Chandigarh, July 13
With the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Bill, 2014, getting the Assembly nod on the opening day of the monsoon session, the state government is set to bring resolutions against the BJP-led Central Government.

The government is likely to bring resolutions on price rise and another one seeking a roll back of the recent rail fare hike when the House meets tomorrow for the final sitting of the present Assembly’s last session. The state goes to the polls in October this year.

“As they (opposition) were asking if the Bill for a separate Sikh body will be followed by a move for a separate High Court and the completion of the SYL canal, the Speaker had asked them if they wanted a discussion on the matter. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) had replied in the affirmative to which the Speaker responded by saying that the party should get a resolution. We are ready for a discussion on the subject but tomorrow will prove their commitment towards Haryana,” a Congress MLA said.

Sources in the INLD, however, maintained that the Speaker had asked party MLA Ashok Arora if he wanted a discussion on the subject and the latter had expressed his desire for the same.

“The government should bring resolutions on the two subjects and we will participate and give out point of view,” INLD legislators said.

The party intends to raise the issue of the CD expose showing the alleged involvement of Congress legislators in striking deals for change of land use certificates from the government. The INLD had released clippings of the legislators before the monsoon session last year after which the matter was referred to the Lokayukta.

While the Treasury Benches are likely to target the INLD if it fails to bring the resolutions, the latter wants to haul up the government on the CD issue.

The government will be in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s firing line also. The leader of the BJP Legislature Party, Anil Vij, has given a calling-attention motion on many protests of employees’ unions throughout the state.

Assandh (Karnal), July 13
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today announced a government college for Assandh during a ‘Dhanyavad rally’ organised by local MLA Zile Ram Sharma here. Hooda also announced to give sub-tehsil status to Jundla.

Responding to the demand of the MLA and other leaders, Hooda declared to give Rs 2 crore for the development of the municipal wards and Rs 10 crore for the development of the rural areas of Assandh subdivision.

Attacking the NDA government, Hooda said the Central government had failed to fulfill its promises made before the Lok Sabha elections.

The slogan “Ache din aane wale hai” was just an imaginary, in fact bad days of the country had started, he said.

Admitting that results of the Lok Sabha elections were disappointing, he said after the elections, they got good response in rallies organised at the block and district levels.

State Congress chief Ashok Tanwar urged the party workers to be ready for the Assembly elections and make efforts for the victory of the Congress in all five Assembly segments of Karnal district.

The CM inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of five projects, including roads and power houses in Assandh subdivision.

Hisar, July 13
Col Arya Veer (retd), a member of the probe panel set up by the state government into the Bhagana abduction and rape of three girls, said today that some elements were trying to vitiate the atmosphere in the village by egging on the victims’ families to fulfil their vested interests.

Addressing a press conference here today, Arya Veer said he had been holding talks with the victims and discussed the issues with the parties concerned for the last one week. “It has transpired that some persons, claiming to be leading the agitation, have been vitiating the atmosphere. They don’t want an amicable solution to the dispute to fulfil their own vested interests. The victims want to return to their ancestral place and live with other communities,” he said.

The penal member said the victims’ families had told him that the village sarpanch, Rakesh Panghal, and Virender had not been arrested so far. “I interrogated the village sarpanch and gathered some evidences which prima facie indicated that he had no role in the abduction and rape of the Dalit girls. I have asked the administration to provide the call details of the sarpanch for a fresh probe regarding his role in the case,” he said.

Arya Veer said the government was committed to helping the victims, including providing plots, financial aid and jobs as computer operators. “But some middlemen are making unjustified demands which cannot be fulfilled. These persons are bringing a bad name to the communities and the state,” he said.

He said he had completed his probe and would submit the report to the chief minister soon. He said he was hopeful that the disputes between the Dalits and upper caste people would be resolved within two months.

He said the administration had identified 222 Dalit and BPL families as beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi Gramin Basti Yojna. “A total of 123 families have been handed over the registries for the plots under the scheme and the rest of the families would be given the plots soon,” he added.

Panipat, July 13
Irate Manana villagers beat a GRP ASI and blocked railway traffic on the Panipat railway station today over police inaction in an abetment to suicide case of village farmer.

The protesting villagers, including a large number of women, stopped the Delhi-bound Bathinda Express for over an hour by blocking the railway track. They also beat GRP ASI Jiya Lal, who is the investigating officer (IO) in the farmer Gajendra Singh Rathee’s suicide case.

Amrinder Rathee, one of the protesters and a relative of Gajendra, said he committed suicide by jumping before a train at Manana village on June 28. In his suicide note, he had stated that Naresh Kumar, a teacher, along with his associates, got his signature on a paper after administering some intoxicant to him and got 11 bighas of his land transferred in his name.

Amrinder said when Gajendra came to know about it, he talked to Naresh. At this, one of his relatives posted at the Samalkha police station threatened to implicate him in a fake case. He said an FIR was registered against several persons at the GRP police station but no one had been arrested so far. The villagers alleged that the GRP was trying to shield the accused.

On learning about the protest, GRP DSP Rajendra Singh reached the spot. He assured the villagers that the accused would be arrested by July 16. Only after his assurance, the protesters lifted the dharna. They, however, threatened to gherao the CM during his proposed visit to Panipat on July 17.

Kaithal, July 13
Congress rebel and stalwart Chaudhary Birender Singh today reiterated his stand on not contesting the forthcoming Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

He said he would organise a "mahasammelan" in August to give a "new direction" to Haryana politics.

"All parties are caste basis trying to win votes the basis of caste. There is corruption in every government department. Hooda does not want to look beyond some areas of the state and it has led to regional discrimination. My 'mahasammelan' would give a new direction to Haryana politics" said Chaudhary while speaking to mediapersons after attending a function.

The "mahasammelan" was likely to be held either at Kaithal, Hisar or Jind, but the venue would be finalised in the coming days after discussions with supporters, he said.

He accused Hooda of sacrificing state's parliamentary seats just to ensure the victory of his son from Rohtak. On his meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Chaudhary said he had clarified to her that he would not contest elections under Hooda since party's defeat was imminent.

Sirsa, July 13
Former minister and Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) chief Gopal Kanda today accused Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of trying to mislead people by making attractive announcements ahead of the Assembly elections.

Speaking to mediapersons after unveiling statue of Bhagwan Balmiki at Balmiki Chowk here, Kanda, an accused in the airhostess Geetika Sharma suicide case, alleged that Hooda’s announcement to select members of the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) by inviting recommendations from Divisional Commissioners was nothing but eyewash.

“How with the move free the process of appointment of members from political interference when the bureaucracy works directly under the government?” the HJP supremo asked.

He also accused the Hooda government of misleading Sikhs in the name of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (HSGPC) for more than nine years.

“If the government knew that the HSGPC was to come in to being merely by passing legislation in the state Assembly, why did it not pass the Bill nine years ago?” he questioned.

Kanda claimed that a wave of change was sweeping across Haryana and even the state government knew that its days were numbered.

He said the HLP would contest the elections with full force and would play an important role in the formation of government.

He said his party’s membership had already crossed 9 lakh mark and rising. He said he was not averse to joining hands with like-minded political parties for alliance before the elections.

Earlier, addressing members of the Balmiki community, Kanda said the Safai Karamcharis working on contract basis would be regularised and ex gratia policy for those working in the cleaning of sewers would be implemented after his party came to power.

Kanda further promised that the backlog of jobs reserved for the SCs and the BCs would be completed after the HLP came to power in Haryana.

He promised to provide all funds from his own pocket for the revamp of Bhagwan Balmiki Chowk.

Gobind Kanda, vice-president of the HLP, Krishan Saini, Sikandar Atwal, Mahinder Kandara and several others were present on the occasion.

Fatehabad, July 13
Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ST Morcha convener Sonali Singh yesterday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a great vision for agriculture and the condition of farmers would be improved by increasing productivity once the party comes to power in the state.

Sonali Singh, who is an aspirant for the BJP ticket from Fatehabad, said this while addressing villagers at Sinthla and Khasa Pathana during her mass contact programme. She added that Modi government’s first Budget had proved that the BJP wanted to improve conditions in all spheres rather than taking to quick solutions.

She alleged that the Congress government had so far taken short-term measures by giving subsidies, most of which landed in the pockets of a few influential people.

However, the BJP would take measures which make agriculture a profitable venture by increasing productivity and providing farmers a better deal for their crops.

She alleged that the Congress had always wanted farmers and common people to depend on the doles given by the government.

Yash Athwal, district vice-president of the BJP Yuva Morcha, cashier Shiv Kumar and several other party workers were also present.

Narnaul, July 13
Welcoming the Modi Government’s announcement to set up a horticulture university in Haryana, former MLA and HJC secretary Naresh Yadav has urged the government to establish the university at Ateli town in Mahendragarh district.

Interacting with mediapersons here today, Yadav said the state would get the maximum benefit if the varsity was set up in Ateli as most of the people in this region were fully dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry for their livelihood.

Farmers of this region were compelled to shift to other places as they were not getting much income from the agricultural sector needed for sustenance. The farmers would be able to get handsome income from horticulture if the university was set up at Ateli, said Yadav. — TNS

Jhajjar, July 13
The state government has directed the Jhajjar District Education Officer (DEO) to probe the incident of fire in Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS) at Guda village in this district and submit a report at the earliest.

The government has also decided to bear all medical expenses of students and teachers injured in the fire. A sum of Rs 10 lakh has been released to bear the medical expenses.

Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal said this while interacting with mediapersons here today.

Three students and two teachers suffered serious burn injuries in the fire the school kitchen two days ago.

One of the students with 60 per cent burns was undergoing treatment at the PGIMS in Rohtak.

The fire broke out during preparations for cooking mid-day meals for the school students. A leakage in the LPG cylinder kept in the kitchen is believed to have caused the fire.

Panipat, July 13
The police are yet to lodge an FIR in the dyeing unit blast case in which two labourers were killed and five others injured here yesterday.

Chandni Bagh SHO Rishikant said the FIR could not be registered against Anand Tex International owner Suresh Garg as no labourer came forward to record statement.

Alleging that the police were trying to shield the owner, Indian Federation of Trade Unions state convener PP Kapoor said the police were adopting double standards in registering the FIR.

Kapoor said an FIR was registered on the statement of an ASI at the Samalkha police station on July 6 against a truck driver for overtaking the car of a high court judge.

“Why not the police register an FIR in the dyeing unit blast case on the statement of a police official if labourers are not coming forward due to pressure of the factory owner,” said.

Kapoor said appropriate action should be taken against the factory owner and others responsible for the negligence at the earliest.

Meanwhile, Assistant Labour Commissioner Sat Narayan Sharma said the Factory Safety and Health Wing of the Labour Department was conducting an inquiry into the incident.

Factory Safety and Health Wing in charge Sanjay Malik said: “We have inspected the spot and came to know that the blast occurred due to negligence.”

He said the action taken by the Labour Department was separate from the police, which should have registered an FIR by now.

Fatehabad, July 13
Suresh Chaudhary, Fatehabad Drug Control Officer, continues to evade arrest in a case of bribery. But efforts are allegedly on to save the officer in a case registered against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Sources revealed that Chaudhary’s case has already been entrusted to another officer of the State Vigilance Bureau (SVB) after political intervention.

Chaudhary, according to sources, is connected to a politician of the ruling party and has escaped the law once earlier too when he was booked for graft at Gurgaon.

Before coming in the SVB net at Fatehabad in May, Chaudhary was booked in a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act at Gurgaon on June 7, 2011.

However, the SVB filed a closure report in the court absolving Chaudhary of the charge.

Now, the bureau claims that it has raided Chaudhary’s hideouts at Hisar, Bhiwani and Delhi and has moved a local court for declaring him a proclaimed offender (PO).

Bhupinder Sharma, Inspector in the SVB at Fatehabad, confirmed that his superior officer of DSP rank has been entrusted with the probe.

He, however, said he would continue to remain the investigating officer of the case.

The SVB had booked Chaudhary under the Prevention of Corruption Act on May 27 after his peon Mahinder Kumar and owner of a medical shop outside his office were arrested while receiving Rs 20,000 as bribe on his behalf.

Chaudhary had demanded bribe from a medical shop owner, Devki Nandan, for giving a correct report of inspection of his shop.

Chaudhary, however, absconded from his office and has since been evading arrest. 

Jind, July 13
Resentment prevails among thousands of farmers of the district over the failure of the local irrigation department in completing the seasonal cleaning and renovation of the water distribution channels.

Farmers have threatened to launch an agitation against officers if they fail to act. They have demanded an inquiry into the utilisation of funds worth lakhs of rupees sanctioned for the cleaning work.

“We have not seen any work to clean the drains. In fact, there is no demarcation of the drain near our village. It may cause flooding in the coming days when monsoon arrives, since the drain has low water carrying capacity due to lack of cleaning. We urge the government to look into it,” said Jaihind Singh, sarpanch of Gatauli village.

Residents of Shamlo Khurd village alleged that some corrupt bureaucrats were pocketing huge sums of money as they never spent these on renovation or repair of water distribution channels.

They alleged that they had met several senior officials of the irrigation department and other authorities, but no action had been taken since certain bureaucrats were not ready to listen to their plight.

“Not a single drain of the Julana Assembly segment has been cleaned or repaired even as the government claims it spends crores of rupees on it every year. There is a need to investigate the misuse of funds. If the government fails to take action, we will launch a protest,” said Julana MLA Parminder Singh Dhull.

A majority of water channels are full of weeds, grass and mud. Though the irrigation department and the local administration had prepared a detailed cleaning plan two months ago and set June 30 as the deadline for its completion, nothing seems to have changed on the ground even as monsoon is round the corner. Around Rs 1.86 crore had been set aside for the work.

“How would they clean the drains once the monsoon arrives?” said Satbir, a farmer of Nidana.

While Executive Engineer (Irrigation) Shravan Kumar could not be contacted, Jind Deputy Commissioner Rajiv Rattan said he would look into the matter.

“I would seek a detailed report next week and look into the complaints” he said.

Kaithal, July 13
Minister for PWD and Industries Randeep Singh Surjewala inaugurated a portion of the restored fort of Bhai Uday Singh, the last Sikh ruler of Kaithal state, adjacent to the historic Bidhkiyar Sarovar last night.

The fort was decorated with colourful lights for the first time ever after Independence. The function was followed by a cultural programme presented by renowned artists.

Surjewla said the state government had spent Rs 52 lakh on the first phase of its renovation work.

The second phase, involving reworking fort’s interiors on the lines of Delhi’s Lal Qila, was under way and a sum of Rs 1.52 crore would be spent on it.

Over three acres facing the fort had been set aside for a tennis court, a basketball ground and a lawn, he said.

Bhai Uday Singh was the ruler of Kaithal during the British rule. The government declared Kaithal as a lapsed state after his death, as he did not have an heir.

Surjewala later honoured the office-bearers of the ad-hoc members of the newly formed Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

They included Sarjeet Singh, Maan Singh Nambardar, Surinder Singh Shah and Gurnam Singh Chakku.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Kuljeet Singh Nagra, who was the special guest, hailed the steps taken to renovate the fort.

Those present included Kaithal Municipal Council chairman Ram Niwas Mittal and DSP Ravinder Tomar.

Tawdu, July 13
It’s just been 45 days and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already started taking concrete steps to give a new lease of life to the country. This was stated by MP Rao Inderjit Singh, who was addressing a public gathering in Tawdu yesterday.

Hinting that the BJP would continue to bank on the Modi factor even in the Vidhan Sabha elections, Inderjit said the party would go on making the government in the state. Inderjit also promised to ensure the inclusion of Tawdu township and around 20 villages in Gurgaon.

The MP said he was working on getting land for the permanent stationing of paramilitary forces in the area.

“We will strive to serve Mewat as best as we can. The state government only makes announcements, but we will work. The BJP is committed to giving the best government to state people,” added the MP.

Yamunanagar, July 13
Educationist and social activist Vijay Kapur has urged Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to raise the TDS limit on interest of fixed deposits (FDs) from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 in view of exemption limit of the Income Tax being raised and relieving the common man and senior citizens from the formality of submitting Form G and 15 H to the banks.

He also appealed the Finance Minister for giving service tax exemption on rental income of educational institutions as such exemption is being allowed on rental income of temples. – OC

Jind, July 13
Amid possibility of a bleak monsoon and poor power scenario in the state, the Agriculture Department on Sunday issued an advisory to farmers asking them not to accumulate water for paddy transplantation.

Officials claimed farmers must refrain from wasting water over a long period since the crop required only three days of water to develop a strong foundation.

“Paddy plants need a huge quantity of water over days for proper growth. I do not think three days of water is enough for the crop to develop a strong foundation,” claimed Ramesh, a farmer of Pindu Pandara village.

The department estimates around 99,000 hectare to come under paddy cultivation this season. However, lack of power and water has restricted the area to 65,000 hectares so far.

Though agriculture department officials say they have been taking steps to promote the direct sowing technique (DST), only a few have shown interest in it.

“We have set a target of bringing 2,500 acres under the DST. Farmers must understand that they can easily sow their crop using this technique,” said Deputy Director (Agriculture) Ram Partap Sihag.

Some farmers say they are unaware of the benefits of the DST since they have never seen a camp by the department to raise awareness about the technique.

“If this technique is relevant, the department should organise special training camps to raise awareness about the benefits of this scheme and help farmers who want to adopt it,” said Gurjeet, a farmer from Ahirka village.

Sihag said if farmers faced problems in adopting the direct sowing technique, they could contact their office any time.

Hisar, July 13
The District Consumer Forum has directed the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) to pay a compensation of Rs 15,378 to a consumer for damage to electrical appliances due to fluctuation in electricity.

Anil Kumar Jalandhra said electrical appliances, including refrigerator, cooler and two ceiling fans, got damaged due to fluctuations in the electricity supply. He served a legal notice on the DHBVN on August 9, 2012, seeking a compensation of Rs 10,000 for monetary loss, Rs 25,000 for mental harassment and Rs 11,000 as litigation expenses.

When the complainant got no reply from the power utility, he approached the consumer forum on October 12, 2012.

The consumer forum directed the power utility to pay Rs 5,378 as compensation for damage to the appliances with 10 per cent interest. The forum also awarded a compensation of Rs 10,000 for the mental harassment and litigation charges of Rs 1,100 to the complainant. — TNS

Yamunanagar, July 13
The police impounded a canter loaded with illegal ‘khair’ wood and arrested three persons in this connection yesterday.

The accused, identified as Amritpal, Rashid and Sultan Singh in the environment court situated in Kurukshetra today. They were remanded in police custody.

Investigating officer Shyam Lal said they were informed that a canter loaded with illegal wood of ‘khair’ was coming towards Jagadhri from the Chhachhruali side yesterday. They laid a nakka near Buria Chungi and signalled the canter to stop. It was impounded and its three occupants were arrested.

Sources said the wood of ‘khair’ was being brought from the Khizrabad area.

The Forest Department has failed to stop the illegal falling of ‘khair’ trees as several khair smugglers have been nabbed in the recent past.

The connivance of a few officials of the Forest Department could not be denied in illegal falling of khair, said the sources.

Shyam Lal further said there were 80 quintal of ‘khair’ wood in the canter. The price of the seized wood is reported to be in lakhs of rupees. The wood is used to prepare ‘kattha’ for pan masalas.

Meanwhile, a mango orchard was sold by a farmer to a dealer and the latter axed the orchard without obtaining permission from the Forest Department in the Sadhaura area last week. The orchard was close to the office of the range officer, Forest Department, Sadhaura.

Later, the Forest Department only issued a damage report imposing a mere fine and let the farmer and the dealers go without prosecution.

Faridabad, July 13
The police have booked a youth for allegedly raping a 15-year-old physically challenged girl after she was found pregnant. The matter came to light after the victim was taken to a hospital following uneasiness.

An NGO, in its complaint to the police, alleged that the victim, a resident of Ismailpur (Shramik Vihar), near Sector 37, was found pregnant after being allegedly raped by a youth known to the family. The girl is deaf and dumb.

The family told the police that the accused, Gunjan Kumar Singh, used to visit them. The police have registered a case under Sections 476 and 4/32 of the POSCO Act against the accused, who is at large.

Also, an 18-year-old girl complained to the police that she was allegedly raped after being abducted by a youth, Prem, while she was on her way to attend a computer class on July 5.

The Gonchhi village resident alleged that she was taken to Secunderabad, where the accused raped her before dropping her back home.

In another incident, the Faridabad police arrested 16 persons on charges of gambling from a house in Sector 29 on Sunday. A sum of Rs 4.31 lakh was recovered from them.

Ambala, July 13
The district police have arrested a local resident for allegedly uploading pictures of Sisra-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, showing him in bad light on a social networking site.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Surinder Pal Singh said Durga Nagar resident Amarinder Singh was arrested within two hours of uploading a derogatory picture of the dera chief showing him at the feet of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala.

He said the police initiated action as soon as a complaint was received from a dera follower, Puneet.

Hisar, July 13
In a freak mishap, two persons were killed and a child was seriously injured when an air conditioner exploded during repair at a house in Vidya Nagar here today.

The deceased included AC mechanic Joginder Kumar (29), and nine-year-old Ayush, son of Dinesh Jain, owner of the house. Another son of Jain suffered injuries and was admitted to a private hospital.

The mechanic had filled gas in the compressor to check leakage as the AC had developed some snag. However, the compressor burst due to excessive pressure.

The explosion led to a fire in the room which was controlled by neighbours. While Joginder died on the spot, Ayush was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead.