Gurgaon, November 4
The city has been put on high alert for the forthcoming festival season in view of a terrorist threat in the National Capital Region.

Following special inputs from intelligence agencies, the district police has prepared a special security plan for the coming Divali festival.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Maheshwar Dayal said: “We assure safe Divali to everybody as the police is all set to avert any untoward incident. We appeal to residents not to worry but cautious while enjoying during the festival season.”

Sources said malls on the MG Road and Sadar Bazar in old Gurgaon were on top priority of the security plan. “The authorities not only deployed more police personnel but also asked the mall authorities to beef up security and regulate footfalls,” said sources.

According to an advisory issued to them, they have been asked to ensure proper functioning of CCTV cameras and metal detectors.

“They have been asked to ensure that the number of people entering the malls are regulated. Every single person and bag should be scanned and CCTV recording should be thoroughly monitored,” reads the advisory.

Police officials would make regular visits to the malls and sniffer dogs would also be pressed into service.

The owners have been asked to keep a tab on parking areas and arrange high-end security equipment to scan cars entering their malls.

“The mall owners are required to put up an advisory for all people in informing them about the security measures and put up help desks,” adds the directives.

The owners have also been asked to get their fire safety equipment updated and conduct mock drills to train staff in dealing with any such situation. The pub owners have been specially asked to beef up security and avoid brawls.

Police helpline numbers will also be put up in all vulnerable places for city residents to update any suspicious activity.

“Police is ready with all plans and what we just want from residents is their cooperation,” added Dayal.

Karnal, November 4
The Railway police today booked 10 persons for the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl and arrested seven of them. The case was registered on the girl’s complaint, the police said.

Lalit Kumar, SHO, GRP, said following a tipoff that a boy and a girl were moving under mysterious circumstances near the railway line at Bijada Jatan, policemen raided the spot and found the girl while the boy fled.

The girl said one of the accused lured her on the pretext of marrying her. He and nine other persons, most of them belonging to Traveri, raped her on the intervening night of November 2 and 3.

The police registered a case of rape and kidnapping after the girl’s medical examination. The police arrested seven of the 10 accused, including the main culprit, Ravi.

The victim, a resident of the Traveri area, said Ravi took her to the railway line falling between Traveri and Nilokheri on the promise of marrying her and raped her. Nine other persons, all acquaintances of Ravi, also raped her, the girl alleged.

Fatehabad, November 4
HJC supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi has said that only a probe by a sitting Judge of the Supreme Court into the allegations against Rahul Gandhi and Robert Vadra can bring out the truth .

Talking to mediapersons here, Bishnoi said that the BJP president Nitin Gadkari had already offered himself for such a probe and it was high time that the government ordered a probe into the allegations against the entire Sonia Gandhi family.

Bishnoi said India Against Corruption’s Arvind Kejriwal had spoken about corruption in the Robert Vadra-DLF land deals in Haryana now but he had been speaking on this issue for the past seven years.

“I was the first political leader to have raised my voice against the acquisition of poor farmers’ land in the name of special economic zones (SEZs). Now, it stands proved that the SEZs were a sham and the real purpose was to grab land in connivance with big corporates,” Bishnoi maintained.

Terming the INLD’s Rewari rally as a “flop show”, Bishnoi claimed that his party would hold the biggest-ever rally at Sirsa on December 2 to break its own record set up five years ago.

Rohtak, November 4
The fate of 3,270 assistant linemen, who joined work in the power department on ad basis, hangs in the balance as the authorities have started retrenching such employees, according to a spokesperson for the All Haryana Power Corporation Workers’ Union.

Subhash Lamba said the union would be forced to launch an agitation if the government decided to retrench the ad hoc employees as the department was facing an acute shortage of field staff.

He said the authorities appeared to be playing a double game with its own staff by announcing to recruit new staff and at the same time, deciding to go ahead with a plan to retrench employees of the same department.

He said how the authorities could sack employees working in the department for the past more than four years when there was a shortage of over 12,000 linemen in the state.

He said the government should have recognised their experience by regularising their services as there was a huge backlog of such posts.

He said notices served on ad hoc employees for termination of their services came as a shocker.

He said several employees in the past met with accidents while working on power lines and many of them even lost their lives or became physically disabled for the rest of their lives.

He said the union had taken up the matter of regularisation of their services with the government.

Fatehabad, November 4
An assistant sub-inspector allegedly tried to take possession of a house in Gurunanakpura in Fatehabad with the help of over 20 musclemen today.

The incident occurred when Kaushalya and her daughter, Seema, were alone in the house. The intruders, she alleged, beat up her daughter.

Kaushalya has reported the matter to the police but no case has been registered so far. While Vikas Dhankhar, SP, said the matter had not come to his notice, the city SHO said the ASI was, in fact, the owner of the portion in question.

Kaushalya alleged that she and her daughter were at home when the ASI came with over 2o persons, who razed a wall in their house and started digging a ditch in the middle of the house.

When Seema objected to their action, the ASI allegedly beat up the girl with sticks.

Neighbours rushed towards the house on hearing the cries of the two women.

However, the intruders ran away. Kaushlaya Devi claimed having documents to prove ownership of the land the house was built on but the ASI had come with an affidavit, claiming that he had purchased that land.

Fatehabad, November 4
They could not utter a word and they could not hear the music to which they performed. Yet, they created magic and were able to stir the conscience of the audience through their performances about how society treats them unequally.

Children with hearing impairment and speaking difficulties today performed a myriad of cultural activities, including skits, mono acting and dances to attract people’s attention towards their problems.

The district unit of the Haryana Mook Badhir Society had organised the function to highlight problems of the persons with hearing impairment and speaking difficulties.

Ironically, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Prahlad Singh Gillankhera, whom these children had invited well in advance to see them perform and convey their issues to the state government, failed to keep the date as he was busy with the Congress rally in New Delhi. His cousin Dheeraj Gillankhera attended the function and announced a cash award of Rs 5,100 for the children.

Special children from Disha, a Sirsa-based institute, who are conducting an awareness drive “Badhte Kadam” these days, also performed in the function.

“Provide us equal opportunities, equal rights and equal participation”, “Look at us as human beings first and only then see our disabilities”, “Ensure our participation in all government schemes”, “Provide us hindrance-free environment” and “We too are a part of the creations in this universe”, said the placards displayed at the venue in the Ram Sewa Samiti Dharamshala here.

“We have youths who are trained in computers and other vocations, but they are sitting jobless for years because the government and the private sector do not want to employ persons with hearing impairment and speaking difficulties,” said Sudesh Rani, a teacher in an institute for deaf and dumb at Sirsa.

Sudesh said these children want that the government and the society should not treat them unequally for their disabilities.

Jind, November 4
A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, whose wife and child were murdered, has requested the state government to transfer the case to the Crime Branch so that it can be solved at the earliest.

Kewal Singh, a head constable posted in the security wing of BSF chief UK Bansal, has written a number of letters to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, state Director General of Police and others requesting them to transfer the case to the Crime Branch, as district police has not been able to solve the case.

"I was away on duty when the brutal murders took place. I lost everything...I just want that justice should be done to my family...to my child and my wife who have been killed in cold blood," Kewal Singh said.

Superintendent of Police Sourav Singh said the police had been working "very hard" to find out the motive and accused in the killings which took place on August 20 but had no clues so far.

"We are following the case very diligently and hopefully, we would have some leads soon," Singh said adding that he had visited the crime scene himself as the case seemed tough.

Kewal Singh's wife Sumitra and son Vijay were found dead the next morning (August 21) by family members at their residence. The BSF trooper is posted in the 25th battalion deployed in Delhi at present and he was on duty when the incident occurred. — PTI

Kaithal, November 4
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has cancelled the chambers of 41 lawyers here.

Sources said in a letter addressed to Deputy Commissioner and Secretary, District Bar Association (DBA), the Registrar (Construction) of the high court had pointed that chambers had been allotted to many lawyers who were not practicing in the district courts.

In a meeting of the Construction Committee of high court, it had been decided to cancel the allotment of chambers of such advocates. The DBA had been asked to take further action in the matter and re-allot the chambers. A list of 41 members had also been enclosed with the letter.

The DBA pasted the list of all such members on a notice board. The list includes the names of Kalayat MLA and former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Rampal Majra, Jasmer Singh Seokand, former chairman of CONFED and Ved Pal Sirohi, former president, DBA.

Interestingly, veteran Congress leader and former Haryana Minister Shamsher Singh Surjewala has also a chamber allotted in his name. However, names of a few lawyers who are in active practice also figure in the list. Subhash Chugh, president, DBA, said the high court had itself got the information about the practice status of advocates and took suo moto action.

The state government had allotted land for construction of chambers about 10 years ago and 300 chambers were constructed with funds collected by the lawyers themselves and allotments were made through draw of lots.

Fatehabad, November 4
Thanks to tardy purchase by government procurement agencies and alleged exploitation by millers, farmers coming with their paddy crop in the local grain market are a harried lot.

Farmers allege that they have to wait for days to sell their produce owing to a nexus among the procurement agencies, millers and the local authorities.

“I came with my crop on Monday. But the government procurement agencies have not cared to buy my paddy despite several requests. The millers, on the other hand, offer Rs 1,100 per quintal against the MSP of Rs 1,280,” alleged a farmer from Hanspur village.

He alleged that representatives of government procurement agencies visited only a few shops in the day and rejected most of the produce they examined.

Private millers who purchase the crop for the government agencies for custom milling of rice offer to buy the crop at a price much lower than the MSP.

Sanjiv Sachdeva, Secretary of the Market Committee, Fatehabad, however, maintained that procurement was tardy initially but it had picked momentum now. He claimed that the delay in the purchase of farmers’ produce was primarily due to paddy glut in the grain market.

Rewari, November 4
Power, Forest and Environment Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav inaugurated the district’s first computerised water works (CWW) at Lisana village, 5 km from here, yesterday.

Constructed at a cost of Rs 16.65 crore, the CWW will supply drinking water to residents of Lisana, Naya Gaon, Gokalgarh and Hazariwas villages as well as over half-a-dozen colonies of the western segment of the Rewari city.

Chandigarh, November 4
Haryana’s power utilities would soon start survey of works to be done for strengthening power distribution system in villages to give power supply to rural domestic consumers for 15 hours a day during next summer.

While stating this today, Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) and Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) Chairman and Managing Director Devender Singh said that a crash programme to strengthen power transmission and distribution system in villages was planned to be launched by the two power utilities.

He asked the field officers to bring down aggregate technical and commercial losses from present 30 per cent to 15 per cent, raise the consumer satisfaction level considerably by reducing number of complaints, increase time of power supply and improve reliability and quality of power supply.

“For this, besides strengthening of power distribution system, attending complaints promptly and courteously is also the major step,” he said, while directing the officials to strengthen the system up to a level that qualitative supply for 15 hours could be given in villages next year and technical losses are reduced considerably.

The CMD said the distribution companies had prepared strategy to complete the crash programme within next six months and the UHBVN and DHBVN were getting ready to launch it soon.

He said the crash programme for strengthening the system would cover the works like tightening the loose conductors, replacement of all iron poles, erection of additional poles and conductor as per requirement, replacement of old and torn out conductor, maintenance and augmentation of transformers. With the completion of the crash programme of maintenance and strengthening of the system, the complaints relating to power failure due to local system constraints would reduce considerably.

He said to minimise complaints of low voltage, tripping, breakdowns and other interruptions in power supply, schemes for bifurcation or augmentation of all the overloaded feeders of 11 KV level, having more than 200 ampere load, were being prepared and would be sent to the management for administrative approval and funding arrangement. During bifurcation of feeders, whole of the system would be renovated and additional distribution transformers would also be set up as per requirement.

The work of construction of new substations and augmentation of existing substations as per requirement would also gain momentum to add adequate capacity in the power transmission system.

Fatehabad, November 4
Speculation is rife over former Parliamentary Secretary Dura Ram’s next move in the wake of his recent political activities.

Sources close to the Congress leader, a former MLA from Fatehabad, maintain that their leader, who served as Parliamentary Secretary in Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s first term as Chief Minister, is all set to cross over to the Haryana Janhit Party headed by Kuldeep Bishnoi.

Though the Congress leader himself hasbeen keeping his cards close to the chest when it comes to speaking to mediapersons, sources maintain he has been discussing this issue with his ardent supporters all over the Fatehabad assembly constituency and is likely to join the HJC during its December 2 rally in Sirsa.

Dura Ram has launched a special drive to meet his supporters in the constituency.

Even, senior HJC leaders, including Kuldeep Bishnoi and Chander Mohan, admitted the possibility of Dura Ram joining the party, though by implication.

Addressing separate press conferences in Fatehabad and Sirsa recently, both Bishnoi and Chander Mohan said their party would emerge stronger by Dura Ram’s inclusion.

A nephew of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, Dura Ram wielded immense influence in his uncle’s first two terms as Chief Minister in the eighties. Even during Bhajan Lal’s third term from 1991 to 96, Dura Ram, the eldest son of the former chief minister’s younger brother, Manphool Singh, enjoyed influence though his clout had diluted due to Kuldeep Bishnoi’s emergence by then.

During Om Prakash Chautala’s regime, Bhajan Lal, who was then the HPCC Chief, fielded Dura Ram as the party’s candidate in a bypoll held in 2003. Though he lost the election narrowly, Dura Ram proved his mettle in that election and emerged winner in the assembly poll held in 2005.

When Bhajan Lal and Kuldeep Bishnoi decided to part ways with the Congress to constitute the Haryana Janhit Congress, Dura Ram decided to stay back with Chief Minister Hooda, who instantly rewarded him by elevating him as a Parliamentary Secretary.

However, Dura Ram lost the 2009 assembly election to a Congress rebel and independent Prahlad Singh Gillankhera, now a Chief Parliamentary Secretary. Although Dura Ram has been with the Congress, he has never opposed Bhajan Lal, his wife Jasma Devi, Bishnoi or his wife Renuka Bishnoi in nearly six elections they have contested since 2005 on HJC tickets. His differences with Kuldeep Bishnoi were also sorted out after Bhajan Lal’s death.

Sources said the recent public statement by Hooda in a public meeting a Dariyapur, where the CM appealed to people to elect Gillankhera if they wanted him to become Chief minister for the third time, has triggered Dura Ram’s decision as he sees no future in the Congress now. Even his workers, most of them have remained ardent supporters of Bhajan Lal, had advised him to join the party where other members of his family are at the top. “Wait and watch,” Dura Ram quipped when asked about his next move.

Kurukshetra, November 4
The three-year-old ban on the use of polythene seems to have fizzled out as it has had no impact within the municipal limits here in Kurukshetra with shopkeepers and roadside vendors continuing to hand out commodities to customers in plastic bags.

Sources said though the Municipal Corporation, Kurukshetra (MCK), and the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) had been conducting drives to implement the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the state government to ban polythene, the authorities had failed to get rid of the problem.

Earlier, the government had banned polythene carrybags and plastic containers made from recycled plastic.

“The authorities have failed to raise awareness among the public about the High Court decision. Their drives remain farcical. Initially, it was decided to provide people with jute bags to carry merchandise etc but that too has remained on paper,” a State Pollution Control Board official told The Tribune.

Following the ban on manufacturing of polythene in the state, dealers started getting stock from outside the state. Until the authorities launch a massive awareness campaign against the hazards of polythene, the problem will persist,” sources said.

“The approach of enforcement agencies remained faulty and lopsided. While implementing the ban on the usage, storage and transportation of polythene, the agencies virtually made no effort to control its manufacturing in letter and in spirit, which is the major reason for ineffective implementation of the decision,” they said.

Sources alleged that a nexus between the enforcement authorities and unscrupulous elements in the trade also defeated the real purpose of the ban.

Kurukshetra, November 4
A special legal literacy camp was organised by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) on the premises of University College here today during the Legal Services Week being organised from November 1 to 9 in the district.

While addressing students regarding rights of transgender and senior citizens, Rajender Singh Dhanda, Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary, DLSA, called upon the people to respect elders as it was the first and foremost duty of the society to respect senior citizens. — OC

Jind, November 4
The Haryana Day on November failed to cheer the residents of the district as none of the development projects announced by the Chief Minister almost five months back has come on track. Projects worth several hundred crores had promised to put the district on the fast track of development.

A majority of the projects announced at the state level rally held here on June 3 are reported to be at the primary stage only.

The district authorities are preparing and submitting the estimates and proposals of the site plans and are yet to receive the directions or approvals from the authorities at Chandigarh. It is not known when these projects are going to take off or the time required for their completion.

Announcing the setting up of a national-level institute of education and training and a new industrial estate over 250 acres worth over Rs 1,300 crore at the ruling party’s Vikas Rally, the Chief Minister had claimed that Jind would no longer be a backbencher in development.

Inquiries regarding the status of the projects revealed that though proposals and estimates had been submitted by the local authorities, clearance was awaited for the projects.

Regarding the four-laning of highways connecting Narwana and Rohtak, it is claimed that work has been allotted to the agencies concerned.

Regarding the new industrial estate to be built on 250 acres, it is revealed that the proposal of the site plan has been submitted and an approval is awaited.

“We have submitted the estimates and detailed plans for all the projects announced at the rally and work was likely to begin very soon as there is hardly any technical or other hindrance,’’ claimed the Deputy Commissioner, Yudhvir Singh Khayalia, when asked about the status of the announcements made at the rally.

The other projects announced included a new bus stand (Rs 30 crore), sports complex (Rs 12.5 crore), railway overbridge at the Jind-Hansi road (Rs 72.17 crore), drainage system (Rs 45 crore), gymkhana club (Rs 7.50 crore), veterinary polyclinic, upgradation of the civil hospital, new nursing school, Rajiv Gandhi park, extension of the mini-secretariat and four-laning of the Jind-Narwana and Jind-Rohtak highways (Rs 722 crore).

The officials claimed that the completion of the 80-km railway track between Jind and Gohana was nearing completion.

“Political rivalry among various factions of the ruling party and the fact that all five assembly seats belong to the INLD could also be the reasons for the slow pace of work as the elections were still two years away,” claim political sources.