Karnal :
The Karnal agro mall, constructed by the previous Congress government in 2014, has turned into an abode for bats.

The mall was built to the tune of crores with an aim to provide agriculture related goods to farmers under one roof.

The previous Congress government had announced construction of four agro malls in Karnal, Panipat, Panchkula and Rohtak in 2008 and these were completed in 2014, but no activities have been started in these malls.

The present government has planned to lease out all four of these.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had announced in Karnal last month that these malls would be leased out for exhibition purposes at a lower rate, but nothing has been done in this regard.

Saurabh Singh, a resident, said the agro mall should be made properly functional, so that farmers could avail the benefits of the project.

Sumit Choudhary, a commission agent of Karnal grain market, said these malls were built adjacent to the grain market, so that the farming community does not face any problem.
“I demand the government to develop this building as a shopping place for farmers, where they could get all kind of agriculture related items, including machinery, seed, pesticides and fertilisers, on subsidised rates,” he said.

Aditya Dahiya, Deputy Commissioner, said, “The mall is being maintained by the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board. The authorities have been told to improve its condition,” he said.

Ambala :
A large number of Asha workers on Wednesday held a protest near Health Minister Anil Vij’s residence at Shastri Colony in Ambala Cantonment, in support of their long-pending demands.

Anju Verma, district president of the Asha Workers Union, said: “The government has been doing injustice with us. It had agreed to our demands including enhancing honorarium but has not been implementing it.”

Meanwhile, four Asha workers got unconscious due to hot weather conditions. They were rushed to Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantonment, where they were provided medical attention.
Vij was not present at his residence during the protest.

Anju said, “We will continue to raise our demands and offer court arrest.”

Rohtak :
The police have registered a case under Sections 427 (making mischief) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and 25/54/59 of the Arms Act against All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) activist Sombir Jassia on the charge of threatening employees of Makdauli toll plaza.

In a police complaint, an official of the toll plaza has said that Sombir tried to take his car through the fast-tag lane though his car did not have a fast tag. The complainant said when the toll staff stopped his car and asked him to pass through some other lane, he threatened the employees with a gun and forcibly took his car across the toll barrier.
SHO (Sadar) Maqsood Ahmad said a case had been registered against Sombir.

Panipat :
The police booked the Deputy Director, Agriculture, on the charge of mentally torturing a woman employee in her office.

The women police started investigation into the matter. The Deputy Director refuted the charge, saying the employee concerned used to file false complaints against officers and colleagues.

Kshitija, statistical assistant, in her complaint to the women police station SHO on June 4, claimed that Pawan Sharma, Deputy Director, had been misbehaving with her and mentally torturing her by misusing his position and powers.

She stated that she had been working as statistical assistant in the department for the last five years and Sharma had recently joined here.

“I filed a complaint against Savita, an employee on contract, for thrashing me on April 13. After that, I proceeded on medical leave for one month,” she said.

“When I rejoined office on May 11, the Deputy Director started pressurising me to withdraw my complaint. When I refused, he threatened to get me transferred,” she claimed. “He used indecent language during office hours and passed comments on me. He marked work to me which was not concerned with my post to exert pressure on me,” she added.

Sharma refuted the allegations levelled by her. The previous Deputy Director had allotted her work concerning the RTI Act and CM Window, he pointed out.
“I have sent a detailed report to the Directorate and am ready to face any investigation. I have proof which I will produce before the probe agency,” he said.

“A case has been registered on the complaint of the woman employee after verification. The matter is under investigation and action will be initiated according to findings,” said SHO Meena Kumari.

Chandigarh :
The Haryana State Commission for Women (HSCW) gave a clean chit to a senior bureaucrat on allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by a woman IAS officer, but at the same time advised him to improve his behaviour with subordinates.
HSCW chairperson Pratibha Suman said after hearing out the senior bureaucrat, it did not appear to be a case of sexual harassment, though it could be a case of work-related harassment.

“We heard the woman IAS officer, but the Additional Chief Secretary whom she had accused of sexual harassment sought three days’ time. On Wednesday, he submitted a point-by-point reply supported by documents on the allegations and pleaded innocence,” Suman said.

She said though the inquiry was not yet complete, “as we have summoned some more officers”, but after hearing both the woman IAS officer and her boss, it did not appear to be a case of sexual harassment.

When asked how the commission had arrived at the conclusion that this was not a case of sexual harassment when the inquiry was still in progress, Suman said preliminary findings have made it clear that sexual harassment is ruled out and the issue of behaviour has come to the fore in the commission’s own inquiries from other sources.

Later, the complainant also appeared before the commission and was closeted with the chairperson and the vice-chairperson for more than two hours. “At 2.30 pm, they (the commission) sent me an email asking me to come with all evidence by 3 pm. I told them I need at least a week,” the complainant said.

Commission vice-chairperson Preeti Bhardwaj, however, maintained that the complainant was not asked to appear, but since she came, they heard her for more than two hours. “She can take 10 days if she needs. The panel is here to help her out and reach at some logical conclusion as far as this matter is concerned without any hurry,” she  added.