Faridabad, January 25
A 17-year-old girl was murdered, allegedly by her lover, in Simran PG Guest House here last evening.

The police has arrested Ram Gopal, a junk dealer and a resident of NIT-5, this afternoon in connection with the case. Sources said the arrest was made at Taoru, on the border of Mewat district.

The victim's family, who are from local Gandhi Colony, alleged the girl was kidnapped by three persons, including Ram Gopal, after she left home for tuition classes. They alleged Ram Gopal often stalked her and made advances towards her.

However, Assistant Commissioner of Police, NIT, Ram Pal, said the investigation revealed that the victim accompanied Ram Gopal to the guest house. They were known to each other.

He said the owner of the guest house who informed the police about the body, said the victim and Ram Gopal had booked a room in the guest house. The owner got suspicious when he saw Ram Gopal leaving the guest house alone in haste after about 20 minutes of occupying the room.

The staff of the guest house found the girl dead in the room. Her body lay in a pool of blood. There were wounds on several parts of her body, including the neck.

The victim’s family members informed the police late last evening about her di when she did not return home.

Meanwhile, residents of Gandhi Colony blocked the BK Chowk, the main intersection in the city, for more than an hour today, demanding the arrest of the accused. The police had to resort to a mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd.

Chandigarh, January 25
Stepping into the shoes of southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Haryana today crossed the Supreme Court’s 50 per cent “Lakshman rekha” on reservation in government jobs and educational institutions taking the total reservation in the state to 67 per cent.

With an eye on the parliamentary and assembly elections next year against the backdrop of the changed political scenario due to the jailing of INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala and his MLA son Ajay Chautala in the JBT teachers' scam, the Hooda government fast-tracked the decision regarding the issuance of notifications yesterday. In fact, the feat was accomplished a day after Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda accepted the recommendations of a sub-committee headed by Finance Minister HS Chattha on a 10 per cent quota for the economically weaker sections among the general castes.

On December 12, 2012, the government had accepted the report of Justice KC Gupta-headed Haryana State Backward Classes Commission recommending 10 per cent reservation for five castes-Jat, Bishnoi, Jat Sikh, Ror and Tyagi- under the special backward classes category. Currently, Haryana provides a 20 per cent quota in jobs to SCs and 27 per cent to the backward classes (BCs).

Haryana Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Minister Geeta Bhukkal said the total annual income of the family of the applicant should not exceed Rs 2.5 lakh per annum in the case of quota for poor among the general classes .“For providing reservation to the special backward classes, the criteria shall be same as in the case of other backward classes in the state,” she added

Meanwhile, Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) chief Kuldeep Bishnoi alleged that notifications were merely an ‘election stunt’ by the Hooda government to mislead the people of the state.“After putting so many restrictions on the beneficiaries, only a negligible section of society would be benefited," he asserted.

Gurgaon, January 25
Haryana Power Minister Capt Ajay Yadav has stated that the state was not getting enough coal from the Centre due to which power generation at thermal power plants was being adversely affected.

“As of now, we are getting about half of the quantity of coal, which had been assured by the Union Ministry of Coal,” the minister said.

Citing examples, Yadav said 1,320 MW CLP power plant at Jhajjar required 24,000 MT of coal daily, but was getting merely about 6,000 MT. Similarly, the Khedar power plant needs about 20,000 MT coal per day, but gets 12,000 MT.

“Due to deficiency of coal, we are not able to run the power plants on full load,” the minister maintained and added that imported coal would be mixed with domestic coal to meet the requirements during the coming summer season. He said the 660-MW third unit of Yamunanagar power plant would be constructed only after coal linkages are ensured.

Yadav, however, asserted that the 300-MW second unit of Yamunanagar power plant would start functioning by the end of February, which would help in meeting the power requirement in the state during the ensuing summers.

The minister, who was in the city to inaugurate the renovated officers’ rest house here, said all hurdles in the way of the Gorakhpur nuclear power plant in Fatehabad district had been cleared and land was being acquired for the purpose.

Replying to a question, he disclosed that 15 engineers from China would visit Haryana by the end of this month to rectify the snags in the Yamunanagar and Khedar (Hisar) power plants based on Chinese technology.

Yadav further revealed that the Adani power plant of Gujarat had agreed to provide 1,424 MW power to Haryana from February 7 onwards. The agreement was signed in 2008, but presently, only 400 MW was being received from Adani.

Fatehabad, January 25
The Indian National Lok Dal today repeated its allegation that former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala and Dabwali MLA Ajay Singh Chautala’s conviction in the teachers’ recruitment case was a conspiracy of the Congress with a motive to defame it.

Senior INLD leader and Ellenabad MLA Abhey Singh Chautala told mediapersons here today that the Congress had misused the CBI to settle political scores with his family.

“We have full faith in the judicial system of this country and both Chautala and Ajay Singh will get a clean chit in this case from the higher courts,” Abhey Singh claimed on the conviction.

He said the people of Haryana were angry with the UPA government at the Centre and the Congress government in Haryana and they would teach the Congress a lesson in the coming elections.

Abhey Singh alleged that the Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has been “giving clarifications time and again” that the case was registered during the NDA regime.

“Who is seeking a clarification from Hooda? He is giving clarifications repeatedly because he knows that it is all his conspiracy,” the INLD leader alleged.

He also castigated Haryana minister Randeep Singh Surjewala and Haryana Janhit Congress supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi for their allegations of corruption against the INLD and said that even the court’s verdict clearly said that there was no exchange of money in the case.

Chautala claimed that it would eventually boomerang on the Congress and Hooda in particular and the people of Haryana would uproot them whenever they got an opportunity.

Ashok Arora, state president of the INLD, was also present.

Chandigarh, January 25
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has set a one-month deadline for Haryana and its authorities to decide whether the driving licences for light motor vehicles are to be issued for five or 20 years.

The directions came after the issuance of licences for just five years by a subdivision in the state was brought to the notice of a Division Bench with the filing of a petition in public interest.

In his petition against the state of Haryana and other respondents placed before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain, petitioner Rajeev Hooda drew the court’s attention to the practice followed by Gohana subdivision in issuing driving licences for light motor vehicles.

He stated that the authorities concerned were issuing the licences for five years. But, the licences have to be issued for 20 years from the date of issuance or renewal.

This, he asserted, was the mandate of Section 14 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

After hearing the arguments, the Bench asserted: “Prima facie, the grievance raised in this petition seems to be justified”.

Disposing of the petition, the Bench made it clear that it was for the authorities concerned in the state government to examine and decide the issue in a time-bound manner.

The Bench concluded: “Let this petition be treated as a representation and the issue be considered by the Secretary, Department of Transport, Haryana, and the necessary directions issued within one month from the date of receipt of a copy of this order”. 

Karnal, January 25
Illegal mobile towers are posing a serious threat to the health of human beings and animals in Karnal town, but the authorities are wary of getting the towers removed.

Most of the towers have been erected on rooftops in congested areas. The local authorities are aware about the number and location of mobile towers but have done nothing beyond serving notices on the owners of the plots and houses and the mobile companies owning and operating the illegal towers.

Officials say most of the towers have been installed on the recommendations of "bigwigs" and the moment any action is initiated "phones ring" and the action remains only on files.

Mobile towers emit electromagnetic radiation having thermal and non-thermal effects on the health of cells, genes and the DNA.

Having mobile towers in the neighbourhood can also pose health problems like severe headache, sleep disturbance, constant body pain, memory problems, joint pains etc.

However, the public is inclined to set up towers in their complexes to earn rent of Rs 10,000 to 15,000 per month, depending on the location.

Studies have revealed that more severe health effects included infertility, miscarriage, neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer’s), heart problems and cancer. Several national and international studies have found a strong correlation between health problems and exposure to microwaves from mobile towers.

Information procured through the RTI shows that there are 21 mobile towers in the town and the companies have been served notices to get the towers legalised, but no concrete action has been taken.

RTI activist Rajesh Sharma said executive officer of the municipal corporation SS Ahlawat had said that a list of illegal towers had been prepared and in case of any mishap, the owner of the plot or company owning the tower would be held responsible.

Chandigarh, January 25
A special initiative has been taken by Accountant-General (A and E), Haryana, to depute officers to visit treasuries and banks in Chandigarh and Panchkula and scrutinise records relating to the payment of pension or family pension available there and records sent by them to the office of the Principal Accountant-General (A and E).

Stating this here today, Principal Accountant-General Mohinder Singh said during a test check of treasury vouchers and bank scrolls, it was noticed that pensioners and family pensioners were not being paid the minimum pension at a rate of Rs 1,275 on or after January 1, 1996 and Rs 3,500 on or after January 1, 2006 as per the instructions of the state government.

He said in 67 cases, pension or family pension was revised by the office, but treasuries and banks continued to pay at the pre-revised rates. In 138 cases, revision was due on January 1, 2006, but not done. Details of all these cases are placed at the office website under the folder "New Initiatives".

Pensioners could file their grievances at the website www.agaeharyana.cag.gov.in or with the Public Relation and Grievance Redressal Cell of the office, he added.

Sirsa, January 25
Farmers of the Sirsa block of this district and Jakhal and Tohana blocks of Fatehabad have the option of getting their wheat crop insured under the Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) this season.

Under this scheme, damage to wheat crop due to excessive heat or non-seasonal rains would also attract claims to the farmers.

The Haryana government has allotted Sirsa block to IFFCO Tokyo Insurance Company for the purpose of WBCIS, said Deputy Commissioner J Ganesan. To take the benefit of the insurance, the farmers will have to pay Rs 240 per acre of their crop towards the premium. The state government would pay the rest of Rs 1,040 per acre, the DC added.

In the event of loss due to weather, the insurance company would pay claim up to Rs 16,000 per acre to the farmers.

Faridabad, January 25
Haryana Governor Jangannath Pahadia today urged the people to exercise their voting right as it is an important instrument in a demoratic set-up.

Speaking at a function relating to voters day here, Pahadia said India is the largest democracy.

Pahadia will be also be the chief guest at the Republic Day function tomorrow.

He said as per the revised voters’ list there are now 1,46,84,233 (one core, forty six lakh, eighty four thousand and two hundred thirty three) voters.

As many as 8,0 4769 new voters were registered in the revised list in which 3,63,589 are females.

The process for the revision of the list commenced in October-November last year.

Students pledge to vote in fair, fearless manner

Fatehabad: Deputy Commissioner ML Kaushik on Friday administered an oath to students at Manohar Memorial Postgraduate College here on National Voters Day.

Students took a pledge that they would exercise their right to franchise in a fair and fearless manner.

With 601 voters per 1,000 persons, Fatehabad is among the top four districts of Haryana. Jhajjar with 614 voters per 1,000 persons is on the top followed by Rohtak with 606 and Hisar with 602 voters.

Hisar: Addressing students in Government Post-Graduate College here, Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Agarwal asked them to exercise their right to elect the government of their choice.

Sirsa: Deputy Commissioner J Ganesan administered a pledge to students of CMK National Post-Graduate College for Women to cast their vote in a free and fair manner.