News / Author / Neeraj Mohan

Neeraj Mohan

Neeraj Mohan is a correspondent, covering Karnal, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panipat and Yamunanagar districts of Haryana.

Articles by Neeraj Mohan

Taraori building collapse: Labourers were packed like sardines in 24 rooms

As per the FIR, there was negligence on the part of owners of Shiv Shakti Rice Mills and the incident could have been averted had timely steps been taken.

The collapse of a three-storey building, which housed labourers of a rice mill, in Taraori of Karnal, has once again brought to fore a much-neglected issue – the poor living conditions provided to migrant labourers by their employers. (HT File)

cities

Updated on Apr 20, 2023 03:04 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Karnal tragedy: Building was in poor condition, had alerted owners, says contractor

In his complaint to the police, contractor Ramdev Mehto, who had deputed 70 workers in Shiv Shakti rice mill, said the labour quarters were constructed near the rice mill to ensure round-the-clock availability of labourers

The building accommodating 150 migrant labourers for the past several years was in poor condition with the labour contractor claiming that he had raised the issue with the owner, but required steps were not taken to avert the tragedy. (HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Apr 19, 2023 12:39 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Haryana: Building collapse leaves 4 workers dead, 20 injured in Karnal

The police said that the incident took place around 3am on Tuesday when at least 150 labourers were sleeping on all three floors of the labour quarters of the Shiv Shakti rice mill

NDRF members engaged in rescue operation in Taraori town of Karnal district of Haryana on Tuesday. (HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Apr 18, 2023 09:34 PM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Taraori (karnal)

Atiq killing: Accused Arun Maurya was arrested in 2 cases in Panipat last year, say police

Ajit Singh Shekhawat, SP, Panipat, said Arun Maurya was booked in two different cases of the Arms Act and assault in May and February last year, adding that he was arrested in these cases but later released on bail. He is one of the accused arrested in the killing of Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf

Arun Maurya, alias Kalia, one of the accused arrested in the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf, was booked in cases of Arms Act and assault last year, the Panipat police said. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/ Representational image)

cities

Updated on Apr 17, 2023 09:51 PM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

55% wheat harvesting done in Haryana

With around 55% of the wheat crop of the total 23.76 lakh hectares under wheat having been harvested, farmers and agriculture experts are of the view that the overall production of wheat in Haryana remains normal.

Though the initial reports suggested that the unseasonal rains had affected wheat crops on 17 lakh acres in Haryana, there is no major impact of the rains on wheat production as the yield remains normal. (HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Apr 17, 2023 12:37 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Tardy wheat lifting leads to glut in Haryana mandis

The problem is especially grave in the major wheat-producing districts, including Karnal, Kurukshetra and Kaithal, where out of the total 10.15 lakh MT procured, at least 80% is still lying in the mandis. Currently, around five lakh MT wheat is arriving in the mandis on a daily basis.

Wheat at the Indri grain market in Karnal of Haryana on Saturday. (HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Apr 15, 2023 11:33 PM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Nearly 14 lakh MT wheat procured but Haryana farmers await payment

This even as the state government had made tall claims that it is well-equipped to disburse the payments into the bank accounts of farmers within 72 hours of the procurement.

It has been 13 days since government agencies in Haryana started wheat procurement on a minimum support price (MSP) of <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>2,125 a quintal but farmers are yet to get their payments. (HT File)

cities

Updated on Apr 14, 2023 02:14 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Haryana farmers, arhtiyas to protest value cut on grains

In a video message, BKU Haryana president Gurnam Singh Charuni has said that there is no clarity in the statement of the CM. He said the government should clarify whether it will bear the value cut for the entire season or a specific period or until the Centre takes a decision in this regard.

Charuni said if the government fails to clarify the matter, farmers and arhtiyas will hold two-hour protests at all market committees from 11am to 1 pm on Thursday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

cities

Updated on Apr 13, 2023 12:48 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

As wheat arrivals pick up, procurement improves in Haryana mandis

Farmers and arhtiyas flay the Haryana government for its decision to impose a value cut in MSP of wheat having shrivelled and broken grains. As the arrival of wheat picks up in Haryana mandis, procurement operations have improved

With the arrival of wheat picking up in Haryana mandis, government agencies have now improved the procurement operations. (HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Apr 11, 2023 10:26 PM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Slow procurement, lifting in Haryana mandis irks farmers

With the harvesting of the wheat at its peak and arrivals picking up pace, there is a glut in most of the mandis across Haryana, with farmers grappling with not only poor procurement but slow lifting, which has created a space problem

The farmers in the Kaithal district held a protest alleging that their wheat was not being procured by government agencies on the minimum support price (MSP). (HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Apr 11, 2023 12:11 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Haryana growers finding it hard to sell wheat with high moisture content

Even as procurement by Haryana government agencies started on April 1, it could not be started in most of the mandis as officials claim that the wheat coming to mandis does not fulfil the required norms for procurement. There are reports that private traders are buying wheat from growers as prices in open market are above MSP.

Wheat growers in northern districts of Haryana are facing difficulties in selling their produce on the minimum support price (MSP) due to high moisture content. (HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Apr 06, 2023 01:00 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Crop flattened, shortage of manual labour adds to Haryana farmers’ woes

Though at least 70% of the crop is ready for harvesting and even government agencies have started procurement operations (from April 1), the shortage of labour and weather vagaries have left wheat growers in a fix.

Farmers harvest wheatcrop at their agricultural fields in Baland village of Rohtak on Tuesday. (Manoj Dhaka/HT)

cities

Updated on Apr 05, 2023 01:04 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Haryana farmers stare at losses due to unseasonal rains

Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala said 1.25 lakh farmers in the state have registered their 6.25-lakh acre of crops damaged due to the rain on the Kshatipurti portal. However, the number of the affected farmers is likely to increase further as the state has received fresh rains on April 1

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday inspected affected fields in Tigrana village of Bhiwani district. He said the affected farmers will be compensated as per the special girdawari reports. Unseasonal rains have wreaked havoc on crops in the state. (HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Apr 04, 2023 12:43 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Sunil Rahar, Karnal/rohtak:

US dream goes awry as Kaithal farmer’s son dies in Guatemala

Rajeev Kumar, Malkeet’s younger brother, alleged that they had met Ishwar Singh, who agreed to help get the deceased to the US in exchange of ₹40 lakh; he sought ₹25 lakh in advance

As per the family members the deceased, identified as Malkeet Singh, was killed in Guatemala and they had received a video confirming his death. (Getty images)

cities

Updated on Apr 02, 2023 10:04 PM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Fresh rain adds to farmers woes in Haryana ahead of wheat harvesting

Farmers and agricultural experts say that unseasonal rain at this stage could spell doom for wheat and mustard growers of Haryana. Even as harvesting is likely to start from the first week of April, the third spell of rain in less than two weeks has turned farmers’ dreams of a bumper harvest into a nightmare.

Even as a special girdawari is underway to assess the loss of crops during the previous spell of rain, another downpour across Haryana has left farmers high and dry. (PTI)

cities

Updated on Apr 01, 2023 02:23 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Achieve zero stubble burning, Haryana told

Even the Haryana government has claimed that it has successfully achieved 45% decline in stubble burning last year from September 25 to November 15 as the state recorded 3,149 incidents of farm fires in 2022, compared to 5,724 in the corresponding period in 2021.

The chairman of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the NCR and adjoining areas MM Kutty has directed Haryana to achieve zero stubble burning during the kharif harvesting season. (HT File Photo)

cities

Published on Mar 30, 2023 01:02 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Haryana completes pilot project to contain farm fires in Karnal villages

”We are planning to scale the initiative in the state to cover eight districts, namely, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Jind, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Yamunanagar and Karnal, which are responsible for approximately 90% of farm fires in the state,” said Narhari Bangar, director, department of agriculture and farmers’ welfare, Haryana.

The Haryana government has successfully completed the pilot project to target farm fires in villages of Karnal district which have been declared in the red zone for reporting a maximum number of farm fires in the past few years. (HT Fille Photo)

cities

Published on Mar 28, 2023 10:15 PM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

More rain adds to woes of Haryana farmers

On Saturday, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar during his visit to Hisar also conducted an aerial survey of crops affected by untimely rains and hailstorms.

A farmer clears rain water from his wheat crop field after heavy rain and hailstorm in Amritsar on Saturday. Farmers in Haryana also suffered crop damage due to inclement weather. (Sameer Sehgal /HT)

cities

Published on Mar 26, 2023 12:43 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Haryana: Mustard growers forced to sell produce to traders below MSP

Mustard growers said that the government procurement agencies are buying the mustard as per the registrations on the ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ (MFMB) portal, which the government officials said was a must condition to sell the produce at MSP.

Even as the government agencies have started procurement operations, there is no relief to the mustard growers, who are being forced to sell the oilseed to private traders below the minimum support price (MSP) of <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>5,450 per quintal. (HT Photo)

cities

Published on Mar 25, 2023 12:25 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Shahbad woman who sheltered Amritpal found an ‘intellectual match’ in Papalpreet

“Shahbad woman Baljit Kaur has told the police that Papalpreet along with a person who could be Amritpal had come to her houses on a white two-wheeler on March 19 and left the next day,” a senior officer of the Kurukshetra police said.

Arrested for harbouring fugitive Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh and his aide Papalpreet Singh at her Shahbad residence in Kurukshetra district, Baljit Kaur, 30, was in touch with Papalpreet for the past two and a half years, claim investigators. (HT Photo)

cities

Published on Mar 24, 2023 10:07 PM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

United Opposition need of the hour to defeat BJP, says Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar also targeted the Union government for spiralling inflation and said that the price of a domestic LPG cylinder has increased to above ₹1,100, which is out of the reach of farmers, labourers and the common man

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in Karnal on Wednesday. (HT Photo)

cities

Published on Mar 22, 2023 10:16 PM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Heavy rain, hailstorm drown Haryana farmers’ hopes of bumper harvest

Special girdawari ordered in Haryana; farmers say due to rain, wheat and mustard harvesting will be delayed by a week. Unseasonal heavy rains accompanied by hailstorm and strong winds have flattened the unripe wheat and mustard crop shattering the dreams of a bumper harvest of farmers.

A farmer shows his damaged wheat crop at Dobh village in Rohtak district on Tuesday. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday announced to conduct a special girdawari of the crops damaged due to the recent untimely rain and hailstorms. (Manoj Dhaka/HT)

cities

Published on Mar 22, 2023 12:42 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal/ Rohtak

To tackle lower milk productivity: ICAR-NDRI Karnal to promote research on Desi Cow

Scientists at the NDRI are already conducting research, on how indigenous cow breeds are more resilient and profitable than foreign and mixed breeds under the National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project

The ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI)-Karnal will work on promoting indigenous breeds of cow to tackle the problem of poor milk productivity and climate change. (HT Photo)

cities

Published on Mar 21, 2023 12:59 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Haryana: Rain, strong winds flatten wheat crop, may delay harvesting

Though farmers in Haryana said the rain is beneficial for the lateral varieties of wheat and vegetables, the strong winds and heavy rains at this stage may delay the harvesting as the flattened crop will take a week extra to get ready for harvesting.

The unseasonal rain accompanied by strong winds reported in most parts of Haryana in the past two days has added to the woes of farmers by flattening the wheat crop. (HT Photo)

cities

Published on Mar 20, 2023 01:32 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

HSGMC passes its first budget, focus on education & up-gradation of gurdwaras

Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee says will stake a claim on 40% properties of SGPC in Chandigarh and will raise demand for money collected by SGPC from Haryana gurdwaras since 2014

The committee members said that <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>16 crore has been earmarked for the salaries of the employees and <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>13.50 crore for the langar, while <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>2 crore has been allocated for the renovation of the buildings.

cities

Published on Mar 18, 2023 12:59 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan

No impact of hot weather: Wheat production set to cross record 112 million tonnes, predict ICAR-IIWBR

ccording to scientists, the key reason for better yield and produce is the increase in the seed proportion of the new high-yielding and climate-resilient varieties developed by the IIWBR

Last year the overall production of wheat reached 106.84 million tonnes, a dip of 2.75 million tonnes compared to 109.59 million tonnes estimated during the 2020-21 season. (REUTERS File)

cities

Published on Mar 16, 2023 10:03 PM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

RSS backs Centre’s stance against same-sex marriage

The comments by RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale came a day after the Supreme Court decided that a batch of petitions demanding legal validation for same-sex marriages will be decided by a Constitution bench that will start hearings in April.

To be sure, several Sangh members have expressed discomfort with same-sex relationships and granting equal marriage, adoption and inheritance rights to LGBT communities. (HT)

india news

Updated on Mar 15, 2023 06:25 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Deeksha Bhardwaj, Panipat

No plans to allow women in shakhas, says RSS general secretary Hosabale

“Shakha is an activity of men,” Dattatreya Hosabale said at a press conference on the conclusion of the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS).

RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale (HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Mar 15, 2023 05:20 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Panipat

Haryana: Relief to mustard growers as govt to start procurement on MSP from March 14

Decision to advance procurement in Haryana has resulted in an increase of ₹300 to ₹500 per quintal in mustard seed prices in mandis as now black mustard is being sold at ₹5,000 per quintal while the prices of yellow mustard have exceeded to above the MSP. Mustard growers in the state heaved a sigh of relief

Mustard growers in Haryana heaved a sigh of relief as the government has announced to advance the procurement of mustard on minimum support price (MSP) from March 14. (HT File Photo)

cities

Published on Mar 13, 2023 01:01 AM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

30K quintal wheat meant for PDS rots in Karnal

Wheat was stored in open plinths of Haryana food and civil supplies department, was declared non-issuable by FCI. An official from the Karnal food and civil supplies department said the wheat should have been lifted next year of the procurement but due to the delay in lifting, it was rotting.

Even as people are suffering due to an unprecedented rise in the wheat prices, nearly 30,000 quintals of procured wheat worth <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>5.92 crore was found rotting in open plinths at Jundla in Karnal district. (HT Photo)

cities

Updated on Mar 11, 2023 11:48 PM IST

ByNeeraj Mohan, Karnal

Copy

Whatsapp Twitter Facebook Linkedin

Neeraj Mohan

Neeraj Mohan is a correspondent, covering Karnal, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panipat and Yamunanagar districts of Haryana.

As per the FIR, there was negligence on the part of owners of Shiv Shakti Rice Mills and the incident could have been averted had timely steps been taken.

In his complaint to the police, contractor Ramdev Mehto, who had deputed 70 workers in Shiv Shakti rice mill, said the labour quarters were constructed near the rice mill to ensure round-the-clock availability of labourers

The police said that the incident took place around 3am on Tuesday when at least 150 labourers were sleeping on all three floors of the labour quarters of the Shiv Shakti rice mill

With around 55% of the wheat crop of the total 23.76 lakh hectares under wheat having been harvested, farmers and agriculture experts are of the view that the overall production of wheat in Haryana remains normal.

The problem is especially grave in the major wheat-producing districts, including Karnal, Kurukshetra and Kaithal, where out of the total 10.15 lakh MT procured, at least 80% is still lying in the mandis. Currently, around five lakh MT wheat is arriving in the mandis on a daily basis.

This even as the state government had made tall claims that it is well-equipped to disburse the payments into the bank accounts of farmers within 72 hours of the procurement.

In a video message, BKU Haryana president Gurnam Singh Charuni has said that there is no clarity in the statement of the CM. He said the government should clarify whether it will bear the value cut for the entire season or a specific period or until the Centre takes a decision in this regard.

Farmers and arhtiyas flay the Haryana government for its decision to impose a value cut in MSP of wheat having shrivelled and broken grains. As the arrival of wheat picks up in Haryana mandis, procurement operations have improved

With the harvesting of the wheat at its peak and arrivals picking up pace, there is a glut in most of the mandis across Haryana, with farmers grappling with not only poor procurement but slow lifting, which has created a space problem

Though at least 70% of the crop is ready for harvesting and even government agencies have started procurement operations (from April 1), the shortage of labour and weather vagaries have left wheat growers in a fix.

Rajeev Kumar, Malkeet’s younger brother, alleged that they had met Ishwar Singh, who agreed to help get the deceased to the US in exchange of ₹40 lakh; he sought ₹25 lakh in advance

Even the Haryana government has claimed that it has successfully achieved 45% decline in stubble burning last year from September 25 to November 15 as the state recorded 3,149 incidents of farm fires in 2022, compared to 5,724 in the corresponding period in 2021.

On Saturday, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar during his visit to Hisar also conducted an aerial survey of crops affected by untimely rains and hailstorms.

Mustard growers said that the government procurement agencies are buying the mustard as per the registrations on the ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ (MFMB) portal, which the government officials said was a must condition to sell the produce at MSP.

“Shahbad woman Baljit Kaur has told the police that Papalpreet along with a person who could be Amritpal had come to her houses on a white two-wheeler on March 19 and left the next day,” a senior officer of the Kurukshetra police said.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar also targeted the Union government for spiralling inflation and said that the price of a domestic LPG cylinder has increased to above ₹1,100, which is out of the reach of farmers, labourers and the common man

Special girdawari ordered in Haryana; farmers say due to rain, wheat and mustard harvesting will be delayed by a week. Unseasonal heavy rains accompanied by hailstorm and strong winds have flattened the unripe wheat and mustard crop shattering the dreams of a bumper harvest of farmers.

Scientists at the NDRI are already conducting research, on how indigenous cow breeds are more resilient and profitable than foreign and mixed breeds under the National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project

Though farmers in Haryana said the rain is beneficial for the lateral varieties of wheat and vegetables, the strong winds and heavy rains at this stage may delay the harvesting as the flattened crop will take a week extra to get ready for harvesting.

Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee says will stake a claim on 40% properties of SGPC in Chandigarh and will raise demand for money collected by SGPC from Haryana gurdwaras since 2014

ccording to scientists, the key reason for better yield and produce is the increase in the seed proportion of the new high-yielding and climate-resilient varieties developed by the IIWBR

The comments by RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale came a day after the Supreme Court decided that a batch of petitions demanding legal validation for same-sex marriages will be decided by a Constitution bench that will start hearings in April.

“Shakha is an activity of men,” Dattatreya Hosabale said at a press conference on the conclusion of the three-day Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS).

Wheat was stored in open plinths of Haryana food and civil supplies department, was declared non-issuable by FCI. An official from the Karnal food and civil supplies department said the wheat should have been lifted next year of the procurement but due to the delay in lifting, it was rotting.

Join Hindustan Times

Create free account and unlock exciting features like