Gurgaon, June 23
An unusual quiet has gripped the otherwise bustling Hailey Mandi, a few km from here, as residents eagerly await the news about 15 persons reported missing in the Kedarnath devastation. Reports of rescue operations being suspended because of bad weather and predictions of heavy rain in the next 24 hours have led to gloom.

"The pilgrimage had caused excitement in the village and the 21 persons who left were considered lucky. A majority of people now thank their stars for being left out. With 15 members stuck up and their families eagerly awaiting news about them, the residents are in a state of shock. Every time a big vehicle is driven in from outside, villagers rush out to see if anybody has returned, but are disappointed," says a panchayat member.

"We have not heard a word from them since June 16. They are aged. Television images leave us worried. A close relative of a family, Ravi has left for Dehradun and has been waiting for them, but we have not been able to speak to him since yesterday. Newspaper reports predicting rain in the next 24 hours and mentioning that rescue operations are on hold have left us tense. People are expressing sympathy, but we crave for a ray of hope," says a family member of Balkishen Vashisht, who is missing along with his wife Som Lata.

What has added to the misery are horrific tales of the four persons who managed to return. "We went seeking peace, but came back with tragic memories of death, despair and hunger. We were told about the cloudburst at our hotel and rushed out. The gushing water swept the building, with our clothes and money. With nothing to eat, we lived off the water of a stream for five days. Bodies were strewn around us, but we sought respite in the fact that we were together. I got separated from my wife and granddaughter while boarding the helicopter, but met them again soon," said Inder Bansal.

"It was worse than a horror movie. The roads were full of bodies, with body parts strewn around. We had no food, with only water around us. I tried, but could not cry. My mother wants me to sleep now, but the moment I close my eyes, the scene revisits me," adds his 11-year-old granddaughter.

For 60-year-old Khushi Ram, his lost wallet helped him escape what he calls Lord Shiva's fury. "I cannot thank enough the thief who stole my wallet. It is because of him that I am alive. Left with no money, I did not go to Kedarnath and stayed back at Gauri Kund. People come to my house to ask about their missing relatives, but I cannot tell them anything. The moment devastation struck, many people saw an opportunity to earn. Imagine 'rotis' being sold at Rs 200 each. A penniless man could not have done anything," he says.

Kurukshetra: Naveen Jindal, Kurukshetra MP and Chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL), has donated Rs 2.5 crore to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. 

Employees of JSPL have also pledged to contribute Rs 2.5 crore by donating their one day’s basic salary for the relief work in Uttarakhand. Rescue operations are on to save thousands of people stranded in Kedarnath, Badrinath and Gangotri. — OC

Chandigarh, June 23
After the footwear cluster in Bahadurgarh and the printing cluster in Karnal, the sagging Panipat home furnishing, Kundli stainless steel and Karnal pharmaceutical clusters can now breathe easy.

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has sanctioned three projects worth Rs 50 crore for setting up common facility centres (CFCs) for these clusters under its cluster development programme, taking to five the number of revival-headed clusters.

The setting up of 20 more clusters is in the pipeline, of which six will come up for consideration at the next steering committee meeting of the ministry. It was observed that the backing plant and multi-needle machines will add variety and quality of carpets manufactured in Panipat.

Various testing facilities like gas light chromatography and high power liquid chromatography will be provided to support good laboratory practices and enable documenting the quality of drugs produced at every stage.

The Kundli cluster will get polishing, knife forging and circle cutting machines. The margins are of Panipat, Kundli and Karnal clusters are expected to increase by 10 per cent, 18 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively.

The ministry gave its mandate to initiate diagnostic studies for a cotton yarn cluster in Panipat, a bright steel bar processing cluster in Faridabad, an auto fabrication cluster in Rewari and a hosiery cluster in Sirsa.

The state government is keen on Central financial assistance under its cluster development programme to facilitate the revival of clusters by providing access to upgraded technology and equipment and benefit those by way of multiplying employment opportunities.

The state plans setting up 15 common facility centres, among which are an Ambala microscope and laboratory equipment hub, a Yamunanagar utensils cluster, a Kaithal rice mill cluster, a Gurgaon low-cost clothing manufacturers cluster and a Rohtak precision tools cluster.

Many more are gradually falling out and business is gradually becoming unviable. The decision to set up 15 clusters with CFCs in the public-private partnership mode will open new avenues for units in these clusters, burdened with problems of low returns and rising costs.

The clusters have been conceived to put into place an institutional support mechanism to facilitate growth and competitiveness of the MSME sector and address common needs in many a field. Those include research and development, support for technology upgrade, standardisation of products and quality testing.

Jhajjar, June 23
Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda said a policy would soon be implemented for the welfare of serving and retired defence personnel in the state.

Deepender was addressing a gathering during a felicitation function organised by the Haryana Ex-Servicemen League at Jahan Aara Bagh stadium here today to honour six cadets belonging to Haryana, who had just passed out from the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun. Besides, Sidhant Suhag, who had received the sword of honour, Vikas Suhag, Navjot Suhag, Pardeep Dhankhad, Pradeep Balhara and Naveen Rathi were honoured on the occasion.

The MP said like officers, ex-servicemen would also enjoy the facility of reserving rooms in government rest houses.

He lauded defence personnel for rescuing people stranded in various places like Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri in Uttarakhand. 

Rohtak, June 23
The flood-control measures, an annual exercise before the onset of monsoons, appear to be well-placed and going on smoothly, but on "papers" only. The condition of some of the drains remain same what it used to be before the announcement of the formal exercise and the claims made by the authorities concerned.

"The drain no. 8, the most important passage for draining out the flood water of the entire district and a large number of villages in the district, is still pathetic notwithstanding the tall claims made by the authorities," said a resident Rajender. The 25-km drain passes from North- East of the main town and is located a few kilometres from the old bus stand here. He said the drain was still choked with wild grass, trees and vegetation and not cleaned for the past several years. This had resulted in the overall water carrying capacity and this could cause problems in case of heavy rains. The district has a total of around 72 drains at present.

"The choking of drains, defective and low-lying sewerage system had been mainly responsible for the city to remain under floods in 1995 when half of the city population had become homeless due to water entering their houses and the residents had to bear the brunt of floods for about a month," said another resident Raj Singh.

He said while choking of sewers at many places was common, the failure to clear the garbage could also be cause of water stagnation in various localities after a good rainfall. The district authorities on the other hand claimed that they were well-prepared to meet any challenge on this front as all measures were in place.

The Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Department, SL Sharma, said there was no cause of fear as the cleaning process of all drains in the city had either been completed or had been going on. He said the condition of the drain no. 8 was okay and there would be no problem in draining out the excess flood water.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner said he had himself toured various spots in the city and the district and had instructed the officials concerned to ensure the cleaning of all drains and sewerage network before June 30. He said he would take a stock of the situation after submission of a final report by the officials in this regard. A control room has also been set up on the round-the-clock basis. 

Ambala, June 23
Haryana BJP Legislature Party leader and local MLA Anil Vij has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged land grab by a Congress leader at the Palika Colony here, which is owned by the municipal corporation.

Speaking to mediapersons, Vij claimed that the Congress leader had come up with a mansion on a 1,000-square-yard plot in violation of rules and regulations. He said the colony housed government houses allotted to government employees in the district.

The BJP leader asked how an individual had purchased property owned by the municipal corporation and got a house constructed on it. He added that all this happened under the nose of the district administration and the civic authorities.

The district administration said a notice had been served on the Congress leader and work on the site had been stopped. Vij said the construction had been completed and the notice was an eyewash. He demanded that the CBI should be directed to conduct an inquiry.

Fatehabad/Hisar, June 23
The population of black bucks has been diminishing fast in Fatehabad and Hisar districts, reportedly due to official apathy.

Black bucks have been losing lives to stray dogs, barbed wire trapping and killing by poachers. The animals are protected and are placed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act.

According to information gathered by animal rights activist Vinod Karwasra under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the number of black bucks losing their lives is increasing with each passing year.

Besides black bucks, other wildlife species like peafowl and chinkara (ravine deer), both protected under Schedule 1, have been killed, reportedly due to indifference of wildlife officials.

Information received by Karwasra reveals that 210 heads of wildlife included in Schedule 1 lost their lives in Hisar and 93 in Fatehabad, of which 115 were black bucks, 21 peafowls and five chinkaras.

A total of 42 heads of wildlife, including eight black bucks, died in Hisar in 2010, while 21, including 11 black bucks, perished in Fatehabad. One chinkara was killed in Hisar this year.

Before this, 24 protected animals, including seven black bucks, one peafowl and one chinkara, died in Hisar in 2009 while 24, including four black bucks and three peafowls, died in Fatehabad.

“Salman Khan allegedly poached a black buck decades back and is still paying the price. Hundreds of animals are dying here every year, but no one is bothered,” says Karwasra.

He is the Fatehabad unit president of Maneka Gandhi’s non-government organisation People for Animals and a member of the All-India Jeev Raksha Bishnoi Sabha.

He has alleged that hundreds of animals face premature death as their land has been acquired by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), which is not showing concern for wildlife.

Black bucks and chinkaras mostly inhabit villages dominated by the Bishnoi community, largely in Hisar and Fatehabad and to some extent in Sirsa.

Bishnois are known for protecting animals and trees. They strive to save black bucks and chinkaras, which face the threat of poaching whenever they venture into areas dominated by other communities.

“I got the reply to my RTI query in March. The department has never conducted a census of wildlife in various schedules of the Wildlife Protection Act. Without a census, no measures can be taken to save them,” he says.

He has added that animal rights activists have been demanding a sanctuary in Fatehabad as there are 22 protected wildlife species in the area, but the authorities have been ignoring the demand.

Though poaching of black bucks and chinkaras is common in the two districts, the Wildlife Department rarely shows poaching as the reason behind the killing of animals, he has claimed.

Shakti Singh, Divisional Forest Officer for Wildlife in Hisar, has said most of these animals are falling prey to stray dogs, which hound black bucks in fields.

He has admitted that there is no official census for wildlife in the state. He says the NPCIL authorities have sought advice from the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun for the protection of black bucks and chinkaras.

Hisar, June 23
A rape victim was accosted by five car-borne youths near Dabra Chowk here last night. They stopped her Scooty and passed lewd remarks. She later called the helpline for women to lodge her complaint.

She was returning home after pleading her case before the National Commission for Women (NCW) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in New Delhi when she was stopped.

The police arrested the five youths after booking them for wrongful restraint and outraging modesty of a woman under Sections 341 and 509 of the Indian 
Penal Code.

The police said Mahesh, Kapil, Rahul, Pawan and Anil were arrested and produced before a magistrate, who released them on bail. The police said the incident had nothing to do with the rape case.

The victim, a 22-year-old resident of Sector 13 here, lodged a complaint at the Civil Lines police station on February 27 that a government officer residing in the same sector raped her on pistol-point.

She reported that he kidnapped her, took her to Jaipur and other places, raped her and threatened her of dire consequences. The officer had later been granted interim bail by a local court.

The police booked her in March for attempting suicide. She had been running from pillar to post since then and had gone to New Delhi to meet NCW and NHRC officials.

Sirsa, June 23
The police today arrested two youths for kidnapping and raping a minor girl from Banwala village of Sirsa.

Pawan, a resident of Banwala, had eloped with the victim on June 18. Another village youth, Rakesh, had assisted Pawan in taking away the girl by providing him with a taxi and money.

After a complaint from the girl’s family, the police had arrested Pawan from Jaipur and recovered the girl .

The victim's medical examination today confirmed that she was raped. The police has arrested both Pawan and Rakesh. The police said Pawan’s wedding was fixed with another girl for June 28 but he eloped with the victim on June 18.

Rewari, June 23
The police arrested Gaurav and a teenaged girl when they were about to catch a bus for Jaipur (Rajasthan) at the Dharuhera bus stand last evening.

Earlier, on a complaint filed by the girl’s mother, a resident of Rajiv Nagar here, the police booked Gaurav, who resides in a rented accommodation here and runs a spare parts shop in Delhi.

Gaurav had allegedly eloped with the girl from here on June 18.

Gaurav was today produced before the Duty Magistrate who remanded him in judicial custody.

The police also produced the girl before the Duty Magistrate who directed sent her to Nari Niketan, Karnal, after the mother refused to let the girl stay with her. The girl stated in the court that she had gone with Gaurav of her own accord and declined to go in for a medical examination.