Chandigarh, April 22
The Haryana Government has decided to suspend granting of licences to stone-crushers in the three districts of Faribadad, Gurgaon and Mewat to check sporadic complaints of “illegal mining and illegal transportation of minerals” in this belt. Though no time frame for new approvals has been set, sources said the directions would be applicable “for the time being”.

With mining completely banned in the state following an ongoing case in the Supreme Court, sources in the Haryana Pollution Control Board said the decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Haryana Chief Secretary PK Chaudhery to stop illegal transportation of minerals, if any, in the area. The government has to file an affidavit in the mining case in court.

A formal order, however, will be issued by the Mines and Geology Department, which grants the licences under an Act of 1992 to new stone-crushers after which the board gives its consent to establish and operate the crusher by issuing a “no-objection certificate”.

Sources in the Mines Department said that an order to stall granting of licences in the three districts would be issued shortly. The board would issue directions to the three districts banning new approvals following this order.

Of the nearly 1,000 stone crushers in the state, only 500 are operational as of now. The crushers in Panchkula, Hisar and Yamunanagar are already closed due to another court case.

Sources in the board said while there were 100 stone crushers in Mewat, about 70 crushers are operating in Gurgaon and nearly 200 in Faridabad. The total number of cases of new stone crushers awaiting approval is not known because these are dealt with at the level of districts. While new approvals are being withheld for the time being, the board officials maintained that a few other crushers could face closure.

“A new notification on zoning is in the offing. Some of the stone crushers continue to be operational outside the zone because of a one-time benefit that was given to them. That benefit will stand withdrawn once the new notification comes into force and bring down their numbers even more,” a board official claimed.

Chandigarh, April 22
All government departments have been directed by new Chief Secretary PK Chaudhery to prepare citizen’s charters as early as possible, but not later than May 31, 2012.

The charter must specify what services a particular department renders to citizens, who would also have the right to know the time frame in which a particular service would be rendered.

Each department would upload the charter on its website and also display it at places frequently visited by people.

Chaudhery spent about 10 days after taking over his new assignment in reviewing the performance of all departments, except Home. He asked the administrative secretaries in charge of various departments and heads of departments (HoDs) to frame the citizen’s charters of their respective departments. The framing of the charters would be among the major performance indicators of a department.

Emulating his experience at the Centre, the Chief Secretary has asked each department to formulate result-framework document (RFD) as is being done in Central government departments after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the outline of a ‘performance monitoring and evaluation system (PMES) for government departments’ in 2009.

An RFD is a summary of important results a department expects to achieve during a financial year. The purpose is to shift the focus of the department from process-orientation to result-orientation, and also to provide an objective and fair basis to evaluate the department’s overall performance at the end of the year.

The RFDs of various departments would be discussed with peer groups of former experienced bureaucrats, who are no longer in service.

He has asked the administrative secretaries and HoDs to evolve measures to bring greater integrity in the functioning of their departments so that the Vigilance Bureau does not have to sit on their heads.

So intense was the review that Chaudhery spent considerable time even on departments like administrative reforms, land use board and archaeology and museums, which seldom attract attention of the government, except for parking “unwanted” officers.

Chaudhery is confident that no member of his team would be able to say after some time that he has no work to perform or his abilities are being used by the government for reasons other than administrative.

Chaudhery says once the administrative machinery is oiled, the political leadership would be requested to spell out its priorities. 

Gurgaon, April 22
It seems that even the Supreme Court, the Centre and the state government put together are unable to make private schools provide free education to underprivileged students.

Thanks to the lackadaisical attitude “or utter helplessness” of local administrative officials, the policy guidelines meant to ensure implementation of the Right To Education (RTE) Act have proved a futile exercise.

After the RTE Act was passed, the state government said it would be implemented in letter and in spirit. A recent Supreme Court order also upheld the RTE Act mandating 25 per cent free seats to underprivileged children in all schools (barring unaided minority schools) across the country. However the ground situation is still the same in most private schools here.

Inquiries revealed that most ‘public’ schools first try to discourage underprivileged persons from getting their children admitted there.

In case some parents are persistent and aware of the rules, their children are admitted, but are called only for ‘special’ classes in the afternoon after school hours. More often than not, these children are not even taught by regular teachers in high-end schools, and humiliated in every possible way.

Some schools hold such ‘special’ classes merely to complete the formality of teaching ‘underprivileged’ children. In certain cases, these students are made to wear a different uniform which segregates them from regular (read fees-paying) students.

A few schools admit a miniscule number of underprivileged children to regular classes, but they are subjected to discriminatory treatment.

“The school managements usually turn down parents’ requests on the grounds that they do not have a BPL ration card, whereas the original guidelines in this regard stated that the benefit was meant for the economically weaker sections (EWS). Since the school managements are quite influential, they deny admissions to underprivileged children on one pretext or the other,” says Rajeev Yadav, who has been pursuing the matter with various authorities for long. He maintains that there have been cases wherein underprivileged children have been thrown out of school and their family’s ration card cancelled at the behest of the school authorities.

Local HUDA Administrator made Yadav member of a sub-committee constituted to determine whether EWS students are being provided education during school hours at private schools. The sub-committee was authorised to inspect schools, conduct videography and carry out a study on EWS students.

However, the sub-committee, which was constituted on February 27, 2012, and directed to submit its report every month, has not undertaken any such exercise till date. RTI replies furnished by the authorities concerned in response to pertinent queries on the status of free education to EWS children are vague and evasive.

On the other hand, school managers concede that they cannot afford to have 25 per cent ‘non-paying’ students. 

Hathin (Palwal), April 22
Owners of industrial plots in HUDA’s industrial estate here have urged Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to frame a policy that would exempt the allottees from being charged “extension fee” in case they failed to set up units on the land within stipulated period.

Kishore Sharma, who owns a plot in the industrial estate, has written a letter on behalf of the plot owners to the Chief Minister, drawing the latter’s attention to HUDA’s fault in not providing the infrastructure, an obstacle to a majority of them in setting up their units.

He urged the Chief Minister to draw a policy to exempt entrepreneurs from the extension fee in cases where HUDA faltered in its public commitment to provide basic infrastructure. In the interest of the “victim” plot owners, the mandatory requirement of first putting the proposed units in operation on their plots before selling them be waived, he added.

Although the industrial estate was floated by HUDA about 25 years ago and about 150 plots in them were sold, only a dozen industrial units could be set up here.

Faridabad Administrator of HUDA Amneet P Kumar, who has the charge of Palwal could not be contacted for comments. According to HUDA’s norms, an allottee has to operationalise his proposed project on the industrial plot within three years of its allotment. In case he fails, he could get the deadline extended by two more years for which extension fee would be charged.

VK Verma, who runs a unit on his plot in the industrial estate, said after waiting in vain for several years for infrastructure, a number of plot owners purchased land elsewhere and started their units. It was difficult for them to shift the units here now, he added.

Sohail Khan, who gave up the idea of setting up a project half way on his plot, alleged that the allottees had made full payment of the cost price of the plots to HUDA. They were being pressed now to pay the extension fee for setting up units. Repeated representations to HUDA and government functionaries by entrepreneurs for the infrastructure to enable them to set up the units during all these years were ignored, he added.

Gaurav Jain, who has already set up an unit in the area, said HUDA had to provide potable water, storm water disposal system, sewerage, a police station, a fire station, among other facilities, in the industrial estate. Although a network of pipes to supply water was laid a long time ago, the system became functional only last year. Jain further said that recently a 33-KV power substation was replaced by a 66-KV. It was imperative to feed industrial units through the 66-KV station. Till the station was upgraded, power supply to the industrial estate was erratic which further inhibited the industrialists from setting up their projects, he added.

Kaithal, April 22
A newly constructed market being built near the old bus stand here was demolished by the District Town and Country Planning Department and the local municipal council here today. As many as 26 shops were demolished with the help of JCB machines.

The authorities alleged that the shops were being constructed without obtaining permission and getting the plans approved by the civic body.

Two of the completed shops had already been leased to a liquor vendor. The demolition operation lasted for about an hour.

The market was being built on the erstwhile Randhir cinema hall site. District Town and Country Planner Amrik Singh and Rohtas Bishnoi, executive officer of the municipal council, accompanied the demolition squad.

Deputy Commissioner Mona A Sreenivas said the structures were unauthorised and the authorities had issued notice to the owner of the market before demolition.

Ashok Bansal, owner of the market, said he had submitted the plans to the municipal council in January. The plans were, however, returned a few days ago without assigning any reason.

He had filed a case in a local court and the court had issued notice to the municipal council and the District Town and Country Planning Department. The case, he said, had been listed for hearing on April 23. 

Karnal, April 22
Several areas of Karnal remained without electricity for more than 12 hours as a truck entered a "no-entry zone" in the Jarnaili Colony and knocked down two electric poles.

The areas fed by feeder number 1 were most affected as electricity supply to five main colonies of the town, the Civil Hospital and more than 20 private hospitals and other institutions remained suspended.

The area plunged into darkness for several hours as power nigam employees toiled to restore the power supply. The power breakdown also affected the water supply as the power-operated pumps did not work.

The traffic police had stopped traffic due to the ongoing construction work on the hospital road and erected barricades but a truck entered the road in the wee hours of the morning and rammed into electric poles.

The power transmission lines fell on the ground and the entire area plunged into darkness and the nigam employees immediately disconnected electricity and power supply to the Janranli Colony, Dayal singh Colony, Old GT Toad, Randhir Lane, Civil Hospital area, bus stand, Kunjpura Road and the adjoining areas.

Vinod Goyal, SDO, Power Nigam, said the power supply had to be cut to repair the transmission lines and hoped that the power supply would be fully restored in the next few hours.

Gurgaon, April 22
In order to uplift the literacy level in the educationally backward district of Nuh (Mewat), the Haryana government has created a separate cadre of teachers for Mewat and sanctioned 5,000 posts of teacher for the district.

Nuh MLA Aftab Ahmed said here today that a notification to this effect was issued on April 11.

Ahmed said despite being close to the national Capital, Mewat had lagged behind in terms of education and it was a challenge to improve the literacy rate there.

The MLA said the teachers appointed for Mewat district would not be transferred elsewhere.

The sanctioned post included 2,910 posts of primary teacher, 265 of TGT, 121 of TGT (science), 105 of TGT (mathematics), two of TGT (Urdu), two of TGT (Home Science), one for Arts, two for music, 15 for physical education and 625 posts of PGT in all subjects.

Besides, 341 posts of elementary headmaster, 410 of head teacher, 25 of principal and 44 posts of headmaster had also been sanctioned. In all these posts. There would be 33 per cent reservation for women in these posts.

The MLA said the teachers currently posted in Mewat would be asked to give their option within three months on whether or not they wanted to stay in the Mewat cadre.

Sadhora (Yamunanagar), April 22
An agitated crowd vandalised furniture and police vehicles of Sadhora police station to protest against the death of a person and “inaction” of police officials this noon.

It is learnt that there was a dispute between two neighbours, Ashwani and Usha, over some issue. Both are residents of Sadhora. Usha along with her members of family started throwing bricks at the house of Ashwani.

Ashwani called one of his friends Randhir for help. She threw bricks on Randhir, too, who died as he sustained serious injuries on his head. Ashwani also sustained injuries and was admitted to the Civil Hospital.

The relatives of the deceased alleged that Ashwani had informed the police when he was attacked but the police did not reach there in time. The crowd reached the police station, raising slogans against police “inaction”.

The furniture and some of the vehicles parked in the police station were allegedly vandalised by the agitated crowd. They were demanding action against the assailants and the police officials for their “negligent” attitude.

On receiving information, DSP Bilaspur, Virender Singh, reached there and assured the agitated people that a case would be registered against the assailants. He also ordered the suspension of the SHO and an ASI of Sadhora police station. After this, the agitated crowd dispersed. 

Faridabad, April 22
The Sarva Karamchari Sangh, Haryana, has urged the government to fulfil its promise on demands relating to the welfare of employees soon, failing which it would launch a state-wide agitation.

Naresh Shastri, vice-president of the sangh, said on August 25 last year, the then Chief Secretary at a meeting with a delegation of the sangh had accepted in principle a number of its demands. The delegation was promised that the demands would be fulfilled soon. However, the government had done nothing in this regard, he added.

According to him, the demands include simplification of rules to enable the services of ad hoc employees in class III and IV grades in the state to be regularised, Rs 1,000 per month as special allowance for safai and anti-malaria spray workers whose nature of jobs were injurious to health, rectification in the anomalies in the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission, and “cashless” medical policy for employees.

Panipat, April 22
In the wake of raids conducted by animal activists and wildlife officials on Sacred Heart School, Chandigarh, the Indian chapter of the UN-affiliated International Organisation for Animal Protection (OIPA) along with the People for Animals (PFA), Haryana, have requested the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to do away with the mandatory animal specimens in school laboratories.

Both the NGOs demanded that preserving of animal specimens should no longer be a part of the curriculum in schools. Naresh Kadyan, founder- chairman of the People for Animals, Haryana, and Indian representative of OPIA, said according to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, keeping wild animals and their trophies without permission was a crime.

He said the guidelines issued by the CBSE to all affiliated schools to preserve animal specimens in their laboratories was also a crime read with Section 120-B of the IPC and the promoter of a crime cannot be spared.

Director, OIPA, Sukanya Kadyan said the organisation was using the RTI Act with the authorities concerned, seeking information about all recognised schools, which have been preserving animal specimens in their laboratories. She said the OIPA had also put up a query as to under whose authority the animal specimens were being preserved by schools and the source of procurement of these specimens.

Kadyan said the OPIA believed that animals were being killed to preserve these as specimens and then being sold to schools, which were under compulsion to procure these specimens to meet the CBSE guidelines. 

Fatehabad, April 22
To observe the World Earth Day, students of MDAV Senior Secondary School, Bhattu Kalan, organised a rally here today to create awareness among people.

Carrying placards and posters with a message of conserving environment and planting trees, students went to the main markets of the town spreading message to save the Earth from pollution.

Dr Vedika Nehra, a pediatrician and child psychiatrist at Providence, Rhode Island, US, flagged off the rally.

Dr Vedika, who hailed from Banmandori village of this area before her horticulture scientist father settled in the US two decades back, also planted a sapling on this occasion.

Children also planted saplings in various school buildings and government department buildings.

Sirsa: The Energy and Environment Science Department of Chaudhary Devi Lal University organised a seminar on the occasion of the World Earth Day on Sunday. Dr Ved Beniwal, patron of the Haryana chapter of the Indian Medical Association, Ramesh Goyal, an activist working for water conservation and several others addressed the seminar.

Dr Rani Devi, in charge of the department, said meddling with the environment was causing a number of problems for people.

Chandigarh, April 22
The Haryana Government has tightened the noose around senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer PV Subhash Chander Babu, accused of absenting himself from duty.

Haryana’s Principal Conservator of Forests CR Jotriwal, in a show-cause notice issued to the official, has asked him to reply within 15 days. If no response to the show-cause notice is received, then it would be presumed that the official had accepted the allegations and ex-parte proceedings would be initiated against him, Jotriwal warned.

In 2001, the Haryana Government had issued a charge sheet against Babu, a 1987-batch officer of the IFS, for allegedly absenting himself from duty. In 2,003, SK Dhar, Project-Director-cum-Chief Conservator of Forests, Community Forestry Project, Panchkula, was appointed as the Inquiry Officer to probe charges against Babu.

The Inquiry Officer, in his report, reportedly concluded that charges against Babu stood proved. Then the inquiry report went to the Haryana Governor. It is in pursuance to the principles of natural justice that Babu had been issued the latest show-cause notice to give him an opportunity to defend himself, official sources told The Tribune here today.

“Ány representation, which you may like to make, will be considered by him (Governor) before any action is taken. Such representation, if any, should be made in writing and submitted to him so as to reach him not later than 15 days from the date of the receipt of this communication to you,” the show-cause notice issued by Jotriwal said.

Chandigarh, April 22
The government has declared April 29 as a public holiday on account of elections to the municipal committees and the municipal councils in some towns on this day.

An official spokesman said the government had notified a public holiday on April 29 in offices, educational and other institutes of the government, boards and corporations situated in the jurisdiction of the areas for elections to the municipal committee, Julana in Jind district, and Kanina in Mahendragarh district.

It would also be a public holiday in the offices, educational and other institutes in the state for byelections to ward number 3 and 4, the municipal committee, Indri in Karnal district; ward number 9 municipal committee, Narnaul; ward number 7 and 9 of MC, Mandi Dabwali in Sirsa district, and ward number 16 municipal council, Tohana in Fatehabad district.

He said April 29 would be observed as a holiday under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, in the aforesaid areas where the elections would be held. 

Jhajjar, April 22
The branch manager of Jhajjar Central Cooperative Bank Limited has been placed under suspension by the Jhajjar Deputy Commissioner for allegedly committing financial irregularities in saving accounts of the bank. The Deputy Commissioner has also handed over the case to the district police authorities for further action according to the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The accused, Daljeet Singh, was posted at Chhara branch of the bank. Now, Balbir Singh has been assigned the duty of Chhara branch manager in place of Dalbir.

It is learnt that the bank officials had detected a fraud of Rs 57.87 lakh in the Chhara branch during routine checking in the financial year 2011-12. The officials reportedly found involvement of branch manager Daljeet Singh in the fraud when a preliminary investigation was conducted into the matter.

“Though Daljeet Singh had later deposited Rs 47.46 lakh in the accounts but the bank officials lodged a complaint with the police against him for allegedly committing financial irregularities running into Rs 11.38 lakh by misusing the power of the manager,” said the Deputy Commissioner, Ajit Balaji Joshi.

Taking cognisance of the matter, Joshi ordered Bahadurgarh BDPO Ekbal Singh Rathi to carry out a preliminary investigation into the matter along
with higher officers of the bank so that action could be taken against erring persons.

“During preliminary investigation, the committee detected financial irregularities in the branch and recommended the matter for in-depth investigation to ascertain the involvement of all guilty persons,” said the Deputy Commissioner, adding that another committee comprising the branch manager Balbir Singh, development officer RP Singh and establishment officer Sukhbir Singh had started a detailed investigation into the case.

Meanwhile, Devender Dangi, PRO of the Jhajjar police, while talking to The Tribune, said that a case under Sections 409, 420,467, 468 and 471 of the IPC had been registered against the accused, Daljeet Singh, on the complaint of the bank officer, Sukhbir Singh, in this regard. The Mandhothi police was still investigating the matter from various angles, he added.

Sonepat, April 22
The police claims to have arrested two of the three alleged accused in a case of triple murder in a house at Bandepur village within 24 hours after the crime.

The arrested youths were identified as Sunil and Lalit, alias Monu, of the same village. The third alleged accused, Naveen, also of the same village was still absconding and police teams have been deputed to arrest him at the earliest.

Talking to mediapersons in the local Sadar police station today, DSP Surender Malik said during interrogation the arrested youths had confessed to their involvement in committing the crime. They were produced in the court today and the court remanded them in police custody for the recovery of weapons used in the crime and for the arrest of the third alleged accused.

Giving an account of the triple murder, the DSP said Sunil had lent about Rs 30,000 to the victim, Sanjay, and he was under some pressure to pay the amount. Sunil conspired with Lalit and Naveen to eliminate

Sanjay and before committing the crime, they purchased hand gloves and knives from shops in the town. When Sanjay was being attacked with knives in his grocery shop on the ground floor of his house in the village late in the night on April 19, his wife, Sunita, saw the attackers from the first floor in the house. Before she could raise alarm, the accused allegedly murdered Sunita and her daughter, Archana.

Before escaping, the alleged accused looted about Rs 92,000 in cash from the cash box lying in the shop, the DSP said, adding that Sunil was also instrumental in inciting people to block the Sonepat-Narela road in protest against the killing.

Sirsa, April 22
The police has booked 15 persons for criminal assault and deterring public servants from performing their duty after a joint police party from Hanumangarh (Rajasthan) and two local cops were attacked by kin of a woman, who was recovered on the orders of a court.

A police party arrived here in the morning armed with court warrants for the recovery of Mona from her marital home in Bhatowali Colony here.

Mona’s parents had filed a petition in a court there that her in-laws harassed her, kept her in inhuman conditions and did not allow her to speak to them.

When the team was returning with Mona, local residents, including four women, attacked the police party and tried to take away the woman. Constable Randhir Singh was injured in the attack.

The police said the Rajasthan police later left for Hanumangarh with Mona.

Gurgaon, April 22
The Haryana Employment Department will organise a job fair for physically challenged persons (barring the visually impaired) at the Vishwas Vidyalaya and Resource Centre for all Disabilities, near Unitech Cyber Park, in Sector 46 here on April 26.

Divisional Employment Officer Sheila Yadav said the job fair was being organised by the department in collaboration with Sarthak, Vishwas and VRC, Delhi.

The Department of Employment was committed to providing more and more employment avenues to the unemployed through such job fairs.