Chandigarh, August 6
Leader of the Opposition and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala today demanded that a DNA test be conducted on former Minister of State for Home Affairs, Urban Bodies and Industry and Commerce Gopal Kanda for allegedly fathering an illicit child from a woman named Ankita as alleged in the suicide note of 23-year-old former airhostess Geetika Sharma.

“A DNA test should be conducted on Gopal Kanda to check the veracity of the allegations levelled by Geetika Sharma in her suicide note,” Chautala told a press conference here today.

Chautala, who circulated the copies of the suicide note, demanded the arrest of the former minister and his disqualification from the Haryana Assembly.

“Since the case has been registered in New Delhi, the INLD will write to the Delhi Lieut-Governor to expedite the probe,” he said.

Demanding the dismissal of the Hooda government and imposition of President’s rule followed by fresh elections in the state, the INLD supremo alleged that “criminal elements” were having a field day in the state against the backdrop of political patronage to them.

Taking potshots at the Hooda government for its various acts of omission and commission, Chautala claimed that yesterday’s incident involving Kanda was not an isolated one.

“A series of incidents over the past several months has shown that the ruling party cares two hoots for the rule of law and criminal elements are ruling the roost," the INLD chief alleged. He said he had written a letter to Governor Jagannath Pahadia, demanding the dismissal of the Hooda government and holding of fresh elections in the state.

Alleging that Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was at the mercy of Independent MLAs like Kanda to run his government, Chautala alleged that corruption had crossed all limits in Haryana.

Chautala refuted allegations that Kanda had been close to him before his election as an Independent candidate from Sirsa in the 2009 Assembly elections. “We had no personal or professional relations with him at any stage,” he said.

New Delhi, August 6
The Delhi police is investigating the authenticity of an e-mail purported to have been sent by a Haryana police officer to the Emirates Airlines in Dubai allegedly on behalf of former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda.

According to the FIR, Geetika’s mother Anuradha Sharma alleged that the e-mail was sent by Kanda under a fictitious identity of the Gurgoan SHO to the Emirates Airlines when Geetika was working there in 2010. The airline then sacked her.

Geetika’s maternal uncle Sushil Kumar gave reporters an application filed by the Department of Law in Dubai in 2010 for extraditing Geetika to that country, where she was charged with a case of fraud. The Consulate-General of India was given a copy of the application and requested to help the Dubai police in extraditing her. There are also some photographs of Geetika’s parents with Kanda and his wife Saras. In one, Geetika is standing with Kanda’s daughter.

In a two-page suicide note, Geetika says that the two people responsible for her death are Kanda and Aruna Chadha, who is the HR manager of the Murli Dhar Lakh Ram (MDLR) group. Following the recovery of the note, the Delhi police has registered a case of abetment to suicide against Kanda and Chadha.

In the FIR, Anuradha alleges that on August 4, a day before the suicide, she spoke to Kanda over the phone and told him that Chadha had telephoned her on August 3. “Chadha telephoned me and said that Geetika had to sign some documents. Kanda said that she would have to come to the office to sign the documents, otherwise he would register a case against her with the Haryana police,” Anuradha said in her FIR.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Karunakaran said Aruna Chadha and Ankit Ahluwalia would be questioned tomorrow.

Geetika Sharma’s two suicide notes written on different dates.

Sirsa, August 6
Supporters have rallied behind Gopal Kanda here after the Haryana Governor accepted his resignation from the Hooda Cabinet today while his detractors are demanding his immediate arrest.

Gopal Kanda, the man in the eye of a storm after yesterday’s suicide by Geetika Sharma, a former staffer of the airlines owned by him, represents Sirsa in the Assembly.

BJP activists burn Gopal Kanda’s effigy in Gurgaon on Monday. A Tribune photograph

Kanda’s supporters today assembled in his “Shoe camp office” in Sirsa’s Hisaria Bazar to express their solidarity with the besieged leader.

Neither Gopal Kanda nor his younger brother Gobind Kanda, an executive member of the HPCC, was present in the meeting, which was presided over by Krishan Lal Saini, a former chairman of the Marketing Board, Sirsa.

“Ever since Kanda has won the Sirsa seat as an Independent and decided to support the Hooda government, a political party has been conspiring to defame and dethrone him,” alleged Saini in obvious reference to the INLD with whom the former minister was associated before he was elected the last Assembly poll.

The HJC as well as the BJP held a demonstration and burnt Kanda’s effigy in Sirsa town.

The INLD today demanded the former minister’s immediate arrest and dismissal from the Assembly.

“Kanda, who was a smalltime shoe dealer in Sirsa, has amassed huge wealth through illegitimate methods and has now been misusing that money for immoral activities,” alleged Padam Jain, president of the district INLD.

Chandigarh, August 6
The resignation of Minister of State for Home Gopal Goyal Kanda has come as a relief to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who had to accommodate Kanda in his Cabinet to seek the support of Independent legislators when he fell short of an absolute majority after the last general elections.

With all HJC legislators, except its chief Kuldip Bishnoi, breaking away to join the Congress, Hooda is firmly in the saddle. Under such circumstances, Kanda who is an Independent legislator from Sirsa came to be seen as a burden that the Hooda government would be glad to get rid of.

Last year, another Independent legislator Om Parkash Jain had to quit his ministerial berth on account of charges of murder of a sarpanch in Karnal. Along with Jain, Zile Ram Sharma, a former HJC legislator, also had to demit office as Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS). Though there is no limit on the number of CPSes a state can have, the number of ministers is limited by the Representation of People’s Act.

The Haryana Cabinet now has two vacancies. These would obviously be from the Congress. In a House of 90, there can be 14 ministers, including the Chief Minister. Haryana has 10 Cabinet ministers (including CM) and after the resignation of Kanda, it has two ministers of state. The Congress has 41 members in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha and has support from six Independents and five HJC members.

The Haryana Chief Minister has not been very happy with Kanda on account of various reasons, but since Kanda was able to take on the Chief Minister’s chief rivals - the Chautalas’ in their home bastion Sirsa, the Chief Minister was accepting his presence in his Cabinet as fait accompli.

Getting rid of Kanda has come as a blessing for Hooda as the Congress cadres in Sirsa were up in arms against Kanda, who being the local minister has virtually captured all power for himself and his supporters, relegating Congress workers in a Congress-ruled state to the second position. Despite allegation of various kinds against Kanda, the Hooda government chose to ignore all complaints against Kanda and his men.

Kanda was tolerated by Hooda since he proved to be an effective fighter against the Chautalas, but now with a case of abetment to suicide under Section 306 IPC against Kanda, the Hooda government is unlikely to find merit in backing him to take on the Chautalas. The Congress will, however, have to evolve an alternative strategy to counter the Indian National Lok Dal in the region.

Another reason why Hooda would like to break away from the “liability” of Kanda is that his own son-in-law Kunal Bhadoo belongs to the area and is politically active there. Bhadoo nurtures political ambitions too, which would at some time clash with Kanda directly or indirectly. Hooda will further benefit by Kanda’s exit as Kanda and local Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar do not see eye to eye. Since Tanwar is considered close to Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, the exit of Kanda will improve relations between Hooda and Tanwar, bringing the Chief Minister closer to the Rahul camp.

Since opposition parties like the INLD have been accusing the Congress of failure in controlling the law and order situation in the state, dropping Kanda would further blunt the opposition attack on the Hooda government. With Kanda’s questionable past, Hooda would have been a relieved man after the Haryana Governor accepted Kanda’s resignation. 

Rohtak, August 6
In the aftermath of the suicide by a former airhostess, who blamed former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda for her death, the political scenario seems to have boiled up, with the opposition parties demanding action against the minister and an explanation from the state government over the issue.

Expressing anguish and outrage over what it called as “yet another shameful” episode involving Gopal Kanda, the Haryana unit of the CPM has demanded his arrest.

Describing the resignation by Kanda from the ministry as inadequate, party state secretary Inderjit Singh said that the Chief Minister could not escape by saying that the law would take its course as he owed an explanation to the public in this regard. He alleged that the authorities, perhaps, preferred to condone the alleged acts of the accused and his accomplices.

“The recent expose of certain legislators being linked to the Apna Ghar episode of abuse of children and women also needs to be taken cognisance of,” he said.

The party has also expressed shock at the news of the death of Fiza (Anuradha Bali) in suspicious circumstances. It asked the government to probe the case through an independent agency as the victim was connected with a former Deputy Chief Minister.

The district unit of the INLD which met here today demanded resignation of the Chief Minister on moral grounds after the registration of a criminal case against the state minister of Home of Haryana in connection with the death of an airhostess. The unit chief, Satish Nandal, said the state government could not escape its responsibility by saying that it was a personal case as the person involved was an important member of the state Cabinet.

Chandigarh, August 6
Rejecting an appeal filed by Haryana Speaker Kuldeep Sharma against the quashing of an employee’s promotion as Information and Coordination Officer, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has minced no words to say the tailor-made exercise was undertaken to give an out-of-turn promotion.

In his order, a Single Judge of the high court had earlier concluded that “apparent favouritism” was shown to Manohar Lal. Referring to the selection criteria, the Single Judge had contended that the Speaker was to fill the post through promotion on the basis of seniority-cum-merit.

The Single Judge had added that Kuldeep Singh ought to have been promoted on the basis of nine outstanding and one good report, compared to Manohar Lal’s seven outstanding and three very good reports.

Refusing to interfere with the Single Judge’s order, the Division Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice RP Nagrath asserted: “The Single Judge has rightly held that the exercise was undertaken in a tailor-made fashion so as to give a out-of-turn promotion to the respondent.”

Dismissing the appeal, the Bench added: “The action, suffice it would be to observe, was bordering abuse of power and has rightly been struck down by the Single Judge, warranting no interference by us.”

Manohar Lal had initially joined the Vidhan Sabha Secretariat as a clerk and was promoted as an assistant against a higher vacant post of personal assistant on October 29, 2009. On the very next day, he was appointed Personal Secretary to the Speaker. He constituted a three-member committee of the Vidhan Sabha officers to make suitable recommendations after the Assistant Information Officer’s post fell vacant on February 24, 2010.

The committee then considered the service records of all eligible assistants and recommended Manohar Lal for promotion to the upgraded post of Information and Coordination Officer. The recommendations were accepted and he was promoted vide order dated April 19, 2010.

Before parting with the case, the Bench asserted the committee constituted by the Speaker acted totally against the spirit and object of Rules.

Faridabad, August 6
The daily wage employees of the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) today decided to intensify their agitation against the state government for not regularising their services.

The future course of action of the agitation would be finalised in a meeting of the general body of the Municipal Corporation Employees’ Federation on August 21.

Federation general secretary Rattanlal Rohilla said 1,036 daily wagers of the MCF, a majority of them continued to be in the job for nearly two decades, had exhausted all democratic ways of protest against the government.

“All the employees, including the regular staff, of the corporation have decided in favour of direct action against the government on the regularisation issue,” he added.

He said employees of the MCF had earlier resorted to one-day mass casual leave, held demonstrations and protests, and met Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to regularise the services of the daily wagers.

The federation alleged that bureaucrats in the MCF were trying to scuttle the case of the daily wagers.

The government would solely be responsible for the employees’ move to escalate their agitation against it, the federation added.

Hisar, August 6
The state power utilities have decided to waive arrears of power bills of defaulting rural domestic and tubewell power consumers if they pay the capital amount of bills due from June 17, 2005, onwards in one go.

Stating this a spokesman said the utilities had decided to give one more chance to avail the benefit of the electricity bills waiver scheme to those consumers who could not opt for the scheme by March 31, 2007, or who had joined the scheme but could not pay their bills for 20 months regularly and ultimately stopped paying their electricity bills in between. As a result their arrears as on June 16, 2005, could not be waived.

He said consumers who had left the scheme or did not opt for the scheme by July 31, 2007, (i.e. completion of 20 months after June 17, 2005) could get their arrears waived off by depositing only the capital amount of their unpaid current bills issued after June 16, 2005, in one go.

The rural domestic consumers willing to join the scheme now will have to pay a late entry fee of Rs 500. The consumers having connected load up to 15 BHP and above 15 BHP would be required to pay Rs 750 and Rs 1,000, respectively, as late fee.

On depositing all current bills issued after June 17, 2005, the arrears due as on June 16, 2005, and delayed payment surcharge levied after June 17, 2005, will be waived. The scheme will be applicable for a period of three months up to October 31.

  The rural domestic consumers willing to join the scheme now will have to pay a late entry fee of Rs 500. The consumers having connected load up to 15 BHP and above 15 BHP would be required to pay Rs 750 and Rs 1,000, respectively, as late fee.

  On depositing all current bills issued after June 17, 2005, the arrears due as on June 16, 2005, and delayed payment surcharge levied after June 17, 2005, will be waived. The scheme will be applicable for three months up to October 31.

Sirsa, August 6
If the rain God does not smile on the cotton producing farmers in the next couple of days, the crop production in the state is set to receive a beating this kharif season.

Though the crop still stands green and tall in most parts of Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar and Jind districts, a further spell of dry weather can hit its production badly.

Cotton was sown on 5.15 lakh hectares of land in Haryana this year against 6.03 lakh hectares last year.

Sirsa, being the biggest producer of cotton in Haryana, counts for more than one-third - 1.75 lakh hectares - of the total land under cultivation of the crop in the state this year.

The area under cotton decreased this year because prices of the crop did not touch the heights they scaled last year - cotton sold for up to Rs 7,800 per quintal last year against the maximum price of Rs 4,800 this year.

Soaring prices of guar, which fetched the farmers up to Rs 32,000 per quintal against last year’s price of Rs 3,200, also prompted many farmers to switch over to guar this year.

A fall in production due to decrease in area under cultivation of cotton was expected from the very beginning, but now, a further plunge is feared if it does not rain in the next few days.

“So far, the crop is standing healthy in my fields. However, I fear that any further spell of dry weather can lead to infection of Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCuV),” said Gurjeet Singh Mann, a progressive farmer from Kirpal Patti village in Sirsa.

The virus curls the leaves of cotton crop thereby affecting photosynthesis process in the plants and as a result, production falls.

The virus has already affected cotton crops in some parts of the state where irrigation facilities are scarce.

Haryana Agriculture Department Joint Director (Cotton) RC Punia, however, maintained that very small areas of Nathusari Chopta and Odha blocks in Sirsa, Bhattu block in Fatehabad and some parts of adjoining Hisar and Bhiwani districts would be hit in case the rain failed in the coming days.

“In other parts, the only effect would be on the cost of inputs, as the farmers will have to burn some extra diesel,” he maintained.

He said, “The areas where the production is likely to get a beating due to deficit rain is not more than 10 per cent of the total area under the crop.”

Punia further said in case it rains in the next couple of days, the production in terms of yield per hectare could break all records.

Ambala, August 6
After 30 more suspected cases of diarrhoea were reported from Gaganheri village, the district administration has swung into action and asked the health authorities to take preventive measures against the outbreak of the disease.

Deplorable sanitation conditions coupled with careless attitude of residents, who drew water from leaking pipes, had resulted in the outbreak of the disease in the village.

The administration has already deployed a team of the health officials in the village to examine the patients. Besides, officials of the Public Health Department have been asked to collect water samples and take measures to ensure proper supply of drinking water in the village. The health authorities stated that they had collected stool samples of the patients, who had reported with symptoms similar to that of diarrhoea.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shekhar Vidyarthi has asked the officials of the Public Health Department and the Nagar Parishad to initiate steps to prevent outbreak of any vector-borne disease in the district.

Under Section 2 of the Epidemic Act of 1897, the DC directed the officials to ensure that there was no sale of cut fruits, meat and poultry items kept in the open, uncovered ice, sweets, bakery products. Besides, a ban on sale and storage of ice candies, ice balls, lemon water and ice produced from uncertified water has also been imposed in the district.

The DC said the officials had been asked to seize and destroy any eatable which violates the directions. The orders would remain in force till December 12.

Kurukshetra, August 6
Members of the Kurukshetra University Non-teaching Employees’ Association (KUNTEA) today observed a fast in support of their demands outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office.

Also, Scheduled Caste employees went on a strike along with the KUNTEA to get their pay scales upgraded. “We were promoted but not given the higher grades. A resolution was passed by a committee to give higher pay scales to us, but the authorities have not implemented it so far,” said Subash, an employee of the university. He said the strike would continue till their demands were accepted.

Talking to The Tribune, KUNTEA president Maan Singh said they had given 42 demands, out of which 20 were accepted by the VC in a meeting held on March 22. “We are sitting on a hunger strike till the VC agrees to our all demands. Some of the demands include implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission Report, recruitment of new staff and to appoint a non-teaching employee in the university’s executive council,” he added.

Chandigarh, August 6
Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia will unfurl the National Flag at Panchkula on the occasion of Independence Day and would be “At Home” there the same evening. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will hoist the flag at Karnal.

Speaker of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Kuldeep Sharma will unfurl the flag at Gurgaon.

Finance Minister Harmohinder Singh Chattha will unfurl the flag at Kaithal, Power Minister Ajay Singh Yadav at Hisar, Industries Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala at Sonepat, Revenue Minister Mahendra Pratap Singh at Bhiwani, Public Health Engineering Minister Kiran Choudhry at Panipat, Agriculture Minister Paramvir Singh at Jind, Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal at Yamunanagar, Health Minister Rao Narender Singh at Kurukshetra and Cooperation Minister Satpal Sangwan at Sirsa.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shiv Charan Lal Sharma will hoist the National Flag at Narnaul, Minister of State for Urban Local Bodies Gopal Kanda at Jhajjar and Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Sukhbir Kataria at Fatehabad.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Anita Yadav will hoist the flag at Ambala, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Rao Dan Singh at Faridabad, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Dharambir Singh at Rohtak, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Jaiveer Singh at Narwana, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Jaleb Khan at Nuh in Mewat, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Prahlad Singh Gillankhera at Bahadurgarh, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Ram Kishan Fauji at Rewari, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sharda Rathore at Shahbad, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sultan Singh at Barara, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Ram Kishan at Palwal and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Vinod Bhayana at Dadri. 

Sonepat, August 6
The senior vice-president of the Haryana unit of the Smast Bhartiya Party, Surender Singh Hooda, today demanded a judicial inquiry into the alleged suicidal death of Anuradha Bali, alias Fiza, under suspicious circumstances in her house.

Surender Singh said: “It is not a normal case and smells conspiracy. It is difficult to believe that she can commit suicide.”

While commenting on the incident involving the former Haryana Minister, Gopal Kanda, he said when the Delhi Police had registered a criminal case against him, it was the moral duty of the Haryana Police to arrest Gopal Kanda and hand him over to the Delhi Police.

He said his party would be fully organised within next six months in the state and it would contest on all seats in the 2014 elections.