Rohtak, January 22
Striking employees of the state power distribution corporations allegedly sabotaged electricity supply today, putting the residents to grave inconvenience and sparking protests.

Irked over the power and water supply cuts since yesterday, irate residents blocked roads and staged demonstrations to register their protest.

They blocked the Gohana road, Asthal Bohar, Bhalauth and Meham roads for several hours and raised slogans against the state government. The local power and administrative officials remained on their toes for the second day of the strike today in an attempt to control the damage and salvage the plummeting image of the state authorities.

Patients at the local PGIMS continued to be a harried lot.

Residents of the Gandhi Nagar area went to the Chief Minister’s ancestral house in the town to register their resentment and anger, but they were allegedly manhandled by the police personnel deployed there. A woman was hurt in the scuffle.

10 booked, Safai Karamcharis join stir

Faridabad: The supply of basic amenities, including power and water, remained paraysed for the second day of the strike today. The police have registered at least 10 cases of dereliction of duty against striking staff in Faridabad and Palwal even as the majority of the odd 20,000 employees of various department remained on strike.

Four employees from Faridabad and six from Palwal district were booked and one was arrested from Old Faridabad subdivision today. The police had booked six employees yesterday on the similar charges.

Meanwhile, sanitary conditions in the urban areas have started deteriorating in view of a majority of Safai Karamcharis joining the strike, it is claimed.

Kaithal: Many employees have been booked in Kaithal for disrupting the supply of essential services, especially water and power. Striking employees of the power board allegedly snapped the supply in Kaithal, Guhla, Siwan, Kalayat, Pundri and other areas of the district. Meanwhile, the SE, Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, Kaithal, SK Bansa, claimed that the power supply to most of the areas was restored by the evening.

Water supply suffers setback

Fatehabad: The strike call given by the government employees affected the electricity and water supply in Fatehabad town and other parts of the district.

Tohana and Bhattu towns of the district witnessed a blackout. No power department official was available to attend the complaints.

Agitated villagers blocked roads at Jandli and Chobara village. Tohana residents alleged that Agriculture Minister Paramvir Singh’s house was given power from a special feeder, while the rest of the town remained without it.

Rajinder Thakral of the Haryana Vyapar Mandal submitted a memorandum to the SDM issuing a warning that the traders would launch an agitation if power was not restored by the evening.

In Bhattu, two DHBVN employees were held for disrupting power supply.

Jind: Power blackouts were reported from various parts of the state and water supply was also disrupted due to power outages. With water scarcity, the shortage of other perishable commodities such as vegetables and milk was also apparent. Many locals complained of lack of supply by panicked farmers, who were reportedly busy in making arrangements of water for their milch cattle.

At many places people used non-potable and polluted water of hand pumps as they cannot afford to run generators. At other places villagers collected money to run submersibles by using generators.

Though the village has over 13 tube wells, the blackout has made them useless.

Residents of Ahirka, Kharak Ram Ji, Chabri, Asan, Sindhwi, Khera, Barah Kala, Barah khurd, Kalan, Nidani villages have also been facing similar problems. “Employees have problems with the government. They must trouble the authorities, who are enjoying uninterrupted power supply rather than troubling a common man,” said Ashok, a local trader.

Hygiene takes backseat

Gurgaon: The employees’ strike had a marginal impact in the city today, but cleanliness suffered as the Municipal Corporation Gurgaon (MCG) workers were part of the strike. The schools and government hospitals functioned as usual. Power supply in city was also normal. The electricity department and MCG workers staged a dharna. Meanwhile, vice-president of Sarv Karamchaari Sangh, Haryana, Naresh Shastri, said the three-day strike could be extend if the government failed to fulfil their demands.

Blackout in villages

Sirsa: A complete blackout was observed at various villages, while water and electricity supply was disrupted in Sirsa, Ellenabad, Rania, Dabwali and Kalanwali towns of the district.

Almost all government offices remained paralysed throughout the day. Health services were affected in Sirsa though OPDs functioned as usual.

Power corporation staff assembled at the 132-KV substation near the bus stand and raised slogans against the government. A section of roadways workers organised a dharna outside Sirsa bus stand and expressed resentment over the arrest of Sarv Karamchari Sangh president Sarbat Singh Punia and others at Fatehabad.

Madal Lal, a leader of the agitating roadways employees, warned that the roadways staff would be forced to sit on fast unto death if the government did not release their members immediately.

The non-teaching staff and contractual employees of Chaudhary Devi Lal University also participated in the strike.

Essential services hit

Sonepat: Essential services of power and water supply were today disrupted in many parts of the town due to the strike. Nigam Superintendent Engineer VS Maan said the nigam authorities had lodged complaints of sabotaging the supply lines of five feeders located at Rajpur, Bhogipur, Khewra, Bhatgaon and Aterna. “We have hired private contractors for restoring power. Around 90 per cent of the supply from these feeders had been restored by the evening,” he said.

BJP flays govt

Karnal: BJP state spokesman Jagmohan Anand today criticised the state government for overlooking public problems caused due to the strike. He shaved his head to express his resentment against the government’s failure to deal with the public problems.

He said the employees associations had already given an ultimatum to the government, but no action has been taken by it.

He alleged that neither the MLA nor the Karnal MP had come forward to redress public grievances caused due to the shutdown. “I will sit on a dharna after January 26 to press for issues of the district,” said Anand.

Angry mob injures ASI

Kurukshetra: An Assistant Sub-Inspector got injured near Mirjapur village while the villagers were protesting against the unavailability of power and water owing to the strike. ASI Mahender Singh was on duty at the village, when an unidentified man hit him on his head with a cane. He was rushed to Loknayak Jaiprakash Hospital where his condition was said to be stable. 

Carry out night patrolling, Chief Secy tells police

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Secretary SC Choudhary has directed all District Magistrates and police officers in the state to carry out regular night patrolling at sensitive points in their areas to prevent sabotage of public utilities and services. Choudhary said all divisional commissioners, District Magistrates, Inspector General of Police and Superintendent of Police have also been asked to send a district wise report to him in this regard on January 23 by 9:30 am, he said. The report should mention the installations and places visited along with the time of the visit. If necessary, based on the feedback from the power and Public Health Engineering Departments, preventive detentions might also be made, he added.

Chandigarh, January 22
The Haryana Government and the Haryana Roadways Employees’ unions are at daggers drawn on the issue of giving 3,519 bus permits to private players.

The state government claims that it wants to provide efficient bus service by issuing private permits on routes, which are not viable for plying its buses.

The unions, on the other hand, maintain that past experience has shown that private players go off their specified routes and venture onto “lucrative” routes.

Haryana Transport Minister Aftab Ahmed says, “Employees are apprehensive that with the entry of private players, they will get a raw deal. Their fears of retrenchment are unfounded. Contrary to this, we are planning to increase our bus fleet from 3,800 (of which 3,200 are presently plying) to 4,500. Also, we have a policy, which lays down the routes and the permits will be allotted through a lottery to rule out any cartelisation.” He said, “If we can provide bus service on the routes not covered by the roadways buses, there should not be any objection since the public will benefit from it.”

The minister is a part of the three-member committee, headed by Industries Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala, constituted as a part of the “deal” to call off the recent agitation. It will study the objections against private permits to be submitted by the unions and take a final call.

The unions, however, have their own version of “public interest”. A member of the Roadways Employees’ Coordination Committee which held talks with the government following the agitation, Dalbir Kirmare, said a similar experiment had already failed once in the state.

“In 1993, private permits were given during Bhajan Lal’s rule. However, finding these non-viable, the private players came onto our routes. They not only began eating into the earnings of the roadways but the public on the routes allotted to private players was deprived of any bus service. Consequently, many panchayats wrote to the government to ply buses of the Haryana Roadways and withdraw the private players,” he said.

The unions maintain that while the government reluctantly revises rates since the services are essentially to benefit the public, the private players have no such interest and work only for profit.

“They will sit on a dharna, ask for a revision of rates and the government will have to agree so that at least the people will get the service. Giving away of private permits is just not acceptable,” the unions said.

Faridabad, January 22
The traffic police here is on a challaning spree. This time they are after helmetless pillion riders.

They have handed out some 4,350 challans, to the shock of two-wheeler commuters who have never been targeted under this traffic rule before. The police will be carrying on the special drive against traffic rule violators until January 17 when the state’s Safety Week ends.

“The department has carried out an intensive campaign not only to penalise offenders but also to create awareness of the safety rules. The drive has evoked an overwhelming response,” claimed a traffic police spokesperson.

He said it was for the first time that pillion riders had been challaned for not wearing helmets. Delhi police are strict on this rule and now it is being enforced here as well. Claiming that while the police would continue to check traffic rule violations, he said the challans would force the two-wheeler drivers to take the safety of pillion-riders seriously. In case of accidents, helmetless pillion-riders are extremely vulnerable. The spokesman emphasised that helmets for the pillion riders are mandatory throughout the year and not just during Safety Week.

“However, scores of two-wheeler drivers could be seen zooming without helmets where there was no checking,” claimed Sanjay Kumar a local resident. He said he agreed on the necessity of helmets for pillion-riders but warned that enforcing the rule would be difficult.

Meanwhile, traffic police in neighbouring Palwal district have issued around 5,278 challans of various nature during the past about a month. Both Faridabad and Palwal are located on the perpetually busy National Highway 2, better known as the Mathura road.

Chandigarh, January 22
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and union minister and Ambala MP are pitching for their respective candidates for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats.

Elections to fill two seats of Haryana falling vacant on the retirement of Ram Parkash and Ishwar Singh on April 9 were announced last week.

Though the two seats went to the Congress in the last election based on the party’s strength in the House, its present strength of 46 in the Assembly means that the party can send back only one Rajya Sabha MP this time.

The main Opposition party, the INLD, with a strength of 31 MLAs, will get the other seat since any candidate getting “30 plus one” first preference votes will be considered elected. Though three MLAs, including Chautala, are serving a sentence in the JBT scam, they will have the option of exercising their vote.

Party chief Om Prakash Chautala will decide the INLD candidate.

There is a consensus in the Congress to send a Scheduled Caste leader to the Rajya Sabha. While the Hooda camp is pushing the candidature of HPCC chief Phool Chand Mullana with Raj Kumar Balmiki as the second option, the “dissident” camp led by Selja and Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh is keen on second term for Ishwar Singh. While he, too, belongs to the same caste, the Birender-Selja camp is hopeful of a second term since retiring MP Ram Prakash has been a two-term MP of the RS and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Shadi Lal Batra, too, has got a second term.

Sources said both camps have approached party seniors with their recommendations though Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s decision will be final.Sources added that the party could accommodate a senior leader from outside the state.

Faridabad, January 22
The reports of a suspected case of swine flu has created both panic and confusion among health officials. Though the health department has rubbished the reports, some of the patients reporting high fever have been at the receiving end of the confusion prevailing in private clinics and hospitals.

“I was prescribed a drug for swine flu when I got my child admitted to a private hospital near Neelam Chowk yesterday,” claimed Deepak Kumar, a resident of local Parvatiya Colony here.

He said while the child was suffering from high fever for the past three days, he panicked when the doctor prescribed him a swine flu drug. He, however, said the officials of government hospitals turned him away claiming that it was not swine flu and the doctors of the private hospitals had failed to get the case diagnosed properly.

They said the drug could not be issued till all the investigation was done, he said. It is revealed that the kin of the patient in this case was again sent to 
the civil hospital on Wednesday, but got the same response from the authorities concerned.

Dr Anoop Kumar, Deputy CMO, civil hospital, said the case was not diagnosed correctly as the authorities of the private hospital where the patient was admitted had failed to submit the investigation report. The drug could not be given without proper examination.

He said the case appears to be a case of just chronic respiratory infection. Any case of swine flu required a lab investigation and notification by the hospital where the patient was admitted. The CMO of Faridabad also claimed that no such case had surfaced in the district so far.

Gurgaon, January 22
Congress MP from Gurgaon Rao Inderjit Singh said today that he would join the BJP on February 13 but not quit his Lok Sabha seat.

Expressing disgust at the functioning of the Congress, he said: “It has no internal democracy, no ideology, and wanted to retain power at all cost.”

The development is a major setback for the ruling Congress and a shot in the arm for the BJP, especially in south Haryana’s Ahirwal belt comprising Gurgaon, Rewari and Mahendragarh districts.

Lauding the BJP, he said it was the only party which could provide a stable and efficient government at the Centre.

He clarified that even though his Haryana Insaaf Manch would continue functioning as an NGO, its political wing, the Haryana Insaaf Congress (which was registered with the Election Commission as a political party),would be merged into the BJP the day he joined it.

The Rao said he would contest Gurgaon LS seat as the BJP nominee.

With the Rao in its ranks, the BJP is expected to get a boost in Rohtak, Bhiwani/Mahendragarh and Faridabad parliamentary constituencies on account of the presence of the Yadav community there.

Rewari, January 22
Notwithstanding directives of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, 19 candidates who are on the waiting list for posts of SS masters have been awaiting a call from the Department of Elementary Education to join service for over one year now.

These candidates have moved a contempt petition before the HC to get justice. The Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) had invited applications for 372 posts of SS master in 2009. The commission had declared the result in May, 2012, wherein 19 candidates of the SC category figured in the waiting list of selected candidates.

“The selected candidates were issued appointment letters in November, 2012, but 35 candidates did not join duty, 25 of them from the SC category and three to the Backward Classes,” said a local candidate on the waiting list . He said the candidates in waiting approached the higher officials of the Elementary Education Department after getting the information about vacant posts but the officials did nothing except giving them hollow assurances about sorting out the issue soon. Ultimately, they had to move the HC.

“The court on November 14 last directed the Department of Elementary Education, Haryana, to satisfy the claim of the petitioners against the vacant posts within 30 days,” said the candidate.

Kurkshetra, January 22
After being criticised in the past, khaps and sarv khap panchayats are trying an image makeover. The panchayats are holding meetings over the rise in number of rapes, honour killings, dowry cases, domestic violence, female foeticide and physical abuse of women, besides girls’ education, in Haryana and other states.

“So far, over 40,000 people in Haryana have extended their support to a signature campaign against female foeticide and signed a memorandum which will be presented to the President after reaching the target of 1 lakh signatures,” said Santosh Dahiya, president of the mahila wing of a sarv khap panchayat.

“Hundreds of cases of domestic violence have been solved through counselling and people are approaching us through e-mails, letters and calls. NGOs and social activists have supported us and Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner Nikhil Gajraj has given an assurance of calling us during night halts in the district so that we can present our view and spread awareness,”she said.

The NGO Akhil Bhartiya Mahila Shakti Manch had been formed and all awareness programmes would be run under it henceforth, she added. She said, “A steep fall in moral values has been observed. Parents provide higher education, a lavish lifestyle and complete freedom to their children, but forget to make them aware of their culture and moral values. The lack of this knowledge among the youth is the prime reason behind many problems in society.”

She further said, "People misuse their rights which are provided by the Constitution. It has been found in many cases of domestic violence that both partners want to utilise their rights and no one wants to compromise to save the relationship. Awareness about moral values and responsibility among the youth is the need of the hour.”

Talking about the role of khaps in honour killings, she said, “It is disheartening that khaps and sarv khap panchayats are targeted and criticised every time for someone's individual deed. A khap panchayat can only present its view and pass orders of social boycott, but not killing.”

In most cases, the main culprits of honour killing were not representatives of khaps, but the kin of the couples or relatives of the girl. They did it when they could not resist the social pressure of the locality and taunts of other relatives, she claimed.

Dahiya said there were 110 khaps and tappas in Haryana and sarv khap panchayats were not in a position to take action against a guilty khap as each khap was independent of the other. She agreed that the strictest punishment should be awarded to the guilty khap for any illegal decision.

“Khaps are against same-gotra marriages and not those involving a partner from a different caste, religion or region. A survey was conducted and all 36 biradaris were of the view that same-gotra marriages should be declared invalid. A petition for amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act in this connection is pending in the Supreme Court,” she said.

New Delhi, January 22
HJC chief Kuldeep Bishnoi today pleaded with the Supreme Court to quash SEZ laws, both of the Centre and the states, contending that these had promoted only land mafias, not trade, growth or revenue.

Arguing before a three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam, Bishnoi’s senior counsel Nidhesh Gupta said the government had admitted that the duty sops offered to the industrial units in these zones had resulted in a revenue loss of Rs 1,75,000 crore during 2005-10. The loss on this count must have gone up manifold since then.

The government had claimed that the revenue losses would be more than offset by higher production and trade, but there was nothing on record to substantiate this, Gupta contended.

Besides running counter to each other, the 2005 SEZ Acts of the Centre and Haryana were in conflict with the regulations of the NCR Planning Board (NCRB). After taking over land rights from Haryana, UP and Rajasthan in respect of the areas near Delhi, the board was allocating even agricultural land for setting up SEZs, he contended.

Further, Article 243 Q of the Constitution stipulated that large urban areas should be administered through elected municipalities, but the SEZs were being run by development commissioners appointed by the government, he pleaded.

The government was treating goods movements in and out of SEZs as imports and exports even if these were within the country and this resulted in a huge revenue loss to the exchequer, be it excise, customs or sales tax, the PIL petitioner contended.

Since the filing of the PIL in 2006, more and more SEZs had been set up by acquiring land, the petitioner lamented.

The apex court should strike down the SEZ laws and direct the government to return the acquired land to the farmers hit hard by these legal provisions, the senior advocate argued. The arguments would continue.

Rohtak, January 22
Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) faculty have opposed the move to appoint director of the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET), saying that it is in gross violation of the university Act and statutes.

A representation submitted to the Maharshi Dayanand University Vice-Chancellor maintains that the UIET director should be appointed from among the serving faculty at the institute, as laid down in the university Act and statutes.

"University teachers have been made heads of their respective departments and directors of institutes at MDU till date. However, for reasons best known to the authorities, an independent director is being appointed at UIET against rules and norms," said a senior faculty member of the university.

They maintained that the move would block the chances of UIET faculty heading the institute.

They pointed out that the post of UIET director had been occupied by a professor of the Chemistry Department for the past several years as officiating charge.

Now, the university authorities have decided to appoint a permanent and independent directorbut the candidate is likely to be hired from outside.

This, despite the fact that two professors serving at the UIET are eligible to head the institute.

They have urged the university authorities to withdraw the move. 

MDU Vice-Chancellor HS Chahal conceded that there was a move to fill the post of UIET director independently because of the specific requirements of the institute.

Asked the reason for the special treatment being accorded only to the UIET and not to the Institute of Management Studies and Research (IMSAR) and the Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management (IHTM)where serving senior faculty members were appointed directors, the Vice-Chancellor said the study programmes offered by the IMSAR and the IHTM had limited subject matter while the UIET had special requirements owing to its special character.

Rohtak, January 22
The MDU authorities have allowed migration to the son of a state minister in violation of the university rules and despite refusal by its Academic Council.

The MDU administration allowed Nishit Kataria, son of Haryana Sports Minister Sukhbir Kataria, to migrate from OP Jindal Global University, Sonepat, to the University Institute of Law and Management Studies (UILMS), Gurgaon.

Clause 3 of the MDU Ordinance - Migration to LLB/LLM course (Calendar Volume 2 Part B Page No.83) clearly states that “In the case of migration from other university, a candidate who has compartment/reappear in any subject will not be eligible”.

As per Nishit’s application, he had failed in two exams in the fourth semester, two exams in the fifth semester, absent in one exam and debarred in one exam at OPJindal Global University, where he was a student of the five-year BA-LLB programme.

Still, he was allowed migration on medical grounds, overruling the decision of the MDU Academic Council.

MDU VC HS Chahal claimed that the migration had been allowed after convincing the Academic Council members. But the university has no answer as to how the migration could be allowed several months prior to the Academic Council meeting which supposedly gave its consent to the proposal.

The MDU administration also told the Academic Council that the UILMS Director had recommended that students might be migrated to the LLB seventh semester. However, as Nishit had not appeared in the sixth semester examination at OPJ Global University, the MDU okayed his migration in the fifth semester as a “special case” as “he had been failed/debarred in fifth semester examination”.

The MDU Academic Council then resolved that the request should not be accepted in the said form. However, the university authorities went ahead on the basis of migration and an NoC certificates issued by OPJ Global University and recommendation of UILMS Director. The matter was first presented before the council at its meeting held in August, 2013, and on its refusal, it was discussed at the next meeting held in January, 2014.

Ambala, January 22
The Ambala Vigilance Bureau has started an inquiry into the allegations of using substandard material in the construction of roads in Sector 7 and other areas of HUDA.

Last year, interlocking tiles were paved on the roads of various sectors of HUDA at Ambala City.

Residents of Sector 7 had filed a complaint with the HUDA administrator and Vigilance Bureau alleging substandard materials were used while paving the tiles.

A vigilance team led by Inspector Rajinder Kumar inspected the roads of Sector 7 yesterday and collected the samples of interlocking tiles, sand and gravel. They also collected the samples from the road opposite to the resident of HPCC chief Phool Chand Mulana. 

Chandigarh, January 22
Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia today conferred Bhim Award upon 17 sportspersons in recognition of their outstanding performances in various sports disciplines, which included a cash prize of Rs 1.15 crore.

Players, who received the Bhim Award include: Kavita Chahal (boxing), Rajender (wrestling), Seema Antil (athletics), Sube Singh (volleyball), Harpreet Singh (shooting), Prashant Karmakar (swimming), Geeta (wrestling), Dilbagh Singh (boxing), Anisha Sayyad (shooting), Manjeet Nandal (judo), Bhartender Singh (athletics), Sandeep Singh (hockey), Milanpreet (roller skating), Ritu Rani (hockey), Amit Saroha and Lakshmi (paralympics) and Keshav Malik, a physically challenged player.

Each player was given a cash award of Rs 5 lakh, a shield and a citation.

Chandigarh, January 22
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has ordered special girdawari to assess the damage to crops due to recent hailstorms in different parts of the state.

The CM also directed all Deputy Commissioners that they would be held responsible for any delay in ensuring timely compensation to the affected farmers.

A spokesman said here today that all DCs had been asked to get special girdawari conducted in the hailstorm-hit areas and send their reports for further action.

Karnal, January 21
Five persons were booked in the murder case of Amit, 22, who was shot dead at Sector 6 here yesterday. No arrest has been made so far.

The body was handed over to his family after conducting the post-mortem examination.

Joginder Rathi, DSP Hqs, said a case had been registered against Neeraj, Brij, Naveen and two unidentified persons under relevant sections of the IPC. 

Sonepat, January 22
Three persons — Ashok, Ravi and Ashok’s daughter Kirti — all residents of Shahbad Markanda in Kurukshetra district, died on the spot when a loaded truck fell on their car at Rai crossing on the national highway No 1 last night.

Ashok’s wife, Suman, and Ravi’s wife, Renu, were injured seriously. Doctors referred both of them to the PGIMS, Rohtak.

The victims were returning to Shahbad Markanda after shopping for the marriage of Ravi’s son slated for January 31.

Sources said the driver of the apple-loaded truck, which was bound for Delhi, suddenly lost control over the vehicle after the front tyre burst. The truck jumped the divider before falling on the Honda City car in which the victims were travelling.

The truck driver who fled the spot had been booked . The bodies were handed over to their family members after the postmortem examination today.

Karnal, January 22
Naresh Kumar, a timber merchant of Randoli village of Indri block, who went missing since January 11, was found dead in a drain near the village today.

Family members of the deceased alleged that he was murdered after kidnapping.

Sher Singh, brother of deceased, said Naresh had gone to a Kutia on January 11 and did not come back.

Indri SHO Anil Kundu said, “Body was found in a drain and sent for a postmortem. The reasons of death will be known after receiving the report.”