Karnal, February 11
The authorities have suspended two police officials and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) after community members and relatives of Akhil Chauhan, who committed suicide three days ago, took out a protest march and blocked roads at two places here today.

In a suicide note, Akhil had alleged that 10 persons, including an IPS officer and three other police officials, were responsible for his death.

The police have booked nine persons, including the three police officials, but no arrest has been made so.

Demanding arrest of the accused, suspension of the policemen and a CBI inquiry into the case, the relatives continued their dharna on the third day in front of the mortuary of Kalpna Chawla Government Medical College and Hospital. They said they would not perform the last rites till the accused were arrested.

Reetu Chaudhary, a friend of the deceased, said due to the police harassment at the behest of family members of the girl whom he had married, he took the extreme step.

“The police have failed to arrest the accused even after three days. The accused should be arrested and a CBI inquiry should be ordered into the case,” demanded Balwan Singh, father of the deceased.

Despite assurances given by Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Garg, Duty Magistrate Hari Om Attri and Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Joginder Rathi, the protesters continued with their dharna.

“Inspector Manoj Verma and Assistant Sub-Inspector Ram Bhajan Verma have been suspended. An SIT has been constituted under DSP Baljinder Singh and efforts are on to arrest them,” said the SP.

Meanwhile, the community members formed 40 committees to seek support from other villages in the district.

Rewari, February 11
The police have arrested Sharda Yadav, a resident of Dev Nagar colony here, for her alleged involvement in the gang rape of an 18-year-old Rohtak girl allegedly by her son Ajay Yadav and distant relative Pooran Chand Yadav of the nearby Balawas Ahir village.

She was today produced in a local court which remanded her to 14-day judicial custody.

The police had registered a case of gang rape, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation against Ajay Yadav, Pooran Chand Yadav, Daya Ram Yadav and his wife Sharda Devi on a complaint filed by the victim.

The victim had alleged that she was brought here from Rohtak by Sharda, an acquainted to her parents, on the pretext of getting her a job in a private company at Bawal.

She further alleged that she was raped by Ajay for days together in confinement and later she was forcibly married off to 40-year-old Pooran Chand, who took her to Balawas Ahir village where he repeatedly raped her.

The victim’s relatives rescued her on February 8 and she was medically examined on February 10.

Faridabad, February 11
The authorities have struck off the names of nearly 200 “illegal” beneficiaries of the unemployment allowance in the district.

During a verification drive, the Employment Department found them drawing the benefit illegally. Now, only 83 eligible persons have been left, including 34 in Faridabad and 49 in Ballabgarh subdivisions, respectively.

The alleged irregularities came to light after a detailed verification was carried out by the department,” said an official of the department.

The beneficiaries whose names have been removed during the past six months include some of them who had either got employment, married or had an income more than the required norms to make one eligible for such a scheme.

The verification drive found that 200 beneficiaries had violated the norms and they were not eligible for the scheme, said Sunita Yadav, District Employment Officer.

She said only 49 persons in Ballabgarh and 34 in Faridabad subdivisions had been found eligible for the allowance.

The allowance paid to the unemployed youth registered with the department range from Rs 600 to Rs 1,500 per month.

Sunita said, “The registration has been made online. The office maintains the records and details of the registered candidates and informs them of any opening.” She said the department regularly checks the hard copies of qualifications, address proof and other documents of the registered candidates.

A total of 55,421 persons are registered with the employment exchanges in Faridabad, Ballabgarh, Hodal, Hathin and Palwal subdivisions.

Ambala, February 11
The Indian Air Force (IAF) authorities at Ambala are dealing with a peculiar problem these days, as they are actively working on ways to prevent birds from entering the local flying zones.

Birds coming in the way while carrying out sorties are a problem for both military and civil aviation authorities as it can be fatal at times.

To make things worse, heaps of garbage in Ambala City and Cantonment areas is further attracting birds thereby making it difficult for them to carry out flight operations.

To deal with the problem, the IAF authorities have come up with huge banners and posters making an appeal to local residents to not to throw garbage in the open.

According to a report prepared by the IAF's Directorate of Flight Safety (DFS), more than 10 per cent of all incidents involving fighter jets were caused by bird strikes and human error, sources in the IAF said.

They said, though relatively few pilots had died due to bird strikes, the possibility of a severe fatality was imminent.

They said since densely populated areas surrounded the Ambala Air Force Station, any untoward incident could be devastating. At present the authorities use radars to track birds in the flying zones, which could threaten their aircraft. Apart from this, they are seen creating awareness among locals to keep their surroundings neat and clean and not to dump garbage in the open.

The IAF is also keeping a vigil on the developments involving the reopening of Patvi Solid-Waste Treatment Plant, which was in a limbo for the past several years, as it had been denied an environmental clearance.

Air Force officer Jasbir Singh said to prevent accidental hitting of birds with aircrafts a team of Central Pollution Control Board and the district administration held a hearing at Patvi recently, wherein they said the Union Urban Development Ministry had announced setting up solid-waste treatment plants near 10 airfields in the country and Ambala was one of them.

He said due to the delay in starting the project, there was a threat of birds hitting the aircrafts, which could result in loss of life and property.

Chandigarh, February 11
The Sonepat municipal limits are set to expand. In his notification dated February 6, P Rahguvendra Rao, Principal Secretary, Urban Local Bodies, has invited objections to the inclusion of proposed areas.

While Bandepur village would be the major beneficiary, certain parts of other villages, including Garhi Brahmanan, Barwasni, Patti Jattan, Jawahari, Shahjahanpur, Patti Musalman, Fazilpur, Sultanpur, Ahamadpur, Shadipur, Rathdhana, Lehrara, Kukroi, Kalupur, Jamalpur Khurd and Mahlana, would also be included.

Sources said the proposal to extend the MC limits had been under consideration for quite some time as haphazard urbanisation had been taking place in the area. “In order to check unauthorised constructions around Sonepat, the state government has decided to bring in more areas within the MC limits,” a senior official said.

The inclusion of more areas within the MC limits would serve twin purposes. One, it would check unregulated urbanisation. Second, it would go a long way in providing civic amenities to residents of these villages on a par with their urban counterparts.

Moreover, it would give a boost to the recession-hit real estate market in Sonepat, which is an important part of the NCR region and a favourite destination for big builders. 

Yamunanagar, February 11
Kurukshetra University (KU) has imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 per student (taken admission on LEET basis in MCA) on 17 institutes, which were reportedly following guidelines of the AICTE to fill vacant or dropout seats of MCA by the Lateral Entry Scheme (LEET) over the cap of allotted 20 per cent quota.

Reports said, 17 KU-affiliated institutes of seven districts, including Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal and Panipat, had admitted students in MCA-third semester (second year) against vacant or dropout seats in addition to the 20 per cent of sanctioned seats under the LEET in 2013-2014.

The university had accepted students' registrations and also issued roll numbers to them.

However, it issued a letter to the institutes on December 9, 2013, directing them to return their roll numbers to the university and not to allow the students to appear in the university examinations.

“As per instructions of the committee constituted by the Vice Chancellor for admission in MCA-II under the LEET for the 2013-2014 session, the intake will be 20 per cent of the sanctioned MCA seats for an institute. But you have crossed the limit. You are requested to return their roll numbers immediately,” said a letter from the university to the institutes.

The students received their roll numbers on the intervention of a court. However, the university has now again sent a letter to the institutes on January 29 and fined them Rs 5,000 per student.

“The university has regularised the excess admissions of those students admitted over 20 per cent of the sanctioned seats in MCA-third semester under the LEET for the 2013-14 session as a special case in the interests of the students with a penalty of Rs 5,000 per student. The penalty will be borne by the respective erring institutes,” said Deputy Registrar’s (registration) letter to the institutes.

JP Sharma, Deputy Registrar (registration), said, “The letter of imposing fine on institutes was sent on the recommendation of the committee comprising dean of academic, dean of collages, chairman of the Computer Science Department and other senior professors.”

Showing resentment over the decision of the university, some senior teachers of an institute said this would not stand in the eyes of law.

Rohtak, February 11
Residents of 12 villages have refused to give land for the proposed railway bypass around Rohtak.

This decision was taken at a joint panchayat of 12 villages at Titoli village in the district yesterday. Villagers' representatives yesterday submitted a memorandum to the local administration, seeking cancellation of the project.

The panchayat maintained that the diversion of hundreds of acres of fertile land for the project was not justified.

The villagers said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had asked them to form a committee to decide the matter when they met him recently.

"The CM should take note of our resolution and accept the panchayat's demand for quashing the project," said a member of the villagers' delegation. The proposed railway bypass was a dream project of Rohtak MP and Chief Minister's son Deepender Hooda. However, the project seems to have hit a roadblock.

Jind, February 11
Within the first month of its launch, the state government’s Mukhyamantri Muft Ilaj Yojna has reportedly failed to produce the desired results in Jind. The scheme was launched to provide free treatment, including surgical packages, to the poor patients.

The Civil Hospital authorities provide only a few medicines free of cost and the remaining ones have to be bought from outside. Patients complained of the non-availability of medicines at the General Hospital and raised questions over the scheme. “Doctors prescribed three medicines to me. But I have got only one from the hospital. I will have to visit a private chemist shop to buy the remaining tablets. The government should have ensured the adequate stock of medicines at hospitals before launching the scheme,” said Kiran, an old patient at the hospital.

The government had announced the scheme to provide relief to poor patients on December 2 last year. Some officials said the government planned to spend Rs 300 crore under the scheme. The state government claims to have started supplying 600 medicines and facility of medical tests free of cost in all government medical colleges and hospitals under the scheme. But at the Jind Civil Hospital, only a few medicines are available. Many patients have alleged the shortage of medicines at the hospital.

“There is no medicine for heart patients. There are no arrangements for cardiac tests. I have to go to a private hospital to get the tests done. The government has made false claims of providing 600 medicines free to patients,” said Rajpal, a heart patient.

Jind Additional Civil Surgeon Rajesh Bhola denied all allegations of deliberate delay in providing medicines, but confirmed that there were some problems.

“Presently, there are some problems. A few days ago, the government attached Jind with Kaithal to procure medicines. We will receive medicines from Kaithal in the coming days,” he said.

Fatehabad, February 11
Four persons were killed when a sports utility vehicle (SUV) collided with a stationary canter near Hamjapur village in Fatehabad late last night.

Jarnail Singh, Baldev Singh and Kehar Singh died on the spot while the former’s wife, Surjit Kaur, died in a private hospital in Hisar today.

The condition of two persons is stated to be serious.

The victims who hailed from Reond Kalan village of Punjab were returning home after attending a wedding at Bhirdana village in Fatehabad when the accident occurred.

Eyewitnesses said the canter was parked on the road and the SUV driver failed to notice it due to headlights of an approaching vehicle.

The accident was so severe that people living nearby heard the loud noise and came to the victims' rescue.

Jind, February 11
Known for a skewed child sex ratio (CSR), 50 villages of the district may see an improvement in the ratio in future as a special project, launched to improve the numbers, is getting a good response.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has selected Jhajjar and Jind for the special project. To spread awareness on female foeticide and to take care of pregnant women, the General Convergence Office (GCO) has formed special groups of five women each in every ward of these 50 villages. The groups have been given a special training to prevent female foeticide. Moreover, special gram sabhas are being organised to improving the CSR.

“The CSR of the 50 villages is below 800. Members of the special groups are staying in pregnant women's houses and keeping a vigil on them. We are focusing on the pregnant women who already have a girl child and are pregnant for the second time. There is an improvement in the child sex ratio in these villages but the final figures will be out in the next census," said Jind GCO Rajkumar.

In Narwana block, Pipaltha, Data Singhwala, Amargarh, Khararwal, Shinghwa and in Uchana, Sudkain Kalan, Ghaso Kalan, Badanpur, Tohana Khera, Daroli Khera, Bhongra, Alipura, Mandi Kalan and Tarkha villages have the child sex ratio below 800 while Aleva block has six villages, Jind 16 and Safidon five villages where the ratio is below 800.

“We are hopeful that our village would see an improvement in the child sex ratio in future ,” said Giani devi, a women from Bhongra village.

Though the project is yet to produce the desired results, there are many villages like Bibipur that have witnessed a remarkable improvement in the numbers. The special efforts in Bibipur, which is the first village in Haryana to appoint special women volunteers in every ward to save girl child, have paid well as 51 girls are born against 44 boys this year.

“An improvement in the CSR is possible only through serious efforts. We have proved it through our efforts in this direction,” said Sunil, sarpanch of Bibipur.

Ray of hope A special project has been launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in Jind and Jhajjar to improve the numbers. To spread awareness on female foeticide and to take care of pregnant women, the General Convergence Office (GCO) has formed special groups of five women each in every ward of 50 villages in Jind. The groups have been given a special training to prevent female foeticide Members of the special groups are staying in pregnant women's houses and keeping a vigil on them

Sonepat, February 11
The services of an assistant linesman in the Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam at Fazilpur power station have been terminated after his documents were found fake during inquiry.

A fraud case has been registered against Bijender Singh at the Sadar police station on the complaint of Nigam Executive Engineer SS Malik. However, he is yet to be arrested. VS Maan, superintendent engineer, Sonepat Circle, said During the inquiry, Bijender’s ITI diploma certificate was found fake and his services were terminated. — OC

Jind, February 11
Harichand Middha, an INLD MLA from Jind, launched a door-to-door campaign to highlight the alleged failures of the Haryana Government.

“My supporters and I will go door to door to expose the Congress government. I will tell people about the misdeeds of the government. Our party chief has been falsely implicated in a case by the Congress by misusing its power,” alleged Middha while launching the campaign in HUDA Colony here today.

During the 15-day special campaign, the MLA will paste posters at various places and distribute the same in schools and colleges.

“Giving employment to anyone is not a crime. But our leaders have been sent to the jail by the Congress by misusing its power. The Congress will have to pay a heavy price in the impending elections,” said Krishan Kumar Middha, another INLD leader from Jind.

The INLD leaders will cover all parts of city besides visiting all villages in the constituency.

Karnal, February 11
Asia’s first Climate Resilient Livestock Research Centre (CRLRC) was inaugurated at National Dairy Research Institute here today.

Inaugurating the centre, Dr S Ayyappan, Secretary, Department of Agriculture Research and Education and Director-General, ICAR, said it would now be easy to know climate change-resistant breeds. The centre would help understand unique traits of Indian livestock for improving their adaptive capacity and resilience. — TNS

Gurgaon, February 11
Only 10 out 180 private schools in the city have made the number of seats available for students from the economically weaker sections (EWS) public following the orders of District Education Officer (DEO).

The schools were asked to put the number of seats available under the Right to Education (RTE) Act on their websites and notice boards by February 11. The schools, however, continued with their indifferent attitude towards the instructions. The eligible students has been asked to apply by February 15 for admission but due to the attitude of the schools, poor students may not be able to apply for admissions.

Notably, the Right To Education Act was launched with much fanfare six years ago and the state government had asked private schools to reserve 25 per cent of the total seats for the economically weaker sections under Section 134 A pf the Act. But the private schools protested it following which the government reduced the number of reserved seats to 10 per cent of the total number of seats in 2013.

They, however, seem in no mood to comply with the provisions of the Act and blame the authorities for not paying reimbursements. " We can't teach them for free and even the RTE has a provision for reimbursements. The authorities did not hold any meeting with us or decide on the issue of reimbursement before passing the orders," said a representative of private schools.

The district Education Department said the schools could not refuse admission to poor students as all privateschools had been assigned a special code, which was officially accepted by their administration. Notably, the Education Department had made nodal centres last year from whereeligible candidates could apply for admissions and need not to approach schools.

Faridabad, February 11
Land worth crores is lying waste here. Over 11 acres in Sector 10 opposite the district headquarters lies unguarded.It has attracted encroachments and is a spot for anti-social activities.

"The land is located in a prime area. The market rate is between Rs 60,000 and Rs 70,000 per square yard. The authorities are facing a land crunch," said Pankaj Kumar, a Faridabad resident.

He said the land mafia was always on the prowl and this huge tract was being used by vested interests for their nefarious activities.

He said Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) took over possession in January 2011, but officials forgot to ensure steps to develop it even though the plan had been approved by the authorities in Chandigarh.

The land was handed over to HUDA after owners lost a legal battle that ran for more than a decade, said a department employee.

He said possession was taken about three years back, but officials concerned took more than two years to prepare a plan and submit to the head office.

The department had proposed apartments for HUDA employees, a commercial centre and a park. Satpal Singh, Estate Officer, said his office was yet to receive a communication regarding the development plan.

He added that he would look into the alleged nefarious activities on this tract of land and would ensure proper fencing and a boundary around it.

The sector did not have a proper market and resident depended on the unauthorised markets at Sectors 7 and 10 that had come up in the last few decades, said RK Gupta, president of the RWA of Block G in the sector.

He claimed that some private persons had been earning rent from the 'jhuggi' cluster on the land for the last many years, right under the nose of the HUDA office nearby.

Karnal, February 11
Demanding a CBI inquiry into the land consolidation case and cancellation of an FIR lodged against them besides the suspension of corrupt officers involved in the case, hundreds of residents of Kalram, Bharatpur, Ariapura, Lalupura and Amritpura villages in the district reached Delhi to hold a dharna tomorrow and to meet Rahul Gandhi.

Pradeep Kalram, who led the villagers, said they were fighting to retrieve their land, which was snatched from them during the consolidation process.

“We have been holding and cultivating the land for decades but some unscrupulous revenue officials changed the girdawari in April 1999 and made revenue entries in the name of some other persons while the possession was still with us," Pardeep alleged.

He alleged the police had registered an FIR against women and children which should be cancelled and a CBI inquiry should be ordered into the case. He also sought an action against the officers involved in the case.

Pardeep added that they would intensify the agitation and fight against the injustice till they get justice. — TNS

Chandigarh, February 11
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said here today that tablets would be given free of cost to SC students of diploma, undergraduate or postgraduate technical courses.A spokesman of the Technical Education Department said it would attract SC students to technical education.

Tablets would be provided to SC students of government or government-aided or private technical institutions like polytechnics, engineering colleges, MBA, MCA, pharmacy, architecture, hotel management colleges approved by the Haryana State Board of Technical Education or the AICTE.

The SC students of diploma, under graduate or post graduate level of technical courses having Aadhaar or UID number would be eligible to get free tablets. The tablets would be given through HARTRON.

Tablets costing Rs.4000 each would be given to about 45,000 SC students presently enrolled in diploma, UG or PG technical courses of all batches. 

Rohtak, February 11
Students of the Postgraduate Institute of Dental Sciences (PGIDS), Rohtak, bagged top positions in the All-India MDS Entrance Test conducted by the AIIMS recently.

Dr Sanjay Tewari, Principal of the PGIDS, said Dr Vijay Yadav had got the 3rd rank in the general category while Dr Jyoti Rana, Dr Monika Khokar and Dr Vinni bagged the 19th, 36th and 46th ranks, respectively.

Dr Vijay Yadav also ranked first in the OBC category while Dr Manju, Dr Garima and Dr Poonam got the 22th, 26th and 28th ranks, respectively. In the SC category, Dr Monika, Dr Deepti and Dr Rashmi secured the 6th, 10th and 28th ranks, respectively.

In all, 20 students of the PGIDS had cleared the All-India MDS Entrance Test, Dr Tewari said, adding that approximately 20,000 students from all over the country had taken the examination this year.

Hisar, February 11
The Haryana Power Engineers’ Association protested against the promotion policy in front of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam’s head office here today. It demanded withdrawal of the policy with immediate effect.

It alleged that the recently implemented promotion policy would result in corruption, nepotism, favouritism and highhandedness by the management of the power utilities.

The promotion policy is in violation of the service rules and in contravention of the Haryana Power Reforms Act. The management is trying to sidetrack the financial misdeeds in the power utilities, said members of the association.

Ambala, February 11
Additional Sessions Judge Amarjit Singh has sentenced three persons to life imprisonment in a double murder case here today. The convicts include Ramesh Khurana, his wife Veena and his sister Bala. Two of the accused were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

According to prosecution, Ramesh, who was into scrap business, had a dispute with his neighbour Ajit over a piece of land. Ramesh fired at Ajit on April 29, 2011, in his house. Later, he fired at Ajit’s wife Neena when she was coming back to her house after dropping her children at a school.

Both the husband and wife sustained serious injuries. They were referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, where they succumbed to their injuries. Neena, who was working as a nurse in a primary health centre, had stated in her dying statement that Ramesh had fired at them and his wife and sister also accompanied him.

The police had registered a murder case against Ramesh, his wife and his sister and two others. Ramesh and his wife were arrested and were in judicial custody since then. The police arrested Bala two days ago when the court convicted her. 

Ambala, February 11
The district administration has decided to reopen the Patvi Solid-Waste Treatment Plant (SWTP) on the Ambala Naraingarh road.

Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner of Municipal Corporation, Ambala, Saket Kumar said a hearing to give clearance to the project was held at Patvi, where villagers, social organisations of Ambala raised their problems. Patvi village sarpanch Surinder Kumar and villagers said there had been no arrangement for the disposal of garbage. Following the closure of the plant, heaps of garbage collected here.— TNS