Chandigarh, August 3
It is a housing boom for the urban poor in Haryana. With an eye on the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections next year, the Hooda government has initiated a new housing scheme to construct houses for below poverty line (BPL) families residing in urban areas.

“The Housing Board, the Local Bodies Department and the Town and Country Planning Department will construct 50,000 houses each in the PPP mode,” Ram Niwas, Principal Secretary, Panchayat and Development and Rural Development Department, said here today.

“The Housing Board is constructing 50,000 houses at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore this year, of which work on 25,000 houses is in progress. Each house constructed under this scheme is being built over 300 square feet at a cost of Rs 4 lakh,” he stated.

In fact, 20 per cent plots in colonies developed by private developers are reserved for economically weaker sections (EWS). These plots are transferred to the Housing Board at nominal rates. The board, in turn, constructs houses for handing those over to the poor.

Official sources said the ambitious housing project would prove to be beneficial for the state government in two ways. It would provide housing to the poorest of the poor and free prime commercial land being encroached upon by illegal squatters in major towns across the state.

The state government had started the Priyadarshani Awaas Yojna for the construction of 2 lakh houses for the poor in rural areas of the state. Under the scheme, financial assistance amounting to Rs 90,100 is being given to the poor in two instalments.

About 80,000 persons have been registered under the scheme and the first instalment of Rs 25,000 has already been deposited in the bank accounts of 40,000 persons.

Palwal, August 3
Around 900 lawyers of the district courts today boycotted the inauguration ceremony of a state-of-the-art District Court Complex and District Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre here.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice SK Kaul and other high court judges were given a hostile welcome by the lawyers who were protesting against the authorities for not providing them the chambers in the new court complex.

Donning black badges, the lawyers sat on dharna outside the main gate of the old judicial complex.

After the function was over, the judges and other dignitaries were given a hostile send off. The lawyers waved black flags and their coats in the air to register their protest. The Chief Minister used another route to apparently avoid the striking lawyers to reach the helipad.

Earlier, Chief Justice SK Kaul inaugurated the new court complex and ADR Centre. He stressed on improving the female sex ratio and checking the widespread problem of foeticide. He also stressed on arbitration and conciliation as effective instruments to resolve disputes. He praised the state government for building new court complexes at district and bloc levels, and houses for judges.

Hooda, too, stressed on the virtue of arbitration as means to resolve disputes as it helps to de-congest the regular courts. He said since the formation of the Legal Services Authority in Haryana in 1996, as many as 35,000 disputes have been resolved through lok adalats, which has benefited 14 lakh persons.

The newly inaugurated Rs 33-crore court complex consists of four-storey building and 21 court rooms.

Hisar, August 3
A battle that reached the Supreme Court, for Rs 26,000 as interest on delayed pension benefits between Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University (HAU) in Hisar and an employee, has cost around Rs 50,000 each to both parties.

The apex court gave the decision in favour of the retired employee, Vijay Gupta, on July 3, but he was yet to get the due amount from the varsity.

The HAU had to shell out Rs 55,000 in the process to oppose the employee’s claim as fees of lawyers in the courts while the employee had to spend equal amount to take up the case.

Gupta superannuated as assistant on November 30, 2010, after 34 years of service. The varsity needed to pay pension benefits, including gratuity and commuted value of pension totalling over Rs 6 lakh, to him within three months of retirement.

When the varsity defaulted in payment within the stipulated time, he wrote to the authorities in January, 2011, for payment of benefits, but got the reply that the varsity was running short of funds and would pay whenever it had the money.

Gupta took legal recourse against the varsity and filed a writ in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in March, 2011. The HAU paid the benefit amount to Gupta in two instalments after four months and six months of his retirement.

He argued the since the varsity had defaulted in payment of dues within stipulated three months, he must be paid interest from the day of retirement over the principal amount as per rules of the Haryana Government, but the varsity pleaded that it was a minor delay.

Both parties locked horns in the High Court, where a two-judge Bench upheld Gupta’s claim on January 22, 2013, and directed the varsity to pay Rs 26,013 as 9 per cent interest.

Instead of paying the interest, the varsity challenged the order in the Supreme Court through a special leave petition (SLP). The apex court dismissed the SLP on July 3, upholding the HC judgement in favour of Gupta.

He said he wrote the HAU Comptroller on July 10 for payment of the amount, but was yet to get a reply. “I will move the court with a contempt of court plea if the varsity fails to pay me the amount,” he said.

Documents procured through the RTI Act revealed that the varsity had paid lawyers Rs 38,500 while a fee of Rs 16,500 was yet to be made for Supreme Court appearances, making it a total od Rs 55,000. Gupta said he had to spend over Rs 50,000 in the case.

The HAU decision to take the case to the apex court is in contravention of the Haryana Chief Secretary’s instruction issued on March 21, 2002, to avoid undesirable litigation in reference to a decision of the High Court.

Kaithal, August 3
Justice NK Sanghi, Punjab and Haryana High Court and inspecting Judge of Kaithal Sessions division, paid a surprise visit at the district courts here today. He reached the court premises in a private car and entered the courts without being noticed by any one. Even the judges remained ignorant about the visit.

Justice Sanghi watched the court proceedings. Mixed up with the litigants and without disclosing his identity, he elicited their impressions about the functioning of different courts, difficulties faced by them in the judicial delivery system and the behaviour of the court staff. However, after some time, a local judge took note of the Justice Sanghi being in his court room. But the visiting judge asked him to carry on the court proceedings.

Later, Rajinder Dhull, president, Suresh Mann, vice-president and Karan Gaur, secretary of the District Bar Association and other office-bearers called on the visiting judge in the chamber of the District and Sessions Judge and invited him over at the office of the Bar Association. The judge interacted with the lawyers in the presence of Sessions Judge Ritu Tagore. He also inspected security arrangements on the court premises and the library and talked to the under trials who were brought to different courts.

Later, he paid a surprise visit to the District jail and had a conversation with other convicts. He checked the diet, medical and other facilities being provided to the jail inmates. He discussed about the condition of elderly jail inmates who needed special medical care with Jail Superintendent Raj Kumar Sharma.

Talking to The Tribune, Justice Sanghi said he wanted to have a first-hand appraisal of the situation prevailing in district court. He was satisfied with his visit, he added.

Sirsa, August 3
Under the Food Security Act to be implemented in Haryana from August 20, nearly 8.17 lakh persons will benefit from the subsidised food scheme in Sirsa.

The authorities in Sirsa have announced that they will complete the work of identifying beneficiaries by August 15.

“A total of 8,17,562 persons registered will get the benefits under the Food Security Act in Sirsa. In all, 49.89 per cent, 54.61 per cent rural and 41 per cent urban, will get subsidised ration in the district,” said J Ganesan, Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa.

“Out of these, 2,84,770 persons are from below poverty line (BPL) and Antodaya Ann Yojna (AAY) families while 5,32,792 persons are from priority households of above poverty line (APL) families,” Ganesan added.

“Priority households are the families identified by the state government as priority groups based on the criteria fixed by the Central Government under the Food Security Act.

In all, as many as 1,90,122 ration cards are to be included for benefits under the Food Security Act in Sirsa. Under a drive, officials of the government will stamp these ration cards.

The government will provide rice for Rs 3 per kg, wheat flour for Rs 2 and bajra for Rs 1 per kg to BPL, AAY and APL families identified as priority households.

The government will also provide 2.5 kg dal as per Rs 20 per kg to these families after implementation of the Food Security Act on August 20, said a spokesperson of the Food and Civil Supplies Department in the district.

Chandigarh, August 3
An Isuzu bus with a makeover by automobile designer Dilip Chhabria will serve as the improvised rath for HJC chief and Hisar MP Kuldeep Bishnoi for his 'Vijay Yatra' of Haryana in October.

Costing over Rs 3 crore, the yellow rath (also the party colour) is a bullet-proof vehicle with state-of-art facilities, a conference room with a seating capacity of nine and private meeting space.

Television screens have been fitted on either side of the bus not only to provide live coverage of his rallies and programmes, but also to play anti-government documentaries and advertisements.

Life-size cutouts of Bhajan Lal and Bishnoi have been placed on ends of each side with pictures of BJP leaders Atal Behari Vajpayee, LK Advani, Narendra Modi, Sushma Swaraj and state BJP chief Ram Bilas Sharma and the HJC and BJP party symbols in the middle.

Unlike the conventional rath which boasts of a hydraulic lift, Bishnoi's rath has an extendable platform to show that he is a 'grounded leader'. The rath, which is in its final stages in Pune, will be delivered in about a week.

“It was my father's desire that we take out a yatra before the elections. We will set out from Adampur on his birth anniversary on October 6 and the yatra will culminate in Hisar on our foundation day, December 2, after meetings and programmes in all 90 segments,” Bishnoi said.

To be addressed by the HJC chief and BJP leaders, the yatra is aimed at exposing the alleged misdeeds of the Hooda government.

"They have failed the public on all fronts. We have prepared 11 documentaries and 52 advertisments which we will air during the yatra and release to the media," he said.

Bishnoi said his party was creating a database with the problems people faced in Hooda's tenure.

"This is based on our door-to-door campaign. When I become CM, we will have all the data available at the touch of a button. We will also make that data public shortly," Bishnoi said.

Claiming that he was riding a wave as far as the social media is concerned, Bishnoi said his Facebook account had more 'likes' and 'engaged user ratio' than Deepinder Hooda, Naveen Jindal and Ajay Singh Chautala.

Ambala, August 3
Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Kumari Selja said there was no need for the Centre to interfere in IAS officer Durga Shakti's suspension, which was ordered by the Uttar Pradesh Government, as it was a state issue and could lead to a serious controversy.

Talking to mediapersons here today, she said there were varying versions in the matter and she would be able to comment over it only after actual facts came to the fore.

Confirming that she would participate in Birender Singh’s Jind rally, Selja said the presence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in the rally would boost the morale of the party workers. She claimed that the UPA would be voted back to power in the next year’s elections.

She said the state government was not keeping all districts on a par in development works. She added that the party high command was already aware of the facts in this regard. She said after her repeated directions to the Ambala administration, no concrete step had been taken to start the solid waste management project. 

Fatehabad, August 3
KN Ramachandran, national general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), said India’s large-scale diversion towards nuclear energy was like taking steps towards mass suicides.

Ramachandran was speaking to mediapersons here today while on a visit to address a meeting of various organisations working under “Parmanu Virodhi Morcha”, to oppose a nuclear power plant coming up at Gorakhpur in Fatehabad.

He said several developed countries had realised that nuclear energy was not a safe option and many of them had already shut their nuclear units.

On the contrary, India was heading towards installing more nuclear power projects. These plants were potent threats of destruction and once an accident occurred, the wounds inflicted by it would not be possible to heal in centuries, he added.

The CPI (ML) leader alleged that it was ironical that in the name of development, the government was destroying agriculture, the lifeline of humanity.

“The government has been setting up nuclear power plants in agriculture oriented areas and Gorakhpur is also one of these, where several hundred acres of highly fertile land of the farmers has been taken away for the project,” he alleged.

He said water, air and land were the three lifelines of human beings and if the land fit for agriculture was allowed to be used for projects like this, time was not far when people would not be left with enough lands to grow food needed for them.

He said people had already seen the horror of nuclear power plant accidents in developed countries like America, Japan, Russia and China.

Subhash Punia, president of the Parmanu Virodhi Morcha said the organisation would go from village to village to create awareness among people in 300 villages of Fatehabad, Hisar and other neighbouring areas.

Pradeep Chaudhary, Mahabir Sharma, Rajinder Sharma, Vidya Rattia and several others were present on the occasion.

Chandigarh, August 3
Poonam Dhull, daughter of Sureshpal, a driver in the Public Relations Department, who hails from Bhana village in Kaithal district, has made the state proud by bagging a scholarship of $50,000 for pursuing her PhD in chemistry from the University of South Carolina in the USA.

Poonam completed her senior secondary schooling from OSDAV Senior Secondary School, Kaithal, and pursued her BSc (medical) and MSc (chemistry) from Panjab University, Chandigarh.

She pursued research work under the supervision of Prof P Venugopalan, who guided her on the project titled structure-activity relationships in afluorohydrins and their derivatives: a structural investigation.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has congratulated her and expressed the hope that she would bring more laurels to the state.

Gurgaon, August 3
Thirty students of Government Senior Secondary School, Sarhaul, today approached the police, alleging harassment owing to their low caste.

The students, along with their parents, met Police Commissioner Alok Mittal alleging that their teachers misbehaved with them as they belonged to the Scheduled Caste. They further alleged that they were accused of stealing and being barred from sitting on benches or wearing shoes in computer labs.

The Police Commissioner has entrusted the case to ACP (headquarters) Usha Kundu. The ACP visited the school and will submit her inquiry report soon.

“The students concerned regularly misbehave with girls and teachers. Whenever their parents are called in they threaten us to move the police. Since we have written to higher authorities against them, they have approached the police,” said the school principal. District Education Officer Dr Manoj Kaushik said: “I am not aware of the incident as nobody has approached me in this regard. I will look into the matter.”

Bhiwani, August 3
Army Recruitment Office, Charkhi Dadri, Bhiwani, will a hold recruitment rally for candidates from Bhiwani, Mahindergarh and Rewari at Bhim Stadium, Bhiwani, from September 2 to September 9.

Col PC Pusti, Director of the Army Recruitment Office, Charkhi Dadri, told mediapersons today that earlier the rally was to be held at Narnaul on September 7. Col Pusti said in the open recruitment rally, physical and other tests for the posts of soldier general duty, soldier clerks and soldier storekeepers technical would be held.

For soldier general duty, the candidates must be matric pass with 45 per cent marks, while for soldier clerk and soldier storekeeper technical, class XII pass with at least 40 per cent marks in each subject is needed.