The Haryana Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with four independent power producers for setting up five bio-mass power projects of 51 MW capacity involving an investment of Rs. 230 crore.

Senior officers said on Tuesday that out of these, two projects are likely to be commissioned soon. The annual budget of the Renewable Energy Department had increased tremendously over the years and was pegged at Rs. 42.43 crore for 2012-13, they added.

The Haryana Government has given over Rs.189 crore as compensation to 387 farmers whose land was acquired to set up a nuclear power plant in Fatehabad district.

The compensation was given to farmers in Gorakhpur, Baropal and Kajalheri villages in the district, where more than 615 acres of land have been acquired for the proposed nuclear power plant, Revenue Officer Ram Singh Bishnoi said here on Friday.

Haryana has urged the Centre to give it a special package to deal with drought-like conditions in the State. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda disclosed on Wednesday that in a written communication to the Union Government the increased expenditure on electricity to irrigate the fields had also been highlighted.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary P.K. Chaudhery has constituted a Committee of Secretaries to keep a watch on the situation “arising out of deficient rainfall in the State”. The Committee, comprising administrative Secretaries of the Departments of Revenue, Cooperation, Irrigation, Agriculture, Power, Public Health, Food & Supplies, Rural Development and Animal Husbandry would meet weekly to take stock of the situation.

Maruti Suzuki's woes at Manesar are piling up with the Haryana government asking the company to pay Rs235 crore to Haryana State Industries and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) as enhanced compensation to farmers for land acquisition under a Supreme Court order.

HSIIDC, in a notice issued on June 25, warned the company that if it did not deposit the amount within three months, the land allotted for the Manesar plant "shall become liable for resumption and further action would be taken".

The district administration has now made it mandatory for houses with more than 100 square metres covered area to have a rainwater harvesting system in place. Twenty teams have been constituted to grant permission to install the systems and ensure their functioning.

The orders come in the wake of a recent Punjab and Haryana High Court directions barring Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) from issuing fresh licences for housing projects without an undertaking from the builders not to draw ground water.

Haryana should wait until new land acquisition law is framed: Farmers

A day after a violent clash between farmers protesting against land acquisition and police personnel left several persons on both sides injured, normalcy was restored at Asalwas village, where the clash occurred, and the surrounding areas, including Bawal town. The Haryana Government is proposing to acquire land here to develop an extended industrial area, centred around Bawal town, that is part of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project.

Villagers opposing land acquisition clashed with police at Asalwas, 90 km from Delhi, on Sunday, torching several vehicles and blocking the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway. The police opened fire to disperse the protesters.

Over 60 people, including police personnel, were injured when protesters — opposing the acquisition of 3,300 acres in 16 villages for an industrial estate to be set up by HSIIDC — turned violent during a mahapanchayat here, the police said. Rewari Deputy Commissioner C.G. Rajinikanthan said the mob pelted police officers with stones, injuring a woman DSP and 40 other personnel.

Chandigarh The Haryana government today announced a new 'Land Pooling Scheme' to make the land owner-farmers partners in the process of planned development of residential and industrial infrastructure.

The scheme provides an option to the landowner-farmers to get 'developed land' in return for their acquired land, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said. With the decision taken today, the state government has scaled up its land acquisition policy to a new dimension with the land owner-farmers being given an option to become partners in the whole process, he said.

The Haryana Government on Friday approved extension of Delhi Metro railway from Mundka to Bahadurgarh.

Talking to media persons after a Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the State Government would spend Rs. 788 crore on this project including a contribution of Rs. 152 crore as grant towards one-third equity of the Delhi segment. It also decided to collect toll tax on the recently improved Saha-Shahbad road.

Haryana government on Friday banned manufacture, storage, distribution or sale of Gutkha, Pan Masala, Zarda (chewing tobacco) or other items with tobacco and nicotine content. This was decided at a meeting of the Haryana cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

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