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SGPC staff fear forcible possession of shrines
Sehajdharis take on CM Hooda
Khemka likely to join Centre
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Govt mulls hike in CLU charges
All eyes on Birender at Cong meet today
news analysis
CAG: State delayed payment of annuity to land oustees
Amit Shah to meet state leaders today; HJC ties on agenda
KU staffer beaten up after spat over fee
Villagers lock Jhajjar health centre over docs’ absence
Govt staff protest outside houses of Y’nagar MLAs
EC directions on transfer of officers
3 die in Sonepat road accidents
18 get Sahitya awards
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SGPC staff fear forcible possession of shrines
Jind, July 15 “Since the Congress has never respected the Sikh religious sentiments, SGPC employees apprehend that in the coming days the government may use police force to take possession of gurdwaras,” an SGPC employee posted in a Jind gurdwara said, requesting anonymity. About any plan to counter the state’s impending action, SGPC employees said they had not decided on the future course of action, as neither the SGPC had given any direction to them nor the state government had unveiled ikts plan. During a visit to local Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib Gurdwara and Dhamtan Sahib, confusion was visible on the faces of employees. “The monthly collection of Jind and Dhamtan Sahib gurdwaras are Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, respectively. These gurdwaras have 1,400 acres their possession and are hardly meeting their expenses from the produce from the land. The shrines are not able to sustain themseleves,” said an employee in the accounts branch. Jind gurdwara manager Jagjit Singh said of the 27 regular employees, two were from Punjab and the rest were from Haryana. About the income from the land, he said the gurdwara management had every detail regarding it. Devotees sitting in the Jind gurdwara said any attempt to take forcible possession of both the shrines might create problem in the area. “Dhamtan Sahib is located near the Punjab border and the Haryana Government may find it tough to control the violent reaction from Punjab if there is any attempt to take forcible possession,” one of the devotees said. Pressed for money
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Sehajdharis take on CM Hooda
Chandigarh, July 15 Taking strong exception to Hooda’s statement that the state government was waiting for the Supreme Court verdict in a case on voting rights for the Sehajdharis, PS Ranu, president of the Sehjadhari Sikh Party, alleged that the statement was ‘totally baseless’. “It is the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, which is under challenge in the Supreme Court, and not the HSGMC Act, 2014,” Ranu reasoned. “If the Hooda Government is so concerned about the Supreme Court verdict then it should have waited for the verdict of the court rather than passing the Separate Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Bill, 2014,” he asserted. The party contended that the Sehajdharis were recognised in the law as Sikhs and excercising their voting rights since 1944 which was snatched away in 2003 by a notification which was quashed by the High Court The party warned the government that if the definition of Sikhs was not amended, it would cost the Congress dear in the Assembly elections. |
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Khemka likely to join Centre
Khemka had taken on Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra by cancelling some land deals involving him and DLF. Speculation was rife that Khemka might be accommodated in the PMO as though Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keen to bring the officer to the Centre, many ministers appeared somewhat “wary” to take him on board. Keeping in mind the “relationship” between two Gandhi bahus — Maneka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi — the senior BJP leadership thought it was best that the officer was attached with the WCD Ministry, sources added. Transferred numerous times in his career, Khemka has maintained that the Hooda government targeted him as he exposed corruption in land deals. |
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Govt mulls hike in CLU charges
Chandigarh, July 15 The government has published the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas (Amendment) Rules, 2014, to amend the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Rules, 1975, as part of the process. The objections have been invited within a month, sources said here today. In case of residential (plotted), the rates of licence fee per gross acre for hyper potential zone has been fixed at Rs 12.5 lakh, for high-II potential zone Rs. 9.5 lakh, for medium potential zone Rs 6.25 lakh and low potential zone Rs.1.25
lakh. In case of residential (group housing), the rates of licence fee per acre for hyper potential zone, high-II potential zone, medium potential zone an low potential zone has been fixed at Rs 40 lakh, Rs 19 lakh, Rs 9.5 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh, respectively. For commercial areas, the rates for hyper potential zone on the Gurgaon-Mehrauli road will be Rs.5.4 crore for FAR (floor area ratio) above 150, and Rs 4 crore for FAR up to 150. The rates on other roads will be Rs 3.4 crore for FAR above 150 and Rs 2.7 crore for FAR up to 150. The rates for high-I potential zone will be Rs 2.7 crore for FAR above 150 and Rs 2.35 crore for FAR up to 150. In case of high-II potential zone, the rates of licence fee per acre would be Rs 2.1 crore for FAR above 150 and Rs 1.4 crore for FAR up to 150. In case of medium potential zone, the rates will be Rs 95 lakh for FAR above 150 and Rs 62.5 lakh for FAR up to 150. The rates per gross acre for low potential zone have been fixed at Rs 19 lakh for FAR above 150 and Rs 12.5 lakh for FAR up to 150. While the areas falling under the development plan of Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex form ‘hyper-potential zone’, those falling in the development plan of the Faridabad-Ballabhgarh Complex, Pinjore-Kalka Complex, Gwal Pahari and periphery controlled area of Panchkula (all for commercial use only) fall under high-I potential zone. The area under the high-II potential zone included areas forming part of development plan of the Faridabad-Ballabhgarh Complex, Pinjore-Kalka Complex, Gwal Pahari and periphery controlled area of Panchkula (for other than commercial use only). The medium potential zone are areas forming part of development plans of Karnal, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Yamunanagar-Jagadhri, Bahadurgarh, Hisar, Rohtak, Rewari, Gannur, Palwal, Hodel, Bawal Dharuhera and Prithla and the urban areas declared under the rules of 1975. All other urban areas in the state fall under the low potential zone. |
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All eyes on Birender at Cong meet today
New Delhi, July 15 Ahmed told The Tribune today that the exercise was part of the party’s preparations for the forthcoming elections. A feedback from the meeting would help the party in various poll-related processes, including selection of candidates, constitution of manifesto committee, campaign committee and the disciplinary committee. Privately party seniors admitted that the meeting would also help the Congress high command isolate potential deserters ahead of polls. “There will be Congressmen who remained active despite losing in 2009 and those who did not contribute to party affairs at all. Tomorrow’s meeting and its attendance will give us a fair idea about who potential deserters from our ranks could be,” said a top party leader. All eyes in the tomorrow’s meeting would be on Chaudhary Birender Singh, who has openly struck a rebellious note against Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and has claimed that he wouldn’t contest the coming elections under Hooda’s leadership. Congress sources today said Birender’s presence would be eagerly awaited for the meeting as he was the seniormost Jat leader of Haryana Congress alongside Hooda. “We would naturally want Ch Birender Singh to guide us, but we also realise that his presence is highly unlikely,” a party source said. The Tribune has meanwhile learnt that Chaudhary Birender is still in talks with the BJP and INLD for a possible switch over from the Congress on the eve of the Assembly polls. He was also keeping the option of forming his own party open and was talking to nearly 30 of his supporters within the party – including some former ministers, youngsters and MLAs. |
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Session helps Cong gain political mileage
Naveen S Garewal Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 15 Both issues can play a major role in garnering votes for the Congress in the forthcoming poll. Though the HSGPC issue had been simmering for some months with the Congress having made it a poll promise both in 2005 and 2009, revival of the SYL Canal issue, a bone of contention between Punjab and Haryana since the digging of the canal started in 1982, has sprung up suddenly. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda played a brilliant stroke by rallying the entire House that authorised Hooda to lead an all-party delegation of Haryana legislators to the Prime Minister, demanding Haryana’s share of water from Punjab. The INLD, expected to contest the elections with the SAD, was in no position to wriggle out of the situation on “demanding more water from Punjab”. The session was short, but it forced the Opposition to return to the House shortly after a walkout. Both the BJP and the INLD demanded the taking back of the HSGPC Bill and even staged a walkout to “protest the manner in which the Bill had been presented “but they had to return time and again so as not to miss the important developments in the House.” Details by Finance Minister Harmohinder Singh Chattha and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Surjewala alleging state gurdwaras were being ignored and misused led to sharp reaction from the Opposition. Legislators like Anil Vij (BJP) demanded that the two reports by Chattha and Surjewala leading to the enactment of the HSGPC legislation should have been tabled in the House before bringing the Bill. But his plea was ignored, forcing him to walk out several times. That apart, the issue generated bad blood between the state government and the SGPC formed under Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925. Proceedings in the two sittings were aimed at gaining political mileage in the elections. In a short duration, at least six Bills were passed and the Congress largely succeeded in fulfilling people’s demands. It is a different matter that the CAG report pointed out several anomalies in the functioning of the Congress Government. HSGPC, SYL Canal may be game-changers
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CAG: State delayed payment of annuity to land oustees
Chandigarh, July 15 In its latest report tabled in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha yesterday, it was alleged that the state-owned departments, including HUDA, the Haryana State Agriculture and Marketing Board (HSAMB) and Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corp Ltd (HSIIDC), Haryana Power General Corporation Limited(HPGCL) and the Irrigation Department had not paid the balance annuity amounting to Rs 238.17 crore to land oustees. These departments had acquired 50,381 acres from 2005 to 2013. “Out of the annuity of Rs 423.28 crore due for payment, only Rs 185.11 crore was paid up to 2012-13 and the balance of Rs 238.17 crore was payable to the oustees of land acquired by HSIIDC, HUDA, HSAMB, Power Sector and Irrigation Department,” the report said. The government auditor also found that 41,743 acres was acquired by HSIIDC, HUDA and HSAMB but the beneficiaries eligible for allotment of plots of different sizes under the policy were neither identified nor they were provided plots, except for in the case of Urban Estate, Hansi, under Administrator, Hisar (HUDA) where 118 plots of different sizes were allotted (September, 2011) to the oustees. It was also found during the audit that HUDA, HSIIDC and HSAMB were not earmarking 2 per cent of the compensation amount for the creation of community development/ infrastructure works in the respective villages and 1 per cent of the compensation amount for skill development for the dependents of oustees, etc which was mandatory under the R and R policy. |
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Amit Shah to meet state leaders today; HJC ties on agenda
Sirsa, July 15 Sources in the state BJP said now that he was free from his son Jay Shah’s engagement, Amit Shah had focused his attention on the three poll-bound states of Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand. The sources said the newly elected BJP president, who had already shown his skills in UP uring the parliamentary poll, was keen that the party should repeat its Lok Sabha performance in the upcoming Assembly poll in these three states. The term of Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand Assemblies will end on December 7, October 27 and January 3, 2015, respectively, and it is expected that the three will go to the polls together sometime after Dasehra on October 4. Sources said Shah would take a feedback on the party’s strengths and weaknesses during his meeting to plan a strategy for the elections. Sources said the BJP-HJC alliance would also be discussed though the final call would be taken by the Parliamentary Board. |
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Paddy saplings wither away, farmers look to maize, pulses
Sonepat, July 15 Farmers Jagdeep and Manjit of Rajlu Garhi village said they had planted paddy over six acres of land in the hope of good rain, but it had become difficult to meet the irrigational requirements and plants were beginning to wither away. Against the seasonal target of 86,000 hectares, paddy plantation has been completed over only 20,000 hectares in Sonepat district. According to Agriculture Department estimates, paddy plantation would have been completed on 60 per cent of the target area by this time under normal circumstances. Keeping in view the forecast of a poor monsoon, the department is also getting ready for an alternative plan for fields where paddy has not been planted. “If there is insufficient rain by July 20, we will motivate farmers to sow other crops such as maize and pulses. There is a provision of subsidy on sowing maize,” said a senior official of the department. Paddy farmers worry as losses mount
Sirsa/Fatehabad: With rains playing truant, paddy farmers fear losses to their crops even as prices of vegetables are shooting up each day. Various parts of Sirsa and Fatehabad witnessed very little rain this season, leading to an acute water crunch for paddy fields. Farmers alleged their fields were drying up as neither rains nor enough power was being supplied to run the tubewells. Faced with severe water crunch to irrigate fields, some farmers have been caught siphoning off water from canals at Sirsa and Fatehabad. After complaints of pilferage in Sirsa, DC Anshaj Singh called a meeting of the officials and asked them to carry out raids to check the menace.
— Sushil Manav Monsoon blues
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Followers bring Rohtak to standstill
Sunit Dhawan Tribune News Service
Rohtak, July 15 In view of the situation, the police and the district administration requested the court to hold the hearing through videoconferencing. Rampal, who is on bail in the murder case, appeared in the court through videoconferencing from Hisar and the court fixed August 8 as the next date of hearing. Rampal and his supporters have been asked to appear in the court on the next date of hearing. Thousands of ashram followers, who had reached Rohtak yesterday and were camping on the outskirts of the town, started marching towards the court premises this morning. The followers assembled near the local Mansarover Park and sat on the nearby Delhi road, bringing the traffic to a standstill. On being told that Rampal had not been brought to Rohtak but had appeared in the court through videoconferencing, the followers dispersed. Man who put up dera chief’s derogatory photo beaten up
Ambala: Amarinder Singh, who was arrested two days ago for allegedly uploading derogatory pictures of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was onTuesday granted bail. After being released from the jail, he alleged that some inmates in the jail had beaten him up. Following this, he was examined medically.
— TNS Hisar lawyers want Sant’s bail rejected
Hisar: The District Bar Association started an indefinite strike on Tuesday to protest the alleged high-handedness of disciples of Sant Rampal during his appearance via video conference at the sessions court on Monday. Lawyers demanded rejection of Rampal's bail and threatened statewide agitation if their demand was not fulfilled. The strike hampered the functioning of courts.
— TNS |
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KU staffer beaten up after spat over fee
Kurukshetra, July 15 It is learnt Manoj Kumar, an employee of the accounts branch, was on duty at the cash counter when a girl came to submit her fee. After paying the fee, she went directly to the department concerned to take her roll number where she was first asked to get her receipt marked from the fee section. She went to the cash counter with a boy and approached Manoj and got into a spat and left. Later, the boy called his friends who came and thrashed Manoj. The city police have registered a case on the statement of Manoj and investigation is on. A spokesperson for Kurukshetra University said, “The girl has been identified and very soon all the accused will also be identified.” |
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Villagers lock Jhajjar health centre over docs’ absence
Jhajjar, July 15 They were persuaded to lift the blockade following an assurance by district officials that the staff would be changed within 10 days. The villagers threatened to lock the health centre again if the authorities failed to keep their promise. The protest erupted after the villagers found doctors absent in the centre when they took Umesh (18) of Sehlanga village, there for medical treatment. Umesh suffered serious injuries this morning after falling from his motorbike. “Since there was no doctor in the centre to provide medical aid to Umesh, a nurse on duty referred him to Jhajjar. Enraged villagers rushed to the PHC and locked it ,” said an eyewitness. |
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Govt staff protest outside houses of Y’nagar MLAs
Yamunanagar, July 15 The demonstration was held under the banner of district unit of Haryana Government PWD Mechanical Workers Union. The workers raised anti-government slogans in front of the houses of Deputy Speaker of Haryana Assembly and Jagadhri MLA Akram Khan, Yamunanagar MLA Dilbag Singh, Radaur MLA Bishan Lal Saini and Sadhaura MLA Rajpal Bhukhri, before handing them the memorandums. State General Secretary Krishan Lal Gurjar, said group III and IV staff of the district, joined the protest.
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EC directions on transfer of officers
Chandigarh, July 15 The order would also be applicable to the officers completing three years on or before October 31. Shrikant Walgad, Chief Electoral Officer, Haryana, gave this information in a video-conference with DCs and returning officers of all districts here today. |
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3 die in Sonepat road accidents
Sonepat, July 15 The other accident took place in front of Jurasik Park on the GT Road today morning. The driver of a Canter coming from Delhi side lost control of the vehicle and dashed it into a tree on the opposite side of the road after jumping over the divider. As the seriously injured driver was moving away from the spot, he was hit by an unidentified speeding vehicle and died. In the meantime, a truck hit the Canter at full speed, resulting in its driver’s death on the spot. The police have brought their bodies to the Civil Hospital. — OC |
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CHandigarh, July 15 The Mahakavi Surdass Samman of Rs 1.5 lakh was conferred on Madan Gopal Shastri whereas Babu Balmukund Gupt Samman, Lala Desh Bandhu Gupt Samman and Pt. Lakhmichand Samman carrying a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh each were conferred upon Chandrakanta, Manmohan Gupt Moni and Acharya Mahabir Prasad Shastri, respectively. Similarly, Jankavi Mehar Singh Samman and Shresth Mahila Rachnakar Samman of Rs 1 lakh each were given to Yoginder Moudgil and Sudarshan Ratnakar, respectively. The Vishesh Sahitya Sevi Samman of ~51,000 each was conferred upon Rajinder Mohan Bhatnagar, Baldev Vanshi, Amarnath Amar, Amarnath Sahni, Virender Goyal, Roop Devgun, Mahender Sharma and Anupam Mishr. — TNS
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New Delhi, July 15