Ambala, October 24
A major blast at an unlicensed glass apparatus unit in Pooja Vihar here today left two persons dead and six injured.

The blast, believed to have been caused due to the bursting of a gas cylinder, destroyed the building. Eight persons, including a unit owner, and seven workers got buried in the debris. The generator and some other machinery of the unit was damaged while the roof of the unit caved in. The boundary wall of the unit was also reduced to rubble.

The blast occurred at 9.30 am. While two workers managed to escape, six others got buried under the wreckage. The local authorities called in rescue teams of the ITBP from Panchkula and the Army from the cantonment.

Besides a JCB machine, a crane and a few fire tenders were pressed into service. The rescuers managed to pull out four workers from the wreckage by the afternoon.

The bodies of two workers, Mandeep Singh and Anil Kumar, were found later. Those injured in the blast were identified as Rajpal, a partner in the unit, Arun, Jagtar, Pradeep, Rajesh and Chatter Singh, all workers.

Deputy Commissioner KM Pandurang said the unlicensed unit had been operating from a residential colony for the past three years. While the unit owners had been booked, the SDM had been asked to probe the incident. While Rajpal, a partner in the unit, was admitted to hospital, the other partner, Arvind Rana, was at large.

Residents said the blast was heard within a radius of 5 km. Had the plots on both sides of the unit not been vacant, the damage would have been massive, they added.

Chandigarh, October 24
The Haryana government today agreed to consider dropping cases registered against farmers for the July, 2012, arson that followed a protest over land acquisition in Rewari for setting up a logistics hub.

Sources said a delegation of the Bhoomi Adigrahan Virodh Samiti met Industries Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala, chairman of the committee constituted to settle the issue, today and reiterated its demand for dropping of cases against farmers. It also sought a higher compensation under the new land acquisition Act.

The samiti members were assured that their demand would be put up before Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda . This demand is likely to be accepted since the one-man inquiry commission of Justice Iqbal Singh has in its report said that the violence appeared to be the handiwork of “outsiders” who mingled with the protesting farmers and misled them.

He said the farmers’ protest turned violent at the behest of these “outsiders” who instigated them and recommended that the government should consider dropping the charges. Four cases for rioting, violence and damage to public property were registered against farmers.

Sources in the samiti said though a notification of the new legislation on land acquisition was awaited, the minister had assured them that the department concerned would work out the additional financial burden and see if it was feasible.

“The communication channels are still open. The minister has said that he will work on the statistics and let us know by the next meeting slated for November 6. We are willing to wait for the new notification but we want higher rates for land,” a member said, adding that the demand for voting on land acquisition had been dropped.

While no consensus has emerged so far, the government is hopeful that a middle path could be worked out to the advantage of all stakeholders. 

Hisar, October 24
Discus thrower Krishna Poonia is set to compete on a different turf. She has joined the Congress and will make her political debut as the candidate from the Sadulpur Assembly constituency in the upcoming elections.

She is the first player among the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and Asian Games winners from Haryana to join politics. She had won the gold medal at the Delhi games.

Her husband Virender Poonia informed The Tribune over telephone that the Congress had approached her to join the party, to which she readily agreed.

“She has been preparing for the next Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. She has been finalised as the party candidate from her home constituency Sadulpur in Churu district. She has decided to contribute her bit to sports after joining politics,” he said.

He maintained that joining politics would not come in her way of things on the track. Krishna joined the Congress in Rahul Gandhi's presence yesterday.

She hails from Agroha village in Hisar district. She broke the 25-year-old record in the discus throw during the inter-college games in 1997. Her husband Virender Poonia, a hammer throw champion, prodded and trained her to pursue the game.

She had won bronze in the Doha Asian Games in 2006 and silver in the Asian Championships in 2007. She was a finalist in the London Olympics.

New Delhi, October 24
The INLD today announced to contest 12 Delhi Assembly seats adjoining the border areas of Haryana.

Bharat Singh, INLD MLA from Najafgarh and president of its Delhi unit, said the party was ready for an alliance for the poll .

This is the first time in the history of Delhi that the INLD will contest elections from 12 constituencies of Najafgarh, Matiala, Vikaspuri, Uttam Nagar, Dwaraka, Palam, Narela, Devali, Bawana, Mehrauli, Bijwasan and Mundka. The reason is that the Gujjar- dominated areas neighbouring Haryana are being ignored by the Congress government.

In the 2008 elections, Bharat Singh contested the election as an INLD candidate and won the Najafgarh seat. The candidates would be announced after Diwali.

The INLD election issues would be power, water, corruption, inflation and development of villages, among others.

“We are living in the national Capital but we do not have power in villages. Power and water tariff has been increased. People want a change in Delhi,” Bharat Singh said.

Chandigarh, October 24
Former Haryana Director-General of Police (DGP) Police VN Rai today said he was disappointed at the government’s decision to demolish the library he had built at the Karnal Police Lines in memory of Punjabi poet Avtar Singh Pash.

Haryana is keen to widen a road leading to the medical college by demolishing the library. Rai said the decision to demolish the library was an exhibition of literary and cultural bankruptcy. People would have taken to the roads to stop the demolition had such a decision been taken in a state like West Bengal, he said.

“Pash raised his voice against terrorism and killing of innocent people in Punjab in the 1980s. He stood by the oppressed and the exploited. The reason behind the library in his memory was to tell the people that ideas, not guns, win in the end,” Rai said.

It was a conscious decision to build the library in Karnal, a Punjabi-dominated town, he said. The library was also in memory of Haryana Police officials Baljit Singh, Baljinder Singh, Raghunandan and Narain, killed by terrorists, he added.

Rai said it appeared that there was a larger motive behind widening the road. Some politician might own property close to the road, he added. Rai is also a former Director of the National Police Academy in Hyderabad.

“Widening the road should not be an excuse to demolish the library,” said Shamsher Singh Sandhu, a friend of Pash. Sandhu said there should be an alternative and the library should remain untouched. Pash’s wife and daughter had visited the library a number of times and several literary functions were held there.

Punjabi writer and Punjabi Sahit Akademi president Gurbhajan Gill said Haryana should review the decision. “The emotions of a large number of Punjabi writers and the people are associated with the library. The decision to demolish it should be revoked,” he added.

Chandigarh, October 24
With the arrears of electricity bills of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) and the Dakshin Haryana Bilji Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) touching Rs 4,155 crore, domestic consumers seem to be bleeding the discoms.

The domestic consumers constitute the lion’s share (13.91 lakh) of the total defaulters(nearly 17.82 lakh) owing about Rs 3,365 crore to the state exchequer.

About 10 lakh defaulters, 5.02 lakh served by the UHBVN and over 4.96 lakh by the DHBVN, continue to enjoy uninterrupted power supply as they are still ‘connected consumers’.

The highly subsidised agricultural sector, which forms a major vote bank of the Hooda Government, also has substantial electricity bill arrears at Rs 683 crore.The agricultural sector has nearly 1.88 lakh defaulters, followed by the non-domestic sector at 1.79 lakh defaulters who owe the state exchequer Rs 338 crore. Around 25,000 industrial defaulters owe about Rs 274 crore to the discoms, sources said.

An official spokesman claimed that the nigam Directors and Chief Engineers had been appointed as nodal officers for recovery in each circle. The SDOs concerned had been ordered to recover the defaulting amount between Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000, the executive engineers between Rs 50,001 and Rs 1 lakh and the superintending engineers above Rs 1 lakh. The UHBVN had recovered Rs 44.78 crore during the past 13 days under a special campaign, the spokesman added.

Bleeding discoms Discoms’ power arrears mount to over Rs 4,155 crore 13.91 domestic defaulters owe state Rs 3,365 crore Nearly 10 lakh defaulters still enjoy power supply Farm sector owes Rs 683 crore to the state

Gurgaon, October 24
Union Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary laid the foundation stone of a 25-KW solar power plant at the Gurgaon railway station today.

The pilot project is being undertaken as part of the RITES corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiative. It is being installed with the assistance of BHEL electronics division.

The minister pointed out that the vast potential of solar energy remained largely unused. He said land acquisition was not an issue.

"The Railways will spare no effort in ensuring that infrastructure matching other world-class facilities is provided to Gurgaon," he asserted.

"Passengers can enjoy better shelter from the rain and the sun. The aesthetics of the railway station will also be improved," the minister said.

Rajeev Mehrotra, chairman-cum-managing director of RITES, said this was the first attempt to utilise the rooftop of a railway platform for placing panels to tap solar energy.

"If replicated on a large scale, this can go a long way in reducing the Railways' carbon footprint and achieve the target of sourcing 10 per cent of energy from renewable sources such as solar power and biomass," he said.

Rohtak, October 24
Despite the recent announcement by the local authorities to ban heavy vehicles in the city, the threat continues to loom due to round the clock movement of such vehicles on some sensitive points in view of no alternative route. The authorities announced to ban after a recent accident in which two schoolboys were crushed to death by a truck on Sunday.

"Though the construction of an outer ring road to provide bypass access to heavy and commercial vehicles is on, the movement of thousands of vehicles till the construction of the ring road is over is difficult to be stopped as their was no alternative route available", claimed sources in the department concerned.

As a result, several points in the city continue to witness chaos on roads which pose a risk to other commuters."

Shiela Bypass Chowk, Gohana Bypass Chowk, Jind Bypass Chowk, Hisar Bypass Chowk , Bhiwani Bypass Chowk and Jhajjar Chungi are the most accident-prone spots in the town," said Vivek Kumar, a local resident.

"Several Haryana Roadways buses, which ought to take the byepass route, prefer to ply on city roads in the morning, posing a risk to local residents who come out for a morning walk at that time’’, claimed Ram Karan, a retired government official.

He said the police should install CCTV cameras at sensitive points and take action against offenders. According to Raj Singh, social activist, crossing spots like Shiela or Gohana Byepass chowks during peak hours is a herculean task with several accidents taking place every month.

On the other hand, a spokesperson of the Police Department claimed that traffic violations were being dealt with strictly as hundreds of challans had been issued recently.

Sonepat, October 24
A team of the Town and Country Planning Department today demolished constructions in an unauthorised colony in the revenue estate of Firozpur Bangar village.

The team was assisted by the police. Ravinder Hooda, Naib Tehsildar, Kharkhoda, was the duty magistrate during the demolition drive.

District Town Planner Dilbag Singh said the demolitions included a boundary wall, a room, a tiled road and 10 DPC-level structures in an illegal colony spread over 3.5 acres.

Karnal, October 24
A jeweller was shot dead at his shop in the main market of Assandh today. The victim, Narender, alias Nandu, succumbed to his injuries on his way to the hospital.

Rajesh, deceased's brother, reported to the police that two persons aged between 20 and 22 years entered their shop this morning and shot at his brother in an attempt to snatch his bag.

"Even after being shot at, my brother grappled with them, but they overpowered him. They managed to escape, but could not take the bag," he said.

Another eyewitness, Chirag Lamba, said he heard gunshots and rushed to the neighbouring shop. "Narender was lying on the floor and two persons were rushing out. I tried to stop them, but they aimed a countrymade pistol on me and fled," he said.

Enraged local residents and shopkeepers staged a demonstration against the police and raised slogans. Shopkeepers downed shutters and blocked the Assandh-Jind road for more than an hour.

The Karnal police launched a manhunt to nab the assailants with the help of a sketch of the accused based on the description given by eyewitnesses. The police laid 'nakas' and raided several places.

It nabbed the attackers from the cremation ground within a few hours and seized the countrymade pistol used by them. A case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act was registered at the Assandh police station.

The accused were identified as Akshay and Anil of Rohara village in Kaithal. They would be produced in court tomorrow. The police was deployed in Assandh to maintain law and order and night patrol would be intensified, Karnal Superintendent of Police Shashank Anand said.

Bhiwani, October 24
The 17-year-old college student who carried out her abduction drama after reportedly getting upset with her family was tracked in Chandigarh last night and taken to her family here today.

The girl took her family and the police for a ride for two days after she left home on Tuesday. The first-year commerce student was upset with her family after they reportedly refused her to take up a private job recently.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhiwani Amit Bhatia said she left home alone on Tuesday and reached Chandigarh. She switched off her mobile phone and was using another mobile phone.

The police launched an extensive search operation in the town and monitored her mobile phone, which revealed her location in Chandigarh. She was traced near Sectors 15 and 16 in Chandigarh last night and the police took her in custody.

When she was produced in court here today, she reportedly told the court that she had left home on her on own. The police had registered a case of abduction on the complaint of the girl's father. The case was under investigation and the police would take further action soon, Bhatia said.

Fatehabad, October 24
There is resentment among members of the Haryana School Education Officers Association (HSEOA) at the stepmotherly treatment and have sought higher grade pay and status for them.

A delegation of the district unit of the HSEOA led by president Ajit Singh Chugh and secretary Krishan Kumar today met Deputy Commissioner Saket Kumar and handed him a memorandum for the Chief Minister.

"School education officers continue to get a raw deal with their grade pay and status lower than their counterparts in neighbouring states," Chugh said.

School education officers include principals of senior secondary schools, Block Education Officers, Block Elementary Education Officers, Deputy District Education Officers, Deputy Elementary Education Officers, District Education Officers, Deputy Directors and Joint Directors.

"We get a grade pay of Rs 6,000 compared to Rs 7,600 in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi and at Kendriya Vidyalayas and Rs 6,600 in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh," Chugh said. He added that principals in Haryana had the status of Class II officer compared to Class I in other states.

Sirsa, October 24
Even as reports of suspected cases of dengue continue to pour in at Sirsa, the health authorities today served a notice on Dr VP Goyal for airing his views regarding the spreading of the disease.

Doctors at a leading multi-speciality hospital maintained that they had been receiving between seven and 10 patients daily who tested positive for NS1 antigen test.

Doctors considered this test sufficient to confirm dengue, but not the Health Department, which relied only on ELISA test.

A senior doctor at the multi-speciality hospital said on the condition of anonymity that the requirement of platelets at its blood bank had increased fourfold in the last few weeks.

The Civil Surgeon Dr Surender Nain, today served a notice on Dr Goyal, proprietor of Holy Nursing Home, asking him to explain why he aired his views regarding dengue cases at his hospital.

Hisar, October 24
Suspecting international links of the racket involved in the circulation of fake currency at Hansi, the district police has sent a team to Nepal.

Sources said the police got leads about the links of the four accused with ISI operatives reportedly based in the border areas of Nepal.

Hisar SP B Satheesh Balan said the accused had revealed crucial information during interrogation.

Kurukshetra, October 24
Rajkali, a resident of Klalmajra, was injured when the motorcycle she was riding with her nephew was hit by a tractor near Sarswati Mission Hospital in Pehowa, 20 km from here, on Tuesday evening.

She succumbed to her injuries at LNJP Hospital here on Wednesday. The police has registered a case. — OC