This Week Haryana: Ratia keeps Cong afloat

Ratia keeps Cong afloat

The victory in the Ratia Assembly bypoll came as a relief to the ruling Congress,which wrested the seat after 29 years. It gave the party a simple majority in the 90-member Assembly with 46 seats. The win was vital for Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda who was facing severe criticism after the partys debacle in the Hisar parliamentary bypoll. The party,however,was not as lucky in Adampur,the other Assembly constituency where a bypoll was held. The seat,a stronghold of Bhajan Lal and his family,stayed with them with the Congress candidate coming a poor second.

Power punch

The power distribution company Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam made news when it suspended 11 senior officers on charges of corruption. The suspended officers include a superintending engineer. The officers are facing allegations of an alleged nexus with private contractors leading to losses to the Nigam. The action followed an inquiry conducted by a four-member committee of the Nigam that found misappropriation of material drawn from stores,wrong measurements,wrong certifications and undue directions to release withheld payments,among various irregularities.

Pay to complain

Social activists are upset about the state Lokayukta charging Rs 1,000 as complaint fee. The fee,unique to Haryana,is charged to keep a check on frivolous complaints. However,social activists claim the fee discourages several genuine but poor complainants. In no other state in the country,barring Uttar Pradesh,is such a fee collected by the Lokayukta. In Uttar Pradesh,this fee is in the form of a security deposit that is returned to the complainant when his complaint is found to be valid.