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Hisar villagers gear up to rein in rape incidents
Suicide by rape victim: 2 held
2014 Lok Sabha Poll |
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MCs given a week to pay Rs 14
crore
News Analysis
Power staff strike from Feb 18
BJP ‘watching’ govt decisions
Tax exemption for road safety funds
Panel for slaughter houses formed
Three held for murder
ASI caught taking bribe
Five of a family taken ill after tea
Man held for rape bid
Girls take out rally
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Hisar villagers gear up to rein in rape incidents
Hisar, February 10 Ironically, no woman, not even the woman sarpanch and members of the village panchayat, were present when male members of the village were discussing their fate. Village elders, who debated increasing rape incidents, said the only way to stop such incidents was to teach their sons a few lessons. While all condemned a Class XII student’s gang rape in the village, the villagers vouched their support for the victim’s family. None from the victim’s family attended the meeting. While the victim, her two sisters and their mother have already left the village, the victim’s father, who also wanted to shift, had decided to stay put after senior police officers assured him full protection. “I have met the victim’s father and assured him that the entire village stood behind him,” said Sura, whose own Bugana village witnessed a teenager’s gang rape by five youths last month. Addressing the meeting, Sura said if the village elders did not rise to the occasion now and stopped youths from indulging in such heinous crimes, they would find more youths going to jail . Notwithstanding the villagers’ solidarity with the victim’s family, women’s organisations seem wary of the intentions of the organisers of such meetings. “It is good if the village elders now want to have a dialogue with the younger generation as this lack of dialogue has been responsible for the increase in such incidents. However, it has been witnessed in that the actual intention of holding such meetings has been to build pressure on the victim’s family. Vulnerable victims’ families often succumb to community pressure and settle the case out of court, which is often against the inner will of the families,” said Jagmati Sangwan, vice-president of the All-India Democratic Women Association. |
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Suicide by rape victim: 2 held
Fatehabad, February 10 Meanwhile, RP Malhotra, state convener of the BJP, has written the NHRC seeking suo motu action in this case. Malhotra, who has attached the news item “Fatehabad gang rape victim hangs herself” with his representation, has also demanded suitable compensation or a regular source of livelihood for the victim’s kin as she was the only earning member of the family. The woman, whose husband is a mentally challenged person, was gang-raped by the three accused on the night on February 2 when she had gone out of her house in search of her husband. On Friday, one of the accused, Ashok Mawalia, called up the woman on her mobile and threatened her, forcing the victim to commit suicide. |
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2014 Lok Sabha Poll
Karnal, February 10 Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who was present at the two-day state convention of the party, said “Mission Buniyad” had been completed with the setting up of executive committees in all districts. The state-level committee had Ashwant from Ambala as convener and Paramjit from Karnal as secretary. Rajiv Godara would be the party spokesman. There would be five women members in all committees to ensure their active participation . Local units would finalise the candidates for poll. Clean image, involvement in fight against corruption and local feedback would be the main parameters for selection of candidates. The party aimed at “freeing India from corruption” as most of its leaders were products of different movements, mainly the campaign against corruption launched by Anna Hazare. The party was set to constitute 10-member committees at the village, panchayat, ward and college levels to spread the ideals. Sisodia said Chautala, Kanda and some other episodes had proved that corruption was rampant at all levels in Haryana and leaders were indulging in blatant nepotism, favouratismand corruption. There would be zero tolerance for corruption in the party which would post the income and expenditure accounts on its website. AAP executive member Yogendra Yadav said reservations should be multi-dimensional taking care of caste, class, gender, rural and urban population and economical backwardness. He said the AAP would not play vote bank politics and speak on issues like khaps, honour killings and foeticide and work for a corruption-free society. |
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Farm loans to be waived, if needed: Sachin Pilot
Gurgaon, February 10 Claiming farmer welfare to be an inseparable part of his legacy, Pilot said, “The United Progressive Alliance government had waived farm loans worth Rs 70,000 crore in 2008, proving that our pro-farmer policies are not confined to words. We will always stand for farmers and if need be, we will not think twice in repeating the step which will benefit lakhs of farmers. Our government realises the importance of agriculturists in our economic affairs and is thus, duty-bound to them. We will not hesitate in devising similar schemes.” He said the Congress would bank upon the power of youth to usher the country into a new era of development. He said emphasis would be laid on 6.5 lakh villages in this regard. Earlier, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda unveiled a statue of Rajesh Pilot in Sector 55 on the Golf Course Road. He renamed the stretch of road after the veteran leader who died in a road accident in Rajasthan in 2000 and had represented Dausa and Bharatpur constituencies in Parliament. “Rajesh Pilot was one of the few true leaders of farmers who did not compromise even for a second when it came to farmers’ rights. We pay our tributes to the man whose deeds can never be repaid by agriculturists of the area,” said Hooda. Sachin’s mother Rama Pilot addressed the gathering saying her husband had spent a lifetime serving Rajasthan. “After him, Sachin is toiling to fulfill his dreams and take his legacy forward,” she said. Sports Minister Jitendra Singh spoke about Rajesh Pilot's tenure as the Minister for Internal Security and his visit to Jammu and Kashmir during the peak of militancy. |
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Govt keen to provide safe drinking water: Choudhary
Bhiwani, February 10 She also laid the foundation stones of waterworks at Gopalwaas, Mandoli Kalan villages. The stone was also laid for a boosting station at Siwach village . She said that after the completion of these drinking water schemes, people of this district would not face any shortage of safe drinking water. As no attention was paid towards development of this area after the tenure of former Chief Minister Bansi Lal, people had to face many problems, the minister added. Kiran Choudhary said a ragni competition would be organised in memory of Surender Singh at Badhsa in Jhajjar district on March 10. Those bagging the first, second and third positions would get Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000, respectively. |
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MCs given a week to pay Rs 14
crore
Chandigarh, February 10 “Most of the municipalities have not deposited the requisite amount, which is a serious irregularity on their part. The municipalities concerned should deposit the requisite amount and intimate the state government within one week,” a communication by the Principal Secretary, Department of Urban Local Bodies, dated February 6, stated. Under the provisions of the Municipal Council Act, 1973, the civic bodies are supposed to deposit one per cent of their income with the state government as supervision charges. However, a majority of them have failed to deposit these charges from 1996-97 to 2010-11, resulting in piling up of arrears. The latest communication by the department seems to be an offshoot of remarks on the issue by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha. “Earlier, the Accountant General (Haryana) had termed the failure of the MCs to pay the supervision charges as a gross irregularity, forcing the PAC to put on record its displeasure over the issue,” said an official source. “The government’s communication has come as a bolt from the blue for the civic bodies as they are already struggling with the inadequacy of finances and infrastructure,” said BB Singhal, a former vice-president of the Panchkula MC. Sources say though the decision to recover the arrears of supervision charges might be good economically, it was a bad political move in the wake of the forthcoming elections to the civic bodies of Ambala, Yamuna Nagar, Panipat, Karnal, Panchkula, Rohtak and Hisar. “With anti-incumbency staring the Hooda-led government in the face and inadequate provision of civic amenities in the jurisdictions of civic bodies, the decision to recover arrears of supervision charges may boomerang on the state government,” said a senior government functionary. |
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News Analysis
Chandigarh, February 10 It even saw the killing of 31 migrant labourers who were digging the SYL in May, 1988, bringing the construction of the canal to a halt. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has talked of a political settlement of the waters dispute between Punjab and Haryana and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has welcomed the initiative. But the two statements are merely to score brownie points as none wants to seen as an obstacle in the solution. Punjab has always maintained that being the parent riparian state, it has major claim over the river waters. At the same time, Punjab has maintained that it has no water to spare for Haryana. Haryana, on the other hand, has maintained that Punjab has not allowed the completion of the SYL denying Haryana 3.5 MAF of water that belongs to it. Both states are in the Supreme Court with their own claims, but practically the issue is not going to go beyond newspaper statements. Haryana is ruled by the Congress, a major partner in the UPA. On the other hand, Punjab has an alliance of the SAD and the BJP, both strong NDA allies. It is just not possible for the two parties to come to an understanding on an issue such as 'sharing of waters' without political repercussions. The waters issue has remained unresolved even when the circumstances for a resolution were most favourable. In 1991 the Centre was ruled by the Congress with Narashima Rao as the Prime Minister (1991-1996), Haryana too had a Congress government with Bhajan Lal at the helm from July,1991, to May, 1996). In 1992 after the Akalis ' boycotted the general election, the Congress came to power in Punjab and Beant Singh became the state's chief minister. All three governments were those of the Congress, but the issue was simply pushed under the carpet following fear of militants in Punjab who had butchered a senior SYL engineer and many labourers. Again in 1998, Atal Behari Vajpayee became the Prime Minister (1998- 2004) of the BJP-led NDA. At that time the SAD-BJP alliance was in power in Punjab (since 1997) and Haryana was ruled by the INLD led by Om Parkash Chautala from July, 1999, to March ,2005). All three governments were of the NDA and its allies. But even then the water issue remained unresolved. When the Congress formed the government in Punjab, the Congress Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh took an aggressive stand in favour of the state he ruled. He moved the annulment of a water agreement signed by Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan in 1981 through the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004. The opposition benches occupied by the Akalis too had no choice but to go with the House's decision. It also resulted in the termination of agreements related to the Ravi - Beas waters, which upset Haryana. Punjab and Haryana have in disagreement over the completion of the SYL canal. Punjab has opposed the linking of the Hansi-Butana canal with the Bhakra main line (BML) that will take Punjab's water to Haryana. The Supreme Court has stayed the linking of the Hansi-Butana canal with the BML. Similarly, Haryana has opposed construction of the Dashmesh canal that proposes to link the canal with the BML so that it can irrigate land in Ropar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala districts. Punjab and Haryana also have differences over the channelisation of the Ghaggar that has caused havoc during the monsoon in Patiala and the adjoining districts in Punjab. |
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Surajkund Mela:
Visitors throng Pak stalls
Surajkund, February 10 The two stalls of Pakistani craftsmen at the mela ground dealing in wide range of articles made of Onyx stone are thronged by visitors. The articles include flowerpots, potteries, figures of birds and animals and table watches. The price line of the articles on display range from a modest Rs 20 to Rs 2 lakh. Mohammad Ali of Karachi in Pakistan, who has set up a stall, said: “The visitors appreciate the finishing touch and shine of the articles.” Having set up a stall for the first time at the mela, he says: “I am moved by the courteous behaviour of the Indian public towards the team of craftsmen from Pakistan and their products.” Ali said, “Onyx stone is found in abundance in the Baluchistan and Qweta region of Pakistan. The rough stone is cut and given shape. Thereafter, articles are made out it. The stone’s colour resembles that of a light-coloured Emerald and has a natural shine on it. Hence, it does not need polish”. He said the public interest evinced in his wares at the mela so far had been more than the attention they received in China, Libya and Egypt where he had held exhibitions. |
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Power staff strike from Feb 18
Rohtak, February 10 “We have decided to go on a strike due to the delay on part of the state government in addressing our problems. Faulty policies and unbridled authority to some of the officials in the name of privatisation and outsourcing has resulted not only in the decline of productivity but in rampant corruption in the department,” said a spokesperson for the union here today. He said the strike would start from 11pm on February 18 and would continue till 11 am on February 21. He said during this period, the employees would not attend complaints of consumers. He alleged the corruption in the department had crossed all limits, forcing the authorities to contemplate passing the financial burden to the consumers under the guise of meeting the production costs. He alleged that bungling of hundreds of crores of rupees had taken place in the department over past few years and that the policy of outsourcing had derailed the smooth functioning of the department. Union members alleged that there there was a scam worth Rs 100 crore related to the Provident Fund of the employees and that the purchase of substandard material and allotment of contracts worth crores of rupees in each division had resulted in frequent breakdowns, line losses and poor quality of work. They demanded filling up of the vacant posts and regularisation of the ad hoc staff. |
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Sonepat residents protest against sewerage problems
Sonepat, February 10 The blockade was lifted after the health authorities assured the protesters that the problems would be solved at the earliest. Superintendent Engineer OP Goyal said the work of laying new sewerage lines would be started within two days. BJP state media in charge Rajiv Jain alleged that the residents had been facing the problem of sewer jam for past one year and that the streets were flooded with sewerage water. He said the small sewer pipelines which were laid a decade back could not carry the sewerage of the increasing population of the town. Protesters alleged sewerage water frequently entered their houses and that it was getting mixed with the supply of drinking water. They said despite repeated complaints, nothing was being done by the authorities. |
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BJP ‘watching’ govt decisions
Ballabhgarh, February 10 Addressing a public meeting, state BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma said his party was maintaining a record of the government’s decisions. “The BJP will not let ‘malgovernance’ go unaccounted,” he added. Sharma’s remarks about the Haryana Government were in the context of conviction of INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala in the teachers’ recruitment case. He also mentioned about Gopal Kanda, who was a minister in the present government, being charged for the death of his employee, Geetika Sharma. The public meeting was organised by the Faridabad BJP to felicitate Sharma on becoming head of the party. Referring to the BJP’s electoral alliance with the HJC, he said: “The people of Haryana will accept it as an alternative to the Congress and the INLD.” Showering praise on Gujarat Chief Minister Narender Modi he said the Congress had nightmares at latter’s pro-development image. |
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Tax exemption for road safety funds
Chandigarh, February 10 She said any fund or institution set up for carrying out the road safety programmes might seek registration under Section 12-AA and approval under Section 80-G of the Income Tax Act. The donor or the institution might claim deduction of 50 per cent of the amount donated from the income. Misra said this decision would give a boost to the road safety programmes and activities being carried out in the country. |
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Panel for slaughter houses formed
Chandigarh, February 10 The state committee would identify and prepare a list of all slaughter houses, call for reports from DCs and District Food Safety Inspectors on the functioning of slaughter houses. The committee would recommend modernisation of old slaughter houses and relocate those located within or in close proximity to a residential area.
— TNS |
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Three held for murder
Sonepat, February 10 On the complaint of the deceased’s son, Sunder, a case of murder was registered against Surender of Idana village, Krishan of Saudapur village and Dharambir of Dehra village in Panipat district. Sunder stated that his father had gone to his fields last evening but had not returned home. He stated that he later found his father’s singed body in the room today. The body has been sent to the local Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination. The SHO of the Mohana police station said during the interrogation, the accused had confessed to their involvement in the murder.
— OC |
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ASI caught taking bribe
Sirsa, February 10 The Vigilance Bureau contacted the Deputy Commissioner, who deputed a duty magistrate to arrest the ASI red-handed. A trap was laid and a team of the Vigilance Bureau caught Subhash Chander as soon as he accepted the phenolphthalein-laced currency notes from the complaint. The ASI was produced before a local court where he was remanded in judicial custody. |
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Five of a family taken ill after tea
Sonepat, February 10 It is learnt that one of the victim, Rajudin, brought milk late last night and it was used in preparing tea in their house this morning. After consuming tea, Rajudin was the first one to start vomiting and after some time other family members also started vomiting. |
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Man held for rape bid
Kurukshetra, February 10 Initiating immediate action, a police team arrested Rajesh. He was produced before the Duty Magistrate today and remanded to judicial custody. |
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Girls take out rally
Fatehabad, February 10 The girls, all volunteers of the National Service Scheme of the college, marched in the lanes of Bhodia Khera village. Principal RK Sharma flagged off the rally. |
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