutions. Currently, any building outside the “lal dora” within the controlled area is declared as illegal and action is taken as per the Act.

While construction by owners on their own land is termed as unauthorised, the state governments regularly acquired the same land at “throwaway prices” to develop urban estates. In fact, the petition brings the role of the state govertment in allowing commercial activities such as hotels, educational institutions and industries by the influential people under a cloud.

New Delhi, February 6
A sub-regional plan of Haryana within the National Capital Region (NCR) proposes to develop Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonepat and Bahadurgarh on a par with Delhi.

Speaking at the second meeting of subcommittee of the National Development Council (NDC) on urbanisation today, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said: “A draft report proposes strategies for balanced development of the NCR, so as to enable economic development of towns at par with Delhi.” The state has also pointed out that 40 per cent area of the NCR falls in Haryana. This needs infrastructure at par with Delhi, to reduce the load on the National Capital. For this, Hooda requested that the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Misson should be extended to Gurgaon, Rohtak, Bahadurgah, Sonepat, Rewari and Panipat also, as these towns were growing rapidly and bearing the demographic stress of Delhi.

The Chief Minister said it should be left to the state government for the formulation of the Model Municipal Law, devolution of powers, responsibilities and functions to the local government and communities.

There was a need to constitute an urban management transport authority for the NCR, to ensure integrated transport planning. Haryana, he said, was the first state in the country to implement a metro project in Gurgaon through private investment. Some more projects were also proposed to be executed in the state. For faster and modern urban transport facilities, including metros, the Regional Rapid Transit Systems (RRTS) in the NCR cities were being actively considered.

Two priority corridors for the RRTS were Delhi-Sonepat-Panipat and Delhi-Gurgaon-Alwar. The Haryana Government with its limited resources would not be able to bear this and as such it was requested that the Ministry of Urban Development to implement these projects as national projects, providing 100 per cent funds for these projects.

Hooda said the Haryana Government accords high priority to urban development and as such the budget provision for the urban sector had been increased from Rs 4434 crore in 2010-11 Rs 6917 crore in 2011-12.

Karnal, February 6
A local crusade against female foeticide today reached its crescendo with thousands of schoolchildren joining hands with 70 social organisations to form a 22-km human chain.

Renewing its pledge to “save the girl child”, the people of Karnal today scripted history by forming a 22-km human chain and becoming a part of the mega event, which was aimed at sending a strong message to fight female foeticide.

The town was divided into 18 parts and four zones and the human chain starting from Khadi Ashram in Ram Nagar, Kunjpura Road, Sector 12, and the Maharana Pratap Road covered every nook and corner of the town and converged at the Committee Chowk.

Neelam P Kasani, Deputy Commissioner, said members of the human chain through banners and placards spread the message to save the girl child and put an end to female foeticide.

However, a class IX student when asked about the campaign showed ignorance and said we were told by the school authorities to reach here and we complied with the orders. Though there is an increase in sex ratio over the past six months but today the lack of concern among the social activists who were the motivating faces behind the human chain was discernible as they started dispersing as soon as the DC left after cheering them.

The NGOs, Panchayati Raj Institutions, anganwadis and the mahila mandals were roped in for the campaign, which was launched in September last year. Oaths against female foeticide were being administrated at schools, offices, panchayats, mahila mandals, offices and other establishments on 6th of every month.

Hisar, February 6
Dr Ram Kumar Yadav, Director, Student Welfare, Haryana Agricultural University, has been elected president of the HAU Alumni Association.

The elections were held yesterday at the end of a two-day biennial meeting of the association.

OP Sihag was elected senior vice-president while RS Sangwan and Yashpal Verma were elected vice-presidents.

Earlier, Haryana’s Minister of State for Agriculture Sukhbir Kataria while inaugurating the meet said that the biggest challenge facing agricultural scientists was to keep raising agricultural production despite falling arable land area. He said small and marginal farmers must be trained to use newer agricultural technologies if the production was to be kept at appropriate levels.