Chandigarh, January 23
Senior INLD leader and Kalayat MLA Ram Pal Majra said here today that the video CDs of the MLAs and their kin would be handed over to the Lokayukta on January 27 to bring out the truth in the “cash-for-CLUs” scam.

Last year the INLD had released video CDs of Health Minister Rao Narinder Singh, CPSs, Vinod Bhayana, Jaleb Khan(his son Sajid Khan was shown allegedly demanding money) and MLAs Naresh Selvel, Ram Niwas Ghorela, Jarnail Singh and Sampat Singh (his son was allegedly shown demanding a bribe) allegedly demanding bribes for CLU permissions.

He also threatened that the INLD would launch a statewide agitation from tomorrow if Fauji was not removed by tonight after registering an FIR against him.

Coming down heavily on Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for allegedly shielding “tainted” ministers and MLAs, including Fauji, Majra demanded an independent probe into the grant of CLUs and government jobs during Hooda’s tenure.

Fatehabad: Castigating the Hooda Government on CLUs, Ellenabad MLA Abhay Singh Chautala said if the INLD came to power, the probe into Robert Vadra land deals would be entrusted to IAS officer Ashok Khemka.

He said former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala would take the final call on the candidate for the Rajya Sabha.

Chandigarh, January 23
The group-housing societies, residential colonies of employers and commercial-cum-residential complexes of developers will be supplied power on single-point (bulk supply) system by the electricity department from April 1.

While the electricity bills for February/March would be issued as per the existing practice, the bills from April onwards would be issued as per the single-point metering system, according to an order issued by the Chief General Manager (Commercial), Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN).

The new system would be implemented in housing colonies having 20 or more houses.

The order said on the basis of the reading of April 1, the bills of the single-point supply would be generated by April 7 and distributed by April 10.

The residents have to deposit the bills by April 17 to the nodal officer concerned, who would deposit them with the SDO concerned by April 25.

Under the new system, the housing complexes would install a single electricity meter for power distribution and individual consumers would have sub-meters.

The society management would be responsible for individual metering, billing, and collection of charges from individual users and payment of energy bills for single-point power supply to the discoms, sources said.

A majority of housing societies and residential complexes have an exclusive power distribution network in the form of transformers, high-tension and low-tension cables and service cables on their premises.

As of now, only a few societies and residential complexes have single-point power supply under bulk supply category.

The decision was taken as officials of power distribution companies currently did not have free access to these gated complexes manned by security personnel.

Due to restricted access, officials could not take effective steps to reduce commercial losses, which ultimately resulted in high tariff and affected the interests of honest consumers. Besides, consumers made frequent complaints of harassment by the power distribution company employees in connection with meter reading, billing and payment of bills, sources added.

Fresh power regime

* Housing societies to shift to single-point metering system from April 1

* Housing complexes to install single electricity meter for power distribution

* Society management responsible for collection and payment of power bills

Rohtak, January 23
The coordination committee of government employees ended the employees' strike this evening. A formal announcement to this effect was made by employee leaders Raj Singh, Amar Singh, Dharambir and Subhash Lamba at a press conference.

They regretted the inconvenience caused to the people due to the three-day strike and hoped that talks with government functionaries slated for tomorrow would have a positive outcome.

They said the strike was supposed to continue till midnight, but was called off after the state authorities invited the employees’ representatives for talks.

Local MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra assured them that no employee would be arrested. Deputy Commissioner Amit Aggarwal told them to work overtime to restore smooth supply of water, power and other essential services.

Power supply disrupted

Gurgaon: Most residents were harassed on the last day of the employees’ strike as almost the entire town went without power for almost eight hours.

Power distribution utilities' instructions to maintain power supply failed to have much of an effect as people battled power disruption and the consequent water shortage. Posh residential colonies were without power since the wee hours. Residents' associations flocked complaint centres, but nothing seemed to work.

The worst hit were villages and rural areas, where there was no electricity for almost two days. People got in touch with Discom officials, who said it was taking time to rectify technical faults due to less manpower.

Stones thrown at police

Jind: Protesters threw stones at the police, who used sticks to disperse protesters. At many places, youngsters with faces covered tried to attack police personnel.

There were traffic jams at 13 or 14 places in the town. There were traffic jams since the morning. “We had to use force to remove protesters, but no one was injured,” said DSP City Dharmveer Punia.

Common man suffers

Sirsa: Residents suffered due to erratic electricity and water supply. Notwithstanding claims by Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) that power supply remained largely unaffected, people had a different story to tell.

Residents alleged that the common man bore the brunt of the strike while power supply continued to areas where MP Ashok Tanwar, Leader of Opposition Om Prakash Chautala and senior officers lived.

They alleged that the contractual staff of the DHBVN were at the beck and call of VVIPs. Residents of the Kanganpur area alleged that power had been cut for over 24 hours and the DHBVN authorities had refused to entertain any complaint.

RC Yadav, Superintending Engineer with the DHBVN, claimed that power supply was normal in the entire district. “We have 68 powerhouses that encompass 644 feeders of 11 KV. Barring 18 feeders, all are functioning normally,” he claimed.

Villagers block traffic

Fatehabad: Irate villagers blocked vehicular traffic in several parts of the district after the authorities failed to restore electricity and drinking water supply.

They blocked roads at Dhingsaram Dhani Gopal, Kanheri, Pili Mandori, Lehrian, Baijalpur and Mochi villages in Fatehabad, bringing vehicular traffic to a halt.

Power supply remained disrupted to many areas throughout the night. The police booked some unidentified persons at Sulikhera for disrupting power supply.

Home Guard attacked

Karnal: People of several parts of the district were enraged over the strike as essential services were hit. Residents blocked roads at places.

NGOs handed over a memorandum to local MLA Sumita Singh. Around 350 feeders of the district were not working. Several areas were without power.

Irate Gharonda residents reached the powerhouse on the GT Road. Home Guard Suresh was hurt in the attack.

Employees’ associations took out protest marches in the district.

SP Shasank Anand said adequate security arrangements were made to avoid any untoward incident. Ten persons were booked for disrupting services.

Chandigarh, January 23
The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) and the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam(UHBVN) have authorised their Superintending Engineers (Operations) to engage additional manpower through contractors after considering the number of contractual manpower on strike at noon today. They can engage qualified persons up to 25 per cent of the number of contractual employees on strike. If they feel the necessity of more manpower, the SEs can engage the staff with the approval of the Director concerned.

A spokesman of the discoms said here today that queues of youths were seen in the offices of SEs this morningto submit their applications for posts of assistant linemen. The qualification for the post is matriculation with a two-year ITI course in electrician/electronics/wireman trade or a two years vocational course under lineman/ electrician trade.

Chandigarh, January 23
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today directed the officers concerned to ensure implementation of the announcements made at the Gohana rally. Hooda said he would personally write to all beneficiaries to know whether the benefits of respective schemes had reached them. 

Presiding over a meeting of senior officers here today, Hooda made it clear that if any complaint was received regarding delay in making available the benefits of the schemes to the eligible beneficiaries. — TNS

New Delhi, January 23
The Supreme Court today directed Haryana and the Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC) to file status reports on special economic zones (SEZs) in the state, specifying the total land acquired and the percentage of utilisation.

A three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam passed the order after senior advocate Nidhesh Gupta, arguing for petitioner Kuldeep Bishnoi, the Haryana Janhit Congress chief, contended that vast tracts of land acquired from farmers for SEZ projects were being diverted to property developers.

The HSIDC contended that 2,200 acres had been returned to farmers as most SEZ projects could not take off due to lack of interest by the corporate sector.

Nevertheless, the Bench set a three-week deadline for the State and the HSIDC for providing details in a sworn affidavit and posted the next hearing for February 13.

Initially, the Bench wanted to send the matter to the Punjab and Haryana High Court for adjudication, but Gupta pleaded against it.

He pointed out that the public interest litigation was pending in the apex court for almost eight years and as such, it would not be proper to delay it further by going in for fresh arguments in the High Court. The petitioner was challenging SEZ Acts of the Centre and other states.

After the hearing, Haryana’s Additional Advocate-General Manjit Singh Dalal said the biggest economic project, the Reliance Haryana SEZ in Sectors 36, 36-B and 37-B of Gurgaon, no longer existed “either on paper or on the ground”.

The State had given 1,383 acres for the joint venture project in the form of equity, but the scheme was de-notified in June 2013 following the surrender of the land by Reliance.

According to the petitioner, Haryana had approved over 50 SEZ projects and most of these still remained non-starters, giving rise to speculative trading in real estate by private developers at the cost of farmers whose highly fertile land had been acquired for a song.

The SEZ scheme would jeopardise national food security and the ecology of the Aravalli hills running through Gurgaon and other parts of Haryana, it was contended. The petitioner was pleading for quashing SEZ Acts and returning the land acquired to farmers. 

Rohtak, January 23
Former PGIMS Director Dr SB Siwach has been elected as the chairman of the Post-Graduate Medical Education Committee of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

The panel is the highest decision-making body in the country regarding regulation of post-graduate courses in medical education, including MD, MS, DM and MCH.

Dr Siwach was nominated to the MCI and the committee by the Union government and unanimously elected as the chairman of the PG committee by the members.

He received his medical education at the PGIMS and later rose to become a professor and head of the Department of Medicine at the institute. After his retirement from the PGIMS in 2006, he joined as the principal of Mullana Medical College. For the first time a medical professional from Haryana has been made the chairman of the MCI PG education committee.

Faridabad, January 23
More than 1,426 trees are likely to be axed for the widening of a road from Ankhir Chowk to the famous Surajkund tourist spot, which will be holding the annual Surajkund Crafts Mela from February 1 to 15.

However, the slow pace of widening of the road could hamper movement of the traffic during the fair, which witnesses a large number of visitors. The road also provides an alternative route to New Delhi. "However, for widening of the road, large numbers of trees have to be cut,” said an official of the department.

The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) had started the widening of the road a few months ago. The project would cost Rs 85crore.

Admitting that nearly 1,426 trees have been identified, a senior HUDA official said the department had sought permission from the Forest and Environment Department and it was likely to be granted soon as the project was to be completed by April this year.

The trees would be replaced by the department at an alternative place as per the directions of the department. Tourism Department officials said the project was running late and it might not serve the purpose this time as only 12 days were left for the fair to begin.

“This could pose a traffic bottleneck as the road will not be available fully to the commuters during the fair,” said Sharad Kumar, a local resident. “This road has been a victim of neglect over the years despite the fact that Surajkund has been a hotspot for tourists,” said Manoj, resident of Sector 21- C here.

Ambala, January 23
Farmers of the district feared that the untimely rain would affect the overall output of the wheat crop this year. Also, the rain was not favourable for the mustard crop and vegetables, especially potato and tomato.

As per an estimate, nearly 30 per cent of the total wheat crop has been affected by the rain. Gurmail Singh, a farmer, said the rain would adversely affect the ripening process of the wheat crop which could lead to drop in the yield.

Experts said the rain could turn the crop pale. Farmers of more than 30 villages, including Nagal, Saha, Barara and Shahzadpur, have been affected by the rain. The farmers said late varieties of the wheat could face more damage.

Farmers of Phulemajara and Sambhalka villages said most of their fields had been inundated with rainwater which could damage the standing crop.

Hisar, January 23
Close on the heels of a raging demand for police reforms in Delhi, a movement is being planned in neighbouring Haryana to get the force rid of corruption, criminalisation and politicisation.

The Haryana Police Sangathan (HPS), a registered body of serving and retired policemen, is set to organise a mahasammelan in Rohtak on February 5.

The association, with 55,000 members, mostly lower-rung policemen, is on an intensive drive across the state to mobilise people for attending the programme to highlight their demands and hopes to draw around 15,000 participants.

Extending support to the ongoing strike by Haryana employees, HPS also urged policemen not to use force without written orders from authorities as lower-level cops face inquiries later while senior officials go scot-free, it said.

The organisation, with serving members up to the rank of a Head Constable and retired up to the rank of an Inspector, stressed the need to implement the report of the national police commission headed by Dharam Vira to put a check on political meddling into police affairs.

The Haryana Police Sangathan also demanded parity in pay for Haryana cops with their counterparts in Punjab, Himachal and Chandigarh.

The association has already rejected government’s risk allowance and interim relief doled out to policemen.

Dilawar Singh, a firebrand president of the Haryana Police Sangathan, said the police image had taken a beating due to prevailing corruption.

“Arbitrary powers are given to senior officers and there is always a risk of misuse of authority and position. Corruption in postings of SHOs is an open secret,” he claimed.

“The Dharam Vira committee was formed in 1979 after the then Deputy Prime Minister Charan Singh called a meeting of the all-India policemen association following strike by several states, including Haryana.

It has been over 30 years since the committee submitted its report but its recommendations are yet to be implemented,” he said.

Dilawar Singh, on whom charges under the National Security Act, Maintenance of Internal Security Act and the Essential Services Maintenance Act were slapped for participating in agitations while being in service, was part of a raiding team that caught former Director General of Police (DGP) Ramesh Sehgal in December 1996 while “taking bribe” from a Gurgaon businessman.

Reforms on agenda

* To get the force rid of corruption, criminalisation and politicisation, Haryana Police Sangathan is organissing a mahasammelan in Rohtak on February 5

* HPS, with 55,000 members, mostly lower-rung policemen, is on an intensive drive across the state to mobilise people for attending the programme to highlight their demands

* The body has extended its support to the ongoing strike by Haryana employees

Rewari, January 23
Members of the Aggarwal Sabha here have come up with a unique way to curtail lavish spending during weddings and have decided not to give or take more than Rs 100 as ‘shagun’.

The members also asked women and girls not to dance at public places during wedding celebrations.

The decisions were taken unanimously at a general-body meeting of the sabha held here recently. The Aggarwal Sabha has over 2,600 life members in the district.

The meeting was presided over by its president Radheshyam Gupta, wherein the members also resolved not to distribute sweets along with invitation cards. “It is not a decree, but a step towards bringing a change in the social trend. Lavish spending on weddings is nothing but a wastage of money,” Gupta said.

Justifying the decision, he said instead of spending lavishly on weddings, the money should be saved as a fixed deposit for the bride. 
“We have not decided any punishment for violators, but members have taken a pledge not to give and take ‘shagun’ more than Rs 100.”

On the decision to not to allow women to dance at public places he said: “Dancing on the road leads to traffic jam, secondly it gives a chance to thieves to steal gold ornaments and lastly it violates the century-old social custom,” Gupta added. 

Chandigarh, January 23
A wrong number provided by a student is all set to change the way candidates are intimated about their admission prospects.

Shonia would have missed the admission to the Diploma in Education for 2013-15 just because she provided a wrong mobile number at the time of filling in the forms. The message sent by the authorities concerned never landed on her phone; and her candidature was rejected for delay in seeking admission. Coming to her rescue, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has now directed Haryana and other respondents to consider the feasibility of adopting alternative means of intimation as well.

Taking up her petition, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arun Palli asserted: “This is a case where the appellant is suffering the consequences of providing inadvertently two digits wrong in the mobile number for intimation of her admission to the Diploma in Education”.

Her application was accepted, but at the time of submitting the form she inadvertently mentioned 10 as the last two digits of her mobile number instead of 81. The appellant was allotted a seat in the third phase of counselling but the message sent through SMS did not reach her. The last date for the third phase of counselling expired on October 6, 2013.

She contacted the authorities concerned and her father even went to Gurgaon on October 9, 2013, to meet officials for the inclusion of her name in the fourth phase of counselling, but to no avail.

After going through the arguments, the Bench added: “We may add that the only intimation sent was through SMS and no intimation was sent in writing as a backup. Not only that even the sixth and seventh phases of counselling have been held…. We find that bona fide mistake of the nature which has occurred cannot be fatal, more so when the counselling was in progress.”

“We are of the view that the appellant can be admitted to the D.Ed. course for the session 2013-15 in the LCRT College of Education, Mehrana village, Gohana Road, Panipat, by allocation of one of the two vacant seats.” aBefore parting with the matter, we may state that the authorities/respondents concerned would examine the feasibility of backup intimation being sent in writing apart from the SMS to avoid such eventualities”.

Karnal, January 23
Haryana’s highway tourism is facing a major setback. Reason: wayside tourist spots, dating back to early the ’70s and ’80s, are unable to meet visitors’ expectations whereas private stakeholders are leaving no stone unturned in offering better services.

(Above) The Karna Lake resort in a state of neglect; and (below) closed craft bazaar shops at the Oasis complex in Karnal. Tribune photos: Ravi Kumar

The state was once known as a pioneer in highway tourism in the country, but now these spots are gradually losing sheen. Tourism hotels and restaurants eventually became popular as they catered to the needs of the people and offered services at affordable rates.

But, over the years, a large number of eating joints, motels, restaurant-cum-dhabas and food courts have dotted the highway, due to which Haryana’s tourism resorts are facing stiff competition.

In Karnal, tourists and locals, especially the youth, prefer visiting Mayur and Jhilmil dhabas along with high-end complexes like Savoy Greens instead of flagship tourism resorts like Oasis and Karna Lake resort, which are located in the vicinity.

Haryana Tourism resorts’ monopoly was broken after private sector entrepreneurs established hotels like Savoy Greens, which had various food courts such as Subway, Mc Donalds, Coffee Costa, Baskin Robins, Doda Plaza and Dominos. Other complexes, including the KFC and Paranthe Wali Gali, have also made a severe dent in the state’s tourism business.

The Karan Lake Resort is the only place in Karnal which offers boating. To attract visitors, it was renovated and a new parking lot was constructed.

Motorboats were introduced and there are plans to construct a banquet hall. It is believed that the resort, with an annual turnover of Rs 3 crore, is running a net loss.

Anil Bajaj, head of the 23-room resort, said the mushrooming of food courts had affected business. “We have managed to arrange a stop for Volvo buses and try and serve quality eatables. Tourists visiting our complex for boating prefer eating at other places, preferably food courts,” he said.

However, the head of Oasis, Kuldeep Chandna, claimed that even though the youth were attracted to junk food outlets, there was an increase in tourists as state tourism property was considered safe.

He added that the resort was running in profit, but the flyover and elevated road had made it difficult for people to approach the complex. On visiting the Oasis complex, the Tribune team found craft bazaar shops closed. There is business only when buses halt here.

Amandeep, a businessman who frequently commutes between Chandigarh and Delhi, said, “Oasis should concentrate on providing quality products and services. It charges exorbitantly. It charges Rs 20 for tea and Rs 80 for a burger, but fails to match it with quality. Therefore, we prefer food courts.”

(To be continued)

Kaithal, January 23
The state government is wooing general category families living below the poverty line (BPL). The government has decided to include general category BPL families in Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Vivah Shagun Yojna.

The Social Justice and Empowerment Department had issued a notification on December 30, 2013, but the intimation to implement the decision was sent to the district authorities recently only.

According to the notification, families of general category living below poverty line and having an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh or holding land below two-and-a-half acres would be entitled to avail Rs 10,000 benefit under the scheme.

The widows (BPL category) and other beneficiaries, included in the list but without BPL conditions, are those destitute girls who live in government/ government-aided institutions and orphan girls living with their guardians would get Rs 31,000 on their marriage.

The women who have been divorced and desirous of remarriage not covered under the above category would also qualify for financial help of Rs 11,000.

The claimants seeking assistance have to submit an application a month prior to marriage or within a month after marriage to the District Social Welfare Officer. — OC

Mahendragarh, January 23
The body of a 4-year-old girl, who was reportedly abducted by unidentified persons four days ago, was recovered from a well in Garhi Ruthal village under Mandi Ateli police station here yesterday.

The body, bearing no injury mark, was sent to PGIMS, Rohtak, for postmortem examination, the police said.

A policeman spotted the body during the search operation launched by the police after the family of the missing child accused it of not making sincere efforts to locate her.

The child was kidnapped from outside her house in the village on Sunday evening. Delay in police action made villagers angry, following which they even protested against the police at the Mandi Ateli police station.

The SP then directed the SHO to launch a search operation to recover the missing girl after registering a case of abduction.

“The body has been recovered from a well in the village and sent to PGIMS, Rohtak, to ascertain the cause of death,” Suresh Kumar, SHO of the Mandi Ateli police station said, adding that further action would be taken as per the autopsy report which was likely to come on Friday.

Karnal, January 23
Seven persons were killed in separate incidents in the district in the past 24 hours. The police said Nirmal Singh (37), Shri Ram (35) and Trilok Singh, all residents of Jalandhar in Punjab, who were travelling in a pick-up van met with an accident with a truck near Bastara village last night. The victims were on their way to Jalandhar. Nirmal Singh and Shri Ram died on the spot while Trilok Singh was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh.

The police have booked the truck driver for rash driving,” said Vijay Kumar, SHO, Madhuban. In another case, Sanjeev Kumar (30), a resident of Junla Gate in the city, was found dead with injury marks near Jatto Gate last night. In an accident on the GT Road, Ashwani Kumar (32), a resident of Gharonda, was killed when his motorcycle was hit by a vehicle.

Nitin Kumar (21), a resident of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, was electrocuted when he was trying to open a chocked drain in Sector 3 here last night.

Kapil (25), a resident of Guru Nanakpur in Kurukshetra, and another person were found dead in separate mishaps on railway track in the district.

Rewari, January 23
Trilochan Singh (42), a resident of Hoshiarpur district in Punjab, was killed after his bicycle was hit by a vehicle Malpura village, near Dharuhera, last night.

The mishap took place when he was returning to Dharuhera from his factory while the vehicle was on its way from Delhi to Rewari. 

Rewari, January 23
A 24-year-old youth was shot dead at Kasola village in the district late last evening. Old enmity is believed to be the reason behind the killing of Pardeep. The police have registered a case of murder against four villagers identified as Bhim Singh, Ajay, Tinku and Surat Singh Gujjar.

The police said one of the accused fired at Pradeep from a close range. The accused fled the spot when he fell down.

Villagers took Pradeep to the civil hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

Later, a team of forensic experts also visited the crime scene. The body was today handed over to his relatives after the post-mortem examination.

“Raids are being carried out to arrest the accused,” said Superintendent of Police Pankaj Nain.

Yamunanagar, January 23
A 30-year-old woman committed suicide by hanging herself with a ceiling fan at her house in Mahavir Colony here this afternoon.

The police said when Pushpa took the extreme step, an old man who was bed-ridden was at home, while her husband Mahavir was at work and their three children were in school.

A case was registered at the Rampura police post in this regard.

The reason behind the suicide has not been confirmed so far.

Sonepat, January 23
The Mohana police today booked seven youths for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl of Muzaffarnagar in UP on January 10.

The minor girl, who works at a brick kiln near Bhatgaon village, registered her complaint today against Mintu, Gullu, Manoj, Bittu, Khursheed, Nayleen and Sabbir, who worked at the same kiln.

In her complaint, the victim alleged that the accused gang-raped her and threatened her with dire consequences if she disclosed about the incident to her parents working at the same kiln. She finally informed her family on January 22 and lodged a complaint.

She was examined at the Civil Hospital today, after which her statement was recorded before the magistrate. SHO Jagdish, said the accused would be arrested soon. — OC