Bhiwani, December 1
The Kisan Mahapanchayat held today at Badhra on a call of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, has given the state government. One more chance till December 8 to accept its long-standing demands by December 5 or a meeting of the Taal-Mel committee will be convened the next day and to decide the course of action.

Secretary and legal adviser of Bharatiya Kisan Union Kamal Singh, addressing the mahapanchayat at grain market at Badhra said every government had cheated the farmers. Political leaders, when in opposition, promise to be with farmers but as come to power they change track.

He urged the government to withdraw notices of land attachment. He warned the police against accompanying bank officials to the houses of farmers.

BKU district president Dharmpal said the agitation would be intensified without announcement if demands were not accepted. He demanded cases against farmers withdrawn and martyr status to the killed farmers of Mandhiali and Kadma agitation, compensation to kin of the deceased of Hadodi incident, regular electricity supply to withdrawal of land attachment notices served on thousands of farmers implementation of the Swaminathan report etc.

Sheoran Khap — 25 president Bijender Dalwan, Kanni Khap president Ratan Singh, Jhanjharia Khap president Rai Singh, Kisan Sabha district president Sher Singh, BKU district secretary Sunil Pehlwan, Jitender Sehrawat, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti president Hira Singh, BJP cooperative cell president Om Prakash Mann, BJP leader Mangal Singh were among those present at the mahapanchayat.

Yamunanagar, December 1
The Sarpanch of Sabhapur village in Sadhoura block and another person accused of assaulting the staff of the UHBVN were arrested today.

The UHBVN employees had staged a dharna to press for the arrests. Employees of the Pubic Health Department had also supported the dharna.

Meanwhile, several sarpanches of the area came in support of the Sabhapur Sarpanch after the news of his arrest spread.

They will meet SP K.V. Ramana tomorrow in this connection.

Sources said efforts were made for a compromise between the two parties but the police was forced to register a case and make the arrests when the employees stopped work and staged a dharna.

The dharna was lifted only after the arrests of Sarpanch Vinod Saini and another person.

The UHBVN employees had alleged that the Sarpanch, along with others, had manhandled and abused them when they had gone to the village to check power theft.

Nirmal Singh, Sarpanch of Mirzapur village and president of sarpanches’ union, said an unsuccessful effort was made for a compromise between the parties involved in the controversy. Several sarpanches of the area said the case was registered under pressure from the UHBVN Employees Union.

The UHBVN today fined 11 persons of the village for power theft. Desh Raj was fined Rs 12,600 and Jai Singh Rs 13,300.

Meanwhile, the District Magistrate last evening imposed Section 144 around the office of the PWD (B&R).

Activists of the Haryana Government PWD Workers Union had yesterday gheraoed the Executive Engineer and the officer could move out of the office only after police intervention. 

Chandigarh, December 1
The anger of roadways staff against the alleged arbitrariness of the Delhi Police in challaning their vehicles is threatening to spill beyond the borders of Haryana.

A union of the Haryana Roadways employees had given a “no bus to Delhi” call for today in protest against the attitude of the Delhi Police.

While the authorities said there was no adverse effect of the call, representatives of the employees claimed that the bus service to Delhi was badly affected.

Mr Malkit Singh, general secretary of the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation Employees Union, and Mr Satinder Singh, general secretary of the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking Employees Union, have asked their counterparts in Haryana to evolve a joint strategy to protest against the attitude of the Delhi Police.

The Haryana employees claim that the representatives of the Himachal Roadways staff have also extended their support to the agitation against the Delhi Police.

According to reports received here, the police acted tough with the agitating employees at the Kundli barrier in Sonepat district on the GT Road and arrested 58 of them this morning when they attempted to block the entry of roadways buses in Delhi.

Mr Hari Narain Sharma, president of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh, which had given the strike call, was among those who were arrested.

However, a spokesman for the sangh, Mr Lal Chand Kasana, said here that 70 employees were arrested in Kundli and 60 in Badarpur on the Faridabad-Delhi road. He said no roadways bus entered Delhi from the Tigri, Ochandi and Kapashera entry points.

The employees also staged demonstrations in all depots of the Haryana Roadways today.

Criticising the arrests of his colleagues, Mr Kasana said further course of action would be decided on December 3 at Karnal where a function would be held to mark the 20th anniversary of the sangh.

He claimed that 90 per cent of the Haryana Roadways buses to Delhi did not ply today, resulting in a loss of Rs 70 lakh to the roadways.

On the other hand, the Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Transport, Mr Raminder Jakhu, said all buses entered Delhi normally from all seven entry points.

In any case, the fear of the strike kept the passenger turnout low today.

Sirsa, December 1
The Deputy Commissioner, Mr V.Umashankar, has started a free bus service from the local General Hospital to PGIMS, Rohtak, to facilitate the movement of AIDS patients. The secretary of the District Red Cross Society, Mr Praduman Kumar, said here today that the AIDS patients had to go to PGIMS, Rohtak, since their was no facility to treat the AIDS patients at Sirsa.

“Since there are considerable number of poor persons among AIDS patients, the authorities of the society and the General Hospital have started the service on directive of the Deputy Commissioner," he maintained. The free bus service will be available on the third Tuesday of every month and it will leave the local General Hospital for PGIMS, Rohtak, at 5.30 a.m. The same bus would bring the patients back from Rohtak in the evening.

The patients as well as their attendants can travel free of cost in the bus. A counsellor of the Health Department would also accompany them. The persons desirous of getting more information in this regard can contact the local Civil Surgeon or the Secretary of the District Red Cross Society.

Hisar, December 1
It’s a classic case of government apathy toward people’s grievances. As many as 111 traders had been allotted commercial plots years ago and they have paid nearly Rs 7.5 crore as instalments and interest for these till date. However, the possession of the plots is nowhere in sight.

The traders, who had been allotted plots in wholesale cloth and medicine market under Phase I of the Vyapar & Vyavsai Kunj scheme, maintain that the scheme had been launched in 2001 and plots were later allotted on the basis of a draw.

However, the development of the site could not materialise due to an objection raised by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The ASI stated that the site was close to a Centrally-protected monument of Gujari Mahal, an area where construction was prohibited.

The Improvement Trust authorities initiated efforts to get an alternative site allotted. However, no concrete action has been taken in this regard despite numerous representations by the affected traders.

On the other hand, the Haryana Government has recently granted permission to Jindal Stainless Steel, Hisar, to develop a park in memory of late Om Prakash Jindal on the original site earmarked for Phase I of the aforesaid scheme.

In a letter dated November 27, 2006, the Haryana Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Urban Development) has informed the Executive Director of Jindal Stainless Steel that they had been granted permission to develop the park as desired by them.

Interestingly, while the proposal to develop the park in memory of the late minister has been cleared at a remarkable speed, the business interests of the investors continue to suffer.

The Financial Commissioner-cum-Principal Secretary, Urban Development, personally visited the site and approved the alternative site suggested by the local Improvement Trust an year ago. Apart from eroding the credibility of the Improvement Trust, the inordinate delay has also adversely affected the work on Phase III of the commercial complex project.

Following an appeal by the aggrieved traders, the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Ms Savitri Jindal, and her MP son Naveen Jindal approached the authorities concerned to get the matter resolved.However, the way in which the proposal on the park has been cleared, leaving the traders in the lurch, clearly indicates the priorities of the state government.

Chandigarh, December 1
Mr Ashok Lavasa, Haryana Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary of the Department of Power, has been once again posted as the Resident Financial Commissioner (RFC) of Haryana in Delhi.

His new assignment is his main charge while his jobs as Principal Secretary, Power, and Chief Coordinator of the Investment Promotion Centre of the Haryana Government in Delhi are additional charges.

Mr Lavasa’s new posting order was issued on Wednesday. The state government normally sends press notes about posting and transfer orders of IAS officers. No press note was given on this occasion.

Earlier, in an administrative reshuffle carried out on October 25, Mr Lavasa was transferred from the RFC’s post and made the Chief Coordinator of the Investment Promotion Centre in Delhi and the Principal Secretary, Power. The power sector job was his additional charge while his principal charge was that of the Chief Coordinator.

Since Mr Lavasa’s principal charge was in Delhi, he was entitled to retain his official residence in the city. But the Chief Coordinator of the Investment Promotion Centre was an unusual nomenclature for a civil servant and apparently raised hackles in Delhi. With Mr Lavasa now posted as the Resident Financial Commissioner, he will not have any trouble about having an official residence in Delhi.

Mr P. K. Mahapatra, a Haryana officer, on the completion of his deputation with the Central Government, was made the Resident Commissioner in Delhi following Mr Lavasa’s transfer on October 25. Mr Mahapatra continues to remain in his post in Delhi.

Chandigarh, December 1
The Haryana Government has constituted a committee of Secretaries for handling public-private partnership (PPP) projects. The committee will be headed by the Chief Secretary while the Secretaries of the PWD (B&R), Health, Finance, Industries, Town and Country Planning, Power, Urban Development, Public Health and Co-ordination Departments will be the members of the committee.

The Economic and Statistical Adviser will be the convener of the committee. The committee will discuss and make recommendations on important policy matters relating to the PPP. The committee will also identify sectors where public projects can be implemented with the help of private sector.

The committee will also recommend steps for attracting private investment in major projects. The terms of reference of the committee also include advising the Chief Minister on matters of policy and integrated planning of the state. — TNS

Ambala, December 1
The State Vigilance Bureau, Ambala, yesterday nabbed a senior lecturer of Government Polytechnic (Boys), Ambala City, for taking a bribe of Rs 5000 from two students for remitting their fine.

Two students of the Polytechnic, Ajay Maan and Raj Singh, had filed a complaint with the DIG, Vigilance Bureau, Mr M.S. Ahlawat, that a lecturer, Mr K.K. Dhiman, had been demanding Rs 5000 from them for remitting their fine.