NHRC to discuss list of 13 issues with Haryana bureaucrats in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: Haryana bureaucrats have one day to lay their hands on everything they can get regarding the rural jobs programme, power lines, irregular teachers and various other issues. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is in town and wants to discuss a list of 13 items in addition to hearing appeals against decisions by the state civil liberties tribunal.
Some Haryana officials have been grumbling about whether all the subjects that will be part of the “discussion” come under the commission’s remit. But they’ve gone ahead and armed themselves anyway with power point presentations and all the files that may be needed, so that the Manohar Lal Khattar government isn’t caught flatfooted. Haryana chief secretary Shakuntala Jakhu has asked bureaucrats to prepare presentations on the issues to be raised in 24 hours.

The NHRC, led by former chief justice of India KG Balakrishnan, is camped in Chandigarh for three days ending Friday to hear appeals against decisions by the Punjab and Haryana commissions and take stock of alleged human rights violations in the northern region.

Some of the issues on the Friday agenda include “MNREGA not functional because of lack of funds, irregular attendance of teachers, high tension electricity wire passing over a school in Mahindergarh”, according to the official note sent to bureaucrats. ET has a copy of the circular.



Other than this, the commission will hold discussions with senior IAS officers of the Haryana government on “jail reforms; irregular meeting of vigilance committees; contaminated water by fluoride in Mahindergarh; female foeticide; issues related to manual scavenging and sanitation; issues related to silicosis and leprosy”.

This is the first time the full NHRC, headquartered in New Delhi, is holding a three-day session to decide cases of the state human rights commissions. Apart from the chairperson, its members include retired justices Cyriac Joseph, D Murugesan and SC Sinha. The NHRC is the appellate authority for all state human rights commissions. On Thursday, the NHRC dealt with three Punjab cases covering “untouchability, social boycott of Dalits and non-availability of food for children in aanganwadis due to nonsupply of ration under the Supplementary Nutrition programme (SNP)”.