Karnal, October 12
The birthday bash of Karnal Congress MP Arvind Sharma turned into a free-for-all as his rowdy supporters took charge of the show roughing up people, including elders, women and mediapersons.

Chaos prevailed at the venue as soon as Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda arrived at the residence of the MP in Sector 6, where a party was organised and Congressmen, who had gathered in strength, went out of control. The mediapersons were taken aback by the unprovoked attack.

The Tribune’s photographer Ravi Kumar was badly beaten up as attackers tried to snatch and break his camera. Some other mediapersons, who had gone to the MP’s residence on an official invitation from the district public relations office, were also roughed up.

The police remained a mute spectator as slogan-shouting supporters of the MP charged towards the Chief Minister turning celebrations into a fracas. Mediapersonsfaced the wrath of MP’s supporters even as the Chief Minister and the MP looked on.

A visibly upset Chief Minister immediately left after cutting the cake and avoided the mediapersons who wanted to talk to him.

The mediapersons lodged a complaint against three persons, including Virender Neetu of Samalkha, who had been captured in the camera trying to attack the reporters.

Trying to wash his hands of the episode, Arvind Sharma said: “Kaun Neetu, wo Samalkha wala. wo humara supporter nahin hai.” He inadvertently asked “Neetu from Samalkha” and at the same time said he was not his supporter. “Why would my supporters ruin my programme? This must be an act of some notorious elements, maybe the Chief Minister’s security personnel. I am sorry for the incident and can help you reach a compromise,” he said.

In his complaint, The Tribune’s lensman Ravi said: “While I was clicking pictures, Neetu rushed towards me and asked me to give the camera but I refused and left. He came towards me, kicked me and snatched my camera.” Ravi was medically examined and investigations are in progress but no arrest has been made so far.

Chandigarh, October 12
The Haryana Government has approved a new policy for grant of no objection certificates (NOCs) in urban areas falling outside controlled areas.

A spokesman for the Town and Country Planning Department said here today the NOC would be granted only in those cases where there was no violation of provisions of the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975, and the land was not part of any controlled area subject to fulfilment of the prescribed norms or parameters.

He said as per these norms, the applied land should be located on any metalled road or revenue road of width not less than 22 feet.

“However, such revenue roads may be required to be widened in future to at least 33 feet width by donating 5.5 feet wide strip on either side. Therefore, the applicant shall transfer 5.5 feet wide strip of his land abutting the road in the name of panchayat through ‘Hibbanama’ before grant of the NOC. In case of medium and large scale industries, warehouses of more than five acres and big institutions like colleges and universities, the minimum approach should be through 60.5 feet wide revenue or metalled road having a minimum of 10 metre right of way.”

The applicant or the owner of the land would have to submit an undertaking to the effect that in case the land, for which NOC was sought, was acquired by any government agency for widening of road in future, he would not object to the acquisition proceedings, the spokesman said.

He said, “It will be necessary to obtain the NOC from the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways or the National Highway Authority of India, if the site is located on the national highway and the NOC of the Executive Engineer, Public Works (Building and Roads) Department, if the site is located on scheduled road. In case of industries, registration with Industries Department will be prerequisite.”

Gurgaon, October 12
The police has registered a case against six persons, including a daughter and son-in-law of former Union Minister Arun Nehru, for fraudulently grabbing 151 acres of agricultural land and later selling it to investors.

The FIR was registered on the directions of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajesh Sharma on the complaint of local resident Mewa Singh.

Singh had accused Nehru’s son-in-law Gulbir Singh Madan of fraudulently grabbing 151 acres of land of farmers of Ulhawas and nearby villages. He alleged that Madan got a residential licence from the Town and Country Planning Department in the name of his company then known as M/s Krrish Buildtech Pvt Ltd in 2010.

Despite repeated attempts, Gulbir Singh Madan and his wife Avantika Nehru could not be contacted.

Police Commissioner Alok Mittal said: “A case under Sections 420, 406 and 120-B/34 of the IPC has been registered against Arun Nehru’s daughter and son-in-law and the police is examinig the facts.”

Chautala (Sirsa), October 12
Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda today attempted to make inroads into the stronghold of the main political rival of his father when he addressed a public meeting at Chautala, the ancestral village of INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala.

He not only tried to strike an emotional chord with the villagers when he said his grandfather Ranbir Singh Hooda and former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal’s elder brother Sahib Ram served imprisonment together before independence, he also announced a grant of Rs 1.11 crore for the development of Chautala village and accepted some other demands like setting up of a drainage system in the village. Deepender also laid the foundation stone of a 33-kV power sub-station for the village.

KV Singh, ODS (media) to Hooda, and his son Amit Sihag, president of Haryana Youth Congress, who hail from Chautala village, had organised the meeting.

KV Singh is Om Prakash Chautala’s cousin and the political importance of the village can be gauged from the fact that the village has given one Deputy Prime Minister, two CMs, four MPs and 12 MLAs.

“In politics, there can be rivals, but my family has never taken political rivalries to a level where it becomes an animosity,” Deepender said in an effort to woo the villagers in the INLD citadel.

Coming down on the BJP in general and Narender Modi in particular, Deepender alleged that the saffron party was obsessive about Gujarat’s development, though, he claimed, Haryana had witnessed much more development than Gujarat in the past eight years.

“If they want a comparison, let them compare the old-age pension paid in Haryana with that in Gujarat or the MGNREGA wages paid in the two states or the remunerative prices of crops being paid in Haryana with what farmers are getting in that state. Why do they want to compare the two states on the basis of what concessions Modi has given to Tata for the Nano factory?” he said.

Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar dismissed the opposition’s allegations of slanted development in Haryana and claimed that Sirsa was in no manner behind Rohtak in the matter of progress.

Earlier, Deepender Hooda laid the foundation stone of a park in Ratia town of Fatehabad, built at a cost of Rs 1.33 crore. Bhupinder Singh Hooda had announced this park after the Congress wrested Ratia seat after a gap of 29 years in a byelection held there two years ago.

Prof Virender Singh, political advisor to the CM, Hoshiari Lal Sharma, spokesperson for the HPCC and Malkiat Singh Khosa, district president of Congress, were among those who addressed the rally.

Hisar, October 12
Unseasonal rains, accompanied with stormy winds, damaged paddy, cotton, guar and other khariff crops in the Hisar and Bhiwani regions. The flattening of the ripened crops has left the farmers a worried lot. According to the reports, the rains have so far had a minor effect on other crops except paddy and guar.

But the inclement weather and the threat of cyclone Phailin continues to be a cause of concern for the farmers. “So far the damage to the crops has been restricted as the ripening crops managed to withstand the rains. But in case more rains and storm occur, it could cause heavy damage to the crops”, a farmer in Bhiwani district said. — TNS

Sonepat, October 12
Additional District and Sessions Judge Manisha Batra has sentenced Sandeep and Iqbal, both residents of Salimsar Majra village and Vimal, a resident of Tikri village in Delhi, to 12-year imprisonment and fine of Rs 20,000 each in a case of attempt to rape and molestation of two minor girls on February 15 this year.

In a complaint to the police, a minor girl of Shiv colony, Karnal, on February 20, stated that she had come to Bandepur village on the outskirts of Sonepat town to participate in a marriage of a relative on February 14.

On February 15, on the request of Sandeep, her close relative, she along with another minor girl in relation agreed to go to Salimsar Majra village to meet her mother’s sister.

While going to the village in a van, Sandeep, van driver Vimal and Sandeep’s friend Iqbal started molesting them and attempted to rape them. However, when they opposed their moves, the accused dropped them near Salimsar Majra village and sped away.

Jhajjar, October 12
A man was killed and six others were injured in a collision between a Bolero jeep and a Tata magic vehicle on the Jhajjar-Gurgaon road near Dulina village here today.

The mishap took place this morning when occupants of the jeep were returning from Gurgaon. Ram Bhawan, driver of the Tata vehicle, died on the spot. The injured Vikram, Anil, Parmeshwari, Saahil, Laxmi, Anjali and Sunita have been admitted to the PGIMS in Rohtak. .

In another accident, Umed Singh of Palda village was killed and his wife, Sunita, sustained serious injuries when their motorcycle was hit by a truck near Chhuchhakvaas village.