Faridabad, December 9
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said his government was planning a better connectivity between Faridabad and Gurgaon through monorail service which would give an impetus to development in the two cities.

Addressing a gathering at “Vikas Rally”, Hooda said he would visit Bhutan soon to procure electricity for Haryana. The government, Hooda said, was planning a series of other measures to provide 22-hour power supply daily.

He said his government had increased power generation capacity of the state during its more than seven-year tenure by installing four major projects. Consequently, the generation capacity had been enhanced to 5,050 MW as compared to merely 1,587 MW in 2005, when the Congress assumed power.

Hooda rubbished reports appeared in a section of media that suggested that the BJP government in the poll-bound Gujarat was ahead of other states on development parameters. Countering the claims, he said Gujarat was way behind Haryana.

“The Gujarat Government’s claims of being ahead of other states on development parameters and governance were based on its comparison to BJP-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where there were no developments. It should compare itself with Haryana as a fair yardstick for real assessment,” he said. In response to a list of demands made by Haryana Revenue Minister Mahender Pratap, who organised the rally for his Bhadkhal assembly constituency, Hooda granted a slew of development projects. They include setting up a bus stand in Sector 12 and beautification of the existing one in the NIT, giving a facelift to Dussehara Ground and set up a trauma centre at BK Civil Hospital. He said during six-year tenure of the INLD-BJP government, only Rs 389 crore was spent on development works in Faridabad, while his government had pumped in about Rs 3,981 crore.

Sirsa, December 9
Gopal got a well-paid job in Maruti Suzuki at its Gurgaon plant after completing his ITI course in electrical trade from Sirsa.

A seemingly small task of opening a bank account in his name proved Herculean for him and as the company paid salary to its employees only through their bank accounts.

Gopal had to quit the job and is sitting home jobless since then.

Gopal was brilliant in studies since childhood and was selected for admission in Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya, Odhan in Sirsa, based on his merit in the entrance test conducted by the Central Board of School Education.

However, he was refused admission, as his family could not produce any identity of their existence.

He was so disheartened that though he continued his studies on the insistence of his family, his brightness and exuberance had gone.

For the 65-odd Hindu families, who migrated from Pakistan to Ellenabad in Sirsa in 1992 and 1998, getting an identity of their existence has been the biggest endeavour all these years, though without success.

Many of these families, nearly 300, have now shifted to Jodhpur in Rajasthan in the hope of getting citizenship of the country, as they maintain that those who came to India with them and settled in that state have already received Indian citizenship.

The Rajasthan Government, these families claim, organised special camps to complete paper formalities of these families during Vasundhara Raje regime. The Haryana Government, however, has sought applications from these families several times in the past, but nothing has come out of it.

These families were considered second-rate citizens in Pakistan and now in India, where they have been living for the past 20 years they are living like lesser humans for want of citizenship and related advantages like identity proofs, ration cards and inclusion in the voter lists.

“We cannot even afford to fall sick, because in case we don’t get proper treatment at the local level, we cannot take out patients to better hospitals in neighbouring Ganganagar or any other town without prior permission of the authorities. The permission, even if granted, is too late to serve any purpose,” said Ram Chander Meghwal, whose family migrated to this town from Rahim Yaar Khan district of Punjab in Pakistan in 1998.

The family ekes its living by making shoes. Many like him do menial jobs, as no government or corporate jobs are offered to these families. Even, the SIM card for mobile phone, if they want to keep one, has to be purchased in the name of some neighbourer.

“We just want to ask that if our members can get Indian citizenship in Rajasthan, why they cannot get it in Haryana?” asks Surta Ram, who does embroidery works to eke a living in Ellenabad.

Chandigarh, December 9
The Haryana Power Distribution Corporations (Discoms) have decided to give a major relief to applicants seeking extension of load. The applicants would now be required to pay the advance consumption security for the extended load only as per the existing rate. Earlier, the applicants were required to pay for the existing load as well as the extended load as per the existing charges.

This was decided at a meeting of Discoms chaired by its chairman and managing director Devender Singh here today. It was observed that a large section of consumers was not coming forward for voluntary disclosure of load as the Discoms charged the amount on extended load as per existing rate(s) and the same rate was being charged for the existing load.

Earlier, during a meeting with public representatives, various groups of consumers raised the issue and pointed out that the money already paid by them was sufficient on account of advance consumption security when they had submitted applications and the load was sanctioned.

The Discoms would not ask the applicants to submit their photographs with application forms for extension of load in the cases of inheritance.

Devender Singh said the procedure of extension of load would be further simplified for which a committee had been constituted and the modalities were being finalised.

The Discoms would launch a voluntary disclosure of load scheme from January 1 in the state. It was observed that a large section of the existing consumers would come forward to avail the benefit of voluntary disclosure of the load scheme.

Rohtak, December 9
Two former Apna Ghar girl inmates went missing from a shelter house located in Gandhi Nagar here today, the police said.

The incident came to notice this morning when volunteers of the Sewa Dal found the two inmates -- Munni (18) and Pooja (20) -- missing from their room.

The facility, run by NGO 'Hari Om Sewa Dal', houses some of the inmates of the infamous Apna Ghar shelter house.

These inmates were brought here following a raid on Apna Ghar by a team of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) after cases of abuse and maltreatment of inmates came to light.

Rohtak DSP (Headquarters) Sumit Kumar along with police officials rushed to the shelter house and recorded statements of office-bearers of the Sewa Dal.

"We have formed 10 teams which are carrying out raids to find the inmates," the DSP said. The police said Munni, who hailed from Guwahati, had given vital information about the functioning of Apna Ghar caretakers to the CBI during the central agency's investigation. The CBI is currently probing the Apna Ghar shelter home case.

The Apna Ghar shelter house, run by NGO 'Bharat Vikas Sangh', had landed in controversy when a team of the NCPCR had rescued over 100 inmates, including children, girls and women, after carrying out a surprise raid there. The inmates had levelled serious allegations against caretakers of the facility.

The Haryana government had later sealed Apna Ghar shelter home in June. — PTI

Gurgaon, December 9
As many as 125 gleaming antique cars and 45 two-wheelers were driven into the city as part of the third 21 Gun Salute vintage rally organised here today.

Local residents, commuter and passersby were awestruck as a haughty Rolls Royce Silver Ghost-1912 hit the city roads, a 1940 Buick and scores of other classic cars and bikes following it in quick succession.

Some of the most popular vintage car models that participated in the annual event included the Willys Overland 1909 - the oldest among the lot, Rolls Royce-1912, Bentley-1947, Rolls Royce Phantom-1 of 1925 and so on.

The rally was flagged off by Gen Bikram Singh, Chief of the Army Staff, at Panchsheel Club in Delhi and entered Gurgaon through NH-8, Crown Plaza Hotel, HUDA City Centre Metro Station, MG Road and Golf Course Road before reaching its final destination, the Leisure Valley Park in Sector 29.

The event was a joint initiative of Madan Mohan, an avid vintage-car collector from Gurgaon and managing director of 21 Gun Salute Restaurant, and the Heritage Motoring Club of India.

A number of onlookers clicked pictures of the stately procession of Buicks, Fords, Rolls Royces, Plymouths, Austins, Willys and many other old classics participating in the rally. 

Jhajjar, December 9
Terming the foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail as ‘anti-people’, Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi said the Congress-led UPA Government’s decision on FDI would take away bread and butter from 4.2 crore people across the country.

While interacting with mediapersons after addressing a meeting of party workers here today, Bishnoi alleged that the government’s anti-people policies would ruin lives of lakhs of people by taking away their jobs.

He said contrary to its claim of working for the common man, the UPA Government was protecting the interests of corporate houses. “In the name of growth and economic development, the government has sold the nation to rich corporate giants of the west, such as Wal-Mart,” Bishnoi said.

The HJC supremo said around 4.4 crore people were at present earning their livelihood by working in the retail sector in India. Wal-Mart would employ merely 20 lakh people after implementation of the FDI in the retail sector. Consequently, nearly 4.2 crore people would lose their jobs due to the decision of the UPA Government, he said.

Sonepat, December 9
INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala today charged the Congress-led UPA government with working against the interests of farmers and traders by opening up the retail sector.

He said the FDI in retail would ruin their interests as well as of the country.

He was talking to mediapersons at Liwan village after unveiling the statue of Chaudhary Dewan Singh, a progressive farmer of the village.

“It is a conspiracy of the people with vested interests to convert their black money deposited in foreign banks to white by investing through foreign companies,” he added.

Chautala said his party had been opposing FDI for the past three years and it would not be implemented if his party came into power in the state. — OC

Chandigarh, December 9
Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda is the only one from the region to be inducted into the powerful campaign committee formed by the Congress for the next Lok Sabha elections.

The committee was constituted soon after the Congress rally in Delhi on November 4 and the high-level party meeting organised at Surajkund in Faridabad district of Haryana on November 9.

Haryana’s contribution to the success of the Delhi rally was the largest among all state units of the Congress. Even the host unit of Delhi could not match the strength that poured into the national capital from the Jat land on that day.

Deepender has long been a member of the Rahul team, which looks after the affairs of the Youth Congress and the NSUI, the student wing of the Congress. Deepender is credited with the success of the NSUI in the last elections of Delhi University.

The Rohtak MP was fielded by the Congress to counter Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, a no mean orator, during the debate on FDI in the multi-brand retail sector.

Other than Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, who intervened in the debate in his capacity as a representative of the government, Deepender was the only party MP other than Kapil Sibal, who spoke on behalf of the ruling party. None other than party supremo Sonia Gandhi was seen repeatedly thumping the table when he was countering Swaraj point by point.

He pointed out how opposition parties had opposed the Bhakra dam by proclaiming that irrigation water supplied by it was useless because the government had taken out power from water. Similarly, he said, the Opposition was trying to mislead the people against FDI in the retail sector.

After his speech on FDI in the Lok Sabha, the Rohtak MP was in great demand by the electronic media.

He virtually became the Congress face in the debates on FDI organised by several TV channels. Even on social media like You Tube, Hooda junior’s speech has been viewed by over 10,000 persons. 

Chandigarh, December 9
Faridabad is being developed as pilot solar city for which the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has conveyed its sanction in-principle for providing financial assistance amounting to Rs 2.50 crore.

A spokesman for the Haryana Renewable Energy Department here yesterday said the Akshay Urja Bhawan based on energy conservation and solar passive architecture techniques had been set up at Panchkula with an investment of Rs 11 crore as per Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) and five star GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) rating. It is first-of-its-kind project in the government sector in the state. He said the construction work of this building had been completed and it would be inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on December 22.

He said under the Special Area Development Programme, a Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) power plant of 45 KW capacity costing Rs 72 lakh had been installed at Haryana Raj Bhawan, Chandigarh. Also, nine other SPV power plants each of 4.5 KW capacity costing Rs 94.50 lakh had been set up at the district collectorate offices. He said during the current year, under a off-grid programme of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, solar power projects of 70 KW capacity had been set up in two private industries and one government institute with the Central financial assistance of Rs 44 lakh.

Kurukshetra, December 9
Thousands of rural youth, including girls, today thronged the Red Ribbon Express (RRE), which had arrived at Kurukshetra railway station on Saturday. The move is aimed to create awareness among the people about AIDS and HIV.

About 30,000 persons, mostly from the rural belts of the border district, showed keen interest in the Express as the rural areas of the state have been the most affected by the disease. Figures show that there is lack of awareness among the people living in villages. Most of the rural drug addicts use used syringes to injected drugs, thus become prey to the disease.

Migratory drivers in the region are also major victims of the disease and they further spread the disease to their wives and children.

“The exhibition has cleared many misconceptions about the AIDS and its symptoms. People believe that AIDS can be spread even through a mosquito bite and touching a patient afflicted with the virus, which is wrong,” Amit Saini, a student, said.

Rahul Kapoor, a resident of Ismailabad, said the exhibition had cleared their doubts about the disease, which they could not discuss with their teachers or family members.

RRE assistant project officer Vijay Garg said they had received a tremendous response as more than 8,000 students got the explicit information about AIDS in various compartments of the train, which is a joint venture of the National AIDS Control Organisation and the Rajiv Gandhi Foudation.

He said there were artistes accompanying them had moved in various villages in the border district in three buses to educate the rural folk through “nukkad nataks”.

Chandigarh, December 9
Haryana Forests and Environment Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav has urged the Central Government to resolve the issue of requirement of prior environmental clearance for mining over lease less than five hectares of area so that development projects and workforce related to mining activity do not have to suffer.

In his letters addressed to Union Minister for Mines Dinsha J Patel and Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jayanti Natarajan, he not only drew their attention towards the fallout of the decision but also sought their intervention.

Yadav wrote: “You may appreciate that the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) after considering various factors, issued a notification dated September 14, 2006, mandating the requirement of environmental clearances for certain activities specified therein. The mining of minerals over areas less than five hectares was not covered by the said notification. However, the Supreme Court in its orders dated February 27, 2012, held that prior environmental clearance for mining shall be required even for mining over lease less than five hectares.”

Due to sudden closure of all such excavation, development projects, particularly roads, highways, railways and other infrastructure-related works, had come to a standstill.

Yadav said it was not feasible to obtain prior environmental clearances in these cases. “The excavation of earth up to shallow levels is undertaken over very short periods of about 10 days to a maximum of two or three months at any given site whereas the existing process of obtaining environmental clearance takes about minimum nine months to one year. The transaction costs have become prohibitive as the number of accredited consultants is very less and they are demanding exorbitant fees, which are not commensurate with even with the cost/royalty of the mineral excavated,” he said. Yadav urged Patel to take up the matter with the MoEF so that development projects did not suffer.

He also urged Jayanti Natarajan to take an early decision in the matter.

Sonepat, December 9
The state government has decided to open government colleges at Baroda and Pipli villages in Sonepat district, said Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda while addressing the annual function of Gurukul Senior Secondary School, Matindu. “The classes will start from the next academic session after laying the foundation stone of these colleges during this month,” he added.

He said expansion of education facilities had been one of the top agendas of the Hooda’s government during the past eight years, realising that the education was necessary to overcome the problem of unemployment.

“If youths are technically and professionally trained, there cannot be any dearth of employment for them,” he said adding that such youths could generate self-employment for them as well as provide employment to others.

He said with the opening of three universities, three national institutes and the Rajiv Gandhi Education City, Sonepat, had been emerging as a hub of education.

Sonepat MP Jitender Singh Malik recalled the role played by the gurukul in spreading education in rural areas. — OC

Ambala, December 9
In an attempt to help the state power utilities to tide over the financial crisis, power engineers have come up with several suggestions to bring down the aggregate transmission and commercial losses (A&TC).

V K Gupta, Secretary Finance of the North Indian Power Engineers Federation (NIPEF), says that inhouse reforms are needed in the power sector. He said engineers had suggested that by strengthening the transmission system, upgrading of transformers as per the load requirements and by shifting of consumer meters outside their premises, the A&TC losses on rural feeders could be reduced from 50 to 55 per cent to 20 to 25 per cent while in the cities the same could be brought down to 8 10 per cent.

He said that the state discoms were paying more for the power while the average tariffs were low. The revenue realised was also an issue which affected the financial health of the power companies in Haryana.

He said the move of the state government to hand over 80 feeders comprising four feeders from each circle to private franchisee to bring down AT&C losses was unlikely to prove beneficial as losses in the rural feeders range between 35 and 50 per cent due to rampant power theft. He said bringing down the transmission losses could be made effective departmentally if the engineers were provided with administrative support to go ahead with the reforms. He said the transmission line losses were effectively reduced in the neighbouring Punjab, where the engineers with the support of the state government and power utility, brought down the AT&C losses in Patiala from 23 to 24 per cent to 17 per cent in two years.

The total expenditure incurred on this project was Rs 16 crore and it saved 233 lakh units by way of reduction in losses. He said that this model could be replicated in Haryana.

Gurgaon, December 9
The police has registered a case against the wife and in-laws of Pradeep Kumar (30), a local stock broker who had allegedly committed suicide here yesterday, on the charge of abetment to suicide.

Though the deceased had not held anybody responsible in his suicide note and stated that he had been forced to take the extreme step due to heavy financial losses in business, his brother Sandeep Kumar lodged a complaint with the police, alleging that Pradeep was mentally tortured by his wife and in-laws.

On the basis of his complaint, the police booked Pradeep's wife Upasana, her parents and other family members under Section 306 of the IPC. Pradeep's body was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his rented house in Sushant Lok locality here on Saturday morning. — TNS

Sonepat, December 9
The police is looking for the fifth occupant of a car which fell into in the Delhi branch of the Western Yamuna Canal near Kakroi village last evening, killing four members of a family.

The police has so far fished out four bodies identified as Neelam of Dilshad

Garden in Delhi, her son Tanish, her brother Anil and her husband’s business partner, Mohammad Azad of NOIDA. The victims were going to attend a marriage at Rohtak.

DSP Ajit Singh said divers had been pressed into service to locate Rakesh’s body from the canal. Rakesh probably had come out of the car after breaking its rear glass .

Residents of Kakroi village complained that such incidents were common at this spot for want of speed breakers but the authorities had not taken any measures despite their repeated pleas .

Rohtak, December 9
The police has busted an inter-state gang of criminals with the arrest of three youths.

A spokesperson for the police said members of the gang used to loot people by offering them eatables and drinks laced with sedatives. One of the victims of the gang had died here on November 24.

The spokesperson said the arrest would help in solving at least 12 incidents in which several lakhs of rupees had been looted in the region in the past couple of years.

The arrested persons have been identified as Rashid, Abbas and Amrik, hailing from Uttar Pradesh.

He said the alleged accused had admitted their involvement in at least a dozen cases of loot. In an incident that took place a fortnight ago, the gang had left three traders identified as Shyam Lal, Sahib Singh and Devakinandan unconscious after they were offered biscuits laced with sedatives while they were on their way to Rohtak to purchase cattle. While Shyam Lal died in a hospital, the criminals decamped with a cash amount of Rs 1.60 lakh possessed by the victims.

Fatehabad, December 9
District and Sessions Judge SC Goyal has sentenced a man to imprisonment for life and a fine of Rs 10,000 for killing his newly wedded wife by strangulating her.

Bhola Singh, a resident of Jakhan village, had lodged a complaint with the police that his daughter Amandeep Kaur, who was married to Chhinder Singh of Khumber village in Fatehabad, was murdered by her husband on July 17, 2010.

He alleged that Chhinder Singh had strangulated his daughter with her dupatta to eliminate her. On his complaint, the police had registered a case the next day.

The District and Sessions Judge found Chhinder Singh guilty of the crime and sentenced him to imprisonment for life and a fine of Rs 10,000.