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Transfer of Gurgaon land to realtors quashed
Parents of 2,000 girls perform ‘kuan pujan’
Survey for Gorakhpur N-plant gets under way
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Proposals to stagger toll booths at Gurgaon-Delhi plaza gather dust
Meet turns violent in college
Villagers block road over power shortage
Devender Singh named power utilities’ CMD
Women shelter home inmates to be tested for HIV
Villagers lock govt
school for 3 hours TMC members join Congress Malaria spreads tentacles in Sirsa Job Reservation Registration mandatory for guest houses 10-ft python kills goat, captured
GJU admission offer to SC students
5-day police remand for jail-breaker
Police fails to arrest accused
Woman’s body recovered
Youth found dead near
rail track
Seven teachers robbed of cash, jewellery
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Transfer of Gurgaon land to realtors quashed
Chandigarh, September 6 The order came during the hearing of an ongoing petition filed by Khusi Ram and other petitioners. The development is significant as the matter involves the exchange of approximately 200 kanals of prime land, belonging to gram panchayats in Gurgaon, with some builder and developers. It is also significant as Ashok Khemka, present Director, had also written a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary-Cum-Financial Commissioner (Revenue) alleging that his predecessors had allotted the land in favour of builders without any jurisdiction and in violation of the relevant statute. In his July 25 letter written just seven days after taking charge of the department, Khemka had alleged that his predecessors, SC Goel and Anil Kumar, appeared to have passed several orders under the Consolidation Act in gross abuse of their position. While holding that the "involvement of high-ups cannot be ruled out," Khemka had requested the Additional Chief Secretary to get such transfers of land probed by an independent agency like the CBI. Khemka had asserted: "He was not able to reconcile himself to such gross abuse of authority". Khemka had also appeared before the high court to place on record the letter sent to the state government. In their petition, Khusi Ram and others had challenged 20 such orders passed by the two officers in the villages of Behrampur, Bandhwari, Gawal Pahari, Balola, Ullawas, Ghata and Badshahpur in Gurgaon, passed between July 16, 2008, and July 29, 2009. They had alleged 24 acres or 192 kanals, majority of it in Gawal Pahari, Behrampur area, was allotted to Gurgaon-based realtors and builders under the Consolidation Act. The land was allotted in favour of some private realtors by the Department of Consolidation and Holdings from 2008 to 2009 while the consolidation proceedings of the land under question were completed 40 to 45 years ago. Get case probed by CBI: Director
In his July 25 letter written just seven days after taking charge of the department, Ashok Khemka, present Director of the Consolidation Department, had alleged that his predecessors, SC Goel and Anil Kumar, appeared to have passed several orders under the Consolidation Act in gross abuse of their position. While holding that the "involvement of high-ups cannot be ruled out," Khemka had requested the Additional Chief Secretary to get such transfers of land probed by an independent agency like the CBI. |
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Parents of 2,000 girls perform ‘kuan pujan’
Karnal, September 6 The unique initiative coincided with the 13th mass pledge programme to “save the girl child”. The parents of newborn girls were also honoured at the ceremony. The puja is performed in case of the birth of a son normally. It was an attempt to send the message that there was no difference between a female or male child. ‘Kuan pujan’, brainchild of Karnal Deputy Commissioner Renu S. Phulia, added another dimension to the campaign against female foeticide. The girls were given a certificate with photographs of Mother Teresa, Lata Mangeshkar, Kalpana Chawla, Saina Nehwal and Indira Nooyi and a message that your girl could be one of them, said the chairman of the National Integrated Forum of Artists and Activists (NIFAA), Pritpal Singh Pannu, whose NGO is involved in the mission. Parents of a two-day year old girl Jitender and Jyoti hailing from Chadao village were the first to perform the puja. They said it was a very inspiring and rewarding feeling to be parents of a girl child. The campaign which was launched on September 6 last year by appealing to the people to join the mass pledge programme against female foeticide helped improve the female sex ratio in Karnal from 813 to 866. Renewal of the pledge to “save the girl child” on the sixth of every month was marked by some new initiative everytime and history was scripted by the people of Karnal when they formed a 30-km long human chain to highlight the cause on February 6.
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Survey for Gorakhpur N-plant gets under way
Fatehabad, September 6 ML Kaushik, Deputy Commissioner, kickstarted the work by breaking a coconut after a havan attended by villagers and government officials. TR Arora, Chief Project Engineer of NPCIL, Chief Project Manager SK Gomasta, besides district and NPCIL officials performed havan on the occasion. The function went off peacefully though the authorities had made sufficient police arrangements to counter any opposition from farmers against this project. Playing it safe, the authorities did not perform puja at the site of the nuclear power project but selected a site 8 km from Gorakhpur at Badopal, where NPCIL will construct a residential colony. “The work will begin with geotechnical surveys, geophysical surveys and topographical surveys of the land where the nuclear power plant is to come up,” said a senior NPCIL functionary. |
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Proposals to stagger toll booths at Gurgaon-Delhi plaza gather dust
No toll-free road has been provided along the toll road (expressway) for local residents and commuters as mandated by the relevant norms and rules. Moreover, the original concession agreement clearly stated that the concessionaire could collect toll for 20 years from the appointed date or till the time 1.70 lakh passenger car units (PCUs) pass through the toll plaza for a consecutive 180 days, whichever is earlier. However, more than 2 lakh vehicles have been daily passing through the toll plaza for much more than the stipulated limit, but the concessionaire continues to collect tax. “In order to circumvent the provision, the concessionaire points out that the number of PCUs passing through the toll plaza was less than 1.70 on any given public holiday falling in the 180-day period,” points out Toll-Hatao Sangharsh Samiti coordinator Attar Singh Sandhu, who has been struggling to get the toll plaza removed. He further alleges that the concession agreement was also amended to suit the interests of the concessionaire. The commuters passing through the toll plaza are sick of the long jams. When the Gurgaon Traffic Police got the boom barriers lifted to ensure smooth movement of traffic, the concessionaire moved the court. “We also suggested getting the toll-collection windows staggered to form a Z-shape toll plaza, but the concessionaire did not show any initiative. As per our proposal, the 32-lane toll plaza would have been extended to a 90-lane format, thus easing the flow of traffic,” asserts Bharti Arora Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic). On the other hand, functionaries of the expressway concessionaire, Delhi Gurgaon Super Connectivity Ltd, maintain that they had urged the NHAI to provide additional land to expand the toll plaza, but the authorities concerned have been sitting on their proposals. The situation has come to such a pass that at times, the commuters are forced to wait (or crawl) in long queues extending up to several kilometers, especially during peak hours. With the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordering the concessionaire to remove the toll barriers for 15 days, the commuters have heaved a sigh of relief, at least for the time being.
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Meet turns violent in college
Gurgaon, September 6 Students had gathered to mourn the death of a 19-year-old girl student, who died within hours after getting unconscious on college campus. The meeting soon turned violent after students had accused the college administration of being late in taking the girl to hospital. “They charge hefty fees but give no facilities. There is no provision of first-aid and authorities took a long time to take the girl to hospital. This place has just become a money minting factory. Despite taking health funds, we have no basic health facility,” alleged a protesting student. However, the post-mortem report stated that the victim, a student of the Computer Science Department, suffered a heart attack and died within minutes. Meanwhile, the college administration has ruled out possibility of any anti-social elements behind the violence, and said the entire episode was a result of "misunderstanding." It said the college would not file any official complaint against the students. “Students have acted childishly but we can’t ruin their career. We are equally sad about the girl but are not at fault anywhere as post-mortem report has proved. We have spoken to protesting students and forgiven them. No official complaint will be filed,” said a senior official on duty.
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Villagers block road over power shortage
Jhajjar, September 6 The protesters were persuaded to lift the blockade following an assurance made by officials of the power corporation that supply would soon be restored to them as per the schedule. This was for the forth time in the past couple of months when villagers blocked the road in protest against power shortage. Power officials had promised at that time also to give adequate power soon but failed to do so, alleged the protesters. “We have run from pillar to post for getting ample power supply as per the schedule but no one is paying any heed to our plight. Power is being supplied merely two or three hours in a day,” said the protesters, threatening that they would not hesitate to block the national highway if their grievances were not redressed soon.
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Devender Singh named power utilities’ CMD
Chandigarh, September 6 Krishna Mohan, Additional Chief Secretary, Cooperation and Forests and Wild Life Departments, has been posted as the Additional Chief Secretary and Financial Commissioner, Revenue and Disaster Management and Consolidation Departments, against a vacant post. Devender Singh, awaiting orders of posting, has been posted as Chairman of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) and the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), relieving Ajit M. Sharan of the said charges. Devinder Singh has also been posted as the DHBVN and UHBVN Managing Director, relieving Amit Kumar Agrawal and Arun Kumar Gupta, respectively. The posting orders of Gupta will be issued later.
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Women shelter home inmates to be tested for HIV
Chandigarh, September 6 Sumita Misra, Director General, Women and Child Development Department, said HIV tests would be conducted so that the affected inmates, if any, be provided prescribed treatment. She said 17 women shelter homes were running in the state where about 582 women, along with their children, and single women were residing. Such homes were providing basic facilities like food, shelter, education and vocational training to the inmates. She said in these homes, abandoned, destitute, victims of domestic violence, women with mental disorders, deserted and orphan women were residing.
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Villagers lock govt school for 3 hours Rohtak, September 6 This caused inconvenience to the students and staff who were forced to remain outside the campus for around three hours. The school gate was reopened after the intervention of the district education officials. Reportedly, trouble started when the school gate was opened around 8 pm. A group of local residents led by Sarpanch Ravinder Singh locked up the main gate, making the principal, teachers and students remain out. They told the staff and officials of the education department who reached the spot about two hours later, that the development was a result of the misbehaviour and unrelenting nuisance by the watchman, Rajbir Singh. They announced that the protest would go on till he was transferred from the village school. They alleged that the accused was in the habit of consuming liquor and remained in an inebriated condition at any point of time, resulting in problems for the students and residents. He had allegedly failed to mend his ways despite several warnings. School principal Sunita said the employee had been suspended twice in the past for the same reason. The department has ordered the transfer of the accused employee after the complaint, claimed officials of the department concerned.
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TMC members join Congress Chandigarh, September 6 The office-bearers and members of four district units led by Kurukshtera district unit president Lakhwinder Singh Lakha and Gurjar leader Bhupinder Singh Babbu had called on the Chief Minister and expressed their faith in the leadership and policies of the Congress party. Hooda welcomed the workers and leaders into the party and described it as a homecoming. He announced that due honour and respect would be extended to all of them. Lakha said they were misguided and had realised that the TMC in charge and MP KD Singh is not a politician but a businessman who has no time for the people. Meanwhile, an office-bearer of the TMC, Raghumal Bhatt, refuted the allegations and said the party had not announced the district units in Ambala, Panchkula and Yamunanagar. He said only a couple of TMC activists, including the Kurukshetra district president and the youth coordinator of Panchkula, had left the
TMC. Mann quits party Karnal: The efforts of the TMC to spread its tentacles in the northern states received a jolt today with Jai Pal Mann, former media coordinator of the Congress during last elections, resigning from the party on Thursday. The entry of Mann into the TMC on June 18 last in the presence of K D Singh, Coordinator for the North Zone, was considered an achievement. However, today leaders allured by big promises have started deserting the TMC.
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Malaria spreads tentacles in Sirsa Sirsa, September 6 The health authorities have not yet confirmed, but kin maintained that Tara Chand (32) had high fever. Over 1,600 cases of malaria have been reported in the district since January this year. As many as 300 cases were reported in the last 10 days of August and nearly 20 cases a day in the first five days of September. These cases have been reported in government hospitals and not in private health clinics. Dr VP Goyal, who runs a hospital on the Dabwali Road, said, “At present, malaria is at its peak and even cases of dengue have been reported.” “I receive 12 to 15 cases of fever daily, out of which 6 to 7 test positive for malaria. On an average, one case of suspected dengue also comes to my hospital in a week,” Dr Goyal said. Confirming that 1,622 cases of malaria have been reported in Sirsa since January this year, Sheel Kaushik, Deputy Civil Surgeon (vector-borne diseases), said nearly 300 cases had been reported between August 21 and 31 this year. She said investigation into the death of Ali Mohammad resident would reveal whether it was a case of malaria or something else. She said there was an increase in the incidents of malaria in the Darba, Darbi, Madhosinghana areas, but there was no outbreak of the disease as such. She, however, denied any case of dengue in the official records. Owing to a poor drainage system in Sirsa town, accumulated water with mosquitoes breeding on it can be seen at several places in the town. Areas like JJ Colony, Railway Colony, Chatargarh Patti, Grain Market and slum areas on the National Highway-10 are the worst affected, as mosquitoes breed on stagnant water in roadside pits and potholed roads.
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Job Reservation Hisar, September 6 Addressing newsmen here, khap leaders Sube Singh Samain and Nafe Singh Nain said during the last phase of the pro-researvation stir, the khap had called off the stir after Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda assured khap leaders that he would ensure reservation for the community members by December 15. They said thus far there had been no forward movement on this issue and the khap leadership was worried over the consequences. They said a Shaheedi Divas and Aarakshan rally would be organised at Dinoda village of Jind on September 13 which would reiterate the demand for reservation. It would also send a reminder to Hooda on this issue.
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Registration mandatory for guest houses Chandigarh, Sept 6 An official spokesman said here today that the owners not complying with the orders would face stern action.
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10-ft python kills goat, captured Yamunanagar, September 6 As word spread, a large number of villagers assembled in the area. The matter was also reported to the district police and administration, following which a team of forest officials reached the spot to bring the situation under control. The forest official said though the python later dropped the goat, the animal had already been killed.
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GJU admission offer to SC students
Hisar, September 6 M. L. Ranga, Vice-Chancellor, said today that the last date for admission to the distance education courses had been extended to September 28. The late fee for admission to these courses would be Rs 500 between September 29 and October 31. It would be raised to Rs 1,000 for admissions from November 1 to 30.
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5-day police remand for jail-breaker
Sonepat, September 6 It is recalled that Atender had escaped with seven other criminals from the district jail after scaling the boundary wall with the help of ropes. — OC |
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Police fails to arrest accused
Ambala, September 6 Teenu, who was on his way to his home in the village on Tuesday evening, was attacked by six persons, who slashed his both hands. The boy was rushed to PGI, Chandigarh, and was today operated upon. His condition was stated to be critical. Baldev Nagar Police Station SHO Pawan Sharma said they had identified the accused and raids were on to arrest them. He said it appeared to be a case of old enmity. |
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Woman’s body recovered
Sirsa, September 6 The police said the woman had died at least three to four months ago. The victim, identified as Preetpal Kaur (48) and a resident of Amritsar Khurd village in Sirsa, was unmarried and living alone in a rented accommodation near a flourmill on the Dabwali road, the police said. The police said her brother spotted the body first. He came to her rented accommodation after she failed to get in touch with her mother or any other relatives for the past three to four months.
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Youth found dead near
rail track
Jhajjar, September 6 The deceased has been identified as Vikas of the Vikas Nagar locality in Bahadurgarh town. The body was kept in the mortuary of Bahaudergarh Civil Hospital for postmortem. “Whether it is a case of accident, suicide or murder will be ascertained after the postmortem,” said the police. |
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Seven teachers robbed of cash, jewellery
Gurgaon, September 6 The teachers, serving in senior secondary schools of Delhi's Chhattarpur and Ghitorni areas were returning home in the Sectors 56 and 57 area. Two persons riding a motor cycle forced their van to stop near the DLF Golf Course road. They fired a few rounds in the air and asked the teachers to hand over their valuables, cash and ornaments. The robbers then fled
the spot. |
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Gurgaon, September 6
Rohtak, September 6
Gurgaon, September 6