Hisar :

Self-styled godman Rampal and 14 others were awarded life term for the murder of five people in Satlok Ashram in Barwala in 2014.

ADJ DR Chalia announced the quantum of punishment to all 15 convicts, including three women, in the FIR number 429.

The convicts were also slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh each.
The same court will announce the punishment in another murder case (FIR number 430) on Wednesday.

Rampal and 13 of his aides had been held guilty in the case by the court. The case (FIR 430) pertains to the murder of a woman.

Hodal (Palwal) :
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar claimed that several steps had been taken to ensure safety and empowerment of women in the state.

Speaking at a function organised to welcome ‘Mahila Marathon Relay Race’, organised to mark the birth centenary year of late BJP leader Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia, Khattar said as the safety and progress of women was vital for the development of society as a whole, the state government was fully sensitive towards it. Besides opening of women police stations in all districts, the strength of women cops was being raised considerably and efforts were on to ensure their strength to be at least 20 per cent of the total state police force.

Claiming that the move had enabled and motivated reporting of more cases, which earlier used to go unreported, he said it had resulted in higher awareness in the society. The state government had made provisions of capital punishment for those found guilty of raping a girl aged 12 years or below. Besides, the government had launched Ujjawala Yojana for women, under which free gas connections are being provided to them, the chief minister claimed.

Earlier, welcoming the relay race into Haryana, he expressed hope that the event will prove a grand success. The marathon started from Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) on October 12. After passing through Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, it reached Haryana on Monday.

Paying his tributes to Vijayaraje Scindia, Khattar said she served society throughout her life and promoted women empowerment. He added that daughters in the state had excelled at national and international levels in various fields, such as sports, education, Army and space.

Hisar :
Amid the reported feud within the INLD after the Gohana rally, Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala stated that he was ready to reply to any notice and face the consequences even as he assured supporters that he would take any decision as per their wishes.

In an interaction at the party office, Dushyant looked confident but cautious in his eight-minute address to workers, mostly youths, who received him with slogans projecting him as the chief ministerial candidate.

Giving all credit to workers for rejuvenating the party after supremo Om Prakash Chautala and his father Ajay Chautala went to jail in 2013, Dushyant urged supporters not to comment on Chautala regarding his decisions about the party.

Stating that he was a true soldier of the party and would continue to strengthen the party, Dushyant stated that he was pained at the circumstances emerging after the Gohana rally.

“When a tsunami occurs, you cannot hold one drop of water guilty. If a notice is served, I will respond to it. If I am held guilty, I will face the action. I request you to keep up the struggle. In the event of any decision, we will leave the next course of action to Ajay Chautala and will tell you his decision,” he said.

“I consider Hisar my karam bhoomi and will again contest from here if the party gives me the opportunity. Persons trying to sabotage the organisation should know that Ajay Chautala has given 40 years to the party. We will not let them weaken the party. Their efforts to sabotage the party will not succeed,” he said.

He asserted that Chautala was the only chief ministerial candidate for them. He pointed out that some colleagues had been finding fault with him.

“I request them to fathom the intensity of the tsunami before making up their minds. You were among those who give impetus to this tsunami. I will put every fact and evidence on record. I request you to honour Chautala as it is our responsibility to strengthen his hands,” he said.

Chandigarh :
Randeep Surjewala, communication in charge of the Congress, has alleged that the BJP government was delaying special girdawari of loss suffered by sugarcane, paddy, cotton and bajra farmers to ‘benefit’ the private companies operating the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

Addressing a press conference here , Surjewala alleged that on one hand, farmers were being deprived of even minimum support price (MSP) and, on the other, untimely rains and hailstorm had destroyed 25 to 40 per cent of crops.

“The farmer is facing insurmountable misery and exploitation as the Khattar government has become a mute spectator. Not conducting a special girdawari has exposed the anti-farmer face of Khattar government,” he asserted.

He alleged that even today, thousands of acres in Dadri, Badhra, Mundhal, Jhajjar, Meham, Julana, Safidon, Jind and Kaithal were waterlogged but the Khattar government was in deep slumber. Extensive damage had been caused to bajra and cotton crops in Narnaul, Mahendergarh, Kanina, Bawal, Rewari, Haily Mandi and Farukhnagar in Southern Haryana by untimely rains. Similarly, unexpected hailstorms on October 11 and 12 had caused extensive damage to rice and sugarcane crops in Ambala, Yamunanagar and Panchkula districts, he claimed.

He asserted that the MSP of paddy was Rs 1,770 per quintal but in almost all grain markets, farmers were being duped and deceived because PR paddy was being sold at Rs 150 to Rs 200 per quintal below the MSP.

“The fraud in purchase of Bajra crop is even bigger. The MSP of millet is Rs 1,950 per quintal but more than 70 per cent of farmers got only Rs 1,300-1,350 per quintal. The stringent condition imposed for the purchase of bajra at MSP has forced a majority of the farmers to sell bajra at much lower prices than the MSP, he alleged.

Farmers in Karnal cry foul, allege nexus between officials, traders

Karnal :
Even as farmers in the grain market here are waiting for their produce to be procured for the past several days, traders, allegedly in connivance with officials, are bringing paddy from other states in the Karnal grain market in trucks.

Farmers claimed it to be a nexus between officials and  traders due to which paddy in trucks from other states was being procured quickly, while they had to wait for two to three days to sell their produce.

Harbhajan Singh, a farmer, alleged that he had been in the grain market for the past two days, but his paddy was not procured, while several traders had brought paddy in trucks that was procured quickly.

Surinder Kumar, another farmer, said farmers had been harassed on the pretext of moisture in their paddy, while traders were bringing paddy in trucks and there was no check on it. He said farmers could not afford to bring paddy in trucks to the grain market.

An official of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) says farmers usually bring their produce in tractor-trailers. Trucks are used to bring a huge produce to the grain market from other states. He admitted that paddy was being brought from neighbouring states. “If a farmer brings paddy in a truck, he must have the documents of his land. With the size of landholdings reduced now, a farmer could not afford a truck,” he said.

Surinder Singh, secretary, market committee, Karnal, said they had been making efforts to stop this practice.

The farmers also alleged that they had not been given the payment of their produce since the first day of the procurement.

“I had sold paddy worth around Rs 2.5 lakh on the first day of government procurement, but no payment has been released to me so far,” said Puran Singh, a farmer from Dhakwala village.

Randhir Singh, another farmer, said his payment of more than Rs 80,000 was pending. “My paddy was procured on October 1, but despite several visits, no payment has been made,” he added.

Kushal Boora, DFSC, admitted that due to some technical reasons, the payment could not be released, but now the problem had been solved and it would be released to farmers.

Aditya Dahiya, DC, said, “We have approached the department regarding the release of the payment and they had assured to release it. Regarding bringing paddy in trucks, I have directed all secretaries to increase the vigil and not to allow paddy in trucks. I will get Karnal grain market checked.”