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Assailants storm hospital, gun down Ballabgarh sarpanch
Industry body seeks exemption from HSPCB notification
Land Pooling Scheme fails to strike chord with farmers
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Jats flex muscles again; to resume quota stir after Aug 15
Team to monitor education officers’ working
Plea to increase tree cover
As nuclear plant row hots up, focus turns to Gorakhpur women
Tension over construction of shrine in Karnal village
Bal Krishan’s arrest evokes protest
NID to come up in state soon
Four-year-old boy rescued from kidnappers
Woman constable killed by husband
11 persons booked for doctoring MLR
Two women raped in different incidents
Schoolgirl commits suicide
2 notorious criminals arrested
Rs 5 lakh stolen from
car
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Assailants storm hospital, gun down Ballabgarh sarpanch
Faridabad, July 21 The assailants escaped in a Scorpio after committing the crime. The incident has sent shock waves in Faridabad and Ballabagarh. Tewatia died on the spot. The assailants pumped in more than six bullets in his body. One of the gun shots hit his head. Former sarpanch of the village Ram Singh, his two sons, Raj Kumar and Raja Ram, and brother, Lal Singh, are among others who have been named as accused in the FIR relating to the case. Neeraj (Dabua colony), Suraj (Prithla), Vijay Singh (Hodal) and Hari Chand (Chaprola) have also been named in the FIR. The victim had visited the hospital to meet his eight-year-old son, who was admitted there since July 19 for treatment of jaundice. Eye-witnesses said 12 persons followed Tewatia to the hospital. They opened fire on him from close range as soon as he reached the receptionist’s counter. Sudip Singh, SHO, Ballabgarh City, said five teams had been constituted to arrest the culprits. A special investigating cell of the Haryana Police has also been pressed into service. The victim’s father, Jagdish Tewatia, who is a complainant in the case, claimed to have seen the culprits escaping from the hospital after committing the crime. He identified them in the footage of a CCTV installed in the institute. The victim and the accused former sarpanch had a long standing political rivalry. The former had defeated the accused in the 2010 panchayat elections. The police had booked the former sarpanch and his sons twice earlier for having attacked the victim. Significantly, the victim had been provided security by the government due to a threat to his life. The constable, who was posted to take care of his security, was not present in the hospital at the time of the attack on him. The police declined to make any comment as the case was under investigation. The hospital where the crime occurred is located at a short distance from the Chawla police chowki and a kilometre away from the Ballabgarh (City) police station.
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Industry body seeks exemption from HSPCB notification
Faridabad, July 21 The industrialists said the April 1 notification was not in favour of the larger good of the industry. All sections of the industry are of the opinion that the HSPCB’s new measures will revive inspector raj in the state. The Faridabad Industries Association (FIA) said the notification was confusing as its provisions were prone to subjective interpretations. The FIA is planning to organise a workshop on these provisions and invite the functionaries of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to bring in clarity over the issue. TC Dhawan, President, Faridabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), said the new provision would adversely affect the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the state. The FCCI has strongly pitched in for an early review of the notification. Office-bearers of the FCCI would soon meet the authorities concerned on the issue. “The board should have taken into consideration the manufacturing process rather than the product for imposing regimen on units across the board,” a statement released by the FCCI said. Sanjay Wadhawan, former president of the HSIDC Industries Association (Sector 31), said there was no need of the NoC and ‘consent to operate’ for the non-polluting units. He said such units have to pay fees and are subjected to ‘unnecessary’ investigations by the board officials. However, an HSPCB official justified the new measure saying that it was according to the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board which wants uniform rules in place.
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Land Pooling Scheme fails to strike chord with farmers
Chandigarh, July 21 While the scheme has failed to excite the farmers on one hand, the industry seems wary of appreciating the government’s initiative on the other. The Opposition has given it a near disapproval while the economists seem divided on the benefits accruing to the farmers from such policies. “What good is it to us if we end up losing our lands? Our land is our lifeline and no amount of compensation, cash or kind, can ever suffice for it. These piecemeal offers are no good unless the government commits itself to exempting all cultivable land from acquisition. This is land-grabbing in a new form. The government should ideally leave the choice of selling the land to the farmers,” said Rattan Mann, vice president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union. Echoing similar sentiments, Kaithal farmer Giya Lal said, “This will benefit a farmer with not more than two acres of land. For others, these are mere allurements to part with their land. What will we do with a plot when all we know is cultivation?” Admitting that harvest-earnings are slowly crumbling and there is hardly any money in agriculture, Giya Lal insists that owning land is still the best deal. Prof SB Dahiya who teaches at Mahrishi Dayanad University (MDU), explains, “A farmer can’t earn more than Rs 20,000 per acre while with a compensation of Rs 45 to 50 lakh and an interest rate of nine per cent, he can earn Rs 37,000 a month while sitting at home. Compensation in this case is the best policy for the farmer and if he gets developed land what more can he ask for.” However, MM Goyal, a professor at Kurukshetra University (KU), differs on the issue. He contends though the policy is an improvement from the earlier one, it cannot be a substitute for farmlands. “Cultivable land is shrinking and concrete jungles are coming up. All this is happening at the cost of agriculture,” he adds. Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman, Vishnu Goyal, terms the scheme as a welcome step. He opines, “The government’s serve prices were very low which were partly a an area of trouble with land acquisition. As stakeholders, the farmers will end up with a much better deal.” The state coordinator for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Confederation, Col Raj Singh is not as upbeat. “All policies are good but when it comes to implementation, the government falters and an individual is denied what rightfully he is entitled to. So the policies end up benefiting neither the industry nor the farmers,” Col Singh quips. The idea is to lend continuity to the farmers’ earnings by giving them value-added developed land. This not only increases its value manifold but makes the farmers partners in the development process. This fear of grabbing the agricultural land for non-agricultural activities is unfounded. We have acquired just one per cent of agricultural land so far. Industry, trade and commercial operations are all a part of overall growth and as vital for the growth of agriculture. — Randeep Singh Surjewala, Haryana Industries MinisterThe initiative is a poor copy of the scheme implemented in Punjab in 2008 where the farmers got a share in every project. There is no bar on the land size he has to offer with a farmer owning one kanal as eligible as another owning one acre. The Haryana version is full of loopholes. — Ajay Singh Chautala, INLD’s secretary general and MLA This move has proved that the Congress government is being run by property dealers with focus on grabbing farmers’ land and turning them landless. This government is busy executing ‘land scams’ by promising market rate and later backtracking thus ending up giving only half the value of the land to farmers. — Kuldeep Bishnoi, HJC chief and MP
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Jats flex muscles again; to resume quota stir after Aug 15
Chandigarh,July 21 “We have given an ultimatum to the authorities for August 15 to concede to our long-pending demand of quota for the community. A meeting of the community will be held at Barwala (Hisar) on August 12 to chalk out the future course of action,” Bhagat Singh Dalal and Hawa Singh Sangwan, national president and state unit president of the samiti, respectively, told The Tribune here today. On the issue of the report by the Haryana Backward Classes Commission, which is expected to be submitted by early next month, the Jat leaders asserted that in case of an adverse report, they would be forced to launch an agitation. Alleging that the successive state governments had failed to spare a thought for the peasantry, Sucha Singh Bajwa, Punjab unit president, alleged that Punjab’s lowest employment rate of 1.8 per cent, as recorded by the Union Labour Ministry, was responsible for drug addiction and poverty among the youths, a majority of which belonged to the Jat community. Dalal and Sangwan exhorted the INLD and the HJC to clarify their stand on the issue of granting OBC status to the Jat community. Similarly, Parkash Singh Badal, Punjab Chief Minister, and Capt Amarinder Singh, former Punjab Chief Minister, have also not clarified their stand on the quota issue, they alleged. Bouquets for CM, brickbats for Chautala
Jat leaders were all praise for Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, alleged to be soft on the Jat agitations in the past, for leading a delegation of the community to Home Minister P Chidambaram, demanding their inclusion in the OBC list of the Central Government. However, both Dalal and Sangwan were critical of INLD supremo and Leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha Om Prakash Chautala for “misleading the poor farming community” on the reservation issue |
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Team to monitor education officers’ working
Chandigarh, July 21 Pankaj Yadav, Director, Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad, said under the scheme of the government to provide free textbooks to the school students, a few books had already reached the schools. The company which was assigned the task of publishing the books has not used good quality paper as was decided in the agreement. Therefore, the issue was being looked into. The delay in the supply of the books was caused due to this reason. He said approval had been granted for setting up of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in Palwal and Hodal. He said the timings of mid-day meal varied in every school. Therefore, directions had been issued to bring uniformity in timings.
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Plea to increase tree cover
Naraingarh (Ambala), July 21 Addressing a gathering during a state-level function organised here to mark the 63rd Van Mahotsav, the minister said the drive to plant more trees could not be successful without active participation of the general masses. Captain Yadav also unveiled the first copy of Haryana Forest News, a new publication brought out by the department to generate awareness about plantation drives. The state Forests Department is also contemplating a proposal to acquire land to increase forest cover to around 20 per cent from around 8 per cent at present.
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As nuclear plant row hots up, focus turns to Gorakhpur women
Gorakhpur, July 21 Santosh (54) shouts these slogans as she addresses the farmers sitting on dharna at Kajalheri near Gorakhpur against the acquisition of their land for the upcoming nuclear power plant. While farmers have been fighting a battle against the authorities to save their land for the past two years, women now are playing a vital role in the dharna on the outskirts of the village since July 18 when the authorities announced award for their land. Most of the women are armed with laathis and jelis (sharp-edged implement) and brandish them whenever someone tries to click a photograph of them. 40-year-old Mewa is equipped with a double barrel gun. Those farmers carrying a peaceful protest for the past two years are seen reading newspapers and smoking hookah on the dharna site. Interestingly, the authorities have termed the farmers’ agitation as handiwork of a handful of people. Interestingly, one of the reasons the authorities have attributed to protests is that the farmers are wary of the award money going to their daughters, who are co-owners of their land. However, a perusal of records reveals that out of the 1313-odd acre land acquired from Gorakhpur, nearly 150 acre stands in the names of nearly 110 women who are daughters of Gorakhpur village but have married outside. Less than 10 such women have so far approached for their cheques but most of them visited the Land Acquisition Collector’s (LAC) office with their brothers or parents. “We don’t need this money as it belongs to our brothers,” said a woman after collecting her cheque. LAC Ram Singh Bishnoi confirmed that no daughter of the village has taken away the money alone or with her in-laws so far. Although women legally inherit their father’s property but they do not claim share as a social practice.
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Tension over construction of shrine in Karnal village
Kheri Jatan
(Karnal), July 21 They were adamant that the proposed shrine would not be allowed to be constructed and the situation became volatile. However, members of both communities refuted the allegations. The administration intervened in the matter and pacified members of both the groups and the situation was prevented from taking an ugly turn. Members belonging one side were joined by some hardliners who started shouting slogans against the administration and threatened that the structure would be demolished in case the other community decided to go ahead with the construction of the shrine. Realising the gravity of the situation, police force was deployed in strength in the village and SDM Sushil Malik asked members of both the communities to settle the matter amicably. Later, a meeting of the local panchayat was held and a committee was constituted with five members each from both the communities. The committee unanimously decided to stop the construction of the shrine for the time being. A villager said peace should be maintained at all costs and the construction of the shrine, which was started with the consent of all, should be completed with everybody’s cooperation. The village lambardar, Jagir Singh, said the construction was stopped due to some apprehensions but the situation took an ugly turn when a complaint was filed with the police. SDM Malik said it was a very sensitive issue and till the time both the communities reach an agreement, the construction should not be carried out for maintaining peace and harmony.
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Bal Krishan’s arrest evokes protest
Rewari, July 21 They reached the local Naiwali Chowk where they burnt an effigy of the Congress-led UPA government. Asserting that the CBI was acting at the behest of their Congress bosses, they announced that the anti-black money campaign spearheaded by Swami Ramdev and Acharya Bal Krishan would be intensified after August 9.
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Chandigarh, July 21 NID Kurukshetra will be second such institute to come up after NID Ahmedabad. The first instalment of Rs 135 crore has already been released for the project, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said here today. Hooda said the institute, apart from providing training, education and research facilities in the field of design, would also help in raising the standard of indigenous produce apart from generating employment opportunities. The Chief Minister said efforts were also being made to develop the holy city of Kurukshetra as a global tourist destination. A replica of Tirupati Temple would be set up in the city and land for the purpose had already been provided by the state government, he said. — PTI
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Four-year-old boy rescued from kidnappers
Faridabad, July 21 The police claimed the victim had been rescued from Unnav in Uttar Pradesh. Faridabad Police Commissioner Shatrujit Singh Kapur said today that the culprits had kidnapped the boy for ransom. They had demanded Rs 50 lakh from his father who worked as a manager in a crusher zone here. He said while two of the accused were arrested at Unnav, one was arrested here. Another one was arrested in Delhi.
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Woman constable killed by husband
Sonepat, July 21 On the complaint of the victim’s father, Dalbir, a resident of Mubarakpur village in Jhajjar district, a case of murder has been registered at Kharkhoda police station against Anand, his mother, elder brother and three others. The body of the deceased was handed over to her parents after conducting postmortem at the civil hospital. According to information, Neena and Anand had a love marriage in 2010. The couple reportedly had strained relation soon after the marriage. However, Neena gave birth to a girl child about one-and-a-half month back. Neena was on maternity leave soon after the birth of the child. As alleged in the complaint, Anand who runs Scorpio as taxi, today received Neena at Jhajjar bus stand to come to Sonepat. But the police found her body lying on the road side near DD-8. Neena had also lodged a complaint in Bahadurgar police station about a week ago against her husband and his family members. However, a compromise was reached between the two families after intervention of the village panchayat three days back.
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11 persons booked for doctoring MLR
Hisar, July 21 In 2010, a farmer Dilsher Singh had complained about the doctored MLRs. He was assaulted by some persons of his village following which he sustained injuries and registered a case in 2007. The culprits, after conspiring with the doctors, got the MLRs doctored and Dilsher Singh was booked under serious charges in a cross case. The complaint was probed by a deputy superintendent of police who found the charges to be true. Acting on the report, the police have booked these doctors. — TNS |
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Two women raped in different incidents
Sirsa, July 21 The elected member of the PRI alleged in her complaint that Vinod entered her house after finding her alone last night and raped her. Her medical examination has also confirmed the crime. The other woman, who alleged that she was raped by five or six persons, alleged that her persecutors kidnapped her from Town Park and took her to a secluded place, where they raped her after consuming liquor. The SP, Devender Singh Yadav, said the police was investigating the matter. He said the police was looking at all angles to the crimes and the culprits would be arrested soon.
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Schoolgirl commits suicide
Sirsa, July 21 Poonam, a student of Class XII in the village school, went missing from her home yesterday. Later, her slippers and duppata were found lying outside the tank of the village waterworks. The family members informed the police, who fished out the body with the help of local divers. The victim, Poonam, according to her classmates was upset for the past some days. Her school had organised a declamation contest yesterday, where she delivered a speech on the dowry system in society. However, she went missing from her home in the evening. |
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2 notorious criminals arrested
Jhajjar, July 21 The two were identified as Dheerpal and Vikas, both residents of Redhuvaas village. Another youth Ravi of Kheri Jatt was arrested for providing shelter to the said criminals. Two luxury cars, two pistols and three live cartridges were recovered from their possession, the police said. Devender Dangi, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Jhajjar police, said Dheerpal and Vikas were wanted for their involvement in over two dozen cases of murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, loot and extortion. the cases were registered against them in various police stations of Haryana and Delhi. The PRO said the police had received information that Vikas and Dheerpal were hiding in Ravi’s house at Kheri Jatt village. Acting swiftly on the tip-off, Jhajjar SP Patram Singh constituted a special team which conducted a raid at the house but the criminals opened fire on the cops who retaliated in their defence . “The police team managed to apprehend the criminals after several rounds of crossfire from both sides. Dheerapal, during the police interrogation, has admitted his involvement in 21 cases of heinous crime, including five murders and two extortion cases while Vikas has confessed to six cases including two murders," Dangi added. Alok Mittal, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Rohtak range, has announced to honour the special police team, the PRO added.
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Rs 5 lakh stolen from
car
Rewari, July 21 After having parked the car there, while Kumar had gone for shopping, the thieves broke its glass, stole the bag and fled with the booty. Kumar of Ahmedpur Partal village, near Kosli, who works as an agent of a private finance company here, had brought his collections to deposit in a bank here. The city police has registered a case of theft.
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The Jat community, which held the region to ransom through violent protests earlier this year demanding reservation of jobs in the Other Backward Class (OBC) quota, is flexing its muscles again with the Akhil Bhartiya Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti threatening to resume the agitation after August 15.
“Hamme jeetan gey, humme harange nahi, parmanu sanyantra nahi lagega” (We shall not lose. The nuclear plant will not come to our village).
