Hisar, May 25
In an effort to placate the Dalits of Bhagana, who have left their homes to camp in the open outside the mini-secretariat, authorities in Hisar today initiated the process of executing gift deeds of 100-square yard plots to the poor under the Mahatma Gandhi Grameen Malin Basti Yojna in their village.

On the first day today, gift deeds were executed in favour of four villagers, Dharma, Ram Phal, Sohan Lal and Prem. Three of the beneficiaries are the Dalits while the fourth is from the Backward Class.

“We have identified 220 families eligible under the scheme. Allotment of plots to these families have already been completed while the execution of gift deeds has been started from today,” said Hisar Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Agarwal.

Some Dalits of Bhagana had left their homes on May 21 accusing Jat families of the village of ostracizing them. Distribution of 100-square yard plots to the poor was at the root of the face-off between the two communities, as the Dalits alleged that members of the Jat community had distributed all village common land among them leaving little for the poor.

The authorities have already attached a piece of land situated near the house of the Dalits under Section 145 of the CrPC yesterday and appointed a Tehsildar as a receiver.

This piece of land has also become a contentious issue between the two communities, as the Dalits alleged that the Jats had erected a wall on the land thereby closing entry to their houses.

The initiatives of the authorities are likely to mollify the Dalits, who have refused to return home until they were sure they would be allowed to live with dignity in their village. 

Chandigarh, May 25
Ambitious plans of five companies, said to be sister concerns of Parsvnath Developers Limited, to develop a chunk of land in Rohtak district have failed to take off. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed their petition challenging the acquisition of land in the area.

The petitioners, Adela Buildcon Pvt Ltd and others, had challenged land acquisition proceedings initiated in February 2008 for 2,746 kanals, eight marlas situated in Bohar village; and another 2,446 kanals, six marlas in Garhi Bohar village in Rohtak district.

The petitioners claimed they applied for a licence to develop 137.744 acres, vide applications dated June 22, 2006, and May 7, 2007. According to the final development plan of Rohtak district, the land was situated in Sectors 33 and 33-A and fell in a residential zone.

While their applications were under consideration, notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act was published. Out of the total land of 137.744 acres, 14 acres owned by the petitioners was included in the notification.

It was intended to be acquired for industrial, transport and other public utility services. The petitioners filed objections on March 10, 2008. It was alleged that without issuing notice to the petitioners for hearing, Section 6 notification was published.

Elaborating, the petitioners said they were granted a licence for 118.188 acres in the revenue estate of Bohar for development of a residential plotted colony. While the petitioners were developing the licensed area according to the terms and conditions of the licences, they were shocked and dismayed when some of the officials of Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation started interfering in the development work?.

Dismissing the petition, the Bench of Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice AN Jindal asserted the petitioners, on the dates of awards for land acquisition, were told that the possession had been handed over to the HSIDC. They were informed that the construction of road and sewerage lights by them was not authorised.

“The HSIDC has asserted its possession of the land in question at least since October 6, 2010. Therefore, the present petition filed on March 28 suffers from gross delay and laches. The petitioners cannot be permitted to challenge the same as the land vests with the State Government.”

Amritsar, May 25
It has been over a year since the Hondh Chillar Massacre rocked the headlines and the Haryana Government set up a one-man inquiry commission of Justice (Retd) TP Garg to probe into it, but the commission has not yet visited the “carnage” site while its investigations are moving at a snail's pace.

The whistleblower in the case, Manvinder Singh Giaspur, said the commission held its first sitting six months after its formation even as it was yet to visit the scene of the massacre. After constituting the commission on March 5 last year, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had said the commission would submit its report to the state government as soon as possible, but not later than six months from the date of its first sitting.

Giaspur said: “The commission has held a total of four sittings till date and that too in Hisar. Justice Garg is available in his office only on the day of the sitting.” He expressed his dissatisfaction with the way the probe is heading forward. He accused the Punjab Government of not cooperating with the victims. He also alleged that the SGPC didn’t provide them legal aid in the case.

Giaspur, who was working as an engineer in a private firm in Gurgaon, lost his job after he discovered the “carnage” site and is now doing business in his hometown Ludhiana.

Prem Singh, one of the victims presently living in Ludhiana, said the Haryana Police had recorded his statement a couple of months back, while the next hearing of the commission would take place on June 11. He said the advocate jointly hired by them was taking care of the commission’s proceedings. On his hopes from the Haryana Government’s probe, he said: “We have been awaiting justice for the past 27 years and we know how the government machinery functions. Let us see what happens.”

Another victim, Uttam Singh, residing in Bathinda, also said they had urged Justice Garg to accompany them to the village so that they could give their account of the tragedy at the site. He rued that the tragedy ruined them more than the partition after which they had migrated from Pakistan to settle down in Hondh Chillar.

On the other hand, Justice Garg could not be contacted for his comments. However, his reader, Kashmiri Lal Arneja, said the commission could hold its first sitting in October last year as prior to it the petitions were not submitted before it. He said the commission had received a total of 74 petitions. Regarding the visit to Hondh Chillar, he said the investigations had not reached a stage where a visit to the site was needed.

The scenario regarding the memorial of Hondh Chillar victims, which was announced in the presence of Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh on March 6 last year, is no different. Nothing has been done after laying the foundation stone of the memorial. All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) president Karnail Singh Peer Mohammed, who took the lead regarding the memorial, attributed the delay to various reasons. He said firstly, the issue of ownership of the land where the memorial was to be raised needs to be sorted out. Secondly, the SGPC should either take up the work of memorial or entrust the responsibility to the AISSF like in the case of Operation Bluestar Memorial.

Avtar Singh Makkar, SGPC chief, said they would talk to the Haryana Government and urge it to expedite the investigations into the matter, adding that subsequently they would also look into the issue of the memorial at Hondh Chillar.

Chandigarh, May 25
In a development that shows apparent insensitivity of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government towards physically challenged persons, nearly 2,400 posts, including 782 Class “A ” posts, meant for persons with disability, are lying vacant in the state.

The issue came up for discussion at a recent high-level meeting of financial commissioners, principal secretaries and administrative secretaries presided over by the state’s Chief Secretary. In fact, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment was at the receiving end of the meeting for its alleged apathetic attitude in not filling the posts, sources told The Tribune.

Besides 782 Class “A” posts, 254 posts belonging to Class “B” and 215 posts belonging to Class “C” were vacant in the state. The maximum number of vacant posts — 1,112 — belonged to Class “C” indicating that no regular recruitment was being made in various departments of the state, the sources stated.

Asking the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment to implement the Persons with Disability(Equal Opportunities) Protection of Rights and Full Participation Act, 1995, in “letter and in spirit”, the meeting asked it to inspect the roster system for different categories of posts being maintained by the departments. Currently, the roster system of the various departments is not being properly inspected by the department leading to a huge backlog.

A senior official said Section 33 of the Act made it mandatory for the government to reserve a minimum of 3 per cent of vacancies for employment in government departments, universities and public sector undertakings (PSUs) for persons with disability. In fact, one per cent of the vacancies each should be reserved for persons suffering from blindness, hearing impairment and loco motor disability or cerebral palsy, the official highlighted.

Social Jusitce and Empowerment Minister Geeta Bhukkal told The Tribune that a special drive to fill the vacant posts for persons with disability would be launched soon to deal with the backlog. In fact, the department had already been directed to send a requisition to the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) and the Haryana Service Subordinate Commission for the filling of the posts reserved for these persons, she added.

The senior official said special placement fairs were also being planned in a bid to recruit these persons. In fact, May 31 had been set as the deadline for various departments to send their requisition to the recruiting agencies to clear the backlog. 

Nilokheri (Karnal), May 25
The sixth semester paper on earthquake was allegedly leaked at GVN Polytechnic here this morning before the examination started. The institute management took prompt action and the Directorate of Technical Education was informed and a team of officials from Chandigarh reached the institute for an enquiry.

Students alleged that the paper was being sold for Rs 1,500. In spite of the leakage, the institute went ahead with the paper. The team headed by the Controller of Examination, RS Sangwan, met the Principal, SK Goel.

Kurukshetra University BA second semester (Hindi Compulsory) exam was cancelled as the question paper was out of syllabus. The students pointed it out to the teachers who informed the authorities and the examination was cancelled.

Jind, May 25
To keep a check on the incidents of vehicle thefts, the district administration has resorted to a peculiar measure. It has directed all mechanics and auto repair workshops not to repair vehicles, which have no registration number plates.

In case of any violation, the authorities will be forced to take strict action under Section 188 of Rules of 1973, against offenders. It is claimed that such a move has been taken to put a check on vehicle thefts in the district as the majority of thefts take place when a vehicle has no number or has been parked without a proper lock. Owners have also been asked to ensure painting of the registration number on their vehicles in a manner, which is visible from some distance. While directions have been issued to mechanics, the petrol pumps have also been asked not to refill petrol or fuel in the vehicles without number plates.

“The orders in this connection have come into force from the last week and will remain valid till further directions,” said an official spokesperson.

In another order, the Deputy Commissioner has also banned the entry of group of residents having more than five members, including the government and the non-government delegations, who arrive at the mini-secretariat to submit a memorandum regarding their demands. The ban has also been made applicable on persons carrying various type of arms and weapons, including sticks and other sharp-edged weapons, on the mini-secretariat premises with immediate effect

Sonepat, May 25
A five-member team of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes led by the commission’s member, Lata Priya Kumar, today visited the BPS Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Khanpur Kalan, to inquire into the incident of gang rape of a Scheduled Caste student of the BPS law college in the university recently.

The team held a closed door meeting with the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Dr Pankaj Mittal, the Pro VC, Dr Balbir Kaur, and the Registrar, Dr Asha Kadiyan. The SDM, Gohana, and the DSP City were also present at the meeting.

The team also interacted with the victim of the gang rape and her mother in the VC’s office and inspected the facilities in girls’ hostel numbers 13 and 14.

The team members discussed the matter with the Deputy Commissioner, Pankaj Aggarwal, and the SSP, Arun Singh.

Talking to mediapersons, Lata Priya Kumar congratulated the district and the police administration for acting swiftly in the incident, including registration of a case and arrest of the alleged accused.

“I have given certain suggestions, including issuing of the photo-identity cards and police verification of the employees engaged on casual or regular basis, and adoption of other precautionary measures to the university authorities,” she said and asked the SP to depute police officials for organising awareness programmes on the university premises to teach students how to tackle problems like eveteasing and sexual harassment.

She also said that this case of gang rape should be tried in a fast track court so that the alleged accused were punished at the earliest. Suitable compensation would be paid to the victim, she added.

Karnal, May 25
In a bizarre incident, a truck driver was found murdered here this morning and his semi-naked body was recovered from the bushes near the NAGBR on GT road. The deceased, identified as Shalig Ram hailing from Danauli village in the Paonta Sahib area of Himachal, was on his way from Modinagar to Kala Amb with supply of paints.

The cleaner of the truck, Kuldeep, said they had parked the truck on the roadside and slept but when he woke up in the morning, the driver was missing.

He raised an alarm and spotted the semi-naked body of Salig Ram behind the bushes and informed the police. The body had marks of injuries on the head and private parts. He suspected that it was the handiwork of a gang that robbed the people in the guise of women.

DSP Joginder Rathi said the police had taken the body into its possession and sent it for a postmortem. The police has registered a case of murder under Section 302 of the IPC against unknown persons and started investigations.

The police recovered a torch and a dupatta from the spot and started investigations and a team of forensic experts, summoned from the Madhuban Police Academy, also examined the body and the place of incident.

Siwani Mandi, May 25
Thieves struck at Siwani municipal committee last night and made away with a tractor-trolley parked on the premises of the civic body.

The theft was noticed when employees of the committee found this morning that the lock of the main gate was broken and one tractor-trolley was missing. The matter was reported to the secretary of the municipal committee, Jagdish Bhambhu.

Due to the theft of the tractor-trolley, which was used for lifting garbage, the sanitation work will suffer as the municipal committee is now left with only one tractor-trolley. 

Kurukshetra, May 25
The local police has registered a case against five persons for allegedly carving out an illegal colony in Kheri Ram Nagar here today.

The case was registered on a complaint lodged with the police by Amrik Singh, district town planner, Kurukshetra, who has complained that Balwant Singh, Puran Singh, Ram Chander, Jasmer Singh and Suresh Kumar, all residents of Kheri Ram Nagar, had carved out an illegal colony in the village without a licence or permission from the Haryana Town Planner.