Pehowa (Kurukshetra), April 1
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today lashed out at INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala and other opposition leaders for accusing him of framing them in the JBT recruitment scam with the help of CBI.

Refuting the claims of INLD leaders at the Vikas Rally in Pehowa today, the Chief Minister said the Supreme Court had ordered a CBI inquiry into the case in 2003 when Om Prakash Chautala was the Chief Minister and Atal .Behari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.

“Even at the time of registration of FIR in 2004, Chautala was Chief Minister and INLD- supported NDA was in power at the Centre,” he said.

Hooda said he was ready for debate but the opposition leaders were shy of debating the developmental issues in the Vidhan sabha which was the appropriate forum for such discussions.

Hooda said with a view to providing food, shelter and clothing to all, his government planned to construct 1.5-2 lakh houses for the poor in urban and rural areas under the Priyadarshini Awas Yojna.

The Chief Minister claimed that during its six-year tenure, the INLD-BJP government spent only Rs 459.54 cores on development of the district while the Congress government had spent Rs 2,113.57 crore so far.

The INLD-BJP government, he said, spent only Rs 100.62 crore on developmental works in Pehowa assembly segment whereas the present government spent Rs 481.56 crore. Hooda announced that classes at the Government College, Bheriyan, would commence from the coming academic session.

He also announced Rs 15 crore under the Haryana Rural Development Fund (HRDF) for villages in Pehowa constituency, Rs 5 crore for the beautification of Pehowa city and Rs 1 crore for the development of Bheriyan village.

Haryana Finance Minister Harmohinder Singh Chattha, who is also the local MLA, urged Hooda to get installed 2x10 MVA capacity transformers at the Gumthala Sub-Station at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore, upgradation of schools and completion of eight new roads in Pehowa assembly segment, which were agreed to by the Chief Minister. 

Chandigarh, April 1
As the appointment of chairpersons to the state boards and corporations is already underway, the state Cabinet may now be up for a revamp soon. With two berths in the Hooda Cabinet vacant and still over a year to go for elections, an expansion could be in the offing shortly, if insiders are to be believed.

Sources maintain that the focus of this expansion essentially will be to give representation to those castes which remain unrepresented in the present Cabinet. The names of Saviti Jindal, a minister of state during the last tenure of the Congress government, Sampat Singh from Hisar, and Aftab Ahmed, a Congress MLA from Nuh (Mewat), and Speaker Kuldeep Sharma are doing the rounds as the probables who would be considered for induction into the Cabinet.

Sources said since the Jind-Hisar belt is unrepresented in the present Cabinet, former Hisar MLA Savitri Jindal, mother of MP Naveen Jindal, too can be accommodated. Her added advantage comes from the fact that she represents the Aggarwal community which is no longer represented in the Cabinet.

Both OP Jain and Gopal Kanda, earlier representing the Aggarwal community, had to step down following controversies. Nalwa MLA and former minister Sampat Singh, too, has been a contender in the past.

Sources said Ahmed was in the race not only for being actively involved in party work during this tenure of the Congress but also because he came from backward Mewat which has no representation in the Cabinet.

Governor Jagannath Pahadia “whose presence is must for the swearing-in ceremony of ministers in case an expansion takes place” would be on tour from tomorrow till April 5.

Rohtak, April 1
Women of Bhairon Bhaini in the Meham sub-division yesterday staged a demonstration demanding a liquor vend to shut shops in their village. The protesting women assembled near the shop and threatened to set it ablaze if the officials concerned allowed it to function from anywhere in the village.

Parmeshwari Devi, a protester, said easy availability of liquor rendered the village men as “useless and drunkards” who beat up their wives and children besides creating a financial drain on the household budget.

Krishna, a housewife, said that liquor consumption disturbed the social fabric in the village as majority of men had become addicted to liquor.

Jagmati Sangwan of All India Janwadi Mahila Samiti has asked the state government to take concrete steps to check the growing menace of liquor and drug addiction in the district. A liquor vend is not allowed to operate within 150-metre radius of a school, college, bus stand and a place of worship.

The state government has sanctioned a total of 3,500 liquor vends across the state, which include 2,265 of L-14 and 1,235 of the L-2 type licence.

Rohtak will have a total of over 150 vends this year.

Rohtak, April 1
A three-member team of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) today visited Madina village to prepare a first-hand report on the incident in which two persons of the Dalit community were killed by some assailants on Saturday.

Vikram (25) and his cousin Sudhir (11) were allegedly shot dead by two persons belonging to the upper caste of the same village. The victims kin along with villagers yesterday staged a protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence here to seek immediate arrest of the culprits.

The team comprising MR Bali, SN Meena and Raj Kumar met the victims’ kin this noon. The panel was accompanied by police and officials of the local administration. They sought the details of the incident and the cause behind the firing.

The police arrested to have arrested eight of the total 18 accused named in the FIR. The NCSC team which assured the family of the deceased of a proper and prompt action directed the district police to ensure speedy justice to the victims and measures to provide safety and security to the victim families.

Superintendent of Police (officiating) Rajesh Duggal said the police had rounded up as many as eight persons and a youth identified as Amit Kumar of Lakhanmajra was arrested in this connection. He said Amit was arrested from Nidana village of Jind district today where he was hiding.

He said the police was on the lookout for two other main accused Bhumi and Mandeep, residents of Madina. The police has booked 18 persons in this regard.

Chandigarh, April 1
Power rates in Haryana went up today with the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) effecting a 70 paise per unit hike for all sectors barring the farm sector, causing a 13 per cent increase in the power tariff.

For low-end users consuming 40 units of electricity per month, a consumer will now pay 28 paise more (Rs 2.98 per unit as against the existing Rs 2.70 per unit). Some adjustment in slabs has been made to moderate the additional burden on these consumers.

A new slab of consumption of 41 to 100 units per month has been introduced. This would entail a tariff of Rs. 4.75 per unit. The rates of Rs. 4.50 per unit were being charged for consumption of 41-250 units.

For consumption of up to 250 units per month, the tariff has been fixed at Rs. 4.90 per unit as against the existing Rs. 4.50 per unit for 41-250 units' consumption slab. Similarly, for consumption of 250-501 units per month, the consumer will have to pay a tariff of Rs. 5.60 per unit. For those consuming 501-800 units and above, the tariff will be Rs. 5.98 per unit.

The commission has also hit the domestic consumer hard by effecting a 25 per cent hike in the minimum monthly consumption charges (MMC) from the existing Rs 80 (up to 2 kilowatt) to Rs 100 (up to 2 kilowatt).

A hike of Rs. 1.05 per kilowatt hour (kWh) for electricity consumed for streetlighting and 90 paise increase per kWh for public water works.

With short-term liabilities of the power distribution companies pegged at Rs 19,000 crore and financial losses at Rs 4,000 crore, a power tariff hike was the only way out for the two distribution companies, the UHBVN and the DHBVN.

In the past 11 years, the cost of power purchase (which accounts for 80 per cent of cost of supply) for both discoms in Haryana had surged 300 per cent while tariff had just gone up by 60-70 per cent, resulting in a consistent increase in the debt burden for working capital requirements and debt servicing. 

Chandigarh, April 1
A delegation of INLD legislators and party functionaries today submitted a memorandum to Governor Jagannath Pahadia on the “exploitation of women” during Congress rule in Haryana.

Addressing mediapersons outside Haryana Raj Bhawan, Ellenabad MLA Abhay Chautala and president of the state INLD Ashok Arora said: “We have demanded a judicial inquiry into the “video clip” of a senior Congress leader which has been doing the rounds. There should be a fair probe into the matter,” they said.

Accompanied by party MLAs holding placards to end “exploitation of women”, the INLD leaders said an alleged rape had been reported in a former minister’s car during Congress rule. Equally shocking and scandalous had been the exploitation of inmates of the ‘Apna Ghar’ shelter home for women and destitutes by people in high positions. This was not only a blot as it was said to be “organised exploitation of women” but also worrisome as the said shelter home was situated in Rohtak, the home town of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Former minister Gopal Kanda’s role in the Geetika suicide case also found mention as did the public humiliation of Dronacharya Award winner Sunil Dabas at the hands of senior Congress leader and MLA Rao Dharampal. The INLD demanded that steps should be taken to punish the guilty. 

Sirsa, April 1
A teenaged girl was allegedly raped by a village youth at Raipur in Sirsa last night. The police has arrested Manoj, alias Kalu, and booked him for rape.

The victim's brother alleged in a complaint to the police that Manoj entered their house after finding his younger sister, a student of class 7, alone and raped her.

The accused who was produced in a court today was sent in judicial custody for 14 days. 

Karnal, April 1
The Karnal police has arrested six persons in connection with cases of sexual assault and molestation. A 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped by Harish when she was alone in her house in Nissing on March 26 . The police arrested Harish from his house after the victim lodged a police complaint in Nissing.

In another case, a minor girl was allegedly raped by Kamal (19) at Bhutana on the night of March 29. The girl's mother in her complaint stated that the accused caught hold of her minor daughter when she had gone out to the toilet. The victim was also medically examined

Four persons were arrested for allegedly molesting a woman at Nissing yesterday. The accused allegedly tried to tear the woman's clothes.

All accused were produced in the court and sent to 14-day judicial custody.

Bhiwani, April 1
Public Health Engineering Minister Kiran Choudhry said today that Rs 20 crore was being spent to improve sewerage in Bhiwani town. Sewer lines measuring 55-km had so far been improved by spending Rs 2 crore.

Choudhry was speaking after laying the foundation stone of a 1200-meter sewer pipeline from Hanuman Gate to the main disposal point in Bhiwani .

This would benefit residents of Dadri Gate, Hanuman Gate, Haluwas Gate and Patram Gate as they would get rid of water-logging.

A provision for Rs 169.39 lakh had been made to improve sewerage and the work would be completed by the end of 2013-14.

The minister also laid the foundation stones of a water storage tank and a water treatment plant . A sum of Rs 30 crore would be spent on this work.

Choudhry said the department was setting up four new water treatment plants which would be completed by year-end.

Chandigarh, April 1
Taking up a petition filed in the public interest for a CBI probe into the alleged scam in the purchase of “RAXIL 2DS” fungicide, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice to the Union of India and the Haryana government. The fungicide worth several crores was purchased by the Haryana Government for treatment of wheat seed.

Notices have also been issued to the Haryana Seeds Development Corporation (HSDC), Vice-Chancellor of Hisar-based Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University, the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee, the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage at Faridabad and Bayer Crop Science India Limited.

The notices were issued by a Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice R K Jain while hearing a plea filed by the Bhiwani Sudhar and Vikas Samiti through its President Pawan Kumar Anchal.

The petitioner-organisation was seeking directions to appoint an independent investigating agency, the CBI or a special investigation team, to unearth the corrupt role of senior officers, middlemen, and businessmen in the arbitrary purchase and recommendation of “RAXIL 2DS” fungicide for treatment of wheat seed, including “Karnal bunt” in violation of the Insecticides Act, 1968.

It was also submitted the fungicide was purchased at exaggerated market rates from the grants provided by the Union Government by officers of Haryana .

Directions were also sought to recover the embezzled public funds and cost of damages from the authorities concerned , company and persons involved in this foul play of baseless recommendations and purchase of the fungicide.

According to the petitioner, the decision to use RAXIL 2DS was taken in a meeting under the chairmanship of the Haryana Chief Minister on October 6, 2010, without supporting scientific data. The use of RAXIL 2DS was made compulsory for control of loose smut, flag smut and Karnal bunt in wheat seeds before the seeds can be certified by the state seed certification agency.

This decision was arbitrary to derive wrong pecuniary benefits by department of agriculture, CCSHAU and state seed certification agency, HSDC at the cost of public money. There was no credible scientific research in the public domain or established by either CCSHAU or manufacturing company that RAXIL controlled Karnal bunt in the wheat crop.

Gurgaon, April 1
State Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal today said the people’s mindset towards government-run educational institutions was changing fast and many were now sending their wards to government schools and colleges.

The Education Minister was addressing the 52nd convocation of the Government College, Sector 14, here. She conferred degrees upon 552 students.

Giving example of the same college, Bhukkal said more than 5,800 girls were studying at the college and the institution had been declared as a Centre of Excellence by the state government.

Claiming that Haryana was the leading state in the country when it came to implementation of the Right to Education Act (RTE), the minister said the state was on its way to becoming an education hub.

The Education Minister urged the students to come forward and play a proactive role in eradicating social evils such as female foeticide.

Talking to mediapersons, Bhukkal said show-cause notices were being issued to the managements of those private schools which had failed to deposit requisite registration documents within the stipulated time. No extension was being given to such private schools, she maintained.

The minister said the government was not planning to reopen the distance-education study centres which had been closed. The Education Minister, however, expressed ignorance about the study centres of a Hisar-based university which are still operational. 

Fatehabad, April 1
A woman's threat of self-immolation with her children in front of the Fatehabad Deputy Commissioner's office on April 3 if her demand for a house and a job for her husband was not met by then, has sent the authorities in a tizzy.

Murti Devi, whose family was allegedly beaten up and thrown out of their house in June last year by a local jeweler and his men, is sitting on dharna outside the mini-secretariat with her family.

The family had started their dharna outside the mini-secretariat after the incident and since then the Dalit family had been in and out of the dharna site thrice.

Worried over the self-immolation threat, the district authorities have taken up the case with the government.

Sources said Fatehabad Deputy Commissioner Dr Saket Kumar has written to Hisar Commissioner Neelam Pradeep Kasni with copies to the Home Secretary and the DGP, seeking guidance if any other aid was to be provided to the family.

The DC has said in his letter that the police had acted in time and arrested three persons after registering a case after Pawan and others allegedly threw out the family out of their house and razed their one-room dwelling.

The letter said that the authorities had already provided the family Rs 55,000 under a government scheme on atrocities against Dalits and a further compensation of Rs 47200 was provided for the loss of belongings of the family.

Murti Devi, however, maintained that her family has become roofless after the attack and they have no place to live in.

She alleged that the authorities had backtracked from the promise of a house under a government scheme for the poor and a job for her husband. 

Rewari, April 1
Anil Kumar ( 29) died on the spot while his colleague, Bir Singh, sustained serious injuries when their motorcycle was hit by a dumper near Kasaula Chowk on the Delhi-Jaipur highway yesterday.

The driver of the dumper, which was on its way to Jaipur, fled after the accident.

The mishap took place when Anil and Bir Singh, both residents of Alwar district in Rajasthan and employed in a private company at Bawal, were reportedly going to Bawal. 

Karnal, April 1
Enraged over the failure of the police to crack the double murder of an aged couple in Jambha village in Karnal district on May 21 last year, villagers backed by the Bhartiya Kisan Majdoor Morcha today staged a demonstration at the mini-secretariat here.

Alleging connivance of the police with the culprits, the protesters said the couple's son had named village sarpanch Ram Singh as a suspect but the police had not bothered even to question him in the case. However, Sarpanch Ram Singh said that he had cooperated with the cops during investigations and would continue to do so. This was a conspiracy to implicate me in a false case, he added.

Vasdev Ahreya, National president of the Bhartiya Kisan Majdoor Morcha, said the police was always evasive whenever asked about the progress of investigations. He demanded sarpanch Ram Singh's arrest.

An aged couple was found murdered at Jambha village, 31 km from here, in May last year and the semi-nude body of Ajmero Devi (60) was spotted by a villager in the village pool.

When the villagers went to her house to inform about the incident, they were shocked to find her husband, Bal Krishan (62), lying unconscious with multiple injuries. He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries on the way.