Hisar :
The INLD and BSP organised a ‘jail bharo’ rally to court arrest over their demand for the early completion of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal here.

Leader of Opposition and Dabwali MLA Abhay Singh Chautala, Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala, Ashok Arora and Prakash Bharati, state presidents of the INLD and BSP, respectively, were among those who courted arrest.

Abhay Chautala urged the police team led by DSP Jitender Singh to detain all the activists gathered for the rally. The DSP expressed his inability to do so. However, he completed the formality by announcing the detention of the activists from the stage.

An administrative official, who had accompanied the DSP, announced the release of the detainees. The INLD claimed that a total of 41,637 activists of both parties had courted arrest at the rally.

Addressing the gathering, Leader of Opposition Abhay Chautala said the BJP government has failed to get the SYL canal completed despite a favourable verdict of the Supreme Court.

Accusing the BJP of making false promises to win votes in 2014, he alleged that one of the promises was to bring the SYL waters by completing the construction of the canal.
“But after coming to power, the BJP has been hatching conspiracies to stop the construction of the canal. We will launch an agitation and continue it till the farmers of Haryana get their due share of the Sutlej waters,” Abhay Chautala said.

He alleged that both the BJP and Congress have been playing politics on the issue for many years.

He also accused the BJP of betraying the farmers by going back on its promise of implementing the Swaminathan Commission report. Abhay Chautala assured the gathering that when the INLD-BSP alliance is voted to power, the government would not only waive loans of farmers but also implement the Swaminathan Commission report on the fixing of MSP.

He also assured that one member from every family would be given a government job and Rs 5 lakh would be given on the marriage of a poor family’s daughter. Old age pension would be enhanced to Rs 2,500 per month and power bill reduced by half.

Abhay Chautala also said that the government has been fleecing the common man by installing meters outside the houses. “We will uproot all the electricity meters that have been wrongly installed outside the houses and are burning a hole in the pocket of the consumers,” he announced.

The INLD MP Dushyant Chautala lashed out at the BJP government for depriving Haryana farmers of water that was already available to it. He pointed out that the 1,500 cusecs, which was flowing through the Barwala canal, has now been reduced to 1,100 cusecs because the BJP government at the Centre is more concerned about Rajasthan. The 400 cusecs were being given to Rajasthan from the share of Haryana, he alleged.

He said that because of this decision, the 40 villages of Nalwa and Adampur were experiencing drought-like conditions. He also accused the Khattar government of financial mismanagement as the state finances are in a perennial state of crisis. When the INLD government demitted office in 2005, it had left overflowing coffers, he claimed.

Chandigarh :
The Haryana Congress will launch the “Congress ghar, ghar abhiyan” on the occasion of party president Rahul Gandhi’s birthday on Tuesday, besides organising various functions across the state.

State party president Ashok Tanwar told mediapersons here that the abhiyan is being launched to reach out to every home and every individual as part of the party’s preparations for the parliamentary and Assembly elections slated next year.

“Though usual blood donation camps, marathons, and distribution of essential goods to the poor will be organised, the party has decided to roll out this special campaign to expose the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state and highlight their unfulfilled poll promises,” he said. It would be launched simultaneously in the districts where celebrations are being held, he added.

He said that the party would shortly prepare a chargesheet against the BJP government in Haryana. Newly inducted member Pradeep Kasni, a retired IAS officer, has been assigned the job.

Tanwar took a dig at the recent meeting of the BJP-RSS leaders at Surajkund saying, “Haryana has burnt four times in as many years. The meeting at Surajkund was orgainsed to plot another mischief,” he alleged.

“We will begin the third phase of the cycle yatra to be held from July 19 to 22 from Garhi Kiloi Sampla to Kalanaur and it will pass through Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar’s village,” he said.

He added that the party would consolidate its position up to the booth level as the government was facing opposition for the poor supply of water and electricity.
Later, Tanwar formally welcomed Kasni and a former student leader, Pradeep Narwal, into the Congress. Kasni said that he has joined the party unconditionally and would work to strengthen it.

He decided to join the Congress even though he had issues with the party during its rule because there was a “fascist stranglehold on the polity” and there was no choice in the “totalitarian condition”, he added.

‘Haryana water being diverted to Rajasthan’
Ashok Tanwar alleged that the BJP government is diverting Haryana’s share of water to election-bound Rajasthan. “Protests for water are being held all over the state but the BJP government has surrendered Haryana’s interest to benefit Rajasthan. The water was taken from the BBMB as early as February-March though the practice is to keep it pending for May and June. This certainly could not have happened without the knowledge of the Haryana Government,” he claimed.

Chandigarh :
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has approved a scheme for providing a monthly financial assistance of Rs8,000 to acid attack victims.
Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Kumar Bedi said on Monday that the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department would give preference to women and girls, who had suffered acid attacks, in the allotment of fair price shops if they apply for them after recovering.
He said that the financial assistance would be given to the victims who are covered under the definition of disability under Section 2(i) of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights of Full Participation) Act, 1995.

Hisar :
A 13-year-old girl tried to end her life over repeated molestation and harassment by a man of her village in the district.

The girl, a Class VIII student, was alone at her home after returning from the fields when she took a poisonous substance to commit suicide. She was rushed to a private hospital where her condition continues to be critical.

A police spokesperson said a case under Sections 354 A (sexual harassment) and 354D (stalking) of the IPC and Section 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act was registered against the accused, identified as Praveen, on Monday.

Sources said fed up with the trauma and passing of lewd remarks against her, the girl started living with her grandfather at ‘dhani’ located in the fields. She refused to return home in the village and did not reveal the reason for it.

About 15 days ago, she broke down when her mother counselled her. She revealed to her mother that one of their neighbours, who is married and father of a child, had been harassing her for about four months. He used to harass the victim on finding her alone on her way to school. To avoid him, she shifted out of the village.

The victim’s family said the girl was extremely disturbed over harassment. They took up the matter with the Gram Panchayat, which summoned the man and his family.
In the meantime, the girl took poison on Saturday in an attempt to end her life.
The investigating officer in the case, Ashok Kumar, said they had started an investigation into the case.

Ambala :
In order to motivate people to help roadside accident victims, an NGO has instituted an award to honour people who help accident victims.

After losing their 18-year-old son in a car accident in 2015, a family had set up an NGO named Sunny Ahluwalia Charitable Foundation to impart awareness regarding road safety among the masses.

Superintendent of Police Abhishek Jorwal said, “The foundation in association with the police has been making people aware of the road safety.”

Preet Mohinder Pal Singh, Sunny’s father, said, “People in India don’t take action to save accident victims as they are afraid of legal hassles. To motivate people to help accident victims, the foundation has decided to honour people with a Good Samaritan Award.”
Initially, the foundation would honour five people in 2018-19 with the award which would carry a cash prize of Rs 2,000 and a certificate.

Residents of Haryana and Chandigarh can apply with newspaper clippings to prove their noble acts or letter of recommendation from the police or hospital.
On July 6, 2015, four youths, including Sunny, had died when the car they were travelling in rammed into a parked truck near Kuldeep Nagar on the NH-1.