Chandigarh :
Following in the footsteps of several states, including Bihar, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu, Haryana is set to launch the Haryana State Disaster Response Force (HSDRF) on the pattern of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to deal with natural and man-made disasters.
The proposal of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department to have one battalion of the HSDRF (about 1,000 personnel) has been sent to the Finance Department following nod from Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. “After approval from the Finance Department, the proposal will be sent to the Central Government for final approval,” a senior functionary of the Haryana Government told The Tribune here on Tuesday.
The proposal of the HSDRF is the offshoot of Central Government’s directive to the state governments to have the disaster response teams in their respective states. The directive was considered at a high-level meeting chaired by Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster Management) Keshni Anand Arora and attended by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) SS Prasad and DGP BS Sandhu.
Following deliberations at the meeting, a project report was prepared under which it was proposed to have one battalion of the HSDRF in the first phase, besides equipment, vehicles and other modern gadgets for relief and rescue operations during natural and man-made disasters, including earthquake, floods, fire, industrial mishaps and road, rail and air accidents.
Currently 8th Battalion of the NDRF, located at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, is responsible for undertaking relief operations in Haryana. “In the event of natural calamity, it takes time to mobilise the NDRF personnel and that is the reason why Haryana wanted to have a dedicated disaster management team,” the functionary asserted.
Chief Minister’s Media Adviser Rajiv Jain said the Haryana Government had promptly acted on Central Government’s directive to have the HSDRF. “Once the proposal is approved by the Central Government, the HSDRF would start functioning in the state,” Jain added.
Recently, the NDRF has also decided to set up a new regional response centre in Panchkula with around 50 personnel to oversee and coordinate deployment of its units in times of calamity.

Ratia (Fatehabad) :
Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that he had started his Rath Yatra to oust the BJP government and the wheels of his chariot would stop only after the Congress formed government in the state.

The fourth leg of the Hooda’s Jankranti Yatra entered the Ratia Assembly segment today, with the former CM addressing meetings in Bothan Kalan, Bhirdana, Ratia and some other villages on the way.

The former CM launched an all-out attack on the BJP and the INLD, saying the state government had left no stone unturned to push farmers into despair. “The farmers are not getting a fair price for their produce and getting MSP remains a distant dream. We have tried to wake the government from its deep slumber, but it refuses to take any action. The farmer has had enough of lies and loot of this government. Their speeches are only thing they do in the name of governance which start with a lie and end with a lie,” he said.
“The BJP claims it has reduced the prices of fertilisers, but in June this year, it has increased the rate of DAP from Rs 1,076 to Rs 1,290 per bag, while on urea, the government has reduced the weight of the bag from 50 kg to 45 kg. The government needs to tell the farmers on what they have gained from the rise in prices,” the ex-CM said.
Talking about the MSP, Hooda said the government was trying to mislead the farmers by announcing an MSP based on part costs, not the comprehensive costs. The government also did not factor in the cost the additional burden on farmers after the imposition of the GST on tractor parts and pesticides.

He launched an attack on the INLD and said it was a unique opposition party which stands with the ruling BJP whenever it faces any problems. Hooda said the identity of the INLD would be wiped out in the next Vidhan Sabha elections as it was more interested in the welfare of the BJP than the people of the state.

Karnal :
To increase the green cover in Haryana, the state government has initiated a “Paudhagiri” campaign, roping in students from Class VI to XII for planting saplings in their vicinity. The government expects of them to tend to the saplings for at least three years.

The government has set a target to rope in about 22 lakh students in three months. Every student will plant a sapling each.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said this on the launch of the campaign at a grain market here.

He distributed saplings to students, urging them to plant the saplings, name them and take care of them for three years.

He also planted a sapling and flagged off 25 tractor-trailers of saplings for the district. Khattar also distributed certificates among students. About 2,000 students participated in the initiative.

On the reason for roping in students, Khattar said, “Children love plants that they plant and take care of them. I urge students to plant saplings either in houses, parks, schools and open spaces.”

The student is also required to upload a selfie with the plant in every six months on the Paudhagiri app. The state government will give an incentive of Rs 50 to each student after six months by if the plant is safe.

“Though the amount does not matter for students, their effort will contribute to making the Earth green,” Khattar added.

Rahul Gandhi’s hug termed a ‘nautanki’

On Congress president Rahul Gandhi hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament, Chief Minister was it was a “nautanki” (drama). “If the Congress president continues with such drama, it will damage the party,” he added.

CM lays stone of power project

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday laid the foundation stone of an integrated power development scheme, an initiative of the Union Government. Once the project is complete, about 1.05 lakh consumers of Indri, Nilokheri, Nissing, Taraori and Assandh towns would get uninterrupted power supply. A sum of Rs 25 crore will be incurred on the project and it would be completed in 11 months. Khattar also laid the foundation stone of a road connecting Nidana-Shamgarh-Jamba and Aibla Jagir villages. The road will be constructed at the cost of around Rs 3 crore. 

New Delhi :
The Haryana Congress has begun preparations, including electoral strategy and campaign issues, for the 2019 General Elections, in each of the 10 parliamentary constituencies in the state.

The state Congress vice-president, Subhash Chaudhary, confirmed that a common formwas issued by the officeof the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) seeking details of the constituencies.

Each of the constituency was assigned to a leader with regard filling up the form. The deadline for submission of the forms to the HPCC would be in the middle of the last week.
The form had a column enquiring the overallpercentage of votes cast in favour of Congress nominees in the constituencies, as also in the Assembly segments located in itduring the 2014 LokSabha elections.

Also, it sought demographic numbers of castes and communities. The BJP would receive“huge reverses” in the coming Lok Sabha and the subsequent Assembly elections in Haryana, claimed Chaudhary.

“People are fed up of the BJP government’s misrule,” Chaudhary said.

He alleged that the law and order situation had deteriorated during the BJP rule. He said incidents of atrocities against women, minorities and Dalits had increased.

The gang rape of a 21-year-old woman in Morni was the recent example of poor law and order situation in the state, he said. The Congress would raise the issue in the Assembly’s monsoon session.

While the BJP MLAsand senior leaders spar with the Chief Minister and ministers on their neglect by officers, the state government has gone on a “sabbatical”.
Supply of erratic power had been affecting all sections of the society.

Considered to be close to the camp headed by state president Ashok Tanwar, Chaudhary denied factionalism in the party.

Hisar :
Irked over potholes and slush on roads, Minister of State for Public Health Engineering Banwari Lal took the district administration to task during a meeting of the Public Relations and Grievances Committee here.

Immediately on reaching the meeting venue, the minister said, “Potholes dot the roads which are filled with rainwater and slush. Even the road in front of the Mini-Secretariat is in dilapidated condition.”

“I visited several places since Sunday and spotted poor condition of roads all over the town,” he complaint to Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Meena.

Members of the grievances committee, too, echoed similar sentiments while complaining that they had been taking up the issue of broken roads and streets and lack of rainwater drainage system for long.

Finding himself in a spot, the DC sought to turn the heat on Municipal Commissioner Ashok Bansal, asking him for clarification on the minister’s remarks. Bansal, however, stated that most of the city areas were not under the purview of the Municipal Corporation (MC).

When asked about the roads in HUDA sectors, the Commissioner stated that the MC had floated tenders for repair of the roads which would begin in next 3-4 months, after the rainy season. Bansal said over Rs 7 crore had been sanctioned for repair of roads in various sectors.

Former professor KL Rinwa, a member of the grievances committee, pointed out that many places within the Mini-Secretariat were flooded with rainwater due to lack of drainage. “I have to wade through standing water after parking my car in the Mini-Secretariat. The poor condition of roads has led to utter chaos and filth in the town,” he added.

Cong activists plant paddy on waterlogged road 

Youth Congress activists on Monday planted paddy saplings on the waterlogged Hisar-Gangwa road in the town. Yesterday's rain had flooded the road in the absence of proper drainage system in the city. Manoj Taank, youth Congress leader from the Nalwa Assembly segment, said the activists noticed damaged portion of the approach road on the Bhagana-Satrod road  during their tour of these villages. "Flash flood has washed the road. But there is nobody to repair the road or even to divert the traffic to avoid any mishap,"he alleged.