Ambala, Sept. 17: A court in Ambala will today hear the murder case of Dera Sacha Sauda manager Ranjit Singh, in which the Dera chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, is an accused.

Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge R K Saini had adjourned the hearing after five accused - Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, Sabdil Singh, Inder Sain and Avtar Singh appeared before the court.

Baba Gurmeet is accused of murdering Ranjit Singh, who threatened to reveal the name of those who were involved in wrongdoings inside the Dera headquarters at Sirsa.

Chandigarh: Centre for Monitoring of Indian Economy (CMIE) has reported that Haryana has topped the state list in terms of per capita investment in the existing fiscal.

The report has detailed that the overall investment figure under implementation is Rs 1,86,045 crore, as of June 2007.

According to the report, the state ranked 14th ten years ago and was placed at 13th place five years ago in terms of per capita investment.

Gurgaon (Haryana), Sept 26 : In a significant move, Annik, India's premier Data Services and Analytics Company, part of Raman Roy's Quatrro Group of Companies, has opened their first office in the US.

The Florida office will provide local presence for client relationship.

"We are proud to announce the opening of our US Office, a major milestone in Annik's growth. This new office will allow us to get closer to clients and provide quicker and more domain-specific responses to client needs,” said Rahul Sahgal, CEO of Annik.

Ambala, Oct 15 : A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court will today hear a case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, accused of sexual assault and murder.

Earlier, a court had extended the bail of Baba Gurmit till October 15 in two cases of murder and one count of rape.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed him to appear before the trial court for grant of regular bail.

The dera chief was granted interim bail on surety of three bonds of Rupees five lakh each.

Gurgaon (Haryana), Oct 19 : Police in Haryana are undergoing etiquette lessons to improve the image of the state police force in the public eye.

Under a private-public initiative, cops in Gurgaon are being trained in basic behaviour and code of conduct at Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) offices.

Infamous for being rowdy and unfriendly, the policemen are getting a crash course in being polite to the public.

Police officials, especially those who attend calls at the control room and at police stations, are being trained to respond rationally to people in distress.

Mahendra Lal, Commissioner of Police, Gurgaon, said the programme is aimed at making policemen people savvy.

Ambala, Oct 20 : A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court will today hear a case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, who is accused of sexual assault and murder.

Earlier, a court had extended the bail of Singh till October 20 in two cases of murder and one count of rape.

The court had refused Singh's plea for regular bail on grounds that the Dera chief was not present at the hearing on October 15.

Defence lawyer, however, had stated that Singh was not needed be present.

Ambala, Oct 22 (ANI): A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court will today hear a case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, who has been accused of sexual assault and murder.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought cancellation of interim bail to Singh, alleging that the sect chief was threatening the witnesses.

In an application filed before Special CBI Judge R K Saini, the investigating agency also demanded that no regular bail be granted to Dera Chief as he pressurise the witnesses.

Ambala, Oct 25 : A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court will today give its order on the bail plea of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, who has been accused of sexual assault and murder.

Special CBI Judge R K Saini had reserved the decision on regular bail application till today.

The CBI is opposing grant of bail to Singh, alleging that the sect chief was threatening the witnesses.

Ambala, Oct 27 : Chief of the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda sect, Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, will today appear before a CBI court in connection with two cases of murder and one of sexual harassment.

The court who had granted regular bail to Singh on Thursday, asked him to appear before the court on Saturday.

Singh's lawyer Jasmir Singh had said that Special CBI Judge R K Saini allowed the regular bail plea as his "prima facie involvement" in the three cases had not been established,

Karnal (Haryana), Dec 14: Mauritius President Sir Anerood Jugnauth believes ties between his country and India are on a strong footing because both share common roots.

"Since Mauritius gained independence, India has helped us a lot. Our cooperation is very strong. We are working together on many issues in international field, " said Jugnauth, while on a private visit to Karnal .

He was accompanied by his wife Sarojni. Both also attended a cultural programme. A Hindi music CD penned by him was released on the occasion.

India and Mauritius signed the double taxation avoidance agreement in 1983. Despite periodic criticism that the treaty has been abused for tax evasion, New Delhi has refused to scrap the agreement.

Haryana Government will promote Gurukul Educational Institutes in the state by providing financial aid. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was addressing Sanskrit Maha-sammelan at Gurukul Maha-vidyalaya.

Chief Minister assured Sanskrit teachers that their demands will be accepted soon and said that the promotion of Sanskrit language in the state will be funded by the government.

Mr Hooda said, "Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages of the world and many Vedas have been written in this language."

Mr. Hooda said that Haryana Government is very keen on overall development of students under Gurukul system of teaching.

Rohtak (Haryana)/Mussoorie (Uttarakhand), Jan 29: Northern India continued to shiver under intense cold wave conditions on Tuesday as mercury levels dipped to sub-zero temperatures, disrupting normal life.

In Rohtak, the temperature plummeted to around two degree Celsius, causing immense hardship to people, particularly during the intensely cold nights.

Labourers working in the outdoors have wrapped themselves up in maximum possible warm clothing, and are spending most of their time huddling around makeshift fires.

Bhiwani (Haryana), Jan 31 : Panic gripped poultry farmers in Haryana's Bhiwani District today due to mysterious death of thousands of chickens.

Poultry owners were scared that the bird flu virus has hit them. 
 
"Thousands of chickens are dying daily. Doctors come, they do check up and then go. They are not telling us the exact reason for the mysterious death," said Krishna, a poultry owner.  

There has been no official confirmation however if the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza has actually hit here.

About 160,000 poultry birds have been culled in West Bengal so far, while over 100,000 birds have succumbed to the disease.

Surajkund (Haryana), Feb. 1: The 22nd Surajkund craft fair, which provides a platform to artisans from across the country to exhibit their crafts and skills, is all set to open up from today.

The main attraction will be the languishing and dying crafts from various nondescript parts of the nation.

Although several changes have been brought in the exhibition since 1987 when it was first held, even today, the display of handicrafts from across the country remains a prominent feature.

Surajkund (Haryana), Feb 9: Membership of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation or SAARC has helped Afghanistan to expand its trade boundaries at the Surajkund crafts fair, on the outskirts of New Delhi.

The SAARC member countries showcased their craftwork at the fair and Afghanistan's participation was noteworthy.

Surajkund fair was started in 1987 as a novel scheme to highlight Indian handicrafts, art and culture. Now it has become a mega-hit.

In recent years, the fair has expanded its scope by inviting craftsmen and promoters from the SAARC-member countries.

The endeavor to promote economic integration, free trade and cultural links has proved to be fruitful for war-ravaged Afghanistan.

Mehrana (Haryana), Feb 20: Relatives of victims of the last year's Samjhauta Express train blast offered tribute in Haryana's Mehrana village on Tuesday.

Bodies of Pakistani passengers, many of whom were burnt beyond recognition, were buried at a Mehrana village graveyard after consulting relatives and Haryana Waqf Board officials.

The relatives said they wished for a speedy investigation into the case by the Indian authorities.

Chandigarh, Feb. 21: A 40-year-old woman was allegedly raped by two Haryana Armed Police personnel and a civilian near Governor A R Kidwai's official residence here this morning.

Commando Vijendra, attached to the Governor's security, constable Dinesh and one of his relatives were arrested on charges of raping the woman, SHO Ram Gopal, in whose jurisdiction the alleged crime took place, said.

The woman, who was employed with a caterer, was returning home in an auto-rickshaw when the alleged rape took place close to the official residence of the Haryana Governor in the high-security Sector-3 locality.

Ambala, Feb 23:  Special Judge R K Saini exempted Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, from personal appearance and deferred the hearing for March 8.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim did not appear in CBI court due to illness in Ambala on Saturday for the hearing of three criminal cases against him and others.

His counsel Surya Prakash filed an application in the court in which he requested to grant exemption from personal appearance to Dera chief for today, as he is not well.

Ambala, Feb 25: A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Monday sent Dr. Upendra Aggarwal, one of the key accused arrested in the kidney transplant racket, to judicial custody till March 7.

“Dr Upendra has been sent back to Tihar jail, further he will be produced on March 7,” said C. P. Pandey, a CBI counsel.

Jhajjar (Haryana), Feb. 25: Brick kiln labourers in Haryana can now provide school education to their kids without bothering to send them to distant places for the same, for the State Government has set up temporary classes for them at kilns.

Hundreds of brick kiln labourers' children are today benefiting from the newly set up classrooms which have been opened here under the Central Government’s Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All) scheme.

Naya Gaon (Haryana), Mar. 25: Delhi Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and encounter specialist Rajbir Singh was today cremated in his village of Naya Gaon in Haryana's Rewari District, almost 20 hours after he was shot dead by Gurgaon property dealer Vijay Bharadwaj.

Singh's body was taken from a Gurgaon mortuary to his home in Delhi to allow his relatives to grief and pay their last respects before it was taken to his village for final rites.

Haryana Government is seeking a financial help of Rs 12,348.79 crore from the World Bank for infrastructure growth of the state.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, together with senior governmental officers, made a demand to this effect at a meeting with a 19-member delegation of the World Bank.

For implementation of projects of roads, the state government has sought financial assistance of Rs 15,587.97 crore, for power projects Rs 3,803.98 crore has been demanded and Rs 2,956.84 crore for water supply and sanitation projects.

TDI Hotels and Resorts Ltd, a group company of TDI Infrastructure, has informed that the company has signed an operating, marketing and technical services agreement with Fortune Park Hotels Ltd, a subsidiary of ITC Ltd.

The agreement is to setup a 100-room Fortune Select Hotel at Sonepat close to the TDI Kundli township.

Mumbai-headquartered Unity Infraprojects Limited has informed that the company has secured two prestigious orders worth Rs 383 crore from Haryana State Roads and Bridges Development Corporation Limited, Chandigarh.

The first contract worth Rs 142.62 crore was awarded to the company for widening and upgradation of Rai Nahra Bahadurgarh Road (MDR-138) km 0.00 to 37.40 and Rohtak- Kharkhoda Delhi border (SH-18) (km10.20 to 40.76). The work is scheduled to be completed within 15 months.

Pinjore (Haryana), May 27: A newborn vulture earned the name Phoenix and a sum of 20,000 sterling pounds at an auction conducted by the London-based Royal Society for the Protection of Birds at the Vulture Breeding and Conservation Centre in Pinjore, Haryana.

The amount earned is to be used for conservation.

As the vulture populations dwindling across India, a White-backed vulture, the second to be born in captivity at the Vulture Breeding and Conservation Centre, caught the attention of the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) in England.

The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Government of Haryana jointly manage the Pinjore centre.

Chandigarh, July 16 : Rebel Congress MP from Bhiwani, Kuldeep Bishnoi has said that he would vote against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition in the Lok Sabha on July 22 during the trust vote.

Bishnoi said: "I have been raising my voice against the Congress-led UPA''s anti-people policies. I don''t want to commit political suicide, and therefore, there is no question of my voting in their favour."

Bishnoi said that he had recently written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, citing ten objections to the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

Parsvnath Developers has teamed up with Hotmail founder, Sabeer Bhatia to develop a knowledge city in Panchkula. The project is known as Parsvnath Nanocity. This project is based on the public-private partnership. In this project Sabeer Bhatia has 52% shares while Parsvnath and Haryana government own 38% and 10% shares respectively.  

The state government has already designated 11,000 acres of land near Panchkula for this project. Parsvnath Nanocity will be modeled on Silicon Valley. This project will be accomplished in two phases in ten years. In the first phase 5,000 acres would be developed

Dabwali (Haryana), July 18: An indefinite curfew has been imposed in Dabwali town of Sirsa District today following clashes between a group of Sikhs and Dera Sacha Souda followers.

One person has been killed and three were injured in the clashes.

According to the police, the clashes broke out following a dispute between them during morning prayers of Dera supporters.

Following the clashes, tensions have been prevailing in the area. Additional forces have been deployed to prevent any kind of untoward incident

Last month, one person was killed in firing by a bodyguard of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh during a clash with Sikhs when the sect head had visited Mumbai.

Sirsa, July 19 : Uneasy calm prevailed in Haryana''s Sirsa district and parts of Punjab today, even as curfew remained clamped in Dabwali town following clashes between Dera Sacha Sauda followers and Sikhs.

Haryana Armed Police (HAP) troops, Rapid Action Force (RAF) and paramilitary force conducted flag marches in Dabwali town and Sirsa''s satellite towns Ratia, Ellanabad and Kalianwala.

The warring factions the Dera Sacha Sauda, Sikh organisations, including the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committtee (SGPC), have appealed to the people to maintain peace and communal harmony.

In Punjab, the situation in Bathinda, Muktsar, Moga and Malout districts was tense, but under control.

Chandigarh, July 23: Sikh organisations are today observing a shutdown in Punjab and Haryana seeking an immediate arrest of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh whose body guards had killed a person from Sikh community in Mumbai on June 20.

In the wake of the shutdown, the security has been tightened in both the states.

To instill confidence among people in the wake of the bandh, security forces flag marched yesterday at various places in the two States.

Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa had on July 19 called for the shutdown, saying that only essential services including medical services will be allowed during the total shutdown sponsored by Sant Samaj, a conglomerate of various Sikh outfits.

Kurukshetra (Haryana), July 31: Security has been beefed up in Kurukshetra ahead of a fair to be held on Friday to mark the Solar eclipse.

Haryana Government sources said this precautionary step is being taken in the wake of the damage caused to life and property by the serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.

Nearly 1.5 million pilgrims are expected to attend the solar eclipse tommorow.

According to Hindu mythology, whosoever takes a dip in the tanks here on the solar eclipse day, is freed from all his sins and attains salvation.

OK Play India Limited announced that the company has received an order of Rs 32.70 crore from the government of Haryana.

OK Play India is a leading plastic molding company.

Under the proposed contract, the scope of work includes the supplying of water storage tanks for a value of Rs 32.70 Crores.

The order is applicable till March 31, 2009.

To further strengthen its business footprints, New Delhi-based company (OK Play India Limited) is eyeing to pump Rs 70 crore for constructing two facilities in Haryana and Tamil Nadu.

Adani Power Limited (APL) has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Haryana Government for supply of 1424 MW of Power for 25 years.

The bid was awarded to APL based on a competitive tariff bidding process which had taken place a few months ago.

The power will be supplied from the company's under-construction power generation facility in Mundra, Kutch, at the rate of Rs 2.94 per unit.

http://www.topnews.in/files/Akshay-Urja-Diwas.jpg " alt="Akshay Urja Diwas" title="Akshay Urja Diwas" width="195" height="140" align="left" />Haryana, Aug 20 : Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Vilas Muttemwar today said that government is to implement a scheme to give financial incentives to youth promoting solar energy system.

While participating in the national level function of Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas at Panchkula, Muttemwar said there are 140 manufacturing units engaged in the manufacturing of water heater equipment in the country.

New Delhi, Aug 22 : The four players of Haryana, who had reached quarterfinals of their respective events at Beijing Olympics would be rewarded by appointment as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday announced the rewards in recognition of their significant achievement at the Beijing Olympics.

While speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Hooda said that a boxing academy would be established in Bhiwani and a wrestling academy would be set up at an appropriate place in Haryana.

Ambala, Aug 23 : A special court here today will hear arguments on the framing of murder and sexual harassment charges against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Special Judge of CBI A K Verma ordered Ram Rahim Singh to appear in his court positively on that date.

Earlier, Ram Rahim Singh did not appear in CBI court due to illness in Ambala for the hearing of three criminal cases against him and others. 

Rewari (Haryana), August 29 : Union Defence Minister A. K. Antony on Friday said that the government would soon set up an Ex-Servicemen Commission to address the grievances of armed forces veterans and plan welfare schemes for them.

“After opening a new department in the Defence Ministry for ex-servicemen, the government is going to set up an Ex-Servicemen Commission soon to recommend various welfare schemes for them and their families,” Antony said, during the inauguration function of a Sainik School at Thappa Gothra Khori village near Rewari in Haryana.

Gurgaon, Sept. 7 : Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday called on the media to actively develop and promote a feeling of national consciousness, adding that its role in nation-building could never be underestimated. He also said that there was a need for the media to be seen as a balanced medium of opinion generation on issues of national import.

Hooda also announced a donation of Rs. 25 lakh to the National Media Centre in Gurgaon, as contribution for development of its institutional complex.

New Delhi, Sept 12 : The names for the National Agriculture Leadership Awards have been announced for this year by the National Committee which functions under the Chairmanship of Haryana Governor A. R. Kidwai.

The Life Time Achievement Award for this year went to three outstanding personalities for having served the Indian agriculture system for over four decades each, which positively impacted the growth in India''s farm sector, created newer opportunities and contributed to overall rural prosperity. They are Dr. V. Kurien, Dr. K. L. Chadda, and Dr. R. S. Paroda.

The ‘No. 1 Haryana’ campaign, which is currently being aired on cable networks across the state, is likely to be hit hard by the threat due to a potential enemy – mosquitoes. Following the recent cases of dengue and cholera, malaria too has joined the ‘league’ with over 28,000 confirmed cases recorded of late from different places throughout the state.

This high number of confirmed cases has surpassed the figure of 23,278 cases, recorded in Uttar Pradesh. Despite this, the health department, still asserts that this outbreak is yet to take the shape of an epidemic.

New Delhi, Sept 22 : With prospects of good kharif output, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday expressed hope that the ban on export of non-basmati rice, which was imposed as a temporary measure, would be lifted soon.

Chidambaram said this after inaugurating new facility of rice exporting firm Tilda Riceland in Gurgaon in Haryana today.

The government had banned export of non-basmati rice in April as part of initiatives to check rising inflation that touched the 13-year high mark of about 12 per cent.

Panipat (Haryana), Oct 2 : Congress President Sonia Gandhi today said that terrorists want to end social unity and brotherhood.

She was speaking at a rally at Panipat in Haryana on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi''s birth anniversary.

Sonia Gandhi said that the designs of terrorists would not succeed and also warned those who were trying to gain political mileage out of the issue.

“Such people are enemies of society and the country, Sonia Gandhi said, and added, “This is a national problem and everybody should come together to fight it.”

Bhiwani (Haryana), Oct. 31 : In a gesture to support social cause, the Olympic medallist Vijender launched two social campaigns-- ''Tree Plantation'' and ''Save Girl Child'' here on Thursday on the occasion of his birthday.

Vijender who celebrated his 22nd birthday, visited the local temple of Goddess Durga and offered prayers. His coach Jagdish and the President of Boxing Club of Bhiwani, Kamal Singh accompanied him.

Vijender prayed to Goddess Durga for more laurels to India in the boxing ring. After prayers, Vijender planted a tree and inspired others to follow suit. He also urged the people to stop female foeticide and participate in ''Save the Girl Child'' campaign.

In a shocking incident a group of drunken Haryana policemen had shot dead a 22-year-old college student returning home on Sunday night.

The youth Kuldeep Kumar, a BA final year student of Vaish College and a resident of Dabra colony, was shot from point blank range.

While Kuldeep was returning on bike from a party at his friend's place, the unruly policemen asked him to stop Tosham Chowk in Bhiwani. But when he did not stop he was shot in the temple with a service revolver.

As the news of fake encounter spread, local residents began pelting stones at the police at Ghantaghar Chowk and set afire a motorcycle.

New Delhi, Nov. 5 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo-motu cognizance of the killing of 22 year-old student Kuldeep by the Hisar Police near Bhiwani, and given the state government two months to file a report on the incident.

The NHRC has issued notices to the Director General of Police, Haryana, District Magistrate, Bhiwani, SP, Hisar/Bhiwani to take appropriate action with regard to investigation of the case.

The guidelines were communicated to the Chief Ministers of all States on December 2, 2003 by the NHRC, Chairperson.

Kalka (Haryana), Nov 9 : Indian Railways dedicated the Kalka-Shimla railway line to the nation as world heritage track after being declared by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage.

In a vibrant ceremony laced with cultural performance at Kalka station in Haryana, union Minister of State for Railways R. Velu dedicated over a century old Kalka-Shimla rail track by unveiling the plaque on Sunday.

“The entire world know that such a railway, such a wonderful system is here,” said Velu.

Rohtak (Haryana), Nov 11: Tibetan exiles in Haryana’s Rohtak district were recently barred from running their market of woolen clothes as district administration canceled their permission, allegedly under pressure from local traders.

They had bought land and got permission from the district administration to start their traditional business of selling woolens during winters. But at last moment the administration cancelled the order, which according to exiles has been done under pressure from local traders whose business gets affected.

Ambala (Haryana), Nov 12 : Swami Avdheshanand, religious guru of Pragya Singh, an accused in Malegaon blasts, has offered his cooperation in blast investigations.

Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has so far arrested nine suspects including Singh in connection with the September 29 Malegaon blast case.

Rohtak, Nov. 17  With the onset of winters, the shopkeepers selling the traditional sweets Rewri and Gajjak in Rohtak city of Haryana are having a busy time.

There are over 200 sweetmeat shops in Rohtak selling Rewri and Gajjak. The city is known for its best quality Rewri and Gajjak. These two items are prepared with sesame seeds and jaggery or sugar.

The twin sweets are very popular and hold a huge demand not just within the State but in other the parts of the country and abroad. Beyond Haryana and rest of India, the Rewri and Gajjak find their lovers in the markets of North America, England, Europe and the Middle East.

New Delhi, Nov 20 : The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for the establishment of the UNESCO Regional Centre for Training and Education in Biotechnology at Faridabad, Haryana with the revised budget of Rs. 99.55 crores.

The proposed centre would act as the focal point for cooperation amongst the Members countries of the Asian Region in Biotechnology.

Rohtak, Nov. 20 : It’s election time and the wrestlers from Rohtak are in high demand. It may sound a bit strange to many people elsewhere but at least not here.

After all any political leader gains attention by the number of musclemen he or she is accompanied by while electioneering. And, many candidates facing elections in neighbouring States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh perceive the wrestlers as a must.

Following such a demand, almost every other Akhara in Rohtak region in Haryana today presents a barren look. Although not much activity is witnessed at the Akharas but no one is complaining.

Haryana deputy chief minister Chander Mohan, who had been absconding for nearly a month, resurfaced at Jaipur on Sunday. As it turned out, he had married Anuradha Bali, the 35-year-old divorcee, secretly and had also converted to Islam. Bali is a former law officer from Haryana.

Talking over television from hiding, Chander Mohan confessed that he had taken a second wife, for which he had to change his religion. “My new name is Chand Mohammad and my wife’s name is Fiza,” he said. “I was attracted towards Islam since childhood. I have known her (Anuradha Bali) for a long time and now we are happily married.”

After his confession Chander Mohan was sacked by the state’s Congress government today.

Lok Sabha member Chaudhary Munawwar Hasan was killed in a road accident near Palwal in Haryana on Wednesday.

He was 45.

Hasan "was brought dead to Apollo Hospital at 3 am," a hospital spokesperson said.

Hasan was elected on a Samajwadi Party ticket from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh in 2004, had defected to BSP at the time of July 22 trust votes.

He was expelled by the Samajwadi Party which also filed a petition seeking his disqualification from the House.

An Indian woman, Rajo Devi gave birth to a baby girl in November at the age of 70. She was not able to conceive the child naturally but with the help of in-vitro fertilization, she got pregnant and now has a daughter, Naveen Lohan.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has made announcement about the launching of its ‘Interactive Personalised Television and Video Services’ (IPTV) services in Haryana.

In order to fulfill this initiative, State-run telecom operator (BSNL) has joined hands with Smart Digivision.

IPTV is a system delivering digital content services to subscribers using the Internet protocol over a broadband connection using closed network infrastructure.

KLG Systel has made announcement that company's power system solution (PSS) division has secured an order worth Rs 306 million from Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN).

According to sources, this is the repeat order, which has been awarded to the company for executing engineering procurement construction (EPC) project.

The major activity of India-based KLG Systel is to offer software, information technology solutions and IT enabled services.

In an important move, the district authorities on Sunday declined permission to the proposed congregation of the Dera Sacha Sauda, which was to be held in Jalalana here on Monday. It may be here recalled that Dera Sacha Sauda organises a congregation in Jalalana on January 12 every year. The village is considered as the birth place of the former sect head.

With this move, all the Dera followers who had gathered from far-off areas of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and other neighbouring states to participate in the congregation were disappointed.
 

Gurgaon (Haryana), Feb. 20 : Steel, Chemicals and Fertilizers MInister Ram Vilas Paswan on Friday announced plans to set up 40 generic drug stores under the brand Jan Aushadhi by the end of March this year.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone of a new block of the public sector Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited (IDPL) to manufacture `Cephalosporin' in Gurgaon today, Paswan said the government is trying its best to provide affordable health services to everybody.

Unitech, the country's second largest realtor by market capitalisation, has finally sold its 200-key Gurgaon Marriott Courtyard hotel property to Roop Madan, a high net worth individual (HNI) based in Delhi.

Roop Madan is the managing director of Sanya Motors, the official dealer of Tata Motors in New Delhi with three car showrooms. Sources said that Madan also owns a small realty venture, Sanya Hospitality, and is one of the investors in the Logix group.

Sonepat, February 28 : Congress President Sonia Gandhi will lay the foundation stone of a medical college for women in Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya at Khanpur Kalan village of Sonepat on Sunday.

She will also unveil the statue of Bhagat Phool Singh in the campus.

Gandhi was scheduled to visit the village on February 9, but her visit was cancelled on account of the sudden death of Ranbir Singh Hooda, a veteran freedom fighter and father of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Sonepat (Haryana), Mar 1 : United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a women's medical college in the Bhagat Phool Singh University campus in Khanpur Kalan, Haryana.

She also unveiled a statue of Bhagat Phool Singh on the occasion.

A large number of armed police and security personnel were deployed for the visit.

Duty magistrates monitored the law and order situation.

Sonepat (Haryana), Mar 1 : The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that diplomatic pressure exerted on Islamabad made Pakistan to divulge the truth and admit that the Mumbai terror attacks were partly planned on its soil.

"Pakistan was forced to speak out the truth due to the diplomatic pressure exerted by India," said Sonia Gandhi while addressing a public meeting here.

Sonia, however, said that some elements were trying to create obstacles in country's progress from time to time.

Rohtak, Apr 1 : To keep the law and order situation under control during upcoming general elections, police in Haryana are keeping a strict vigil on wrestlers.

There are hundreds of wrestling training centers and police fear that during elections political leaders may use wrestlers as musclemen.

Police has received many complaints in the past regarding involvement of wrestlers in booth capturing and other unlawful activities during elections.

Ambala (Haryana), Apr 13 : A fire that was sparked off by a leaking gas tanker spread to a railway yard in Haryana on Monday.

Two railway employees inside the yard were injured in the incident.

The fire out broke at around 4:00 a. m. in a gas tanker on National Highway one in Ambala District.

When the driver and the caretaker in the tanker realized that gas from the tanker was leaking, they took the vehicle to a secluded area and cordoned it off.

All traffic movement was halted in the area.

Karnal (Haryana), Apr 30: A major fire broke in the godown of a ghee (clarified butter) plant at the industrial town of Karnal in Haryana on Thursday.

This mishap took place at Ruchi Soybean Industry''s plant around 6:00 a. m. and it was detected to have spread from the ghee godown.

Ghee worth thousands of rupees of clarified butter had been stored in the godown, which was completely destroyed.

Ambala, May 6 : Members of the Sikh community staged a protest here on Wednesday against the atrocities being committed on their brethren by the Taliban in Pakistan.

Raising slogans against the Pakistan Government, the protesters expressed their anguish against the treatment being meted out to Sikhs in the North West Front Province
(NWFP).

They also burnt an effigy of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and demanded that the Pakistan Government provide protection to the minorities living in that country.

Gurgaon (Haryana) June 3 : General Motors (GM) India would continue all its normal operations in the country, as it was not included in the court reinvention process of GM''s United State''s operations.

This was stated by Karl Slym, President and Managing Director of General Motors India at the company''s corporate office here on Tuesday.

He said that GM India operations are not included in the US filing for Chapter 11 with maintaining their business unharmed in the country.

Panchkula (Haryana) June 7 : Haryana police on Saturday seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition and arrested three persons in Panchkula.

Most of the weapons were stolen from a gun depot in Hoshiarpur, Punjab.

Police arrested the kingpin of the gang Rajiv alias Raja and his accomplices - Rekha Rani and Ramadeep from the National Highway 1 near Issargarh in Kurukshetra after a brief exchange of fire.

According to the police the gang had committed a series of robberies in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh.

With the intention to avoid harassment of patients by attendants, the Haryana government is all set to introduce a ‘Surgery Package Programme’ in government civil hospitals.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda would launch the new programme of surgery package on July 1.

Under the scheme, the patients preferring for being operated in government civil hospitals of Haryana, would have to pay nominal charges for the package as compared to private hospitals.

The Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) has notified that company has secured coal supply for its power stations by signing a Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA) with three major subsidiaries of Coal India Limited (CIL).

The names of the units are Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) and Northern Coalfield Limited (NCL).

Under the FSA, the above said coal companies have agreed to supply the coal, while HPGCL has agreed to purchase every year the Annual Contracted Quantity (ACQ) of coal.

Narwana (Haryana), July 23 : A 21-year-old youth who had married against the wishes of the community has been beaten to death in Narwana in Haryana on Wednesday.

Ravinder, who had gone to bring his wife from her parent''s house, was killed by the residents of the girl''s village.

Ravinder was accompanied by a police officer when the incident took place.

Mumbai based company Bhoomi Infrastructure has decided to build an integrated housing project at Panchkula, in Haryana.

The company has estimated capital outlay of Rs 300 crore for the proposed project which will be set up within coming three years.

To be set up on 17 acres of land, the housing project will be equipped with total 1000 housing units post completion with five types of apartments entailing one bedroom of 699 square feet, 895 sq feet, 1100 sq feet, 1478 sq feet and 1915 sq feet.

Haryana Government has notified that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to revitalize, recapitalize and restructure the Haryana Financial Corporation (HFC), so as to improve its profit ability and viability.

As a result of this MoU, the State Government has agreed to provide resources to HFC, from time to time to strengthen its equity base and provide State Government guarantee to enable the Corporation to raise market borrowings including Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) bonds.

Promising leg-spinner from Haryana, Amit Mishra is keen to drop his 'Test specialist' image and is aiming for a regular place in the Indian One-day team.

The leggie, who is among the 30 probables picked for the ICC Champions Trophy, is confident about his odds in making the final team.

Speaking to a TV channel, Mishra said: "I want to remove the tag of Test specialist. For the last two seasons, I have performed well in the shortest format of the game, which is more challenging then the ODI."

Gurgaon will have India’s first Metro rail project to be built and operated by a private company. The foundation stone of the Gurgaon Metro Rail, in DLF Phase III, was laid by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday at a public event in the city.

Manesar (Haryana), Aug. 14 : Five officers of the National Security Guard (NSG) have been awarded Police Medal for Meritorious Service on the occasion of the country''s 62nd Independence Day.

The officers who have received the medals are Group Commanders Ajai Singh and S. L. C. Khup and Assistant Commanders C. T. Ravi, Om Prakash and S. Chongloi, an NSG press release said.

Ajay Singh has led a number of successful operations against militants in Punjab/Kashmir valley and seized arms and ammunition. He was selected to join the NSG last year.

Promising leg-spinner from Haryana, Amit Mishra thinks that it was his success in the second Indian Premier League in South Africa, which revived his ODI career.

The leggie, who had made a come-back to the ODI's after a gap of six years, edged out left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha for the second slow bowler's spot.

Speaking on this, Mishra said: "The selection in the ODI team is a reward for the hard work I have put in over the last few years. I am really very happy because at last my struggle paid off."

Concerned over poor rainfall in the state, the Haryana government has demanded special financial relief of Rs 3,168.75 crore from the Union government to help the ailing peasantry of the state. Total crop sowing in the state stood at only 26.57 lakh hectares in the current crop season, as compared to 28.92 lakh hectares in the same period last year.

Ahluwalia Contracts India Limited, a leading civil construction conglomerate has announced that it has won six new orders worth Rs 215.06 crore.

The company has secured first order worth Rs 105.64 crore for construction of Institutional Building, Hostels and Residential Accomodation etc. for Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, MCA, Govt. of India at Manesar (Haryana).

Sonepat (Haryana), Aug. 21 : By taking the bull by the horns and not releasing the North Korean ship nearly two weeks after it was seized, New Delhi has opened new possibilities for cooperation with Washington and also sent unmistakable signals to hostile proliferation racketeers and intelligence agencies not to snoop around its waters, says an academic.

Supreme Infrastructure India has bagged order for Rs 236.31 crore project from a realty developer for the construction of buildings.  

The company has received the contract from Ramprashta Promoters & Developers for construction of Multistoried `Edge Towers` Complex at Ramprastha City in Sector 37-D, Gurgaon, Haryana.

The scope of the project includes construction of 15 towers consisting of basement and 20 storied apartments, named Edge Towers.

The project is scheduled to be completed within 36 months from the date of commencement of the project.

Parsvnath Developers, a leading real estate firm, has finally secured nod from the Haryana government, to build a township project in the state, in which the company would invest about Rs 380 crore.

The company official stated in a release that Parsvnath has received the letter of intent for grant of license from Director, Town and Country Planning, Haryana, for developing approximately 118 acres of integrated township in Sector 33 A, Rohtak, Haryana.

Hisar, Sep. 9 (ANI): Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s helicopter today made an emergency landing here due to bad weather.

District administration officials confirmed that the helicopter carrying Hooda, who was flying from New Delhi to Muktsar in Punjab, landed in Hisar on Wednesday afternoon.

“The chief minister''s chopper made an absolutely safe landing here. It was only an emergency landing. He has left for Delhi by road now,” said Navdeep Singh Virk, Hisar Superintendent of Police.

According to sources, Hooda opted to land safely in Hasar after pilots warned of bad weather ahead.

Faridabad, Sep 9 : One person was killed and several others were feared trapped inside the debris of a three-storey building, which collapsed on Wednesday in Haryana's Faridabad district.

According to the police, at least two people were taken out of the debris with serious injuries shortly after City Centre building, collapsed. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.

Rescue teams have been rushed to the spot and are being assisted by fire fighters and the police.

Karnal (Haryana)/New Delhi, Sep 17 : Three persons were detained by the Haryana Police on Thursday for allegedly pelting stones at the train in which Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi was traveling on Tuesday.

The Haryana police had, earlier, launched a massive manhunt for a group of young men who had allegedly pelted stones at the Swarn Shatabdi Express near Gharaunda town in Haryana, which was seen as a major security breach by the intelligence agencies.

Jind (Haryana), Sep 24 : In a bid to draw the attention of the lawmakers about the prevailing mass unemployment due to which prospective grooms remain bachelors, youths in Haryana''s Jind district have launched a campaign to highlight their plight.

Holding banners of ''Bahu do, Vote lo'' (Give us brides to get our votes), what these jobless young men from Kunwara Union, or Bachelors'' Union, expect the least from politicians ahead of the October 13 State Assembly elections is just a bride.

Adding one more feather to its crown, Tata Teleservices Haryana on Tuesday rolled out its GSM services under the Tata Docomo brand across the state.

Mr. Anil Kumar Sardana, TTSL Managing Director, launched the service by making the first phone call to Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

In a message, Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata stated, "This launch is truly a moment of triumph for the consumer. The launch of pay-per-use, per-second concept offered by TATA-DOCOMO will create a paradigm shift in the overall telecom experience for the customer and provide a service that is refreshingly different."

Chandigarh, Sep 30 The ruling Congress in Haryana Wednesday promised in its manifesto for the Oct 13 assembly elections to make the state power surplus in the coming years.

Releasing the party's manifesto here, Chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress general secretary in-charge for Haryana affairs Prithviraj Chavan claimed their party would register a thumping victory. The state has 90 seats.

Chandigarh, Sep 30 : Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Wednesday reiterated that a separate organisation would be set up to administer Sikh gurdwaras in the state -- provided there are no legal hitches.

"Our stand is very clear and we are already in the process of having a separate body for Haryana gurdwaras. But we cannot rush things as we are still waiting for legal opinion," Hooda told reporters.

Chandigarh, Sep 30 : Despite their controversial record, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda feels that Haryana's 'khap panchayats' - community councils that have ordered honour killings in the past - are still part of the state's traditions and values.

"Khaps have never brought a bad name to Haryana. Who says they have caused discomfort or embarrassment to us? Khaps are part of our 'sanskriti' (traditions)," said Hooda while addressing reporters here Wednesday. The state assembly polls are to be held Oct 13.

Chandigarh, Sep 30 : Haryana's ruling Congress seems to be selling foreign dreams to farmers in the state in their election manifesto released Wednesday, offering them help in buying land in any part of the world if their land is acquired to set up Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

"Farmers whose land will be acquired by us will get all help from our officials to buy land not only in other states of India but also in other countries of their choice," Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said here.

Kurukshetra (Haryana), Sep 30 : Several Hindu groups came under a common umbrella Wednesday to urge the government to declare the cow as the "national animal".

Members of these groups said they had started a 108-day national campaign that will cover about 20,000 km.

Vijay Bhardwaj of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad told IANS: "There was a time when cow was considered the most holy being. Now the cow is struggling to survive."

Rohtak (Haryana), Oct 1 : At a time when politicians in patriarchal Haryana do not hesitate to show off their luxury SUVs and cars during electioneering, a woman contestant of the ruling Congress in the state is happy to run her campaign for the assembly polls on a motorbike.

Shakuntala Khatak, who has been allotted the Congress ticket for the Kalanaur constituency (reserved for the Scheduled Castes) in this district, does not want to change her image of being a 'commoner' in the electoral fray for the Oct 13 polls.

Kurukshetra (Haryana), Oct 2 : A passenger train derailed in this Haryana district Friday, disrupting rail traffic on the busy Ambala-Delhi route, officials said. No one was injured in the incident.

According to a Government Railway Police (GRP) official at Kurukshetra, the engine of the train went off the tracks after colliding with a buffalo Friday morning.

Another engine had to be called to pull the train, she said, adding all the passengers were safe and the train suffered no other damage.

Some of the trains on the route were delayed and some were diverted to other routes, a railway official said.

Chandigarh, Oct 2 : Over 13.1 million electors will decide the fate of 1,222 candidates in the election to the 90-member Haryana assembly to be held Oct 13.

Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Sajjan Singh said Friday that out of the total voters 7,147,100 were male while and 5,965,911 were female voters.

There are only 67 women candidates in the fray compared to 1,155 male candidates; 13,524 polling station are being set up for the assembly election, Singh added.

Chandigarh, Oct 2 : The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, which is now the International Day of Non-violence, was celebrated in this union territory and in neighbouring Haryana Friday.

In what could be one of its kind initiative, around 50 inmates of a model jail here were enrolled in a unique course called 'Gandhi Peace' Friday. This one-month course is designed jointly by local NGO Yuvsatta, Chandigarh prisons department and the Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal.

Haryana, Oct 4 : Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi will address rallies at Karnal and Sirsa in Haryana today.

The rallies are being held in support of the Congress candidate for Assembly elections in the state, which is scheduled to be held on October 13.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh addressed an election rally at Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Assembly elections will be the first major test for the Congress coalition after registering a thumping victory in the General Elections for the Lok Sabha in May.

Ambala (Haryana), Oct 4  Thanks to a divided and demoralized opposition, Haryana's ruling Congress is confident of retaining power in the Oct 13 assembly elections and break a nearly four-decade jinx.

As the election day draws close, Congress leaders are upbeat. The last time a party returned to power in Haryana after ruling it for five years was in 1972.

"We have no contest this time. The opposition parties are fighting it out to see who comes number two. There is no opposition for most seats," former union minister and the chairman of Haryana Congress campaign committee Venod Kumar Sharma told IANS.

Karnal (Haryana), Oct 4 : Congress president Sonia Gandhi Sunday asked the people of Haryana to return the Congress to power in the upcoming assembly polls if they wanted the state to progress further.

"I am sure that people will vote for development, peace and security in Haryana and will negate all those powers who devastated this state during their tenure earlier," Sonia Gandhi told a gathering in this Haryana town, 100 km from Chandigarh.

Ambala (Haryana), Oct 5 : It was only in May this year that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) organised a big rally in Punjab's industrial city of Ludhiana two days before the final phase of general elections in a show of strength and solidarity of all alliance partners.

Just five months and a few hundred kilometres thence, the NDA partners have taken different directions.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L. K. Advani will address his first election rally for the Oct 13 assembly poll in Ambala Cantt, 45 km from Chandigarh, Monday evening.

You live in a posh society in one of the many sectors in Gurgaon. Your society has hired services of private security agencies to protect your family and your home from every possible danger. But what happens when your guard himself becomes a threat?

An answer to this nagging question is the new licence scheme the Haryana government is going to implement.

In a recent notification, the state has made it mandatory for private security agencies in Haryana to get a licence. October 31 is their deadline.

Gurgaon, Oct 5 : The country's richest golf event, the $1.25 million Hero Honda Indian Open kicks off Tuesday at DLF Golf and Country Club with a unique India versus Rest of World Skills Challenge.

The entertaining contest will see India's two top ranked players Gaganjeet Bhullar and Arjun Atwal take on former US Open winner, Michael Campbell and Daniel Chopra, a two-time winner on the US PGA Tour.

In a rare upset, four-time world champion and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna recipient Manipur’s Mangte Chungneijang (MC) Marykom lost to unknown Pinky Jangra of Haryana in the 10th Senior National Women’s Boxing Championship in Jamshedpur on Monday.

The verdict left the Manipuri fuming and she left the ring in a huff.

Refusing to accept defeat, she later registered a protest with the judges.

Marykom, an inspector with Manipur Police, has been raising her voice against the “discrimination” being meted out by private and government sectors towards women boxers.

Ambala, Oct 6 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will Wednesday address his first campaign rally here for the Haryana assembly elections.

The prime minister will address the rally at the Gandhi ground in Ambala, 45 km from Chandigarh, in favour of Congress candidate Venod Kumar Sharma and the party candidates of the adjoining assembly constituencies.

Election to the 90-member assembly takes place Oct 13.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi Sunday addressed two rallies in Haryana, at Karnal and Sirsa towns.(IANS)

Chandigarh, Oct 7  The ruling Congress in Haryana may be eyeing a win in the Oct 13 assembly elections but some of its top leaders, including ministers, may not find the going easy.

The Congress won nine out of the 10 Lok Sabha seats from Haryana in May this year and led in 59 assembly segments out of the total 90.

Despite the Congress gains, the party trailed in some assembly segments now being contested by some of the party's leading lights.

Ambala (Haryana), Oct 7 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said the federal government was fully aware of the difficulties faced by common people because of rising prices but said that the worst was getting over.

"The worst is getting over on price rise. With a good Rabi (winter) crop, we should be able to cope with things," the prime minister said at an election rally at the Gandhi ground in this Haryana city, some 45 km from Chandigarh.

Ambala (Haryana), Oct 7 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spent 20 minutes at an election rally here Wednesday listing the achievements of the Congress government in Haryana led by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Looking relaxed in his white kurta-pajama and trademark light-blue turban, Manmohan Singh exhorted people in Haryana to vote for the Congress again in the Oct 13 assembly elections.

Ambala (Haryana), Oct 8 : Salt bags that fell on the railway tracks from an overturned truck held up rail traffic on the Ambala-Saharanpur section for several hours Thursday morning, railway authorities said.

The bags fell after a truck overturned early Thursday on the National Highway 1 flyover passing over the tracks. The truck broke through the flyover parapet and was hanging precariously on the flyover edge.

The railways had to stop trains to and from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh following the accident.

Pataudi (Haryana), Oct 10 - Hollywood actress Julia Roberts' love for simplicity and appreciation of Indian craft were more than evident inside her personal vanity van as she shot here for the movie "Eat, Pray, Love".

Even as the Pretty Woman spent her last day in India Friday, her white air-conditioned vanity van told a story of its own.

With two rooms and a washroom, it had sparkling black flooring and her character Elizabeth Gilbert's name pasted on the door, as witnessed by these IANS correspondents.

Pataudi (Haryana), Oct 10 - Not many residents of this town could catch a glimpse of Julia Roberts while she stayed at Pataudi Palace for over three weeks. But when the Hollywood actress finally stepped out into the market for a shoot, the crowds couldn't take their eyes off her!

Julia shot a few scenes of her film "Eat, Pray, Love" at Pataudi market Thursday, a day before she left India.

New Delhi, Oct. 10 : Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday prohibited dissemination of results of opinion and exit polls related to State Assembly elections to be held in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday (Oct. 13).

The ban period comes into effect from Sunday (Oct. 11) three o’clock in the afternoon and will last till the end of polling on Tuesday (Oct. 13) at five o’clock in the evening, the Election Commission stated on Saturday in a official release.

Mewat, Oct 12 Jobless youngsters can be seen sitting and chatting at tea stalls, women washing clothes in dirty ponds, naked children playing in the dust with flies all around. Welcome to Mewat district in Haryana, just 30 km from Gurgaon, the country's IT and MNC hub, which seeks basic amenities and not big poll promises.

As Haryana goes to poll Oct 13, people reeling under abject poverty in the region aspire and hope for just basic amenities from the new government.

Chandigarh, Oct 13 - A polling agent of an independent candidate was killed Tuesday, following an election-related group clash while polling was on in Guhla (reserved) constituency of Haryana's Kaithal district.

A police officer said Jyoti Ram was a polling agent of independent candidate Kulwant Bazigar. He was killed in Hemu Majra village of Kaithal, about 150 km from here.

Kaithal district police chief Sandeep Khirwair denied knowledge of the incident.

"We are on a round to see security arrangements for voting," Khirwair told IANS.

Rohtak (Haryana), Oct 13 - A confident Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Tuesday headed to his native village Sanghi with his mother, wife and MP son Deepinder Singh Hooda to cast his vote in the Haryana assembly election -- but not before going for his morning walk.

The ruling Congress and Hooda are hopeful that the party will return to power by winning a comfortable majority in the 90-member assembly.

Counting of votes in the state takes place Oct 22, deciding the fate of 1,222 candidates, including 68 women.

Rohtak (Haryana)/Pune (Mumbai), Oct 13 : Prominent leaders came out to cast their votes for the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana on Tuesday.

In Rohtak, Bhajan Lal, former Haryana Chief Minister and chief of the Haryana Janhit Congress came out and cast his vote.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda cast his vote and refused to comment about his rivals.

"This is democracy and everybody has the right of expression. But it is people who will elect the government," he said while heading before casting his vote.

About 33 per cent voters in Haryana had exercised their franchise till 12.45 pm on Tuesday for the assembly elections in the state.

Barring incidents in Guhla assembly segment where a person, Jyoti Ram who was the polling agent of an Independent candidate died at Hemomajra village in Kaithal district and Meham assembly segment in Rohtak where supporters of Congress nominee Anand Singh Dangi and supporters of an Independent, Sunil alias Kallu entered into a scuffle at a polling booth, the polling by and large has been uneventful so far.

Chandigarh, Oct 14 : Nearly 40 lakh tonnes of paddy have been procured by government agencies and private rice millers in Punjab and Haryana, officials from the two states said here Wednesday.

In Punjab, nearly 28 lakh tonnes were bought by about 1,600 procurement centres across the state till Tuesday evening.

Over 96 percent of the paddy was procured by government agencies -- five Punjab government enterprises and the central government's Food Corp of India (FCI).

Manesar (Haryana), Oct 16 - The process of inducting state-of-the-art weapons for for the National Security Guard (NSG) is in the final stages, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Friday while detailing the steps being taken to give the anti-terrorism force the extra edge.

Manesar (Haryana), Oct 16 : Praising the valour and sacrifice made by commandos of the National Security Guards (NSG) during the 26/11, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday promised them better hi-tech weaponry.

The NSG, also known as the Black Cats is celebrating its silver jubilee today.

Chidambaram said: “The country would never forget the supreme sacrifice made by the NSG commandos during the Mumbai terror attacks.”

Chandigarh, Oct 19 : With its maze of malls, condominiums and IT offices, Millennium City Gurgaon has never quite fitted in with the rest of Haryana - an incongruity that was underscored by the poor turnout in the Oct 13 assembly elections.

Only about half the residents of the suburban town turned up to vote. At a time when the whole of Haryana recorded its highest polling percentages since the state was born, Gurgaon city, adjoining the national capital, recorded the lowest among all 90 assembly seats -- at just 54.25 percent.

Much of the polling percentage came from the rural areas, whereas localities where technology professionals live recorded as low as 25 percent voting.

Gurgaon, Oct 19 : The situation at a Gurgaon-based auto component factory in Haryana continued to be tense Monday, a day after after labour unrest there left one worker dead and at least six injured.

While a case of murder has been registered by Gurgaon police, around 200 striking workers at RICO, an auto-parts manufacturing unit, sat outside the factory gate in protest Monday.

The management, they claimed, was responsible for triggering the violence Sunday evening.

Rohtak, Oct 19 : Haryana, which has of late recorded various cases of village councils high-handedly deciding against same clan marriages, is seeing the fate of another young couple being decided by the village elders in the state's Rohtak district.

Village khap panchayat (clan council) has accused the couple of flouting social norms by marrying within the neighbouring villages.

"We have summoned the couple's parents during our next meeting after the festival season to take up the issue of this controversial marriage. Ther boy and the girl belonged to neighbouring villages and are considered kin as per our beliefs," said a senior member of village khap here Monday.

Chandigarh, Oct 19 : Making huge withdrawals from a bank, almost running into Rs. 34 lakh, has earned an Independent candidate in Haryana a notice from the Election Commission (EC).

Independent candidate Jogi Ram Sihag, awaiting the result of the Oct 13 polling for the Haryana assembly, has been issued a show cause notice to explain the purpose of drawing Rs. 3,379,774 from his bank account.

The withdrawal was made from his account with the Union Bank of India, Hisar, between Sep 26 and Oct 10.

Chandigarh, Oct 19: In view of nearly 700,000 pending cases in various courts under its jurisdiction, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Monday announced that evening courts would be started shortly in Punjab to lessen the pendency of cases.

Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur said in Muktsar town, 250 km from here, that in the first phase evening courts would start functioning in important cities of Punjab.

Thakur inaugurated the new judicial complex in Muktsar, built at a cost of Rs. 21 crore.

Chandigarh, Oct 19 : Embarrassed by failure of officials of various departments to appear before courts for hearing of cases, the Haryana government Monday instructed its top officials to monitor all court cases pertaining to their departments.

Gurgaon (Haryana), Oct 20 : Workers at India''s biggest automobile hubs have called for a strike on Tuesday following the death of a worker at Gurgaon-based Rico Auto.

A worker was killed in a clash at the plant of component maker Rico Auto on Sunday.

The workers alleged that the police and some unidentified men acting at the behest of Rico Auto''s management, had launched an unprovoked attack which had resulted in one death and left many others injured. Since then, workers have been on a protest.

Chandigarh, Oct 20 : A re-poll held in nine booths of Naurnaund constituency in Hisar district of Haryana threw up a similar figure of over 90 percent polling - as during the Oct 13 assembly elections, officials said Tuesday.

Sources in the Election Commission said the re-poll was ordered because the turnout in these booths was more than 90 percent and the poll panel wanted to be doubly sure about the massive turnout.

Chandigarh, Oct 20: Fool-proof arrangements, including those for security, have been made for counting of votes Thursday for 90 assembly seats in Haryana held Oct 13.

The counting would commence at 8 a. m. on Oct 22 at 90 counting centres, Haryana chief electoral officer Sajjan Singh said here Tuesday.

Singh said a three-tier cordoning system would be set up to prevent unauthorised entry inside the counting centres. The innermost cordon would be manned by central forces.

He said cellular phones, cordless phones, wireless sets and other communication equipment would not be allowed in counting centres and in the area cordoned off by security forces.

Chandigarh, Oct 20 : A six-member Kenyan delegation will observe the counting of votes Thursday for Haryana assembly's 90 seats.

The Kenyan delegation will be led by the interim Independent Electoral Commission of Kenya chairman Ahmed Issac Hassan. The team will visit a counting station in Gurgaon, adjoining the national capital.

There are 90 counting centres in the state.

Haryana's chief electoral officer Sajjan Singh said Tuesday that the delegation's visit was courtesy the Election Commission of India.(IANS)

Panchkula (Haryana), Oct 21 : A two-year-old child, who was kidnapped from outside her house in this Haryana town Tuesday evening, was brought back Wednesday but police and family remained tight-lipped on how the child was rescued.

Amitabh Dhillon, district police chief, said: "We cannot divulge anything as of now because it may hamper our investigation."

According to police, four men, in their early 20s, allegedly kidnapped Jia from the garden outside her house here in Sector-7.

Mumbai/Haryana/Itanagar, Oct 22 -: Counting of votes for the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh began this morning.

In Maharashtra, the counting of votes is being held at 288 counting centers for as many seats in 267 locations across the state.

The counting will decide the fate of 3,536 candidates, including 1,820 independents.

In Arunachal Pradesh, the fate of 154 candidates in 57 assembly constituencies will be decided.

About 60 to 72 per cent voting was witnessed.

Panchkula (Haryana), Oct 22 : Former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh, who is the father of cricket star Yuvraj Singh, Thursday lost his maiden election from Haryana's Panchkula assembly seat.

Yograj, who was fielded by the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), was defeated by Congress candidate Devender Kumar Bansal from the Panchkula seat, adjoining state capital Chandigarh, by over 12,250 votes.

Yuvraj had not come to campaign for his father, who had put up posters of his celebrity son.

Chandigarh, Oct 23 - Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia is likely to invite the Congress to form the next government in the state after the party formally stakes its claim later Friday.

As the Congress has emerged as the single largest party in the assembly after the poll results were announced Thursday, Pahadia is likely to give it time to prove its majority on the floor of the house, sources in the Haryana Raj Bhawan said.

Former chief minister Bhajan Lal’s Haryana Janhit Congress may hold the key to formation of a stable government in the state with the Congress falling short of a simple majority in the 90- member House.

The Janhit Congress has six seats, enough to enable the formation of the government. But the question is whether Bhajan Lal will allow arch enemy Bhupinder Singh Hooda to become chief minster once again or make peace with his original party and bargain for deputy chief ministership for his younger son, Kuldeep Bishnoi.

The Congress will face a dilemma in case Bhajan Lal offers support only if Hooda is removed.

Rising from the ashes like a Phoenix would be the apt aphorism to describe the performance of Om Prakash Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in the Haryana assembly elections. Orchestrating a grand political revival, the INLD has emerged as the surprise package, winning 31 of the 90 seats in the assembly on its own.

The Congress is all set to form the government in Haryana once again after managing the support of seven independents.

With their support, the party will have a total strength of 47 in the 90-member House, crossing the half way mark of 45. The Congress had won 40 seats when results were declared on Thursday and its formation of the government was dependent on either the support of the Independents or the support of Bhajan Lal's Haryana Janhit party.

Chandigarh, Oct 23 : Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Phool Chand Maullana met state Governor Jagannath Pahadia here on Friday and staked a claim to form the next government in the state.

On Thursday, the Congress got 40 seats in the 90-member assembly, falling short by six MLAs to cross the half - way mark.

During his meeting with Governor Pahadia, Maullana submitted letters of all seven independent MLAs who had pledged unconditional support to the Congress party to form the government.

The frontrunners for the post of chief minister in the three states where assembly election results were declared on Thursday continue to be the current incumbents.

As the final steps towards forming new governments in the three states are taken, Ashok Chavan in Maharashtra, Bhupi-nder Singh Hooda in Haryana and Dorjee Khandu in Arunachal Pradesh, each of whom led the Congress to victory, are most likely to retain power.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda staked his claim to form the new government in the state on Friday, having cobbled together a majority within hours of discovering the Congress party was falling six short.

Assembly elections results on Thursday showed Congress had won just 40 seats, six short of the majority it needed to continue in power in the 90-member assembly. By late Thursday Hooda had already obtained letters of support from six of the seven newly elected independent MLAs.

It was not an easy task as his main rival, Om Prakash Chautala, leader of the Indian National Lok Dal, was also engaged in garnering support, his party having won 32 seats. But Hooda, with greater numbers on his side, also moved quickly to trump Chautala.

Hisar (Haryana), Oct 24 : Made in China products are all around the globe but scientists from there will now get tips on buffalo breeding from their Indian counterparts in Haryana.

Scientists at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU), Hisar, Saturday offered cooperation to China's Guangzhi Buffalo Research Centre for research projects.

HAU vice chancellor K. S. Khokhar told a delegation of 16 visiting Chinese scientists that the university would help them breed high-milk yielding buffaloes.

Chandigarh, Oct 24 : Taking a serious view of the ongoing spat between a lawmaker and the Amritsar police chief, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Saturday said that police were free to initiate action against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator for his recent utterances.

The spat between Amritsar-North legislator Anil Joshi and district police chief Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh has been continuing for nearly a week after the Amritsar police registered cases against supporters of the lawmaker.

New Delhi, Oct 25 Bhupinder Singh Hooda has been chosen for the second time to be the chief minister of Haryana. The decision was announced by the Congress party high command here early Sunday morning after a day-long suspense over the matter.

Sources in the Congress earlier during the day said that party president Sonia Gandhi was busy consulting various leaders before the name of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, who will be the next chief minister, was announced.

Though caretaker Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's name continued to be in the front, there was also a speculation about the Congress MP from Ambala and Union Minister for Tourism Kumari Selja running for the post.

Mumbai/Haryana/Itanagar, Oct 25 : The Congress Party has decided to retain Ashok Chavan and Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Haryana respectively.

A decision was taken by Congress President Sonia Gandhi after she held several rounds of consultations with senior party leaders.

Defence Minister A K Antony, who is one of the observers for Maharashtra, said Chavan has been chosen as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the state.

Chandigarh, Oct 27 : The Haryana government Tuesday cancelled the pilgrimage to Sikh shrines in Pakistan following a travel advisory issued by the union home ministry.

The home ministry asked Indians to avoid travelling to Pakistan in view of the deteriorating security situation in that country.    

Chandigarh, Oct 27 : A faction of Sikh leaders who want a separate and autonomous body other than the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to manage gurdwaras in Haryana Tuesday met Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to discuss the issue.

"We met Hooda and reminded him about his promise of a separate SGPC for Haryana. He has assured us ... a separate body to administer gurdwaras in Haryana," Jagdish Singh Jhinda, president of an ad hoc committee of SGPC, told reporters here.

Kaithal (Haryana), Oct 27 : Local traders and their customers swung into action and foiled a bid by armed robbers to take away a trunk full of cash from outside a nationalised bank branch in this Haryana town Tuesday, police said.

The robbers even fired in air to scare away the bank security guards but this did not deter the onlookers, who threw stones and whatever came to their hand to stop the robbers from running away with the cash.

Haryana, Oct 28 : Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly today.

Protem Speaker Captain Ajay Singh Yadav will administer the oath of office to newly elected MLAs.

On October 25, he was sworn in as Haryana’s Chief Minister for a second consecutive term.

Previously, Hooda has been the Lok Sabha member for four terms in 1991, 1996, 1998, 2004 and the leader of opposition in Haryana''''s Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2004.

Chandigarh, Oct 28 : Former Haryana strongman Bansi Lal's family members are locked in a big political battle - this time among themselves.

Days after the Oct 13 Haryana election results were declared, prominent members of the family are openly accusing one another of sabotaging their electoral fortunes.    

The fight now is among equally strong personalities of the Bansi Lal family, which has its political base in Bhiwani district.    

Chandigarh, Oct 28 : Haryana will launch a cooperative bank loan and interest-waiver scheme for landless labourers, rural artisans and petty shopkeepers, state Governor Jagannath Pahadia said Wednesday in his maiden address to the newly-elected assembly.

The governor's address in the first session of the assembly, however, did not refer to Haryana as India's "number-one state" -- the most-heard slogan of the ruling Congress Party in the run-up to the assembly poll this month.

Chandigarh, Oct 28 : Keeping his political cards close to his chest, Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) president Kuldeep Bishnoi Wednesday led party legislators in 'abstaining' from the vote of confidence of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government in the state.

Six legislators of the HJC, including Bishnoi, left the Haryana assembly complex here after taking oath as legislators.    

"We will abstain from the trust vote. We are going to Delhi," Bishnoi had told the media before leaving.    

The Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government won the confidence vote in the Haryana assembly by a voice vote on Wednesday.

The Congress, which has 40 members in the assembly, won the trust motion by securing the support of 47 from among the 82 MLAs (excluding the Speaker) present in the House.

Six members of Kuldeep Bishnoi's Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) abstained from the proceedings.

Thirty-nine Congress members, seven Independents and the lone Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) member favoured the motion.

The Congress may have won the trust vote in the Haryana assembly but infighting seems to be holding up cabinet formation.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda faces a daunting task. His problem is that there are more claimants than the 13 ministerial berths in the 90-member assembly.

The single-day assembly session on Wednesday saw a spirited Opposition, led by Om Prakash Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal, buoyed by an impressive increase in its seats, take on a divided Congress in the House.

Ambala (Haryana), Oct 30 - At least 10 people were trapped when fire broke out in a commercial building in this Haryana city Friday afternoon, an official said.

Fire officials said fire brigade teams had rushed to the VR Tower in Ambala, about 45 km from Chandigarh, and were trying to control the fire.

"There is a lot of smoke on one floor of the building. Some people are trapped and are being rescued," a fire official said.

The fire is believed to have been caused by an explosion in an air-conditioning unit. (IANS)

Chandigarh, Oct 30 : Four Delhi residents had a narrow escape when the car in which they were travelling to Chandigarh turned into a ball of fire after colliding with a tractor-trolley.

The Hyundai Accent car (DL 1CJ 1660) was travelling at a high speed when it hit the tractor trolley in Shahbad town, 65 km from here, on National Highway (NH)-1 between Ambala and Delhi.

Chandigarh, Oct 30 : The Haryana government Friday appointed Urvashi Gulati as the next chief secretary of the state. She is the third woman to be named for the top post in the last four years.

Gulati, a 1975-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, takes over from incumbent Dharam Vir, who retires Saturday. Gulati is currently posted as the financial commissioner-development.    

In 2005, Meenaxi Anand Chaudhary became the first woman chief secretary of Haryana. Promila Issar was appointed to the top bureaucratic job in Aug 2007.    

Kalanaur (Haryana), Oct 30 : A goods train derailed in Yamunanagar district of Haryana Friday, disrupting rail traffic on Ambala-Saharanpur route for some time, an official said.

According to a Government Railway Police (GRP) official, three wagons of the goods train carrying coal derailed in Kalanaur town, around 100 km from state capital Chandigarh.    

Chandigarh, Oct 30 : Despite a drought-like situation and below average rainfall in the region this year, Haryana has managed to procure over 27.95 lakh tonnes of paddy so far, a state official said here Friday.

"This year, out of the total arrival, over 21.67 lakh tonnes of paddy has been purchased by various procuring agencies whereas over 6.27 lakh tonnes has been lifted by private rice sellers," said a spokesperson of Haryana's food and supplies department.

"So far, Haryana has contributed 17,254 tonnes of rice to the central pool," he added.

Chandigarh, Oct 30 : A memorandum of association for setting up of an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Rohtak town in Haryana was signed Friday between the representatives of Haryana and central government.

"IIM-Rohtak will start from 2010-11 academic session. Haryana government has earmarked 213 acres of site at Granawati village in Rohtak for construction of the IIM building at a cost of Rs. 35 crore (Rs. 350 million)," said the state spokesperson here Friday.

Chandigarh, Nov 2 : The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corp posted an earning of over Rs. 60 crore in 2008-09, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced here Monday.

This was 38 percent over the previous year, when it registered revenues of Rs. 43 crore, Hooda said here.    

The corporation allotted 647 plots to entrepreneurs who have committed investments of Rs. 9,225 crore.    

Chandigarh, Nov 2 : In a bureaucratic reshuffle, the Haryana government has posted Chhatar Singh as the principal secretary to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Singh, an IAS officer of 1980 batch, replaces M. L. Tayal, who was principal secretary to Hooda in the previous government.    

K. K. Khandelwal, director for public relations, has been posted as additional principal secretary to the chief minister.

Naresh Gulati, a 1975-batch IAS officer, has been posted as financial commissioner and principal secretary for revenue. (IANS)

Palwal (Haryana), Nov 3 : At least six railway personnel were killed Tuesday evening when a passenger train ran over them at Asawati station near Palwal town, 60 km from New Delhi.

Another worker was seriously injured in the incident.

The railway gangmen were returning after finishing repair work on the tracks when they did not realise that a train was coming on the same track, and they were run over. Light was failing when the accident took place.

Chandigarh, Nov 4 : The palatial residences of Haryana's governor and chief minister in Chandigarh have been refurbished with new energy-efficient lighting worth nearly Rs. 23 lakh that has brought down electricity bills at the two places by nearly Rs. 900,000 annually.

The two sprawling residences of Governor Jagannath Pahadia and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda are among the several buildings that have undergone energy audit under the state's department of renewable energy's plan to conserve energy.

Chandigarh, Nov 4 : The palatial residences of Haryana's governor and chief minister in Chandigarh have been refurbished with new energy-efficient lighting worth nearly Rs. 23 lakh that has brought down electricity bills at the two places by nearly Rs. 900,000 annually.

The two sprawling residences of Governor Jagannath Pahadia and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda are among the several buildings that have undergone energy audit under the state's department of renewable energy's plan to conserve energy.

Chandigarh, Nov 4 : New ministers in the Congress government in Haryana led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda will be inducted Friday, officials said Wednesday.

Governor Jagannath Pahadia will administer the oath to the new ministers.

It is still not clear who all and how many ministers will make it to the Hooda government.

Sources in the Congress said that up to eight ministers could be sworn in.

Chandigarh, Nov 5 : The Haryana government Thursday announced sanctioning of a Rs. 138-crore (Rs. 1.38 billion) project to improve drinking water supply in Gurgaon.

A public health department spokesman said a second water treatment plant is proposed to be set up at village Chandu Budhera over an area of 274 acres.    

He added that land had already been acquired for this plant and the construction work would start next month.

Chandigarh, Nov 6 : The Congress government in Haryana led by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will induct new ministers Saturday, 15 days after the assembly poll results came Oct 22, an official said Friday.

Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia will swear in the new ministers.

The swearing-in ceremony was earlier slated for Friday morning but was called off at the eleventh hour, ostensibly owing to differences within the Congress party and with its supporting legislators over sharing of ministry berths.

It is still not clear who all and how many ministers will make it to the Hooda government.

Gurgaon, Nov 7 : Cases of abuse and discrimination against northeast youth have seen a rise in the capital's neighbouring town Gurgaon, the latest incident being of a young Manipuri woman being molested by a shop manager Friday, a voluntary organisation said Saturday.

According to the North East Support Centre and Helpline, the 20-year-old employee at the Metropolitan Mall's Ginny and Johny outlet was molested by her store manager after she refused his advances.

Chandigarh, Nov 9 : The Congress Monday admitted that infighting within its ranks in Haryana cost it dearly in last month's assembly poll.

"We suffered setback on several seats due to infighting within the party," Haryana Congress president Phool Chand Mullana told mediapersons here.

Mullana said the election results were being reviewed and appropriate action would be taken against leaders who indulged in anti-party activities in the recent elections.

Chandigarh, Nov 9 : A massive anti-encroachment drive was carried out here Monday to recover illegally occupied land for the development of the third phase of Chandigarh, officials said.

"This drive was carried out for the removal of leftover unauthorized encroachments on 46.30 acres of illegally grabbed land," said the official spokesperson here.

The enforcement staff removed 40 structures, two nurseries and five junk dealers. Chandigarh is one of India's most well planned cities. (IANS)

Chandigarh, Nov 10 : The ruling Congress reached the half-way mark in the 90-member Haryana assembly after one more legislator from former chief minister Bhajan Lal's Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) joined it Tuesday.

Dharam Singh Chokker, a legislator from Samalakha seat in Panipat district, is the fifth member of HJC to join the Congress. Four of the six newly-elected legislators of HJC had joined Congress Monday.

A Gurgaon court has sentenced 19-year-old Tapan Malik to two years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) on Tuesday for the death of three teenagers on the Gurgaon expressway in June last year.

Malik is accused of speeding, driving negligently under the influence of liquor and ramming the car into a median on the expressway, resulting in three deaths.

All the three deceased students and Malik were on their way back from a party at Hotel Samrat in New Delhi on June 14 around 2.30 am.

Chandigarh, Nov 12 : Keeping in view the rising need of renewable energy, the Haryana government Thursday made it mandatory for all buildings coming up after April next year to be compliant with the green rating norms of GRIHA.

GRIHA, or the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA), is the national rating system for the green buildings in the country.

Chandigarh, Nov 13 : Overcast conditions and a fall in temperature Friday forced the residents of Chandigarh and neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana to take out their woollens.

"Clouds are prevailing all across the region. Met department has predicted isolated rainfall at some places in the coming days," Chandigarh meteorological centre director Chatar Singh Malik told IANS.

Minimum temperature in Chandigarh was recorded at 14 degrees Celsius Friday.

Chandigarh, Nov 13 : The Punjab and Haryana High Court has run out of space to store its judicial records and will soon get a new building here to store these.

Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator S. F. Rodrigues Friday laid the foundation stone of the Central Judicial Archive building for the high court in the city's industrial area (Phase-II) here, where judicial records will be preserved.

Chandigarh, Nov 13 : As many as 85 students of a government-run primary school in Karnal district of Haryana were Friday discharged from a hospital, the state's health minister said.

The students had fallen ill Thursday after they ate the seeds of a Jathropa tree in their school campus in Chundipur village in Karnal, 110 km from here.

They were rushed to the civil hospital in Karnal for treatment.

Haryana Health Minister Geeta Bhukkal, who visited the hospital, said all of them were discharged Friday.

Chandigarh, Nov 14 : Now tourists coming to Chandigarh can take back memories of one of the most well-planned cities in the country.

A state-of-the-art souvenir shop, offering coloured reproductions of works of art of legendary French architect Le Corbusier, was inaugurated here Saturday at the Le Corbusier Centre and Museum in Sector 19.

Chandigarh, Nov 14 : It was a different kind of motor race. No vrrooming cars or mobikes, but three-wheeled autorickshaws chugging away at a sedate speed.

This union territory Saturday saw a unique race on three wheels, with the participation of over 100 LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)-run auto rickshaws.

And the winners were not judged on speed but their driving acumen.

In a bid to spread environmental awareness among the masses, a city-based event management company organised the race christened 'Jalwa Autowale Ka'.

Chandigarh, Nov 14 : Haryana Saturday launched a new service, which will enable

people from all parts of the state to avail an ambulance by dialling 102.

Called the 'Haryana Swasthya Vaahan Sewa No. 102', the service will be available in cities, towns and even rural areas, health officials said.

The first ambulance was launched by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at Panchkula, 10 km from here.

At least 319 new ambulances were launched and 100 more would be added soon, officials said.

Chandigarh, Nov 17 : Concerned over the devastation caused by the recent oil depot fire near Jaipur, the Haryana government has asked leading public sector oil companies to review and shift their depots located near residential areas in the state.

A state government spokesman Tuesday said Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati has met officials of various oil companies to review security and other issues related to oil terminals in Haryana.

Chandigarh, Nov 17 : The arrival of the New Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabdi here Tuesday was delayed by over three hours due to passengers of a local train blocking the tracks in Haryana's Sonepat town, officials said.

"The Shatabdi train, coming from New Delhi, arrived here at 2.30 p. m - three and a half hours late," R. K. Dutta, superintendent of Chandigarh railway station, told IANS. The train normally reaches Chandigarh at 11 a. m.

Taking the go green dive to new heights, the Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency has chalked out elaborated plans for promoting solar energy in the state. The state has made it compulsory for industries, hospitals and nursing homes, hotels, jail barracks, canteens and housing complexes to make optimum use of solar energy.

Medanta, India’s largest medicity spread over 43 acres in Gurgaon’s Sector 38, opened its doors to patients last week with the commissioning of 100 beds, including 30 in critical care.

Within a day of its quiet launch, the Rs 1,000-crore hospital — promoted by cardiac surgeon Dr Naresh Trehan, chairman, Global Healthcare Ltd — had 50 per cent surgical occupancy for 70 beds, including two patients from the US who got knee replacement surgeries done.

“The popular perception is it is a five-star hospital, but the reverse is true. The economies of scale allow us to offer cutting-edge healthcare at affordable prices, which is why our packages are priced 15-20 per cent lower than hospitals in Delhi,” said cardiac surgeon Dr Trehan.

Ballabhgarh (Haryana), Nov 18 : A notorious poacher Bheema, was arrested in a joint operation late on Tuesday evening near Ballabhgarh in Haryana.

Bheema was wanted by several central and state agencies in connection with a tiger poaching racket prevailing in the country.

He was apprehended in a joint operation led by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) Gurgaon Police and other agencies.

Bheema was absconding since July 2008, and was subsequently declared a proclaimed offender.

Chandigarh, Nov 19 : Despite the global slowdown, Haryana's exports crossed the Rs. 35,000-crore mark in 2008-09, a top government official said here Thursday.

Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary of Industries Y. S. Malik said out of the total exports from the state, software exports alone accounted for Rs. 21,000 crore.

Haryana recorded a growth rate of 9.3 per cent last fiscal, Malik said.

Chandigarh, Nov 21 : She moves with a doll in her hands and looks like any other girl of her age. But 12-year-old Ishita Uppal's similarity with girls of her age ends there.

The doll in Ishita's hands is symbolic of why girls are important in our society, especially in states like Punjab and Haryana -- which have the worst sex ratio in the country.

Ishita has embarked on a 10,000 km journey by car to address various events against female foeticide, the killing of the unborn female child, in Punjab, Haryana and other states.

Chandigarh, Nov 23 : The Haryana government has awarded a Rs. 780-crore contract to Reliance Infrastructure for four-laning the Gurgaon-Faridabad road, state officials said here Monday.

The build, operate and transfer (BOT) project is expected to be completed by May 2011. The Ballabhgarh-Sohna road will also be widened as part of this project.

Reliance officials Monday gave a demand draft of Rs. 150.3 crore to Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for the project.

Panchkula (Haryana), Nov 25 - All the police's efforts to curb crime in this town neighbouring Chandigarh seem to be proving futile. Be it banks, jewellers or residences, robbers have struck everywhere and there have been kidnapping cases too.

In a desperate attempt to control the situation, frequent transfers have been made in the police department. Manish Chaudhary, who joined as the new district police chief last week, is the third to hold the post in the last nine months.

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has started the process of acquiring land along National Highway No. 8 in Haryana and Rajasthan to expand the 225.6-km stretch between Gurgaon and Jaipur from four to six lanes.

Around 300 hectares of land in both states will be acquired. Eighty hectares fall in Haryana between Gurgaon and Shahjahan border.

The Rs 1,896.25 crore project is likely to be completed in June 2011.

Karnal (Haryana), Nov 26 : A 20-year-old girl studying in a polytechnic in Nilokheri town in this district committed suicide by swallowing poisonous tablets in her hostel room Thursday, police said.

According to the police, Neetu and Swati, both 20-years-old, had swallowed the poisonous tablets and were immediately shifted to hospital, where Neetu died while Swati is still battling for life.

Neetu is a native of Jhunjunu town in Rajasthan while Swati is a resident of Haryana's Narnaul town.

Ambala (Haryana), Nov 27 - Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) newly elected Haryana legislator Anil Vij surrendered to the police Friday after he was booked for allegedly causing a traffic jam on a national highway.

Vij, who has been elected from the Ambala Cantonment assembly seat, was arrested along with some of his supporters after he went to the Ambala Cantonment police station to surrender with hundreds of backers, police said.

Chandigarh, Nov 27 : Haryana power distribution corporations, the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, Friday announced a new voluntary disclosure scheme for consumers to get their illegal connections regularised.

Both agencies decided to introduce the voluntary disclosure load scheme (VDS) for domestic, non-domestic and industrial consumers of urban areas.

The scheme will remain open up to Dec 31.

Chandigarh, Nov 27 : Paddy arrival in Haryana this season so far has surpassed the total arrival last year.

Food and supplies officials said Friday that 43.33 lakh tonnes of paddy had arrived in grain markets of the state till Thursday evening.

Last year, the total arrival of paddy in the entire season was 43.03 lakh tonnes.

Neighbouring Punjab had Thursday crossed the 140-lakh-tonne paddy target set for this season despite not so favourable weather conditions.

Chandigarh, Nov 27 : Forced to seek help from Independents and other legislators to form a government in the state, the Haryana Congress Friday issued show cause notices to 20 of its leaders following complaints that they sabotaged the chances of party candidates, a Congress leader said.

Gurgaon, Nov 27 : Ankur Chadha lived up to his reputation and fired a level par 72 to win the category A title with a four-day total of 221 in the inaugural Albatross International Junior Golf Championship 2009 at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Classic Golf Resort, here Friday.

Jind (Haryana), Nov 27: Fifty-five years after her marriage, Rajo Devi last year became the world's oldest mother at 69. As she and her 73-year-old husband proudly celebrated their daughter's first birthday Friday, she said she was ready to have a second child.

Rajo Devi had given birth to a healthy girl Nov 27, 2008, after undergoing an in-vitro fertility (IVF) treatment. The girl was named Naveen Lohan.

Chandigarh, Nov 30 : Clouds prevailed in Chandigarh and its neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana Monday, lowering the temperature further in the region.

"Clouds are there in most parts of the region. We are expecting them to remain there for a few more days and there is also a possibility of drizzle in some parts of Punjab," Chandigarh meteorological centre director Chatar Singh Malik told IANS.

Chandigarh, Dec 2 : Four people allegedly set a man on fire in Haryana's Sonipat village in a case of road rage, police said Wednesday.

The victim, Pawan Kumar of Parnala village, was waylaid, thrashed and then set on fire Monday night by four unidentified occupants of an Indica car.

Haryana police seemed to be clueless about the identity of four men yet.

Kumar died Tuesday at a hospital in Rohtak, where he was referred to in a critical condition with burn injuries from the hospital in Sonipat.

Gurgaon, Dec 4 : Empty seats, few buyers and technical glitches -- the Oxybleach India International Fashion Week (OIIFW) got off to a rather disappointing start here. But the organisers hope the event will lead to exchange of ideas among designers.

Unlike other fashion events where you have an elevated ramp, OIIFW has a flat ramp with a very casual seating arrangement -- not in keeping with international standards.

Chandigarh Dec 4 : With a high-level delegation of the Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) of India, concluding its visit to Haryana Friday, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has urged it for fast-tracking 2,800 (4x700) MW nuclear power plant so that it could be set up in the state soon.

Hooda and NPC officials, including its chairman and managing director S. K. Jain, held discussions in New Delhi Friday on the project.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday permitted an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI), Sorab Singh Gill, son of Punjab Director General of Police, to participate in selection trials for the national shooting team.

International skeet shooter Sorab Singh Gill had petitioned the High Court, seeking quashing of November 3, 2009 communication of the Union government whereby he was held ineligible to represent India. The petitioner, born in the USA and doing Law from Panjab University, is an Overseas Citizen of India, duly registered as such in 2007. After his registration as an OCI, the petitioner had represented India in various international events.

Chandigarh, Dec 7 : Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Monday reiterated his government's demand for a separate high court and in the state capital Chandigarh.

"It is our legitimate right to have a separate high court for Haryana and at the same time we want it in Chandigarh," Hooda told reporters here Monday.

"There is only the question of jurisdiction but we are confident that very soon all the issues will be settled and Haryana would have its separate high court," he added.

The centrally administered city Chandigarh is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

Chandigarh, Dec 7 : The toll in Sunday's accident, in which a group of slum dwellers, including children, looking for scrap were buried alive after a dumper-truck partially overturned trapping them under loose earth, reached nine Monday after two more bodies were dug out.

All the victims belonged to families of labourers working on nearby under-construction buildings in the city's Sector 31. They had come to the area to collect scrap.

The dead include four children.

Chandigarh, Dec 7 : The ruling Congress in Haryana has issued show cause notice to former tourism minister Kiran Choudhry and some other party leaders following complaints that they had sabotaged the chances of party candidates during the assembly elections, a Congress leader said Monday.

"So far, we have received 26 complaints, and acting on them we have sent notices to around 50 leaders. We have not received any complaint against a sitting MLA," said Phool Chand Mullana, president of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), here.

Chandigarh, Dec 9 : Six people, including a woman, were arrested and 21 stolen two-wheelers recovered as police Wednesday claimed to have busted a gang of vehicle thieves.

According to police, the alleged kingpin of the gang Roshan Sharma, a native of Solan in Himachal Pradesh, and his female accomplice Laxmi Pushpekar were held in sector-45 here.    

The bike they were riding was found to be a stolen one with a fake registration number.    

Chandigarh, Dec 9 : Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) president Kuldip Bishnoi Wednesday sought that five legislators who 'defected' from his party and joined the ruling Congress should be disqualified and thereby unseated from the state assembly.

Bishnoi submitted petitions to Speaker Harmohinder Singh Chatha at the Haryana assembly here. Since Chatha was not in his office, Bishnoi spoke to him on phone and was told to leave the petitions with the speaker's office here.    

Bishnoi was accompanied by former Chandigarh MP and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Satya Pal Jain, who is also a lawyer.    

Chandigarh, Dec 9 : More than 100 residents of this union territory took part in a cancer awareness walkathon Wednesday to sensitise the masses about the perilous disease of cancer.

The walkathon with a theme of 'know cancer to conquer it' was organised by a city-based NGO Cancer Sahayata Sahyog.

Ace shooter and Olympian Abhinav Bindra flagged off the rally from hotel Taj and it culminated at Sector 17, the commercial hub of Chandigarh, after covering a distance of around 2 km.

Chandigarh, Dec 9 : To produce cattle of the desired sex, the animal husbandry and dairying department in Haryana has decided to import cattle semen.

With the implementation of the government's "Sex Semen Yojana (scheme)", the "X" and "Y" chromosomes would be produced which would make it possible to get the cattle of desired sex, state Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary Hardip Kumar said Wednesday.

Chandigarh, Dec 9 : Over 80 'anganwadi' workers (village-level social workers) were arrested here Wednesday trying to enter the official residence of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to submit a memorandum, police said.

The workers gathered in Sector 2 from various parts of the state and wanted to meet Badal but were stopped just metres away from the chief minister's official residence.

Chandigarh, Dec 9 : A Hindi song "Naya Aghaz" (New beginning) composed by a Gurgaon-based private school teacher has become the signature song of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for its Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) in schools.

The song composer, Kamaljit, is a teacher at Salwan Public School.

The CBSE has the song, which is 4.32 minutes long, to further popularise its new concept of CCE in addition to conducting workshops, training teachers and distributing manuals.

Gurgaon, Dec 10 : Karanjit Singh Sandhu (67, 76, 69) of the DLF Golf and Country Club led the field at the end of round three of the Aircel-PGTI's Final Qualifying Stage for the 2010 season here Thursday.

Sandhu's total read four under 212 followed by Delhi's Anirudh Goyal (76, 70, 69) and Rajiv Kumar Jatiwal (74, 71, 70) of Chandigarh with matching totals of one under 215.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 11 - To check growing incidents of bank robberies in this Haryana district, police have directed all the banks here to install CCTV cameras in their premises, an official said Friday.

"We met senior officials of all leading banks of Panchkula district (Thursday) to discuss various measures to effectively stop bank robberies. It was decided that all banks will install CCTV cameras by Jan 10," district police chief Maneesh Chaudhary said.

"The banks also have to maintain the proper records of camera recordings. If any bank is found without CCTV camera after this deadline, then strict action will be taken against them."

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 11 : To check growing incidents of bank robberies in this Haryana district, police have directed all the banks here to install CCTV cameras in their premises, an official said Friday.

"We met senior officials of all leading banks of Panchkula district (Thursday) to discuss various measures to effectively stop bank robberies. It was decided that all banks will install CCTV cameras by Jan 10," district police chief Maneesh Chaudhary said.

Kurukshetra, Dec 12 : Archaeological Department has unearthed a Hindu deity''s idol Kurukshetra, which statue is made of white sandstone and depicts Goddess Parvati and her two sons Ganesha and Karthikeya.

The Haryana government has decided to ease the worries of hoteliers gearing up for Commonwealth Games 2010.

They have decided to set up a single-window-service for the speedy disposal of approvals at various departments in Gurgaon, Faridabad and other NCR towns.

As many as 6,647 rooms are being built at various hotel sites. They are likely to be ready for use between March and June next year.

Chandigarh, Dec 14 : Since its formation Nov 1, 1966, Haryana has broken all records in paddy production this season (October 2008-December 2009), according to the state's food and supplies department officials.

Haryana registered a production of over 45.55 lakh tonnes of paddy, more than the previous highest of 45.11 lakh tonnes notched in 2005, the officials said here Monday.

The record production has been achieved despite not so favourable weather conditions this year with the state experiencing less-to-scanty rainfall.

Chandigarh, Dec 14 : Opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) Monday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into an alleged sex scandal at the Haryana Police Academy (HPA) in Madhuban town of Karnal district.

"We strongly demand an independent CBI probe into the Madhuban sex scandal. We have enough to prove that many senior officers of the Haryana police are involved in this scandal. We have lost our trust in the state's police, we want a CBI inquiry," INLD general secretary Ajay Chautala told reporters.

Chandigarh, Dec 15 : Former Haryana chief minister Om Parkash Chautala Tuesday met Governor Jagannath Pahadia and demanded an independent probe into an alleged sex scandal at the Haryana Police Academy (HPA) in Karnal district.

"We have full belief that our governor will deal with this issue very seriously and appropriately. We have submitted copies of written complaints which we had received from women police officers and apprised him about the whole issue," Chautala told reporters here.

Chandigarh, Dec 15 : School students in Haryana can look forward to some fun while learning. They will soon get outdoor education with the state government initiating a scheme to take them on excursion tours.

The state government has framed a policy 'Excursion Tour of Students' under which students of Classes 9 to 12 in government schools will be taken on a study tour once a year.

"The policy has been framed to provide conducive atmosphere for the all-round growth and development of children through interaction with other children and exposure to new places of interest," Haryana's Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal said here Tuesday.

Gurgaon, Dec 17 : Ashok Kumar kept the lead with a three-under 69 in round two of the PGTI Tour Championship 2009 golf to lead by one stroke. Ashok's second round effort took his total to 10-under 134.

Shamim Khan, who returned a 68 Thursday, is one stroke behind the leader in second place.

Raju Ali Mollah (70, 67) is third at seven under 137 while S. S. P. Chowrasia and Rahil Gangjee share fourth spot at six under 138.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 19 - Police here have directed the jewellery shop owners to install CCTV cameras in their premises by Jan 5 next year to curb growing incidents of robberies in this Haryana district, police said Saturday.

"We held a meeting with the members of Panchkula jewellers association to discuss our strategy for keeping a tab on robbery incidents. In the meeting, we have told all the members of this association to install CCTV cameras in their properties," district police chief Maneesh Chaudhary told IANS.

Chandigarh, Dec 19 : Haryana's power distribution agency, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), has recovered arrears totalling Rs. 14.7 crore (Rs. 147 million) from nearly 16,000 power defaulters in the past 15 days, a company official said Saturday.

A DHBVN spokesman said that 142 teams of the agency knocked at the doors of over 26,000 consumers in the last 15 days to recover bill arrears.    

While 5,149 consumers faced electricity disconnection, arrears of were recovered from nearly 16,000 consumers.    

Mewat (Haryana), Dec 19 : Ashok Kumar inscribed his name on the PGTI Tour Championship trophy at the Classic Golf Resort here today as he outplayed Shamim Khan to take home the winner's cheque of Rs. 12,68,000.

Ashok shot a bogey-free 69 to finish with a tournament total of 15 under 273 and thus secured his seventh win on the Aircel-PGTI, which also happened to be his second title triumph of the 2009 season.

Shamim Khan fired 73 in the final round to finish one stroke behind Ashok Kumar in second place.

Chandigarh, Dec 21 : Former Haryana director general of police (DGP) S. P. S. Rathore was Monday sentenced to six months in prison in a 1990 case of molesting 14-year-old budding tennis player Ruchika Girotra who committed suicide three years later.

Rathore was allowed bail by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court special judge J. S. Sidhu immediately after his sentencing.

The former DGP can now appeal before a higher court against the CBI court order.

Chandigarh/New Delhi, Dec 22 : A six-month jail term and penalty of Rs. 1,000 is a light sentence for the molestation of a girl that led her to commit suicide 16 years ago, was what lawyers and activists here felt Tuesday, a day after former Haryana director general of police (DGP) S. P. S. Rathore was convicted and sentenced for the crime.

Rathore was convicted by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here Monday for molesting Ruchika Girhotra, then a 14-year-old budding tennis player, on Aug 12, 1990, at Panchkula town, 10 km from here.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 22 : Aradhana Gupta, who fought for 19 years to get justice for her friend Ruchika Girhotra, Tuesday said she was happy that the light punishment given to former Haryana director general of police (DGP) S. P. S. Rathore for molesting the teenager in 1990 was raised in parliament.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Chandigarh had Monday held Rathore guilty of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika here Aug 12, 1990 and sentenced him to a six-month prison term. The teen had committed suicide three years after the incident.

Chandigarh, Dec 22 : Plying of non-LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) auto rickshaws will not be permitted on Chandigarh roads after March 31 next year, officials said here Tuesday.

"Liberal financial assistance has been arranged from Delhi Financial Corporation and other financial institutions through a tripartite agreement in which cheap finance is being provided to auto drivers. There would be no collateral security and third party guarantee," said Ram Niwas, home-cum-transport secretary of the union territory (UT).

Gurgaon, Dec 22 : Jharkhand won the National Under-16 Football Championships for the Coca Cola Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy football with a 1-0 win over Karnataka in the final at the packed Devi Lal Stadium here Tuesday.

Singrai Soren's header helped Jharkhand score the solitary goal in the match.

“Too little, too late.”

The reaction of the National Commission for Women to the six-month jail sentence handed down to former Haryana Police chief S. P. S. Rathore — convicted of sexually molesting Ruchika Girhotra (14) in 1990 — summed up the overall response to the judgment.

A day after the Chandigarh court’s verdict, politicians and women’s groups were outraged that a police officer who’d misused his position to threaten the victim and her family — driving her to suicide in 1993 — had got away “very lightly”.

Rathore (67) was awarded a lighter sentence due to the “prolonged trial” and his age, the Press Trust of India reported. The crime for which he was convicted comes with a maximum punishment of up to two years.

Chandigarh, Dec 23 : Disgraced former Haryana director general of police (DGP) S. P. S. Rathore may not be finding many friends after his conviction by a court here in the molestation case of 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra 19 years ago, but the police officer enjoyed the patronage of four successive chief ministers despite the serious charges against him.

Even among parties, the Lok Dal (now Indian National Lok Dal - INLD), Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the now defunct Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) governments continued to promote and probably shield Rathore between 1990 and 2002.

Chandigarh, Dec 24 : Riot police in full battle gear surrounded the house of former Haryana director general of police S. P. S. Rathore as local citizens took out a candlelight procession to protest the light sentence he had been given for molesting a teenager in 1990.

The marchers were heading towards his house in Panchkula, a town in Haryana about 10 km from here, police said.

Rathore had been sentenced to six months in jail and a fine of Rs. 1,000 for molesting 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra. He is also alleged to have later hounded her and her family till she commited suicide three years later.

Chandigarh, Dec 24 : A city court Thursday refused permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to close the cash-for-judge scam case for want of sanctions for prosecution of the main suspects.

A packet containing Rs. 1.5 million in cash was delivered Aug 13, 2008 at the residence of newly appointed Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Nirmaljit Kaur but investigations later revealed it was meant for another judge.

Gurgaon, Dec 24 : If you like the thrill of being behind the wheel but are not 18 yet - beware. Police in Gurgaon have launched a drive to nab underage drivers.

"We have started to 'challan' (fine) underage students and children found driving vehicles. In the last few days, 327 students have been fined. We have also educated parents and teachers not to allow children to drive," S. S. Deswal, Gurgaon police commissioner, said here Thursday.

New Delhi, Dec 25 : Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chuatala on Friday defended himself in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case, putting the blame on former Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal. He said the benefits given to the accused-- former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) SPS Rathore--took place under the Bansi Lal regime.

Chautala said Rathore was promoted as DGP of the state in 1999 during Bansi Lal''s government on the recommendation of bureaucrats.

Chandigarh, Dec 25 : Over 150,000 power connections have been cut off in Haryana this year, with the state-run power distribution agency launching a massive campaign to pull up defaulters.

"Our officials are keeping a strict watch on theft of power in Haryana," said an official spokesperson of Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), here Friday.

"This year, till November we have disconnected the power connections of 159,698 defaulting consumers. Besides, a penalty amount of Rs. 51.70 crore (Rs. 517 million) has been recovered from them."

Chandigarh, Dec 25 : Lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj, who has fought Ruchika Girhotra's molestation case free of cost for the last 13 years, says that the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) role in probing the charges against Haryana's former top cop S. P. S. Rathore seems dubious and termed the court's verdict "disappointing".

Chandigarh, Dec 25 : The following is the chronology of events in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case and subsequent events.

* Aug 12, 1990: Haryana Inspector General of Police (IGP) S. P. S. Rathore, also the Haryana Lawn Tennis Association president, molests 14-year-old budding tennis player Ruchika Girhotra in his office room.

* Aug 16, 1990- Complaint made to chief minister Hukam Singh and home secretary.

* Aug 17, 1990- Hukam Singh asks Director General of Police (DGP) R. R. Singh to investigate the matter.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 26 - Former Haryana police chief S. P. S. Rathore, convicted of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika Girhotra, should be stripped of all honours and the state government should compensate the victim's family, Ruchika's friend Aradhana's father Anand Prakash said Saturday.

"Although six-month imprisonment is nothing before the gravity of crime but still we are satisfied that the court has identified Rathore as a culprit. Now we want the concerned authorities to intervene and to strip him of all rewards and medals," Prakash told IANS.

Chandigarh, Dec 28 : With cold wave prevailing in most parts of Punjab and Haryana Monday, met officials are predicting a further dip in the temperature and the presence of fog during early mornings and late evenings.

According to met officials, Amritsar in Punjab was the coldest in the region Monday with a minimum temperature of zero degree Celsius.

Ludhiana, the industrial hub of Punjab, recorded a temperature of 0.2 degree Celsius while Patiala registered 2.4 degrees Celsius.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 28 : Anand Prakash and his family members are preparing to observe the 16th death anniversary of Ruchika Girhotra Tuesday by visiting the place where she spent her last days of life.

"Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the 16th death anniversary of Ruchika. We would go to house number 363 in Sector 6 in Panchkula where she committed suicide. There we would light lamps in her memory and observe one minute's silence for the peace of her soul," Prakash told reporters here Monday.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 28 : Aradhana, staunch friend of Ruchika Girhotra, has launched an online signature campaign to garner support for reopening of her dead friend's molestation case.

"We have started a signature campaign in which we are collecting signatures of people who are in favour of reopening of the case. Besides, to associate people who are sitting at far away places, we have created an e-mail address 'joinaradhna4ruchika@gmail.com'," Aradhna, lone eye-witness in the case, told IANS.

Chandigarh, Dec 28 : A greenfield thermal power project, completed ahead of schedule and expected to generate power at the lowest rates in the country, will provide additional 600 MW to Haryana after it is synchronised Tuesday.

Built in 35 months, compared to 39-42 months that such projects normally take to be set up, the Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Project (RGTPP) at Khedar in Hisar district, 300 km from here, will be synchronised by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Chandigarh, Dec 28 : Hundreds of people of different age groups held a candle-light march here Monday evening to mark the day Ruchika Girhotra consumed poison 16 years ago after her molestation by former police chief S. P. S. Rathore. The marchers are seeking reopening of the case.

Carrying candles, placards and banners, these volunteers, including representatives of many city-based NGOs, sought justice for Ruchika. Rathore was given a six-month jail term and a fine of Rs. 1,000 by a court Dec 21 -- 19 years after the incident.

The marchers took out a peaceful protest in Sector 17, the commercial hub of Chandigarh.

Noida, Dec 29 - A prayer meeting was held at Nithari village here Tuesday, three years after the discovery of the gruesome killings of at least 19 young girls and boys, allegedly by businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Surinder Kohli.

About 50 families, including those of the victims, gathered a few metres from Pandher's bungalow -- D-5 in Noida's Sector 31 -- where all the killings took place.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 29 - S. C. Girhotra, father of teenaged molestation victim Ruchika, Tuesday submitted a fresh police complaint, seeking registration of a case against disgraced former Haryana director general of police S. P. S. Rathore and other police officers.

Girhotra, who submitted the complaint to the Panchkula district police chief, sought registration of First Information Report (FIR) against Rathore and other police officers for conspiracy in slapping false cases of car theft against his son Ashu in the early 1990s.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 29 : Teenager Ruchika Girhotra, who committed suicide three years after being molested by former Haryana top cop S. P. S. Rathore, was remembered by people from all walks of life through a march held here on her 16th death anniversary Tuesday.

The march started from the house of Anand Prakash, who has been fighting a legal battle against Rathore for the last 19 years, and culminated at Ruchika's old house where she consumed poison.

Panchkula, Dec 29 : Residents of a village in the Panchkula district of Haryana Tuesday accused tainted cop S. P. S. Rathore of illegally occupying 27 acres of their common village land as well as buying 13 acres of their private land after making false promises.

Led by the village sarpanch (headman), over 20 residents of village Badhour Tuesday gathered at the house of Anand Prakash, complainant in the Ruchika molestation case, and levelled allegations against Rathore.

Karnal (Haryana), Dec 29 : Former Haryana director general of police (DGP) R. R. Singh Tuesday offered to be a witness against disgraced police officer and teenaged girl Ruchika Girhotra's molestor, S. P. S. Rathore.

Singh, who lives in this Haryana town, 130 km from Chandigarh, after retirement, said: "I am willing to be a witness against Rathore in any court that takes up the matter against him. My sympathies are with the Girhotra family."

Chandigarh, Dec 29  Without listing any concrete steps for time-bound action in the matter, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Tuesday assured an impartial enquiry into the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case involving former director general of police
(DGP) S. P. S. Rathore.

"All aspects of this case are being examined legally and the government would try to ensure justice to the affected family," Hooda told mediapersons at Khedar near Hisar, 300 km from here, after inaugurating the first phase of the 1,200 MW Rajiv Gandhi thermal power plant.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 29 : The Haryana police Tuesday registered two fresh First Information Reports (FIRs) against disgraced former top cop S. P. S. Rathore, including for attempt to murder and wrongful confinement, in the 19-year-old Ruchika Girhotra molestation case.

The FIRs were also filed against other police officials

Rathore, former Haryana director general of police (DGP), has been charged with serious crimes like attempt to murder (Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code), criminal intimidation, wrongful confinement and conspiracy.

Chandigarh, Dec 29 : Lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj, who fought Ruchika Girhotra's molestation case free of cost for the last 13 years, said he will meet union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi Wednesday and place all the facts and evidence of the case before him.

"I had got a call from the home minister's office a few days back and they called me to Delhi to discuss this case. Earlier we fixed the date of Dec 29 but later changed it to Dec 30," Bhardwaj told IANS Tuesday.

Chandigarh, Dec 29 : The first 600 MW unit of the Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Project (RGTPP) at Khedar in Hisar district of Haryana became operational Tuesday, an official said.

"The unit will be operated at a load of around 40 to 50 MW for a few hours during which all the leakages and problem areas will be noted for corrective action," said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here Tuesday.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 30 - Sector 6 of Panchkula, an upscale suburban town outside Chandigarh, is not only known for its leafy streets, spacious houses and influential residents - but for infamous high-profile offenders as well.

The most notorious resident of the sector now is the disgraced former Haryana director general of police (DGP) S. P. S. Rathore - convicted last week by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court for molesting teenaged budding tennis player Ruchika Girhotra here Aug 12, 1990.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 30 - With support for teenaged molestation victim Ruchika Girhotra coming from all quarters, her family and friends are now seeking the death penalty for former Haryana top cop S. P. S. Rathore, who molested her and allegedly hounded her till she killed herself.

Ruchika's father Subhash Chander Girhotra said that Rathore should be hanged till death.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 30 - Facing the possibility of imminent arrest, former Haryana top cop S. P. S. Rathore, convicted for molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra, Wednesday came out of home for the first time after public outrage over the case.

Carrying a file in his hands, Rathore reached the Panchkula court flanked by his wife, who is also his lawyer. With two fresh FIRs (First Information Report) registered against him, including for attempt to murder and wrongful confinement, he is expected to seek anticipatory bail.

The Haryana Police registered two fresh first information reports (FIRs) against former state police chief S. P. S. Rathore and other officers on Tuesday, for allegedly lodging false cases against Ruchika Girhotra’s brother, trying to kill him and fabricating the post-mortem report after her death.

With that, the national outcry against the trifling six-month sentence awarded to Rathore on December 22, for molesting 14-year-old Ruchika — who committed suicide three years after the incident — appeared to have made its first dent.

Chandigarh, Dec 30 : The Haryana government Wednesday announced the setting up of a committee to probe the charges made against disgraced former state police chief S. P. S. Rathore in the two fresh first information reports (FIRs) registered against him, state government sources said here.

The committee will be headed by Inspector General of Police Shatrujit Kapoor and includes Panchkula district police chief Maneesh Chaudhary. The committee will examine the charges made against Rathore in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case and subsequent events in the two new FIRs registered Tuesday evening.

Panchkula (Haryana) Dec 30 : Ruchika’s friend and the sole eyewitness to her molestation case Aradhana today blamed former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) SPS Rathore for manipulating documents.

Speaking to the media here Aradhana said: "This is clear in the case, event statements have come from CBI that they were influenced and attempts were made to bribe them.”

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 31 - The district and sessions court here Thursday rejected a plea of Abha Rathore, wife and counsel of disgraced former Haryana top cop S. P. S. Rathore convicted in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case, for early hearing of his anticipatory bail application.

She wanted the hearing to take place Thursday itself instead of Friday.

Sessions judge S. P. Singh rejected the plea of Abha Rathore, who reached the court here Thursday afternoon with all documents sought by the court during the hearing Wednesday.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 31 : Ruchika Girhotra's brother Ashu submitted a fresh complaint to the Panchkula police Thursday evening seeking registration of a case of abetment to suicide against former Haryana top cop S. P. S. Rathore and other police officials.

The complaint also sought a case against serving Haryana inspector general of police (IGP) K. P. Singh, who was the Ambala district police chief when Ashu was booked in false car theft cases by the police at Rathore's behest.

Panchkula (Haryana), Dec 31: Speaking about the torture and harassment he underwent at the behest of former Haryana police chief S. P. S. Rathore years ago, teenaged molestation victim Ruchika Girhotra's brother Ashu Thursday demanded that Rathore "should be behind bars".

Ashu, who remained in hiding since his sister committed suicide Dec 1993 following torture unleashed by the Haryana police at Rathore's behest, said that he had moved an application Thursday evening to get a case under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code
(abetment to suicide) registered against Rathore.

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 1 - The hearing of the anticipatory bail plea by disgraced former Haryana police chief S. P. S. Rathore, convicted of molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra 19 years ago, was adjourned by a court here till Friday afternoon.

District sessions judge S. P. Singh, after hearing Rathore's counsel and wife Abha Rathore and Ruchika's family lawyer Pankaj Bhardwaj, asked the state government counsel to provide details of the case at the hearing slated to take place at 12.30 p. m.

Rathore did not come to the court Friday.

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 1 : The Panchkula sessions court on Friday granted an interim bail to former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) SPS Rathore and put a stay on his arrest till January 7.

Rathore has been charged for allegedly molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra in 1990

The court has also asked for a reply from the state government in the concerned matter.

Rathore''s bail hearing started at the Panchkula sessions court around 9:30 am.

Chandigarh, Jan 2 : Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala's Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has fielded his son Abhay Singh Chautala for the Jan 20 by-election in Ellenabad assembly constituency.

Abhay is the younger son of the INLD chief. Om Prakash Chautala and his elder son Ajay Singh Chautala are both members of the state assembly.

Om Prakash Chautala vacated the Ellenabad seat as he had been elected from two assembly seats - Uchana Kalan (Jind) and Ellenabad (Sirsa).

Chandigarh, Jan 2 : In a bid to streamline its working, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has digitalized nearly 250,000 files to enable web-based services to its customers, state Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said Saturday.

"It is a big achievement for HUDA and we have also directed the concerned officers to create a payment gateway. We have also told them to set up a computer-based grievance redressal system," he added.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda assured to expedite investigations into the Ruchika molestation case through a Special Investigation Team for speedy delivery of justice to the family of Ruchika who was molested by former Haryana police Chief SPS Rathore.

Chandigarh, Jan 4 : The special investigation team (SIT), set up by the Haryana police to examine criminal charges against former state police chief S. P. S. Rathore who is convicted of molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra, will take some more time to complete its work, its chief said Monday.

"We had got this case only last week and we are looking into every aspect of this matter. Our investigation is still under process and right now we cannot disclose our so far findings to anyone," Inspector General (Security) S. S. Kapoor, who heads the seven-member SIT, told IANS.

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 4 : Anand Prakash, who has been fighting the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case for the past 19 years, hailed the union home ministry's decision Monday to strip tainted cop S. P. S. Rathore of the police medal he was given for meritorious service in 1985.

"This is very encouraging for us and now we are more confident than before," he said.

"We all welcome this decision of the central government. With this development, we are quite hopeful that this case will soon reach a logical end," Madhu Prakash, his wife, said.

Narnaul (Haryana), Jan 4 : A new central university, the first in Haryana, started functioning Monday in the state's educationally and economically backward Mahendragarh district.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda inaugurated the first academic session of the university, in the district, 300 km from Chandigarh.

With its own campus spread over 500 acres at Jant-Pali town, 7 km from Mahendragarh town, yet to be built, classes of the university have been started from the complex of B. Ed. College, Narnaul. Mool Chand Sharma is the first vice-chancellor of the university.

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 5 - A fresh case against former Haryana police chief S. P. S. Rathore was registered here Tuesday, charging him with abetting the suicide of teenager Ruchika Girhotra three years after he had molested her.

The first information report (FIR) has been registered against the former director general of police, Panchkula superintendent of police Maneesh Chaudhary said here.  (IANS)

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 5 -The Haryana police Tuesday recommended that the three fresh cases registered against disgraced former Haryana police chief S. P. S. Rathore be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for further investigation.

"We have registered the third FIR (first information report) against him (Rathore). We have recommended that all cases be handed over to the CBI for investigation," Panchkula Superintendent of Police Maneesh Chaudhary told IANS.

Chandigarh, Jan 5 - Chandigarh and its neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana Tuesday continued to bear the brunt of an intense cold wave that has claimed three lives.

Amritsar in Punjab was again the coldest in this region Tuesday, recording a minimum temperature of 1.2 degrees Celsius. Ludhiana and Patiala cities in Punjab saw a minimum temperature of 7.8 and 8.2 degrees respectively.

The minimum temperature in Chandigarh was 7 degrees Celsius.

According to officials, the cold and icy winds left two people dead in Ambala in Haryana and one person in Amritsar in Punjab late Monday.

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 5 - It could be "appropriate justice" at last, said a relieved Aradhana Tuesday as a prolonged legal battle was infused with new energy with former Haryana police chief S. P. S. Rathore being charged with abetting the suicide of her friend Ruchika Girhotra in 1993.

Police in Panchkula filed a fresh case against Rathore Tuesday. He was charged under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code of abetting the suicide of teenager Ruchika Girhotra, who killed herself in 1993, three years after he molested her.

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 5 : Teenaged molestation victim Ruchika's father Tuesday demanded that former Haryana police chief S. P. S. Rathore be immediately arrested as he was a "criminal" roaming freely in the society.

S. C. Girhotra said he wondered that even after registering non-bailable cases, like abetment to suicide, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, forging evidence, wrongful confinement and criminal conspiracy against Rathore, why were the Haryana police still shying from arresting him.

Chandigarh, Jan 6 - The residents of Punjab, Haryana and the joint capital Chandigarh continued to brave the cold wave and the freezing weather Wednesday as mercury dipped further in the region. The met department has forecast rainfall in the coming days.

Amritsar city of Punjab was the coldest in the region, with a minimum temperature of 1 degree Celsius. Ludhiana and Patiala cities were comparatively warmer as they recorded minimum temperature of 6.3 and 5.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Chandigarh shivered at a minimum temperature of 3.4 degrees Celsius Wednesday, down from Tuesday's temperature of 7 degrees Celsius.

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 6 : A middle-aged eunuch, angered at police's alleged inaction in a case of assault on her adopted son, Wednesday attempted to commit suicide by consuming poison right outside the Haryana police headquarters here, police said.

According to police, the eunuch was identified as Laxmi, a resident of Hansi town in Hisar district of Haryana.

Gurgaon/Chandigarh, Jan 6 : Property dealers and real estate agents in Gurgaon not registering themselves with the district administration will face penal action, officials said here Wednesday.

Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner Rajinder Kataria said officials have been asked to get shops and offices of property dealers and real estate agents videographed and photographed to know who all are operating in the district. All realty dealers have to register themselves under the Haryana Regulation of Property Dealers and Consultancy Act.

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 7 - Additional District and Sessions judge Sanjeev Jindal Thursday reserved his decision on former Haryana police chief S. P. S. Rathore's anticipatory bail plea on two fresh first information reports (FIRS), which were registered Dec 29.

The argument in the court went on for over two hours.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Chandigarh had Dec 21 held Rathore guilty of molesting 15-year-old Ruchika Gehrotra and sentenced him to a six-month prison term. Rathore was, however, immediately granted bail.

Chandigarh, Jan 7 : There was no respite from the bone chilling cold for the residents of Punjab, Haryana and the joint capital Chandigarh, even as mild sunshine greeted them Thursday.

"Intense cold wave running through the northern plains has led to a sharp fall in both day and night temperatures. In most parts of the region, the mercury remained two to three degrees below normal," said a Met official here Thursday.

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 8 : A Panchkula court in Haryana Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of former state police chief S. P. S. Rathore, who molested teenager Ruchika Girhotra 19 years ago.

Additional district and sessions judge Sanjeev Jindal dismissed the bail plea filed after two fresh FIRs were registered against Rathore Dec 29.

Rathore was booked under non-bailable charges like attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, forging evidence, wrongful confinement, fabricating false evidence and criminal conspiracy.(IANS)

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 9 - Haryana Police has been pulled up for delaying action in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case but police officials say they did not want to arrest former top cop S. P. S Rathore "hastily" despite a Panchkula court having dismissed his anticipatory bail pleas.

Chandigarh, Jan 10 - Fog along with bone-chilling cold Sunday derailed normal life in Punjab, Haryana and the joint capital Chandigarh and hit road, rail and air traffic.

A blanket of thick fog enveloped Chandigarh and most parts of Punjab and Haryana. "Dense fog prevails in the region, reducing the visibility level to below 100 meters. We are expecting these conditions to continue in the coming days," said a Met official here.

The Chandigarh Police have issued a traffic advisory for the residents to follow while driving. "People should drive slow during foggy weather and avoid overtaking as far as possible. Fog lights should be switched on and nobody should use high beam while driving," the advisory stated.

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 11 - A new controversy has emerged in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case involving former Haryana police chief S. P. S. Rathore, with a 'mystery' woman, Veena, claiming that she was married to Ruchika's father, S. C. Girhotra. The claim has been dismissed by the lawyer and friends of the Girhotra family.

Veena has told the special investigation team (SIT) of the Haryana police that she was married to Ruchika's father, S. C. Girhotra, between November 1990 and 1995.

Chandigarh, Jan 11 : Amrik Singh, who worked in the office of Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Nirmaljit Kaur and complainant in the cash-for-judge scam, failed to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court here Monday.

During the last hearing Dec 24, CBI special judge Darshan Singh had summoned Singh after CBI submitted its sealed final report in the cash-for-judge scam, which rocked this union territory in August last year, seeking cancellation of the case.

Chandigarh, Jan 11 : Four days after a magisterial inquiry held the Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School here guilty of being unfair in expelling teenage molestation victim Ruchika Girhotra for fee default, the school principal S. Sebestina Monday returned the state award.

The Chandigarh administration had directed her to return the award, which was given to her in 2005 for meritorious contribution to city education. She was the principal of the school in 1990, when Ruchika was expelled.

Gurgaon, Feb 1 - Ace designer Neeta Lulla has been lending her creative touch to Aishwarya Rai's wardrobe for more than a decade. Having dressed the actress in varied costumes in movies like "Taal", "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" and "Jodhaa Akbar", the designer feels the sari suits the former beauty queen best.

"No doubt Aishwarya looks beautiful in Indian outfits, but, personally, I feel that she looks her best in a sari. She can carry a simple cotton to a designer sari with equal poise and elegance," Lulla told IANS in an interview.

After he failed to appear before it in a graft case, Haryana legislator Abhay Chautala was granted interim bail by a city court Monday.

Interim bail was granted to Chautala, an Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) legislator by Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge P. S. Teji, who also fixed the matter for further hearing March 5. Abhay is the son of INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala.

After the CBI's counsel submitted that despite their best efforts summons issued against the leader could not be served, the court had issued a warrant against Abhay Chautala Feb 15.

On Thursday, Ankaj Kushal, 33, heaved a sigh of relief after receiving a call from the Kapashera Police Station that a gang of four criminals had been arrested and he had to come and identify them.

The four accused had allegedly abducted, thrashed and robbed Kushal, a Sector 23 resident and export house executive, of his belongings and Ford Icon car before dumping him in the Najafgarh drain on Saturday.

“I hope the police can use the CCTV footage from the ATM booth in Dwarka where they had used my ATM card. I was satisfied today when I got a call from the investigating officer in the morning. “

In spite of worldwide slump, software exports from Haryana rose 17% during the last fiscal (2008-09).

The total software exports from the state stood at Rs 21,000 crore (Rs 210 billion/$4.5 billion) as against last year's figure of Rs 18,500 crore.

Gurgaon contributed the most to the yield of IT as well as Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) industry in the state as over 90% of the units are situated in the district.

Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda is proud to announce that Haryana is all set to be -TB Free State. Mr. Hooda said that Haryana has achieved third position in providing free second line treatment of Tuberculosis (TB) after Maharashtra and Gujarat.

He brought in to the picture, the initiatives to wipe out the disease and informed that Revised National Tuberculosis Control (RNTC) programme will be implemented to shrink the mortality rate and curtail the transmission of TB.

As per a senior farm official, wheat production of Haryana will fall this year. It has been estimated that there will be a huge production of in the year when the season commenced. But now it has been seen that the output can't reach to that mark and will behind by a huge margin.

According to the official, higher temperature in this region has ruined the earlier expectation and now he is apprehending that the wheat output may fall behind by 200,000 tonnes from the expected figure. Haryana is the third biggest wheat producer in the country.

Police officials have caught seven people, comprising two engineering pupils, in Haryana region and recovered cocaine worth Rs 2.5 crore from their possession.

Police detained seven people near a bus stand in Ambala Cantt and around one kg of smuggled cocaine was recovered from their possession.

According to official reports, Haryana is infamous for its skewed sex ratio. But thanks to quotas for women in grassroots bodies, over 16,000 women are set to be elected in the panchayat elections next month, getting a chance to show their might.

State election commissioner Dharam Vir told IANS, "The panchayat elections in the state are being held June 6 and 12. The reservation of seats for women candidates will give them a fair representation in these bodies."

Today, Delhi Petrol Dealers Association (DPDA) declared to go on an indefinite strike from June 14 if Delhi administration fails to bring equality in VAT rate with the neighboring states.

DPDA president Atul Peshawaria stated, "If the government does not reduce the VAT and bring it to parity with that of Haryana, we will be left with no other option but to close down our petrol pumps and observe a strike."

The increase in value added tax has seen 35 to 95% drop in the sale of diesel since 2008.

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has decided to establish a Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership in the neighboring villages of Jasaur Kheri and Kheri Jasaur in Haryana's Jhajjar region.

The centre's project director, G. P. Srivastav, and other DAE representatives visited the site Friday to examine it.

Mr. Srivastav stated that four educational institutions will open in the centre to examine nuclear security, radiological conservation, use of radio-stopes and radiation techniques and nuclear energy facility.

Mango farming is gaining ground in Haryana with its production and area under cultivation going up by around three times in two decades.

Financial Commissioner Roshan Lal stated that the production of mango climbed from 19,900 tonnes in 1990-91 to 64,570 tonnes in the year 2009.

Mr. Roshan Lal attributed the groth to the use of newest technology by agriculturists.

The area under mango production also went up to 9,125 hectares from 3,553 hectares previously.

An extra 250 hectares would be brought under mango plantation during the existing financial year (2010-11).

The recent proclamation of nation's first Global Centre for Nuclear Energy has come in Bahadurgarh town on the border of Haryana and Delhi.

The Centre inaugurated by the PM himself will be set up on high importance terms on a dimension of 125 acres while 80 acres will be kept for residential plots.

It is deemed to take up Considered a minimum of three years for completion as stated by project director Dr J P Shrivastva, who led a six-member-team that visited Jassaurkheri and Kheri Jassuar villages today.

Asset financing company Magma Fincorp Ltd has announced that it would offer up Rs 532 crore in retail loans in Punjab and Haryana during the existing fiscal year (2010-11).

In a declaration, Sanjeev Chandhok, regional sales manager stated, "By penetrating deeper, we will focus on providing asset finance to the economically disenfranchised in the state."

Construction equipment and tractor finance have been the major growth drivers this year for the company.

Recently sown paddy crop has been destructed in around 4 days of flood fury in some regions of Haryana and Punjab, the states, which are the largest food grain contributors to the national kitty.

Thus far, 11 fatalities have been reported including six in Punjab and five in Haryana, with 4-5 people missing after being washed away in both states.

Heavy rain accompanied by breaches in rivers and irrigation canals in some regions of both states resulted in flooding since Tuesday.

Vodafone Essar, one of the country's top cellular service providers, has made announcement about the launching of India's most economical Bonus offer for its prepaid customers.

Available at Rs 4, it is the lowest cost denomination offer presently available in the market.

Eyeing to enable many more individuals at the grass root level to stay linked, the Rs 4 Bonus reiterates Vodafone's commitment towards speeding up tele-density in India and enhancing affordability.

Chandigarh, July 11 : The floods in parts of Punjab and Haryana has led to a spate of angry exchanges between the two states, each accusing the other of causing the flooding on their side.

Ruling political leaders of Haryana and Punjab are accusing each other for releasing water into the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, which has led to breaches in parts of the canal causing widespread floods in both states.

The Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal was built to link the waters of the two rivers, but has left the neighbouring states completely divided.

Six days after Rekha Gohil (27) gave birth to a baby on the pavement after being turned away by a civic maternity home at Mahim, the municipal corporation suspended a physician and a senior nurse until pending inquiry gets completed.

Rekha's husband, Kishorilal, who works a conservancy worker with the ward office in Dadar, said, "We are thankful to the civic authorities that they took our complaint seriously."