Ambala, October 23
The Selja-Hooda feud today spilled out in the open with the two targeting each other over developmental issues during the foundation-laying ceremony of the Rs 100-crore technology park being set up by the Union Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry in collaboration with HSIIDC at Saha today.

The event attended by KH Muniyappa, Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, was being perceived as a patch-up exercise between the two leaders, who were to share a political stage after almost four-and-a-half years.

However, a contrary picture unfolded after Selja came to the dais. While Selja voiced her concerns over the disparity in development in her parliamentary constituency, Hooda later used the same stage not to take the blame.

Selja, who accused the Hooda government of neglecting her constituency in developmental works, said the time for writing formal letters was now over and that she would now use the public platform to “request the Chief Minister not to ignore her constituency for development.” “CM sahib, there is no doubt that Haryana is now number 1, but please include my constituency also,” said Selja even as the gathering saw the facial expressions of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda grow serious.

Bringing out a list of projects which she had got approved from the Centre for Ambala and Yamunanagar, Selja said none of these had been allowed to be completed due to political interference.

Amidst shouts by supporters HPCC chief Phool Chand Mullana, Selja also took up the issue of atrocities on Dalits following the recent death of a Dalit in police custody at Ambala. She said the police should be more sensitive towards Dalits, who were being victimised in Haryana. She even demanded that the incident be probed by a retired high court judge or by the CBI.

As Hooda came up to deliver his speech, he addressed Selja as “Behanji” and clarified on a number of projects mentioned by Selja. Hooda said most of the projects were stalled for various reasons but efforts were on to get these completed at the earliest.

About the atrocities on Dalits, Hooda said those responsible for the youth’s death were already behind the bars and were facing the murder charge. None would be allowed to victimise any section of society in Haryana, he added

Hooda said one had to move among people to get development works done and not just write letters from Delhi. 

Chandigarh, October 23
The Home Department has asked the DGP and all District Magistrates to follow the NHRC guidelines for conducting magisterial inquiries in cases of death in custody or in course of police action.

A spokesman of Home Department said here today that the inquiry magistrate should visit the place of occurrence and try to record the statements of natural witnesses. The inquiry magistrate should ensure that information reaches all concerned, particularly the victim’s close relatives.

The magisterial inquiry should cover the circumstances of death, the manner and sequence of incidents leading to death, the cause of death, any person found responsible for the death, or suspicion of foul play that emerges during the inquiry, act of commission or omission on the part of public servants that contributed to the death and adequacy of medical treatment provided to the deceased.

The enquiry magistrate should examine and verify the records including inquest, post-mortem, viscera analysis and histopathological examination reports etc, FIR or general diary entries or any other relevant police records.

He said the magistrate should examine family members and relative of the deceased, eyewitnesses having information of the circumstances leading to the encounter and other relevant persons.

The Magisterial Enquiry Report (MER) should contain the gist of statements recorded, documents examined, discussion on allegations proved or not proved and grounds on which conclusion has been arrived at. MER should also contain specific or definite opinion about circumstances leading to death, whether use of force was justified and action taken lawful. The inquiry magistrate may also suggest any systemic changes or improvement that may need to be brought about to avoid any such incidents.

Kaithal, October 23
At a time when the consumer in the country are "shedding tears" over onion and other vegetables, retailers are having a field day, earning huge profits and commission agents are getting a hefty 5 per cent commission.

A visit to the local subji mandi revealed that there was sufficient supply of vegetables from nearby towns and the local vegetables would reach mandis soon. But it came to light that the retailers in the subji mandi have allegedly turned out to be the biggest exploiters of consumers.

They purchase vegetables in bulk through commission agents at a very low price and after allegedly forming a cartel sell these at a higher price, reportedly earning profits up to 130 per cent.

They pay a market fee of 2 per cent to the market committee and commission of 5 per cent to commission agents but it is an open secret that this burden is passed on to the consumers.

Surprisingly, the retailers, who appear to be responsible for high prices, neither pay any rent or charges to the market committee nor pay any tax. Most of them use the market committee space free of cost.

However, some of them are allowed by commission agents to sit in front of their shops and have to pay rent as per the settlement between the two. But such retailers occupy major part of mandi roads, thus creating chaos in mandi and putting the consumers to inconvenience.

While the commission agents are earning a 5 per cent commission without making any investment in the business, the retailers are earning profits up to 100 per cent. A few years ago the situation was different and there used be a difference in the price of vegetables in the local subji mandi as there existed a competition. One wanted to sell one's stocks even at minimum profits but now the the retailers have allegedly formed cartels to earn maximum profits by manipulating the market as the chart shows.

Chandigarh, October 23
The Haryana Food and Supplies Department has decided to launch a special drive to prevent hoarding of onions so to ensure the supply of onions in the market as per the demand.

The special drive is aimed at keeping a check on increasing prices of onions.

A spokesperson of the department said all District Food and Supply Controllers had been directed to check the stock of wholesalers or retailers. Hoarding of onions by wholesalers could be the reason for its increasing price. According to the Haryana Prevention of Hoarding and Maintenance of Quality Order, 1977, no wholesaler or retailer could refuse to sell the articles which is available with him.

He said all District Food and Supply Controllers had been directed to keep a check on wholesalers and retailers in coordination with Deputy Commissioners so as to prevent hoarding of onions. If any one found indulged in hoarding of onions, action would be initiated against him under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

Chandigarh, October 23
Haryana IAS officer Ashok Khemka has taken exception to releasing information about a probe against him to the media before he was intimated and his opinion sought.

Khemka has, in his protest letter to the government through the Chief Secretary, quoted six newspapers and television channels that reported the government’s action against him.

The news with regard to a second chargesheet against Khemka holds him responsible for causing a loss on account of unsold wheat seed stocks in the Haryana Seeds Development Corporation procured during 2012-13.

Khemka has dashed off a letter to the Haryana Chief Secretary, suggesting that fellow IAS officers were trying to sully his reputation by airing these matters in the media even before the chargesheet was served on him.

In his letter, Khemka has said no agency in the state can afford not to toe the line of the Chief Minister. “The sense of fear for falling foul of the desire of the political masters or the lure of greed and official favours from them is too tantalising for an ordinary mortal to disregard”.

He has further added that the motive of charge-sheeting him without an opportunity of hearing and announcing the same in the media is aimed at publicly humiliating him for conscientiously doing his duty and to instill a sense of fear in others as to what would happen in the event the desire of the political masters is not fulfilled.

Khemka had cancelled the mutation of a land owned by Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in favour of DLF.

Khemka has pointed out that two IAS officers, SS Dhillon and Roshan Lal, who, he says, are friends and batchmates, have reasons to nurse a deep animosity towards him. He has written: “Both friends seem to have ganged up now against me and are cooking things to suit their own personal interests”. This, Khemka has said, is because he had brought “actions” of Roshan Lal to the knowledge of the Chief Secretary.

Hitting out at Roshan Lal, Principal Secretary, Agriculture Department, Khemka said the officer was heavily prejudiced and “vengeful in his attitude against me for exposing his own misconduct in the scams, involving the purchase of Raxil fungicide against the provisions of the Insecticides Act”.

Sirsa, October 23
The Haryana government’s schemes for amelioration of the economic conditions of Scheduled Castes by providing them loans for starting their own ventures is being negated by certain banks.

Local branches of seven banks - State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Punjab and Sind Bank, Haryana Gramin Bank, State Bank of Patiala, United Commercial Bank and Central Bank of India - have failed to provide loans to 373 out of 511 cases recommended to these banks by the Haryana Schedule Caste Finance and Development Corporation in Sirsa.

Officers of these banks were summoned today by the district authorities here.

Shiv Prashad Sharma, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa, today told the bank offivers to complete their pending targets by October 31 and send a report.

Sharma said 527 of the targeted 900 Scheduled Caste families had received loans in the current year while the bankers were using dilatory tactics in the remaining cases.

“As per the RBI guidelines, the commercial banks are supposed to dispose of applications coming under the 20-Point programme within 15 days,” Sharma told the bankers.

Chandigarh,October 23
The process for determination of external development charges(EDC) is set to be streamlined in Haryana with the Department of Town and Country Planning constituting two committees, including a technical one.

The EDC technical committee headed by the HUDA Administrator (Headquarters) will have HUDA Chief Town Planner, HUDA Chief Controller of Finance, HUDA Chief Engineer, and Senior Town Planner and Chief Accounts Officer of the Office of the Director General of Town and Country Planning(DGTCP) as its members. The technical committee will recommend the EDC rates for such urban estates as desired by the Apex EDC Finalisation Committee, sources said.

On the other hand, the Apex EDC Finalisation Committeeheaded by the DGTCP will have the HUDA Administrator (Headquarters), Chief Town Planner, Haryana Government, HUDA Chief Town Planner, HUDA Chief Controller of Finance, HUDA Chief Engineers as its members. The apex committee would lay down the norms and guidelines for determination of EDC rates.The EDC rates finalised by the apex committee will be submitted to the government for approval.

Section 3 of the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975, provides for recovery of proportionate EDC if development works are carried out by the state government or any local authority. Currrently, the EDC rates and time limit for the payment of EDC are determined at the level of the Director, Town and Country Planning Department.

Sirsa, October 23
Dengue is spreading its tentacles in Sirsa. Though the health authorities admit only eight cases of dengue, private doctors in Sirsa maintain that the number is much higher.

“On an average, I have been receiving three to five cases of dengue in my hospital every week. These are the cases that test positive in confirmatory NS1 Antigen test done through ELISA method,” said Dr VP Goyal, a physician, who runs a nursing home in Dabwali town of Sirsa.

He said he treated two siblings from RSD Colony. Both tested positive for NS 1 Antigen test and both of them were administered four units of platelets each.

Besides, two patients from Darbi also approached him with dengue.

The spread of dengue can be gauged from the fact that the demand for platelets has increased manifold in the district.

Dr RM Arora of Shiv Shakti Blood Bank in Sirsa confirmed that the demand for platelets had increased from four to five units per day to 15 to 20 units per day in the past one week.

Dr Surender Nain, Civil Surgeon, Sirsa, however, denied that there was any need for an alarm. So far, only eight cases of dengue had come to light in the district and all of them have been treated, said Dr Nain.

Karnal, October 23
The Haryana Joint Transport Workers Union has decided to gherao the Chief Minister on October 27 in case the long-pending demands of workers were not accepted, Ram Nivas Sharma, a spokesman of the union, said.

The meeting took stock of resentment prevailing among the workers as the government was not keeping its promises and called upon the workers to be prepared for a "do-or-die" battle to get the demands accepted.

The main demands included cancellation of 3519 private route permits, raising the state transport fleet to 10,000, regularisation of drivers and conductors recruited between 1983-2008, one month’s salary as bonus and parity in pay scales and allowances with Punjab.

Sonepat, October 23
The police today arrested Acharya Devender Kumar of Osho Dham, Murthal, for allegedly enticing a married woman into having physical relations with him on the pretext of arranging her meeting with "God".

The married woman, resident of local Jeevan Nagar, lodged a complaint with the police on October 21, stating that she used to go to Osho Dham at Murthal as devotee. The accused enticed her into having physical relations with him. When she asked him to marry her, she was threatened and beaten by the accused.

Rewari, October 23
On the directions of the Kosli court, the police has booked Mamta’s husband, Yogesh Saini, father-in-law Sukh Dev and mother-in-law Santosh Devi, all residents of Sector 3 here, for dowry harassment, causing hurt and criminal intimidation.

Mamta Saini, a resident of Guriani village, near Kosli, filed a petition in a local court. She complained that after her marriage with Yogesh in 2009, her in-laws sought lakhs of rupees by way of dowry.

She alleged when her parents failed to meet their demand, she was thrashed and made to quit her in-laws' home along with her son, in February, 2013. — OC

Fatehabad, October 23
Farmers coming to the Fatehabad grain market with their paddy crop allege that they are being fleeced by certain unscrupulous traders in connivance with the local authorities as their basmati varieties are being purchased without auction.

They allege that the traders, who have to facilitate procurement of their paddy through auction, purchase hardly eight to 10 heaps every morning through auctions and then start quoting price of their own choice for the remaining heaps.

“I am left with no choice but to sell my crop in distress for Rs 3,250 per quintal, though I know they are offering me at least Rs 150 less per quintal. I am sitting here with my crop for the past four days. I cannot wait for long now,” said Santokh Singh, a farmer.

“They not only fleece the farmers, but also evade market fees and Haryana Rural Development Fees payable to the Market Committee and VAT payable to the Sales Tax Department,” a trader said.

Sanjeev Sachdeva, secretary of the Market Committee, Fatehabad, denied that there was any tax or market fees evasion, though he admitted that the traders sometime tend to purchase crops without auctions to speed up purchases.

He claimed that the farmers were getting remunerative prices of their produce and got nearly Rs 3,500 for 1121 variety and Rs 3,400 for muchhal variety today.