Chandigarh, July 30
The Haryana cabinet which met under Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, today approved introduction of a Lump Sum Composition Scheme for developers and builders with effect from April 1,2014, to enable them to pay their tax lump sum.

Any developer registered under the Haryana Value Added Tax (HVAT) Act will be able to pay lump sum tax at the rate of one per cent on total valuable consideration received by them.

Setting up of “Haryana Kesh Kala and Kaushal Vikas Board” to revive and promote the art of hair grooming and to co-ordinate and assist in bringing new technologies into the profession of the traditional community also approved. The Chairperson of the 10 member board would be appointed from Sain Samaj.

It was also decided to revise the norm of annual income of displaced Kashmiri families and also that of the tenure of giving financial assistance to such families. The maximum annual income from all sources of a displaced family has been hiked to Rs 2 lakh from Rs 50,000. Now the financial assistance will be given for five years instead of the present tenure of two years. The financial assistance would be given at a rate of Rs 1000 per month per member subject to a maximum assistance of Rs 5000 per month per family.

Ex-post facto approval to the amendment made in Regularisation Policy for Group B, C and D employees regarding addition of clause of ‘condoning of break in service’ was given. The Cabinet approved the proposal to insert a clause of condonation in break in service only up to a period of 30 days in a year provided that the same is not due to the fault of the employee like abandonment of employment in the policy of regularization in respect of Group B, C and D contractual employees / workers.

For maternity leave to its female employees engaged on contract basis, the Cabinet approved fully paid maternity leave up to a maximum of six months or till the currency of the subsisting contract, whichever is earlier.

A proposal to fix rate of sale of two kanal of government land to Brahmin Sabha and four kanal to Sri Singh Sabha, Fatehabad, was also approved. The land being allotted to the sabha for construction of a dharamshala only at the collector rate of Rs 6300 per square yard at total cost of Rs 76.23 lakh with the condition that no commercial activity will be undertaken.

The Cabinet also approved the proposal to sell four kanal of land to Sri Singh Sabha for construction of Gurdwara Sri Singh Sabha at the collector rate of Rs 6300 per square yard at total cost of Rs 1,52 lakh on the condition that it will be used only for construction of a temple and no commercial activity will be undertaken.

The Cabinet also considered allotment of two kanals to Ravidass and Meghwal Society, Fatehabad, for construction of Ravidass Bhavan and Hostel.

A proposal to take over Pitamah Kanha Singh Degree College, Kanina, on the condition that teaching and non teaching staff members who fulfilled the UGC norms will be taken on government rolls with effect from May 1, 2014 was approved.

The proposal to allot six acres of land belonging to Kurukshetra Development Board to ISKCON was also given the nod. 

Yamunanagar, July 30
A jubilant Jagadhri is high on celebration as local lad Sanjeev Rajput has hit a silver medal in the 50m rifle 3 position shooting competition in the ongoing Common Wealth Games in Glasgow today.

As the victory of Sanjeev was announced on TV, there was no limit to joy of his family members and friends. Sweets were distributed among one another and they danced to drum beats. People started making beeline to his house at the Tejli gate here to congratulate his family.

An Arjuna award winner, Sanjeev has improved his performance by clinching silver medal. He had won a bronze in the Common Wealth Games, 2006, held in Melbourne and in Delhi in 2010. His father Krishan Lal Rajput told The Tribune that Sanjeev had won over 100 medals in various competitions. He said he had been awarded with Arjuna award by then President Pratibha Patil in 2010.

“We are extremely happy for Sanjeev. He has done proud our country proud,” he said. Sanjeev’s parents are now planning for his marriage. Manoj, his elder brother, said they were hopeful that Sanjeev would win a medal this time also and they were very proud of him.

Sonepat, July 30
No sooner had Amit won the gold medal after beating the his Nigerian opponent in the 57 kg wrestling final of the commonwealth games late last night, festivities erupted in his native village Nahri.

The victory was celebrated with distribution of sweets, firing of the crackers by drum beating youth on the village streets. There were some tense moments before the match when Amit’s father Narender Dahiya, his brothers and maternal uncle tried to persuade his mother Sheela Devi to watch the match. She had earlier announced that she would not watch the match nor eat anything till her son bagged the gold medal.

Thanking the Almighty for this win, Narender said that family’s poverty did not deter Amit from fulfilling his dream of making it big in the wrestling arena. Rather all disadvantages became a source of inspiration for him to practice harder to achieve his goals. We tried to meet Amit’s requirements even by going hungry sometimes, he recalled.

Feeling proud of her son’s achievement, Sheela Devi said this all was due to blessings of God and hard work of Amit. Everyone should be blessed with such a son, she remarked.

His maternal Dharambir recalled that right from childhood Amit was very talented and he always wanted to become a wrestler. When he was seven he was coached by a local coach, Hansraj, in the village akhara. He later on trained under renowned international wrestler and coach, Sat Pal, at Chhatrasal stadium.

Following this there was no looking back and the champion started his wrestling career by winning gold medals consecutively for nine years at the national school games. Amit’s aim is to repeat this feat at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Dharambir added. 

Chandigarh, July 30
The BJP has today demanded cancellation of the ‘controversial’ appointments of Information Commissioners and Commissioners of the Right to Service Commission, who were administered oath by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda recently.

A BJP delegation , led by state party president Ram Bilas Sharma, which met Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki here today, also sought the registration of an FIR against Chief Secretary SC Choudhry for allegedly forcing senior IAS officer Pradeep Kasni to do “wrong things” pertaining to the appointments.

“We have urged the Haryana Governor to cancel the appointment of two State Information Commissioners and three Commissioners of the Haryana Right to Service Commission that are totally illegal and unconstitutional,” Sharma told reporters.

Accusing the Hooda government of not following rules and proper procedures in making the appointments, Sharma alleged that Hooda administered the oath of office to new commissioners despite Solanki taking oath as the new Governor.

The BJP also took a dig at Chief Secretary SC Choudhry for sending objectionable text messages to Kasni over a file pertaining to the appointments.

“An FIR should be lodged against Choudhry for pressuring Kasni to do illegal things with regard to the appointments,” he said.

When asked whether it had got an assurance of action from Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, Sharma said Solanki had assured the BJP delegation that he would act after studying the matter.

Sharma alleged that outgoing Governor Jaganath Pahadia “was also pained at heart” when he was forced to appoint the Vice-chancellors of Chaudhary Ranbir Singh University, Jind, Chaudhary Bansi Lal University, Bhiwani and Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila University, Khanpur Kalan, Sonepat on the last day of his term.”During my meeting with Pahadia, the former Governor appeared to upset with the Haryana Chief Minister over the appointment of these VCs,” he alleged.

Chandigarh, July 30
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today dismissed talk of upheaval in the Congress.

Talking to the media after a meeting of the state Cabinet, Hooda said, “The Congress is very strong. Let’s see who defects.” When asked why so many leaders were angry under his leadership, he said, “Nobody is annoyed because of me. Rather, they are annoyed because of their own vested interests. If one gets annoyed near the elections, one can guess why.”

Asked about Congress leader Birender Singh meeting BJP president Amit Shah amidst speculations of his joining the BJP, Hooda said he was not aware of the development.

When asked to comment on allegations of discrimination levelled against him, Hooda said that people were doing so as they have no issue. “When one finds discrimination after 10 years, you can understand why,” he added. On recent appointments, Hooda said these were legal and followed procedure.

Asked to comment on the exchange of messages between Chief Secretary SC Choudhary and Secretary, Administrative Reforms, Pradeep Kasni, Hooda said it was an exchange between friends and he had nothing to say about it.

On his willingness to contest from Indri, Hooda said it was possible only if the people and all 19 ticket aspirants wanted him.

Meanwhile, the government has re-appointed Sunil Parti as Additional Media Adviser to the CM.

Chandigarh, July 30
A day after creating a stir in the Haryana Congress, Power Minister Capt Ajay Yadav may soon have a change of heart about his resignation submitted to Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda yesterday.

While he is learnt to have had a heart-to-heart talk with Hooda over the phone about his grievances, he was summoned by Haryana general secretary in charge Shakeel Ahmed for a meeting today.

“We are hopeful of resolving his issues and the matter will be sorted out. He spoke to the CM earlier in the day and will be meeting me late today evening or sometime tomorrow,” Ahmed said. Yadav too confirmed that he was on his way to Delhi for a meeting.

Sources said that the CM’s aides had a long talk with Yadav late last night after which he is learnt to have relented. At a press briefing today, Hooda, too, appeared unfazed with yesterday’s development and said that he had asked the minister to reconsider his resignation.

“I haven’t heard from him after that,” Hooda said. However, when told that Yadav had alleged bias in development and claimed that he had been reduced to a rubber stamp, an aggressive Hooda said, “Wait till tomorrow to see what he says.”

On the other hand, Yadav maintained that he was going to Delhi and would be able to take a call on this issue after he talks to Ahmed. “I have not made up my mind though I want to stick to my decision,” he claimed.

Sources close to Yadav said that he had been “frustrated” at the recent appointments of the government in which very few names forwarded by him had been accommodated. In a fit of anger as also to show his displeasure over the way appointments were made, he submitted his resignation despite having no alternative plan.

In fact, this is not the first time that Yadav has taken on Hooda in the 10-year term of the government. With a series of “flip-flops” to his credit on various issues, he has sometimes been a part of the “dissident camp” within the Congress and switched loyalties to the CM on other occasions.

He was vocal of the shortcoming of the government’s land acquisition policy and accused Hooda of ignoring the farmer’s interest when it was being lauded by the UPA government only to come out in its support later. Even during the Cabinet expansion in 2011, when four ministers were inducted, Yadav raised a banner of revolt after the Finance portfolio was taken from him but fell in line subsequently. At the time his son contested the state Youth Congress election and was elected president, he was a member of the Hooda camp.

He again fell out with Hooda over Mirpur college in Rewari being denied upgradation as university but was very vocal in his praise for Hooda when his demand was accepted. Recently, Yadav, lobbying for the party ticket from the Gurgaon Lok sabha, withdrew his name from the list of aspirants after it was offered to him. 

Chandigarh, July 30
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s detractors have left no stone unturned to embarrass him all through his second term in office. In this election year Hooda has suffered one jolt after the other at the hands of senior Congress leaders who have tried to paint the Chief Minister as partisan in terms of development and jobs. But so far Hooda has managed to emerge stronger after each episode. The latest “bombshell” has been dropped by Power Minister Captain Ajay Yadav, accusing the Chief Minister of interfering in his work.

Yadav, who till last week was seen warming up to the Chief Minister on the floor of the House during the monsoon session, sprung a surprise, apparently after Hooda refused to commit the Kosli (Rewari district) seat for his son, Charanjeev, which the former has been demanding from Hooda after Charanjeev failed to get Congress nomination from the Gurgaon parliamentary seat earlier this year. Rao Yadvendra Singh, Rao Inderjit Singh’s brother, is the sitting MLA from Kosli.

Though Yadav has levelled serious charges against Hooda of ignoring him and limiting all developmental activity to the three districts of Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat, supporters of Hooda feel that this is just Yadav’s ploy to back out from contesting the forthcoming Assembly elections from Rewari from where Yadav is the sitting MLA. In the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Congress trailed behind the BJP in this segment by 82,260 votes.

Though Hooda has not yet accepted the Power Minister’s resignation, insiders say that Yadav is adamant as he is finding a way to avoid the Vidhan Sabha election where his party received a huge drubbing at the hands of the BJP making the position of the Congress unenviable. Yadav has levelled serious charges against Hooda that include that despite being Power Minister, he was never consulted on issues of transfers and postings. He said he was punished for “mentioning Modi’s development model” and removed as Finance Minister.

However, Hooda is lucky in the sense that he has the support of the party high command and everyone who raised his/her voice against Hooda either had to leave Haryana politics or leave the party. Kumari Selja was the first to revolt, she was made the Rajya Sabha member and taken to the Centre. Then Rao Inderjit revolted against Hooda, he had to finally leave the party and go to the BJP. Also one of Hooda’s detractors includes his cousin, Chaudhary Birender Singh. The talk now is that he too has met BJP President Amit Shah and is contemplating an exit from the party.

Yadav has from time to time raised several issues for development of his area. He fought for upgrading the Indira Gandhi University, met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to protest Hooda’s land acquisition policy, sat on dharna on this issue against his own government. But the timing of his resignation has now come under question. Having remained a minister holding different portfolios, observers feel that his revolt against the Chief Minister weeks before the state is to go to the polls does not hold his charges of being partisan against Hooda. Observers feel that this could only be a pressure tactic by Yadav to secure a seat for his son or to make an excuse fro not contesting the next election from Rewari. 

Rewari, July 30
Rewari MLA Capt Ajay Singh Yadav’s resignation has taken the Opposition leaders by surprise. They have now intensified the war of words against Yadav.

Former MLA and HJC leader Raghu Yadav said the resignation was part of a damage control exercise being carried out by Capt Yadav to please the local people, who were miffed with him as he did nothing for the betterment of the area despite being a part of the Cabinet for almost a decade.

Satish Khola, district chief of BJP, said Yadav was an expert in playing pressure politics to fulfil his vested interests. “He first opposed Hooda and then calmed down,” he said.

Satish Yadav, an INLD leader, said people had no reason to believe Capt Yadav resigned for the sake of Rewari. “A day before resigning, he was harping upon development undertaken by the state government in the last decade.” — TNS

Karnal, July 30
Haryana Lokhit Party chief Gopal Kanda today accused Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of politicising education by naming a university of Jind in his father’s name. The name of the educational institute, he stressed, should be named after martyrs.

Interacting with mediapersons, Kanda said an anti-Congress prevailing in the state would help wipe out the party from Haryana in the Assembly elections. The party would organise a rally in Jind on August 17 where the manifesto would be announced. — TNS

Chandigarh, July 30
Power Minister Capt Ajay Yadav may soon have a change of heart about his resignation submitted to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda yesterday.

While he is learnt to have had a heart-to-heart talk with Hooda over the phone about his grievances, he was summoned by Haryana general secretary in charge Shakeel Ahmed for a meeting today.

“We are hopeful of resolving his issues and the matter will be sorted out. He spoke to the CM earlier in the day and will be meeting me late this evening or sometime tomorrow,” Ahmed said. Yadav too confirmed that he was on his way to Delhi for a meeting.

Sources said that the CM’s aides had a long talk with Yadav late last night after which he is learnt to have relented. At a press briefing today, Hooda, too, appeared unfazed with yesterday’s development and said that he had asked the minister to reconsider his resignation.

“I haven’t heard from him after that,” Hooda said. However, when told that Yadav had alleged bias in development and claimed that he had been reduced to a rubber stamp, an aggressive Hooda said, “Wait till tomorrow to see what he says.”

On the other hand, Yadav maintained that he was going to Delhi and would be able to take a call on this issue after he talks to Ahmed. 

Sirsa, July 30
The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) will release on Friday a list of nearly 50 candidates for the Haryana Assembly elections. The party’s state executive will meet in Gurgaon tomorrow to zero in on the candidates.

“The first list will have candidates from those segments where there is no controversy over the names. All nine segments under the Sirsa parliamentary seat and many from the Hisar parliamentary constituency will be covered in the list,” Ellenabad MLA Abhay Chautala told The Tribune.

Sikh voters in Sirsa are hoping to get at least one out of five seats in the district in view of the focus on the community.

From August 4, Abhay and INLD state president Ashok Arora will address workers’ meeting in all Assembly segments in the next 20 days.

Meanwhile, hundreds of INLD activists and ticket-aspirants visited Abhay’s house on the Dabwali road here today.

“I have to keep my mobile phone off during the night, as every second caller is a ticket-seeker,” Abhay Chautala said on being pointed out that his cell phone was not reachable in the morning.

Kulbir Singh Sangwan, a BAMS doctor, came with his supporters to request Abhay to field him from the Baroda Assembly segment in Sonepat district.

Sangwan showed the INLD leader his biodata, clippings of news reports regarding him since early 1990s and the certificates of appreciation issued to him by INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala in 1995 for participating in flood relief programme and “rasta roko andolan”.

“Show this to Chautala saab (OP Chautala), as he has to take the final call on the tickets. I am not even going to request him to give me the ticket,” Abhay told him in a lighter vein.

Chandigarh, July 30
A local court today framed charges of assault on a public servant and rioting against Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) Chief Kuldeep Bishnoi and 25 others in a case registered against them in 2010.

The case has now been adjourned to October 7 when the trial would commence in court. The court framed the charges under Sections 147, 148, 149, 332 and 353 (rioting, voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from performing duty) of the IPC against Kuldeep Bishnoi and others in the case.

The Chandigarh police had registered the case on March 5, 2010, when over 70 persons, including Bishnoi, where 35 policemen were injured in a violent clash when they were stopped from marching towards the Haryana Assembly.

Over 1,000 party workers, led by Bishnoi, had gathered at the Sector 25 ground to protest the policies of the state government. A clash broke out when police stopped them from jumping a barricade, following which police had used batons, tear gas shells and water cannons to disperse the mob.

Irked by the pelting of stones by the protesters, who also tried to breach the security cordon, the police chased and cane-charged them before smashing the windowpanes of their vehicles parked in the Sector 25 rally ground.

An FIR was registered under sections of murder attempt, rioting, and obstructing public servant from performing duty, damaging public property against 25 accused including Bishnoi.

Earlier in February this year, District and Sessions Judge SK Aggarwal had dropped charges of murder attempt against Kuldeep Bishnoi and 25 others.

New Delhi, July 30
Days after the Kurukshetra police gave a clean chit to state Finance Minister Harmohinder Singh Chattha in connection with a woman’s allegation that he sexually abused her twice in two years, she moved the National Commission for Women today.

The complainant, a Municipal Councillor from Pehowa, the home constituency of Chattha, met mediapersons in the National Capital today and demanded an FIR against Chattha and his arrest. She said her petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against Chattha had been admitted today and reposed faith in the judiciary.

In her complaint, she charged Chattha with molesting her at his official residence in Chandigarh on November 8, 2012, when she visited him to lobby for the post of Pehowa Municipal Committee president that is reserved for women.

She alleged Chattha molested her in full public view the second time on July 15 at the Irrigation Rest House in Pehowa when she had gone to stake claim for the Assembly ticket to central observer G Rudra Raju.

She said she lodged a complaint with the Kurukshetra Superintendent of Police, who marked it to a woman DSP. The police showed undue haste in giving a clean chit to Chattha on July 20, she said.

In response to media queries, she said she did not pursue the case as she was dissuaded by local Congressmen and fellow councillors as “he is a powerful minister”.

Chattha (80) had rubbished the allegations and termed her action politically-motivated.

The councillor alleged Chattha’s goons had been threatening her and her family members of dire consequences for pursuing the case. She was critical of the role of the local government machinery and the police in pursuing her complaint.

Chandigarh, July 30
The Congress manifesto committee held a meeting here today under the chairmanship of Ram Prakash, former Rajya Sabha member.

Sources said the manifestoes for the 2004 and 2009 Assembly elections were discussed by the members in detail and it was decided to seek suggestions from the members before the manifesto for the coming Assembly election was finalised. Dissident leader and Rajya Sabha member Birender Singh and Rajya Sabha member Kumari Selja did not make it to the meeting. — TNS

Fatehabad, July 30
The local gurdwara committee in Bighar village of the district has approached the police for action against members of the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) led by former minister Gopal Kanda for misleading villagers.

Members of the gurdwara committee alleged that HLP members made an announcement from the shrine’s public address system about free insurance worth ~1 lakh for each villager. When people reached the gurdwara, they were made to fill party’s membership forms. Gurdwara committee president Joga Singh and cashier Sukhwinder Singh have complained to the police, seeking action against HLP members for misusing the place of worship to defraud people. — TNS

Sirsa, July 30
After last year’s successful trials, the Sirsa-based Regional Station of the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) has sown cotton over 250 acres using the high-density plantation system (HDPS). Scientists of the CICR increased productivity by 15 to 20 per cent through this method on demonstration plots last year.

This year, out of the 1,804 acres brought under the HDPS in 75 villages of 11 cotton producing states in the country, 250 acres have been taken up in four villages of Sirsa, said Dr Dalip Monga, principal scientist and head of the regional station of the CICR at Sirsa.

The HDPS involves closer spacing of cotton plants to have more number of plants and hence more cotton bolls on a given piece of land.

From the present 67.5 cm (row to row) X 60 cm (plant to plant), the plantation is increased to 67.5 cm (row to row) X 10 cm (plant to plant). While in the current system, the number of plants is 24,691 in one hectare, by close spacing it, the number of plants increases to 1,48,148 in one hectare of land.

The national average of cotton productivity in India is 15 quintal per hectare, while in North India, it is 18 quintal per hectare against the world average of 22.5 quintal (750 kg lint) per hectare, said Monga.

Of the 80-odd cotton producing countries, India has the largest area under cotton, but in productivity (yield per acre), the country at the 33rd place in the world.

“India is second in the world in the total production of cotton, second in exports and yet the country is placed at 33rd position in productivity due to outmoded techniques.

The HDPS, if adopted in normal practice by farmers, can improve productivity,” said Monga.

Besides the HDPS, the CICR was also doing trials of the insect resistance management (IRM) techniques on 13,400 acres in the country, he added. 

Productivity enhancer The high-density plantation system (HDPS) involves closer spacing of cotton plants and hence more cotton bolls on a given piece of land Using the HDPS, productivity has improved by 15 to 20 per cent In the present system being used in cotton production, the number of plants is 24,691 in one hectare. By close spacing it, the number of plants increases to 1,48,148 one hectare

Faridabad, July 30
The Faridabad unit of the Government Railway Police (GRP) have joined a unique group on instant messaging service WhatsApp that shares information on children or family members who get separated at stations or in trains.

The group, started recently by UP officials, aims at better coordination among railway cops at various stations and will share information about incidents in the region simultaneously and immediately. Started as 'All UP', it has several officials, including senior-rank officers, as its members.

"The Railway Police was so far dependent on landlines or traditional methods of communication with other police stations to trace missing persons or children separated at railway stations," said Lalit Kumar, the Faridabad GRP SHO. He said use of such a media would help keep a tab on crimes.

The group has grown bigger with the railway police UP, Haryana and Maharashtra joining in. In Haryana, GRP officials at Faridabad, Panipat, Ambala and Kurukshetra have joined this group.

Though the local railway police is yet to generate data and statistics of missing persons, the cops, however, said no complaint of any missing child has been lodged in the district so far this year. 

Kurukshetra July 30
Days after Kurukshetra resident Suresh Kumar was reported killed in a militant attack in Iraq, the Ministry of External Affairs said he, in fact, died of a cerebrovascular accident (stroke).

Suresh (42) of Kurukshetra’s Jhansa village worked as a labourer with Al Jiburi Construction Company in Basra. He left for Iraq about 14 months ago through Chandigarh-based JM Overseas.

“There are no militants in Basra who could have killed Suresh,” an MEA communication said. The post-mortem will reveal the cause of death and it will then be shared with the family, the MEA said.

Syed Akbaruddin, Joint Secretary (XP) and spokesperson Ministry of External Affairs, said officials from the Basra Control Room visited the camp on July 21 and met the management and the workers of Al Jiburi Construction Company. They learnt Suresh Kumar had been hospitalised the previous day. The officials then visited the hospital to check on Suresh and found he had suffered a stroke and died later in the day.

According to the ministry, the officials met the hospital management the following day and learnt the company’s PRO was completing the formalities regarding Suresh’s death.

Akbaruddin said the control room contacted the PRO of the company on Tuesday, who said Suresh’s body would be taken to Baghdad Hospital after Eid holidays for further investigation to ascertain the cause of death. 

Jind, July 30
Struggling to improve their negative image, the state’s khaps will take the help of the Art of Living (AOL) Foundation.

As many as 67 prominent leaders of several of these caste councils met foundation chief Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Noida last night and it was decided to launch a joint campaign against various social evils such as female foeticide, drugs, excessive use of pesticides for farming and cow slaughter.

Both sides brainstormed during the nearly two-hour meeting on steps to improve the negative image of khaps despite their positive efforts to solve disputes of various villagers. During the meeting, khap leaders alleged they were presented in poor light for no fault of theirs. They also presented some facts and figures of cases solved by them to the satisfaction of both parties.

“Sri Sri Ravi Shankar wanted to know the exact working of the khaps. We gave him detailed information and he gave his consent to launch a joint special campaign against various social evils with khaps. He will come to Haryana to launch our joint campaign,” said Sube Singh Sumain, spokesman of the Sarv Khap Panchayat. Some khap leaders told The Tribune they hoped the joint campaign would help improve their negative image at the international level. They said Sri Sri said he would help give the world accurate information about them.

“The joint campaign would help khaps in working more effectively. AOL Foundation members would also help khaps present their viewpoint before the youngsters, who hate khaps in the absence of adequate information about their working,” said Anil, the AOL Youth Coordinator. AOL state coordinator Charnjit Singh said Sri Sri will visit Haryana to start joint campaign with khaps.

Fighting social ills As many as 67 prominent khap leaders meet Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Both sides brainstorm for nearly two hours on steps to improve the negative image of khaps despite their positive efforts to solve disputes among villagers Khap leaders hope the joint campaign would improve their negative image at the international level

Chandigarh, July 30
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) whether the cuts in the median on the Panipat-Kundli stretch of the national highway to Delhi were traffic hazards. The NHAI has also been asked to file an affidavit in this regard.

The directions by Justice Rajive Bhalla came during the hearing of an ongoing contempt petition in a traffic regulation and road safety case. The directions followed observations that traffic from the villages abutting the highway was gushing in through the cuts in the medians, resulting in accidents. The affidavit has to be submitted to the court by August 1.

Justice Bhalla said: “The NHAI shall file an affidavit whether the median cuts between Panipat and Kundli are traffic hazards, particularly as most of these cuts lead straight into or out of villages causing traffic from these villages to enter traffic on the national highway at a right angle, leading to accidents”.

Justice Bhalla also observed that the possibility of fatal accidents taking place could not be ruled out even when the vehicles were driving well within the prescribed speed limits on the national highway, due to the traffic from the villages flowing in through the cuts.

“It is made clear to the respondents that in case there is no perceptible change towards compliance/enforcement of provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and orders passed by the Supreme Court and this court, punishment would be imposed upon the seniormost officers of each commissionerate/district responsible for ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act as well as disobeying orders passed by the Supreme Court and this court”. 

Sirsa, July 30
Almost all districts of Haryana have so far experienced deficient or scanty rainfall this monsoon, says a report by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) released today.

Of the 21 districts, 11 witnessed deficient rain and nine scanty rain from June 1 to July 29. Only Faridabad district with minus 16 per cent departure from the Long Term Averages (LTA) is the only district to have witnessed normal rain.

The LTA is the average rainfall of a particular place for the past 30 years or more. The departure from the LTA is expressed in positive and negative percentage. For instance, Sirsa’s LTA is 119.5 mm, while the district recorded 55.8 mm this season. Since it recorded less than the LTA, its percentage departure will be expressed in the negative. In this case, it is minus 53 per cent. As per the IMD parameters, districts with 20 per cent or more departure from the LTA has excess rain, those with 19 per cent to –19 per cent departure from the LTA have normal rain, those with -20 per cent to -59 per cent departure from the LTA have deficient rain, those with -60 per cent to -99 per cent departure from the LTA have scanty rain and districts with -100 per cent departure from the LTA have no rain.

According to the report, Rohtak with -85 per cent departure from the LTA is the scanty with the least rain this year. Other districts to have received scanty rainfall include Panipat (-81 per cent), Sonepat (-73 per cent), Fatehabad (-70 per cent), Kurukshetra (-67 per cent), Jind (-65 per cent), Palwal (-62 per cent) and Hisar (-61 per cent).

Among the nine districts that received deficient rainfall, Kaithal with -58 per cent departure from the LTA witnessed the lowest rain this monsoon. The other districts with deficient rain are Karnal (-55 per cent), Sirsa (-53 per cent), Bhiwani (-51 per cent), Ambala (-48 per cent), Jhajjar and Mahendergarh (both -46 per cent), Mewat (-45 per cent), Gurgaon (-40 per cent), Yamunanagar (-29 per cent) and Rewari (-23 per cent).

Going by the total rain witnessed during the season, Yamunanagar witnessed the maximum 294.3 mm rain from June 1 to July 30, while Rohtak saw the minimum 34.5 mm rain during the same period.

In other districts, Ambala recorded 210.5 mm rain, Bhiwani 75.7 mm, Faridabad 197.1 mm, Fatehabad 39.5 mm, Gurgaon 122.1 mm, Hisar 59.5 mm, Jhajjar 100.3 mm, Jind 61.7 mm, Kaithal 69.1 mm, Karnal 114.9 mm, Kurukshetra 86.8 mm, Mahendergarh 103.1 mm, Mewat 111.9 mm, Palwal 69.2 mm, Panchkula 134.3 mm, Panipat 42.6 mm, Rewari 137.4 mm, Sirsa 55.8 mm, and Sonepat 62.7 mm. The IMD report predicts cloudy conditions with possibility of light rain and thundershowers in isolated parts of the region in the next 48 hours. 

Karnal, July 30
Furious over non-implementation of Swaminathan Commission’s report, the members of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) today held a panchayat at Jat Dharamshala and criticised the central government for not taking their long pending demands seriously.

BKU members threatened to observe Independence Day as the day of captivity, if their demands were not met till August 15. Rattan Mann, senior vice president of BKU, said the BJP had made promise to implement the Swaminathan Commission report after coming to power, but two months after forming the government, BJP was yet to take up the matter. He alleged “The BJP-led central government is following the footsteps of the last UPA government on this issue.”

Meanwhile, two separate lists of demands for the state as well central government had been chalked out . Rattan Maan said the Swaminathan Commission report should be implemented immediately, state should be declared drought-prone, rate of paddy should be raised to ~2,800 per quintal, and age for pension should be 55 years. — TNS

Rewari, July 30
Scanty rainfall this monsoon has not only affected the seasonal vegetables and fruit crop, but has also led to a significant rise in the cases of water theft from the Jawarhar Lal Nehru canal in the district.

Despite several warnings by the Irrigation Department, farmers continue to steal water unabatedly from the canal passing through villages, especially for the paddy crop, which requires a considerable amount of water to flourish.

Though as many as 289 cases of canal water theft have been booked by the police against farmers during the last four months, but the practice of stealing water still continues.

“Maximum cases of water theft have been reported from villages located along the sides of the Jawarhar Lal Nehru canal. The main reason behind the theft is paddy crop, which needs considerable amount of water. Though the land in Rewari is not favourable for cultivating paddy as it is sandy, farmers prefer sowing paddy to earn profits,” said Vijay Bhaghotia, Executive Engineer at the Irrigation Department in Rewari.

He maintained the department had fixed the time to open the gates of the drains and sub-drains, but a number of farmers whose fields required more water indulged in water theft, he added.

“These farmers either put pipes in the canal or carve drains to draw water through an engine or breach the banks of the drains and the sub-drains. The situation takes a toll on the tank and the waterworks as the canal water does not reach there,” said Bhaghotia.

To check the water theft, the Irrigation Department employees with the help of police personnel are not only conducting raids at villages, but also carrying out round-the-clock patrolling in the affected areas. Besides, the village panchayats have also been urged to keep a tab on farmers indulging in water theft.

Rohtak, July 30
As many as 37 union ministers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will visit Haryana to canvass for the BJP in the coming Assembly elections. The ministers will hold public meetings in every Assembly segment.

Moreover, the BJP will launch yatras from all four corners of Haryana to mobilise party cadres and garner support for the saffron party candidates in the state.

This was stated by Prof Jagdish Mukhi, in charge of Haryana affairs in the BJP, here today. He was here in connection with a meeting of the party executive.

About the fate of the BJP-HJC alliance in the state, Prof Mukhi said the party’s core committee had recommended to the central leadership that the alliance be reviewed and its terms and conditions revised in the changed political circumstances.

Dr Anil Jain, co-in charge of the Haryana BJP, said the graph of the saffron party would rise with the entry of veteran Congress leader Birender Singh into the party-fold. Birender was joining the party unconditionally, he added. 

Faridabad, July 30
The Municipal Corporation, Faridabad, will levy interest on the default amount of house tax from August 1, as the rebate scheme ends tomorrow.

The scheme was announced in November last year to recover around Rs 100 crore as house tax from defaulters. Balbir Singh Panwar, Zonal Taxation Officer of the MCF, said the Municipal Corporation had zeroed-in on around 2.25 lakh house tax-payers after a survey conducted in 2008-09.

Panwar said the MC would not serve any notice for the payment of house tax for 2014- 15, as the tax-payers were expected to pay the amount as per the self-assessment table released by the authorities. He said, “The authorities will levy interest at the rate of 1.5% on the principal amount from August 1 on the defaulting amount.”

According to the revised policy, residents owning a house or building on a plot measuring 300 sq. yards would be liable to pay tax at the rate of Rs 1 per sq. yard, the buildings on 301 to 500 sq. yards would pay tax at the rate of Rs 4 per sq. yard. For the buildings on 501 to 1000 sq.. yards it will be Rs six per yard, and those built on 1,001 sq. yard to two acres of land would be charged Rs 7 per sq. yard. — TNS

Sirsa, July 30
Protesting Israel’s repeated attacks on Palestine, activists of Left parties held a demonstration here today.

Activists of the CPM and the CPI assembled in the Town Park and raised slogans against Israel and castigated the NDA government’s policies on the matter. They then marched to Subhash Chowk and torched an effigy of imperialism, while raising slogans in favour of India-Palestine unity.

Addressing protesters, senior CPI leader and state executive member Swaran Singh Virk said repeated Israeli attacks on Palestine were a threat to mankind. He alleged the attacks had the backing of the imperialist forces, who wanted to create disorder in the Arab world under a strategy. — TNS