Faridabad, December 17
All drinking water samples taken here by the Health Department last month have failed. All 275 samples of potable water sent for a laboratory test have been found to be below safety parameters.

The average rate of failure of water samples in the industrial hub has been between 80 and 90 per cent in the last couple of years. The samples were taken from various sources, including tubewells, tapped supply, handpumps and stored water.

The department has sent the report to the higher authorities and the municipal corporation, which supplies water to a majority of residential and commercial consumers. The water supplied by a large number of tubwells is brackish, with high total dissoluble solvents (TDS).

An official has said testing or ensuring a particular TDS level is not on its agenda though the high level of brackishness and heaviness is a major issue. Admitting that all samples have failed, Dr Rajiv Batish, Senior Medical Officer, has said it is perhaps the first time the failure rate is 100 per cent.

A large number of households get packaged water supply, with a business of between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 25 lakh per day. The demand for reverse osmosis water purifier systems at the tubewell source has been ignored, resulting in water and money going waste, Sector 10 RWA office-bearer RK Gupta has said.

Chandigarh, December 17
For checking misuse of groundwater for construction purposes, the Haryana Government is all set to implement the provisions of the “Draft Model Bill for Conservation, Protection and Regulation of Groundwater” in the state.

As a petition filed in public interest on the issue came up for hearing before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, counsel for the State of Haryana told the Bench that the government was in the process of implementing the provisions of the model Bill. The Bench was also told that already several rounds of meetings have been held to discuss the issue.

The objectives of the Bill are aimed at ensuring the groundwater is protected, conserved and regulated so as to meet the basic human and livestock needs, to promote sustainable groundwater use in the public interest based on a long-term protection of available resources, to ensure that the protection, conservation and regulation of groundwater is integrated with the protection, conservation and regulation of surface water to ensure conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater and to protect ecosystem and its biological diversity.

During the hearing, Haryana Urban Development Authority chief administrator AK Singh also placed before the Bench the status report on progress of water treatment plant in Gurgaon. He informed the Bench headed by Justice Jasbir Singh that three units have been made functional to provide about 20 MGD (Millions Gallons Daily), which could be used in construction purposes.

Digging deep into the issue of groundwater conservation in Gurgaon, the High Court had earlier made it clear that new construction licences would not be issued to builders without undertaking against the use of groundwater for construction.

For preventing the illicit use of underground water by builders in Gurgaon, the High Court had also directed the State of Haryana to constitute a committee for visiting construction sites.

The Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner was also directed to hold a meeting with the Central Groundwater Board for constituting the committee for checking illegal borewell connections used for construction works in Gurgaon.

The Bench also directed the continuation of its previous directions against the issuance of new licences to builders till they gave an undertaking that underground water would not be used for construction purposes.

Karnal/Panipat, December 17
The abject refusal of Union Food Minister KV Thomas to relax the quality norms for rice millers has badly hit the delivery of custom milled rice (CMR) which was negligible at 0.05 of the CMR due.

The total quantity of paddy procured in the state during the 2013-14 kharif season was 35,73,382 million tonnes, while the CMR due was 23,46,165 million tonnes.

However, the actual CMR delivery was as low as 11,610 (0.05 per cent) million tonnes and in case the norms for millers, which included 67 per cent yield, 25 per cent broken rice and three per cent damage and three per cent de-coloured rice, the supply of rice for the central pool for supply under PDS would be severely affected.

Rice millers have been demanding relaxation in norms in view of damage caused to the paddy crop due to non seasonal and excessive rains in June this year and Haryana Chief Minister BS Hooda has also taken up the cause and shot two letters to Union Food Minister TV Thomas. There has, however, been no positive response.

Hooda wrote the fit letter on November 16 seeking relaxation in norms for yields from 67 to 66 per cent, broken rice from 25 to 30 per cent, damaged and discoloured rice from three to four per cent, but no relief has been given to millers.

As a result, 35.37 million tonnes of paddy procured by government agencies has not been milled and the Haryana Rice Millers' Association has cautioned that in case the quality norms are not relaxed, the rice milling industry would collapse and lakhs of labourers would be rendered jobless.

In his letter to Thomas, Hooda argued that unusual and excessive rains during the kharif season adversely affected the quality of paddy, but the government agencies were compelled to purchase the crop to ensure remunerative prices to the farmers.

Spokesperson of the Haryana Rice Millers’ Association Ashish Mehta said the procured and un-milled paddy valued about Rs 50,000 crore and in case the milling was started immediately, the paddy would go waste.

Chandigarh, December 17
The Centre today approved upgrade of over 1,010 km of rural road and 19 bridges in the state at a cost of Rs 960 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-II.

While disclosing this here today, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda thanked the UPA president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for approving the proposal of the Haryana Government.

The Chief Minister said the project of upgrading roads would be completed within six to 18 months. The Centre has appreciated that Haryana ranked among those six states that had fully utilised the funds allocated under the PMGSY-I, he said. The CM further said the state would make optimum utilisation of funds under the PMGSY-II also.

He said as many as 85 rural roads would be upgraded and 19 new bridges would be constructed under the scheme.

While sending the proposal to the Centre, views of all 10 elected MPs and 21 zila parishads of the state were duly considered by the state-level standing committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary. The meeting of the Empowered Committee of the Union Ministry of Rural Development approved these proposals of the state government.

Hisar, December 17
Ranbir Singh Gangwa, INLD’s Rajya Sabha member, today opposed the construction of a pumping station for the proposed sewage treatment plant near water tank in Gangwa village adjoining the town.

The INLD MP maintained that as the pumping station was being set up in close proximity of a water tank that supplied water in the village, the STP could result in water pollution.

The villagers had submitted a memorandum to the district authorities several months ago opposing the construction of the pumping station near the water tank but to no avail. — TNS

Jind, December 17
Around 300 families of ex-servicemen and war heroes have criticised the working of various state governments at a national convention organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Shaheed Samman Sangharsh Samiti to celebrate Vijay Divas. The samiti honoured dependants of war heroes and martyrs and veterans of the 1971 and 1999 wars.

"Around 300 families reached here to celebrate Vijay Divas. The Centre must have celebrated it, but like the Haryana Government, Central leaders have forgotten war heroes," alleged samiti national president MS Malik, retired DGP of the Haryana Police.

The families alleged lack of support from state and Central governments. Many alleged that they were yet to receive the compensation announced while others alleged lack of respect at government offices whenever they visited officials for their problems.

"The government should not ignore ex-servicemen and their families as it demoralises them. If the government is serious, it should think of strengthening its borders and take steps for the welfare of soldiers and ex-servicemen," said Lt-Gen Depinder Singh (retd).

"The government offers a compensation of only Rs 10 lakh to a martyr's family, but can spent crores for terrorists like Ajmal Kasab. It shows the discrimination of the Haryana and Central governments," alleged Abhey Singh Chautala, INLD leader.

Hisar, December 17
A former commando of the elite parachute regiment of the Army who overpowered the Sri Lankan assailant who attacked former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi during the guard of honour in Colombo has been living in penury. He has been forced to work as construction worker at Hansi in the district.

The former commando, Bharat Singh Yadav, told The Tribune that he was a member of the 5 para unit. He said he had been involved in Operation Bluestar in Amritsar and went to Sri Lanka as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force.

Yadav (53) carries his service book with him. He said he retired after nine years of service in 1989 during his stay in Sri Lanka after a tiff with a head clerk, who wanted him to sneak some valuables out of Sri Lanka.

“I refused to obey his diktat, after which he started nursing a grudge against me. He hatched a conspiracy to oust me. I was hospitalised after suffering injuries in a mine blast. I was given electric shocks and was declared mentally unstable,” he said. He added that he got between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 after retirement.

Recalling the attack on Rajiv Gandhi with a rifle butt, he said he was among the security personnel deployed at the venue. His version was incorrect as he claimed that the assailant was an LTTE man who consumed cyanide soon after the incident. The attacker, who is alive, was a sailor and became a political activist after being sacked.

Hailing from Pota village in Mahendragarh district, Yadav said his wife Maya Devi and two sons were living in the village. “I could not support my family and my sons Vikas and Subhash could not complete their education after my retirement. They had to start working as labourers. I will go home after a week to see them.”

He said he joined the Army in 1980 and was among the five youths of his village who had gone to Kurukshetra to participate in a recruitment drive. He demanded that due benefits should be given to him as he had suffered a lot despite doing his job honestly.

Vikas (26) said his father was often out of the house. “I knew that my father was an ex-serviceman, but had no idea about his record. He is not getting pension, which has resulted in a financial crisis.”

A local resident, Jagdish Saini, said he got curious about Yadav after people referred to him as 'Fauji' while he as working at his construction site.

“He showed me his service book, which contains details of his service. Relling his past, he got depressed. It is possible that he is not aware of the fate of the Sri Lankan attacker. He suffered a lot after the event and was branded as mentally challenged,” he said.

Yamunanagar, December 17
Hundreds of guest teachers working in government schools of the district burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and held a demonstration at the Mini Secretariat, Yamunanagar here today.

The agitation was held in protest against the failure of talk held between the Chief Minister and guest teachers, who demanded a confirmation of their jobs. Rajkiya Anubandhit Adhayapak Sangh district president Surinder Dahiya said the Chief Minister misbehaved with ASHA workers and mediapersons and it was unbearable.

“Guest teachers have been rendering their duties honestly for the past eight years, but by not confirming them, the Chief Minister has cheated them,” said Dahiya.

Senior leader of the sangh, Satpal Sharma, said Hooda had made promises time and again, but in vain.

He said, “The Chief Minister used them to improve the education level in the state and only to get their votes. Now, the guest teachers will not hesitate and get their demands fulfilled.”

Jasbir Chikkan, Sant Kumar, Manjeet Kaur, Jarnail Singh Sangwan and several other leaders also addressed the gathering. 

Jhajjar, December 17
A case of ‘extorting’ money by a staff nurse from an expectant woman in the name of vaccination has surfaced at Matanhel village in the district yesterday. Taking a serious note of a written complaint lodged by the kin of the woman, the Jhajjar Civil Surgeon has constituted a two-member inquiry committee to look into the matter.

In his complaint, Sunil Kumar, a resident of Khetavaas village, Sunil said his wife Manju Devi delivered a baby boy in the delivery hut at Matanhel village. He alleged that the ambulance driver charged Rs 200 as the transport expenses, but the ambulance service was free for pregnant women.

He alleged that a staff nurse also charged Rs 3,400 as vaccination expenses. He added that the injection was given from the medicine stock of the hut.

Civil Surgeon Dr Ramesh Dhankhar said, “Since the matter is serious in nature, I have ordered a probe into the allegations. A two-member inquiry committee comprising Dr J Jakhar and Dr Manju has been formed to find out the truth.”

He said, “Delivery and other medical facilities are given free of cost. Hence, charging money for vaccination is illegal.”

He said a stern action would be taken against the accused if the allegations were found to be true.

Sirsa, December 17
The ongoing recruitment process for the Group ‘D’ posts on the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) in Sirsa has run in to a controversy. After complaints of favoritism, Sirsa Deputy Commissioner J Ganesan has directed the Additional Deputy Commissioner (DC), Shiv Prasad Sharma, to call for the record of recruitment process.

The process of recruitment in the PHED of the Sirsa circle began in April this year when the department invited applications for 52 posts of sewer man, oilman, fitter collies, chowkidars and some other categories of persons.

Over 6,000 candidates applied for the posts and the interviews of the shortlisted candidates began from Monday.

Hundreds of applicants, whose names were not included in the shortlisted candidates, met the DC and complained about alleged irregularities in the selection process. Candidates alleged that only those candidates, who had connections had been called for the interviews, while those who deserved more on basis of merit had been ignored.

The rejected candidates alleged that only those who are relatives of officials working in the department or those who were already on contractual basis on other posts have been called for the interview.

Kurukshetra, December 17
The National Congress Party (NCP), Bhartiya Kisan Union, Aam Aadmi Party and Haryana Jan Shakti Party will field their candidates in the Lok Sabha Kurukshetra elections.

Ch Ved Pal, state president, NCP, and former Deputy Speaker of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, told The Tribune that the Haryana unit of the NCP was interested in contesting on the Lok Sabha seats of Kurukshetra and Karnal. The matter had been discussed in the central committee last week, he said.

We are ready to have an alliance with the Congress in the upcoming elections, but on the condition of the Kurukshetra or Karnal seat and in the situation of any denial, we may join hands with some other party, said Ch Ved Pal.

Paramjeet Singh, state secretary, AAP, said the party would contest all 90 assembly seats and 10 Lok Sabha seats.

Revealing this to The Tribune, Paramjeet said, “We are going to organise open meetings in all 21 districts over the next one month and will set up around 16,000 booths.”

To begin with, the party had set itself a target of enlisting one lakh volunteers, he said.

He further said, “The Aam Admi Party was going to give an open call to people for joining the party. We want to tell members of the BJP, Congress, INLD and all the other parties, who are feeling suffocated there, can join us,” said Paramjeet.

Meanwhile, Gurnam Singh Charuni, state president, BKU, has directed the workers to get ready for the Kurukshetra election. “The union has decided to contest in the upcoming elections and whichever political party will help them in Kurukshetra, the union will support that party with the rest of the nine Lok Sabha seats,” said Gurnam Singh.

Sources said the Bhartiya Kisan Union and Aam Aadmi Party might have an alliance and Gurnam Singh Charuni, state president, Bharatiya Kisan Union, could be the candidate from the AAP. Gurnam Singh is a member of the AAP’s central council and has done a lot of promotion for the party in the Delhi election.

The Haryana Jan Shakti Party, the newest political outfit, led by Didar Singh Nalwi has already started its campaign for the Kurukshetra and Sirsa seats.

Ambala, December 17
State BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma said if the BJP-HJC alliance comes to power it would abolish the property tax imposed by the Congress.

Talking to mediapersons here today, he said the Congress had promised to abolish the house tax, but it imposed the property tax which had badly affected the common man.

He said in some districts, municipal councils and corporations had been recovering the house tax of the past four years and the BPL families, even the widows, were not granted any concession.

He said the Haryana BJP-HJC alliances were geared up for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. He said the BJP would contest eight seats, while two of the seats would be left for the HJC. He ruled out the possibility of “mahagathbandhan”.

Property tax opposed

Residents of various sectors of HUDA have opposed the imposition of the property tax in their areas. A few councillors of the ruling party have opposed the imposition of the property tax in Sector 1, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

An officer-bearer of the Sector 7 Welfare Committee, Sandeep Sachdeva, said the HUDA administration had been providing all the basic amenities in the sectors. Moreover, the administration of those sectors had not been transferred to the Municipal Corporation so far. He said that district court had already granted a stay on the imposition of the house tax in Ssector 7, but the matter was already pending in the High Court.

The councillors said the administration should wait for the decision of the High Court and not take any steps in haste as it would irritate residents of the sectors. Congress councillors Dilip Chawla Bittu, Himmat Singh, Hardeep Kaur and Pawan Aggarwal Dimpi are not in the favour of imposing the property tax.

Chandigarh, December 17
Acting on a petition filed by Haryana Chief Parliamentary Secretary Ram Kishan Gujjar seeking anticipatory bail in a scribe’s suicide case, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today confirmed his pre-arrest bail.

Naraingarh-based journalist Pankaj Khanna had committed suicide by consuming poison. In his suicide note, he had blamed the MLA, along with two others Ajit Aggarwal and Vijay Aggarwal. Khanna had alleged he was being harassed and humiliated by the two at the MLA’s behest. Soon after the incident, Khanna’s relatives had blocked the state highway demanding the registration of a case against the MLA and others.

The MLA had earlier also claimed before the High Court that he was being falsely dragged in the case dated June 11, 2009, registered under Sections 306 and 34, IPC, at Naraingarh on the complaint of the victim’s father, Yash Pal Khanna.

In an earlier petition, Gujjar’s counsel said: “After the registration of the FIR, the police investigated the complete matter and filed a challan dated July 15, 2009. In the final report submitted under Section 173, CrPC, the petitioner was kept in column two as he was found innocent and the allegation against the petitioner were found to be baseless. The conclusion was based on the inquiry conduct by DSP, Naraingarh, dated July 1, 2009.” 

Gurgaon, December 17
A local court today directed the Gurgaon police to lodge an FIR against Haryana Sports Minister Sukhbir Kataria in a case related to allege forging of documents for obtaining voter ID cards.

In addition to this, he has also been served summons along with 10 others for a similar complaint.

Prior to this similar, FIR’s have been registered against him and six others on directives of the court. Kataria has been booked under Sections 420, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC and Section 31 of the Representation of People’s Act for forging documents for getting voters cards made for their near and dear ones.

The court also asked the police to book Gurgaon ACP Narender Kadian as he did not take action after complainant approached him. Six others- booth-level officer Anita Sharma, Om Prakash, Porush, Sangeeta, Richi and an Assistant Electoral Returning officer have also been booked.

The complaint was filed by Om Prakash Kataria, president of an NGO - ‘Matdata Jagrook Manch’. He alleged that Katraia had filled numerous voter registration forms and pasted photos of his accomplices.

“He was instrumental in preparing hundreds of bogus voter cards before the state Assembly elections in 2009.

During the elections, the minister ensured that all these bogus voters cast their votes in his favour,” he said in astatement.

However, Sukhbir said that he had not violated the law as he had helped his supporters in getting their voter cards.

“Being a public person, a lot of illiterate persons approach me for such type of help and I had just obliged them by filing their forms and nothing else,” the minister claimed in the court.

Rohtak, December 17
Dr Rajeev Kumar Kapoor, Assistant Professor at the Department of Microbiology at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) , has been awarded the coveted Raman Post-Doctoral Fellowship under the Manmohan Singh-Barrack Obama 21st Century Knowledge Initiative programme. He will undertake research with Prof Julice Carrier at the University of Arkasas in Faytteville, USA.

Dr Kapoor will work on biomass deconstruction to obtain medicinally important compounds along with bio-ethanol using agriculture waste. He will also work to improve and standardise the technology of bio-ethanol production.

Kaithal, December 17
Three local students have won gold medals in the 51st National Roller Skating Competition. The event was held at Sirsa from December 11 to 15. Hardik Girdhar, a student of OSDAV Public School, won gold medal in the roller hockey skating, while Muskan, a student of OSDAV Public School, and Sheetal Bidhan, a student of RKSD Public School, won gold medals in the inline hockey game.

The students, skating coach Ranvir Singh and sports trainer Archana Singh today called on Deputy Commissioner NK Solanki at his office here.

Solanki said out of five participants from the district, three had won gold medals. Other students would draw inspirations from their colleagues, he added. The DC assured to provide all possible help to the national champions if they wanted to participate in international competitions. Coach Ranvir Singh said sportspersons from 18 states had participated in various skating events in the competition.

Yamunanagar, December 17
Three students were killed when their motorcycle was hit by a bus of a co-operative society near Shahpur village on the Bilaspur-Chhachhruali road today. The deceased were Mohit (18) of Pabni Kalan village , Anshu (18) of Maheshwari village and Aman (16) of Rashulpur village.

Mohit and Anshu were class XII students while Aman was studying in classX in a private school at Habbatpur village under Bilaspur subdivision.

Subhash Chander, SHO, Bilaspur Police Station, said the accident took place around 1.30 pm. The trio were on their way to Bilaspur when their motorcycle was hit by the bus on the Bilaspur to Chhachhruali route near Shahpur village. The bus fell into a pit after hitting the motorcycle. It was later taken out with the help of a crane.

The bodies were handed over to their kin after a post-mortem examination in the local Civil Hospital.

Rewari, December 17
Priya (25) committed suicide by jumping from the third storey of the district secretariat here this afternoon. She was rushed to the local trauma centre where she was declared brought dead.

Priya had come for the hearing of her case filed against in-laws in the women’s cell of the Police Department in the district secretariat here today. The Model Town police recovered a suicide note, stating that she was ending her life owing to persistent harassment by her in-laws for dowry.

On a complaint by the victim’s father, Subhash Chand, a resident of Mayur Vihar Colony here, the police have booked Priya’s husband Dharmender, father-in-law Attar Singh and mother-in-law Urmilla, all residents of the Jawalapuri area in Delhi.They have been arrested.

Besides the police have taken the trio into its custody as well.

The victim’s father alleged that Priya, who got married to Dharmender in November, 2012, was recently thrashed by her in-laws following which she returned to Rewari. She had filed a petition against her in-laws in the women’s cell here. 

Faridabad, December 17
The wife of a senior official with a private manufacturing company was murdered at her house in broad daylight here today. The victim, Sangeeta Sinha (58), was alone at her house in Sector 7 when the incident took place.

Some unidentified youths carrying sharp-edged weapons entered the house around 9:40 am, around half an hour after her husband left for office.

They stabbed Sangeeta several times around 10 am, leaving her in pool of blood. They searched for some items before leaving the spot. The killers fled before the incident came to light.

"The incident came to light when the maid arrived. She found Sangeeta lying unconscious on the floor, with blood splattered all around," said Manoj Kumar, Sector 7 SHO.

He said the victim succumbed to her injuries before she could be shifted to hospital. While it was suspected that the murder was pre-planned, the identity of the killers was yet to be established.

Victim's husband Ashok Sinha is the Deputy General Manager (Technical) with a private manufacturing company located on National Highway 2 near Ballabgarh.

He claimed that he had no inkling about the killers and they did not have enmity with anyone. The couple had been living here for the last couple of years.

Police Commissioner AS Chawla, who visited the spot, said they were looking into all angles and would be able to trace the killers soon.

He said the murder angle could not be ruled out as most valuables were found safe even though several items were found scattered.

The couple have three children, staying elsewhere. The police registered a case under Sections 455, 393 and 302 of the IPC. This was the 55th murder in the district this year.