Jind, December 24
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was on a foundation stone-laying spree in the district today. He laid the foundation stones of over 12 projects worth Rs 160 crore on Monday.

Addressing a public meeting here, the Chief Minister said he had a special attachment with the district and wanted to see it in league with Gurgaon within five years.

Comparing the funds spent on the development of Jind, he said the present government had allocated more than Rs 2,468 crore after it came into power in 2005 in comparison to just Rs 539.26 crore spent during the six-year INLD rule .

He said the pace of development would be on a fast track. The state government had already released an amount of Rs 70 crore for rural development in the district this year, he added.

The Chief Minister said the work on six projects worth Rs 1337.76 crore launched on June 3 was in progress. He said the Congress was committed to equitable development of all districts.

The Chief Minister inaugurated a newly constructed poly clinic building in Sector 8 which had come up at a cost of Rs 3.47 crore. Besides the foundation stone of Haryana Institute of Education and Research (Rs 38 crore), Hooda laid the foundation stones of Rs 30 crore additional building at General Hospital, GNM Nursing School building (Rs 6 crore), beautification of “Rani Talaab”(Rs 8.2 crore), Rajiv Gandhi Park (Rs 3.46 crore), expansion of Mini-Secretariat (Rs 11 crore), sports complex (Rs 81 lakh), HUDA Gymkhana Club (Rs 7.5 crore), Sewage Treatment Plant of 10 million litres per day capacity (Rs 13.82 crore), a 33 KV power substation to be set up Sindhavi Khera village worth Rs 4.5 crore, a poly clinic for cattle and veterinary hospital to be set up at Khera Khemavati with an investment of Rs 33 lakh.

He said these schemes would accelerate the pace of development in the district.

Chandigarh, December 24
Battling allegations of fast-tracking the change of land uses (CLUs) of AICC president Sonia Gandhi’s businessman son-in-law Robert Vadra, the state government has decided to make the CLU permissions more transparent.

In an apparent bid to avoid legal complications, the Town and Country Planning Department has made it mandatory for the applicants to submit VCDs of unauthorised and non-compoundable constructions to the department.

Under the new rules, the District Town Planner (DTP) would be responsible for submitting the VCDs to the state headquarters. “Since digital cameras have already been provided to the field offices, the field functionaries will not find any difficulty in getting photographs of such constructions,” said an official of the department.

Presently, the field offices or circle offices are sending reports on the CLU applications about unauthorised construction on the site and building plans. “In case, the authority decides to grant CLU permission, the applicant is asked to demolish the non-compoundable construction within 30 days and confirmation in this regard is forwarded by the DTP concerned,” said the official.

Earlier, the existence of illegal and non-compoundable constructions on the site on which CLU permission was sought led to a lot of problems for the allottees. “In case, the CLU is transferred to another party, such constructions posed a major challenge in way of the completion of the residential, industrial and commercial projects hampering development process in the state,” the official added.

Yamunanagar/Ambala, December 24
Haryana is facing a power crisis again as five thermal units at various thermal plants are down due to technical snags.

Both units of the 1200-MW Khedar thermal plant are down reducing the power generation by about 240 lakh units daily. While one unit has a boiler leakage, the second one is facing a air pre-heater problem.

One 250-MW unit at Panipat is under annual maintenance up to the first week of January. Unit No. 4 at Panipat is having a boiler leakage problem.

One unit at Jhajjar is under forced outage due to coal shortage for a few weeks while the second unit is running at full load.

The second unit at the Yamunanagar thermal plant, which has been under forced outage since March 31, is likely to be revived by January-end .

In order to tide over the crisis caused by the forced outages of the thermal units, the Haryana Power utility has resorted to overdrawing from the Northern Grid to a limited extent.

The other states, however, are not overdrawing from the grid.

The state overdrew about 80 lakh units by Sunday afternoon.

In view of the prevailing circumstances, most parts of the state, including major cities, are facing more than 6-8 hour power cuts.

New Delhi, December 24
Relying on the dying declaration of a dowry victim, the Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a Jind man for killing his wife in March, 1998, by pouring kerosene and setting her on fire.

The trial court had acquitted the accused, Krishan, in November, 1999, holding that the victim’s dying declaration “cannot be believed” as even her parents and sister had not supported it. All three, who were prosecution witnesses, had turned hostile during their cross-examination in the court.

The victim’s sister had gone to the extent of stating that it was an accidental fire and the accused Krishan also joined in the effort to extinguish the fire, the trial court had noted.

Setting aside the trial court verdict, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had noted in July, 2007, that Krishan “had no option but to join” the effort to extinguish the fire as his father and sister were trying to douse the flames and save her.

Further, the victim had also acknowledged in her dying declaration that Krishan also tried to douse the flames after setting her on fire. “Had there been any falsity in the statement of Rani, she would have been the last person to say that her husband also extinguished the fire. It is one of the factors which strengthens the consideration that the dying declaration was spontaneous and truthful,” the HC had noted.

Upholding the findings of the HC, an apex court Bench comprising Justices Swatanter Kumar and Madan B Lokur pointed out that the victim’s parents and sister (Ram Rati) had turned hostile as Ram Rati was married to the accused’s real brother.

“The hostility of these witnesses would, in no way, render the dying declaration doubtful, much less inadmissible or of no evidential value…The dying declaration has been proved in accordance with law and is a truthful version of the events …For these reasons, we see no merit in the present appeal and the same is dismissed,” the SC ruled.

Krishan had committed the crime 19 years after the marriage and the couple had two sons, aged 9 years and 7 years at that time.

Sirsa/Fatehabad, December 24
The Delhi gang rape and the subsequent police lathi charge on protesters has triggered demonstrations in Sirsa and Fatehabad.

Students of Government Senior Secondary School and Hartron Workstation hit the streets in Sirsa today demanding death penalty for the rapists.

Carrying placards of Agle Jaman Mohe Bitiya Na Kije and Hume Bhi Hai Jeeney Ka Adhikar, the angry students said it was the government’s soft attitude towards rapists that people did not want to give birth to girls.

“We work for making your homes a better place to live as mothers, sisters, wives and daughters but you give us scars for the whole of our lives by assaulting us sexually,” said a speaker.

Students of Saint Marry School, Maharaja Agarsen School and Government Senior Secondary School and activists of various women organisations held a demonstration in Tohana town of Fatehabad .

Shouting slogans, the demonstrators started from Yoga Mandir and reached SDM Yogesh Mehta’s office after passing through all markets.

Expressing resentment over the increasing incidents of eve teasing in Tohana town in their meeting with the SDM, the protesters submitted a memorandum to the official.

Activists of various social organisations assembled at Laal Batti Chowk in Fatehabad against the police atrocities on protesters in Delhi.

The protesters, including men and women, staged a mock execution of “rapists” in the middle of the square.

Faridabad: More than 2,000 women employees of various government departments, the Municipal Corporation and housewives in Faridabad district took out a procession here today to express solidarity with the ongoing agitation in Delhi against the gang rape of a paramedical student on a moving bus.

The agitationists, under the banner of the Sarv Karamchaari Sangh, Haryana, condemned the police lathi-charge and use of water canons against the protesting youths, especially women.

Aasha Sharma, state vice-president of the Sarv Karamchaari Sangh, said: “The sight of women agitators at India Gate being chased and caned by police personnel was horrifying.”

She warned that women employees of Haryana would join the agitating youths in Delhi if their demand for justice to the rape victim and satisfactory measures to stop incidents of rape was not conceded immediately.

Later, they submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda through the Faridabad SDM.

Gurgaon, December 24
The police has increased surveillance of the city-based pubs and bars. A special team led by Joint Commissioner Anil Kumar inspected pubs on the MG road and verified the credentials of visitors and staff.

Panic struck the people near pubs and discs when the police team reached and a majority of them managed to flee.

The officials checked email IDs and visitor registers. The police asked the pub staff to ensure that no untoward incident was reported.

"We have asked the pub owners that the responsibility to keep all safe and avoid any crime on their premises is solely theirs. They should tighten security and scrutinise visitors. We have told people that they are free to party but we shall not take any nonsense. The pub owners have been instructed to ensure complete discipline during parties as any ruckus will lead them in trouble," said Anil Kumar.

The DLF Phase-2 police retained seven men for creating a ruckus for second consecutive day. The police has been keeping a constant vigil on the MG road where a majority of pubs and bars are located.

Rohtak, December 24
Members of the Haryana unit the All-India Democratic Womens Association (AIDWA) tore objectionable posters of a film being shown in a local cinema hall located at Delhi road today in protest against the alleged depiction of women in a bad taste. The protesters not only blackened semi-nude posters but also took away such material from the cinema hall for submission to the district authorities.

AIDWA activists led by its national vice-president Jagmati Sangwan took out a procession and submitted a memorandum seeking strict action against the cinema hall owner for exhibiting a movie of pornographic nature. “The delegation left a bundle of pictures and posters of the film at the table of the office of the Deputy Commissioner, who was not present in the office’’, said Jagmati Sangwan. She said showing such movies was not only illegal but also corrupted the minds of youth. In view of the Delhi gang rape, exhibition of such material was unwarranted.

Sonepat, December 24
Col OP Sindhu (retd), president of the Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, has said that the samiti will convene a national-level meeting in February at Delhi or Gurgaon to finalise a strategy for seeking Jat reservation in Central government services.

Representatives of Jat organisations from 14 states will participate in the meeting.

Talking to mediapersons at Gohana last evening, he said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had promised to issue a gazette notification for Jat reservation in Haryana by January 25.

If the state government failed to keep its promise, an agitation would be started again in Haryana.

Faridabad, December 24
Two children returning home from school on an auto-rickshaw died in a road accident in Sector 37 here this evening. Their three-wheeler overturned after colliding with a rickshaw in the middle of a road.

The victims have been identified as Anjani (8), a class III student and Sameer, both residents of Surya Vihar, The victims died on the way to hospital.

The drivers of both vehicles who were injured seriously were admitted to a hospital.

Kurukshetra: Subash Chand, a resident of Falsanda Rangdan, was killed on the spot when a speeding car hit him near the Babain bus stand, 25 km from here, on Sunday.

In another incident, Gurucharan Singh, a resident of Rampura, was killed when a car hit his motorcycle near the Mini Zoo at Pipli on Sunday.

Rewari: An employee of a hotel at Dharuhera died after he was hit by a truck on the National Highway-8, near Jauniawas village, last night.

The mishap took place when Raju (22), a resident of Uttarakhand, was going on foot and the truck was on its way to Delhi.

The truck driver fled with the vehicle after the accident. The police has registered a case in this regard.

Chandigarh, December 24
The Haryana Government has decided to provide free travel facility to over 50,000 cancer patients in the state in Haryana Roadways buses.

Health Minister Rao Narender here today said cancer being a serious disease, patients required continuous surgery, chemotherapy and radiation and such facilities were available only at PGIMS, Rohtak, and other similar institutions.

About 50,000 cancer patients travel in the Haryana Roadways buses to reach various hospitals, he says. “It has been observed that a cancer patient has to visit hospital about 15 times in a year for treatment which costs him a lot of money. Keeping this in view, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has approved the proposal of the Health Department to provide free travel facility to such patients in the roadways buses,” he added.

The Health Minister said the cancer patients could avail this facility only on the basis of the identity card issued by the civil surgeon of the district. The civil surgeon would issue the card only after verifying the treatment card of the patient. After the expiry of the validity, the patient would have to submit it in the office of the civil surgeon for issuance of new card.

The office of civil surgeon would be required to maintain complete record on the basis of which reimbursement would be made to the Transport Department by the Health Department. A provision of Rs 5 crore had been made for the purpose, the minister added.

Sonepat, December 24
Hundreds of Diploma in Education (DEd) trainees from various institutions in the district under the banner of the JBT Students’ Forum today took out a protest march in the town in support of their demands and started a day-long fast at the Mini-Secretariat here.

They also submitted a memorandum, addressed to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, to District Revenue Officer Suresh Kumar of their demands. The demands included withdrawal of 180 working days internship after completion of two years academic course, their inclusion in the ongoing recruitment process of the JBT teachers and regular appointments of the teachers.

In the memorandum, the trainees stated that the duration of the DEd training had been increased from two to three years, though there was no prior information of it in the prospectus provided to them at the time of admissions. The forum office-bearers said in the prospectus, the period of the training course was to be completed in September, 2012.

But according to new guidelines, a 180 working days training had been included in the training duration and it was a loss of one year in their professional career.

“Nearly 20,000 students take admission every year in DEd courses in the state and this internship of 180 working days will provide 20,000 teachers to the government without any financial burden,” they said.