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H A R Y A N A |  |
 Friday, October 2, 1998 |
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Extensive damage to paddy in Hisar HISAR, Oct 1 — The recent untimely rains and subsequent floods have caused major damage to standing crops in Hisar district, the worst hit being Hansi subdivision. Haryana too
loses |
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Petrol pump owner kidnapped ROHTAK, Oct 1 — Mr Sant Lal, a petrol station owner of Jhajjar, was allegedly kidnapped today morning for ransom. The incident, first of its kind in Jhajjar, has sent shock waves among citizens. Pharmacy course banned Rs 62
cr HAU budget passed Civic
body proposal rejected Dewater
flood-hit villages: Hooda 'Lift
ban on sale of mustard oil' Dacoity
plan: 4 arrested Hartron
computer centre opened Chautala
accused of misleading people |
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Extensive damage to paddy in Hisar HISAR, Oct 1 — The recent untimely rains and subsequent floods have caused major damage to standing crops in Hisar district, the worst hit being Hansi subdivision. According to official sources about 20,000 acres of land has been inundated. Of this 13,000 is in Hansi subdivision alone. About 30 villages have been affected. Besides damaging to standing crops, the floods have caused considerable damage to roads buildings and crops. Although accurate estimates of the last are yet to be made, officials said, the loss may be considerable, as the paddy crop was at the harvesting stage. Road links to several places have been disrupted, with roads either submerged or washed away. Traffic has also been hit on the Chandigarh-Hisar road with vehicles having to take alternate routes. The Deputy Commissioner Hisar, Mr P.C. Bhidan said, about 125 pump sets have been pressed into service to drain the flood-water. A joint meeting of officers of the Electricity, Irrigation and Revenue departments was held here to chalk out plans for draining water and assess the exact extent of damages with ‘special’ officials being deputed to flood-hit areas. It was decided in the
meeting that the administration would ensure draining of
the flood waters before October 20. |
Haryana too loses key UT post CHANDIGARH, Oct 1 — After Punjab, it is the turn of Haryana to lose a key position in the Chandigarh Administration. If the current thinking in the Administration is any indication, Haryana may lose, though temporarily, the post of Home Secretary as the Administration has reportedly decided not to process the latest panel of names received by it from Haryana. The tenure of the present Home Secretary, Mrs Anuradha Gupta, ends on October 25. Once she returns to her parent state without a successor named to replace her, the Administration will have no choice but to make arrangements from the available manpower. In that case the additional charge will either go to UT cadre or a Punjab cadre officer as no senior Haryana bureaucrat will be left in the Administration even to hold temporary charge. Normally, it takes four to six months for the union government to approve a name for any senior position after being recommended by the Administration. Punjab has already lost the post of Senior Superintendent of Police which after a gap of eight years has gone back to the UT cadre. Sources in the Administration reveal that a conscious decision had been taken long time ago that for various positions in the Administration, senior functionaries from Punjab and Haryana of particular seniority should be selected and appointed here. Accordingly, it was
decided that an IAS officer of Haryana cadre of super
time scale should be fit for the job of Home Secretary.
At that time as a personal measure to Mrs Gupta, the
Administration decided to retain her for one more year at
the end of her present term in October this year. The
Haryana Government initially approved the proposal and
allowed Mrs Gupta to continue for one more year, till
October, 1999. Later, on second thoughts, the Haryana
Government reversed its earlier decision and decided to
recall her at the end of her present term. |
City of free enterprise GURGAON: Roads present a pathetic picture in this industrial hub of Haryana. While the influx of corporate houses into Gurgaon is on the rise, the state of basic infrastructure appears unable to cope with the growing demands of a rapidly growing region. Over the years, the city has witnessed increasing participation of private companies, builders and corporates in various projects of social welfare and importance. The state government and the district administration have increasingly sought active participation and financial contribution from industries and private entities towards developing and maintaining roads, drinking water facilities, sewerage and drainage facilities, roundabouts and other projects. Several roads have been built with private participation. The old National Highway (Delhi-Gurgaon road) has been broadened with significant contribution from Maruti Udyog Limited. Several builders are pitching in to complete the four-laning of the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road, which is presently in an incredible state of disrepair, causing traffic coming from Delhi to slow down to a crawl. Corporates and builders have developed several roundabouts, with signboards claiming credit for them. In one colony, builders of the colony took it upon themselves to offer a room for setting up a police post. They also provided a Gypsy for patrolling of the area by the police to strengthen security. Similarly, in the industrial belt of Udyog Vihar, the Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation had made provision for a police post. Several industrial associations then joined hands to provide a Gypsy, a telephone and even a monthly quota of petrol to encourage the police to increase its presence in the industrial areas. The first private power plant in the state has also come up in Gurgaon, augmenting power supply in the district. However, residents and industrialists are not quite impressed by this large-scale privatisation of the city. They suggest that the state cannot abdicate its responsibilities of providing basic amenities to every citizen, ensuring personal security and well being. As one resident of Sector 14 put it, "The story remains the same, only the cast changes. Every few years, the officials change but as far as the town is concerned, problems and grievances remain unresolved. It was only a few months back that the media reported assurances from district officials and state ministers that following the lifting of prohibition in Haryana there would be no shortage of funds and that proper roads would be the topmost priority. Well, you just have to see the condition of the roads today to know what those promises meant. An industrialist from
Udyog Vihar wondered why he was paying taxes to the
government and expressed surprise that despite being a
significant revenue-earning area in the state, the
government has failed to improve the roads,
telecommunication, power and sewerage here. He regretted
that after having shifted his unit from Delhi to Gurgaon
recently, he has had to fight for every basic need to
re-create working conditions for his workers. |
Petrol pump owner kidnapped ROHTAK, Oct 1 — Mr Sant Lal, a petrol station owner of Jhajjar, was allegedly kidnapped today morning for ransom. The incident, first of its kind in Jhajjar, has sent shock waves among citizens. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Arun Kumar, said police parties had been despatched to trace the 60-year-old petrol station owner. Mr Sant Lal, according to reports, has left his house for routine morning walk at 6 am. Though usually he would go for the work along with some of his friends, today he went out alone. He was reportedly abducted from near a temple on the Jhajjar-Salhawas road. A Tata Sumo with dark black glasses was sighted near the temple at the time of the incident. The Deputy Commissioner, said the police was informed about the incident around 9 am. Sources say that some
persons had seen the chappals of Mr Sant Lal near the
temple, but when the police reached the spot, these were
found missing. |
Pharmacy course banned ROHTAK, Oct 1 — In a major decision, the Pharmacy Council of India has cancelled the affiliation of several colleges and imposed a ban on admissions to pharmacy diploma course in all colleges of the state from the current academic session. The council has decided to close down Pharmacy College run by the state government at Utawar village of the Mewat region on a charge of "serious irregularities". The decision will affect a large number of students who have obtained degrees from various pharmacy colleges. According to sources, as many as nine pharmacy colleges are functioning in the state. The council received several complaints against these colleges of ignoring the criteria framed by All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). Some of the colleges don't have proper infrastructure, staff laboratories and equipment. They reportedly got the affiliation on the basis of "false information". It is learnt that the council had disaffiliated some of the "erring" pharmacy colleges after the 1992-93 session. However, the managing committees of these colleges reportedly concealed the disaffiliation and continued admitting students. At a meeting of the council held at Coimbatore on September 19, the functioning of these colleges was discussed and reports analysed. Expressing dissatisfaction, the council decided that admissions would not be allowed until the college attained the required standards and fixed the salaries of teachers in accordance with the AICTE. According to the state government, the jurisdiction of the council was limited only to recognise a college if it fulfilled all conditions. It said the council was not authorised to dictate the pay scales to the colleges. According to sources, some of the colleges were not affiliated with the council from 1993 to 1998. However, such colleges admitted the students and conducted examinations. The fate of nearly 500 students, who passed the diploma course from these colleges during the period, now hangs in the balance. Diploma in Pharmacy College, Adampur Diploma in Pharmacy College, Ambala, Pharmacy Diploma Medical College, Rohtak, and College of Pharmacy, Utawar (Mewat) are being run by the state government while the Hindu College of Pharmacy, Sonepat, Pharmacy College, Khanpur Kalan, Janata College of Pharmacy, Butana, Lord Shiva College of Pharmacy, Sirsa, and Gandhi College of Pharmacy, Karnal, are being run by the private sector. Nearly 550 students of these colleges are being charged Rs 22,000 per annum in addition to the "huge" capitation fee. The students alleged that teachers take class casually and house tests are unusual in most of the colleges. Some teachers are appointed on a part-time basis. The Pharmacy Colleges
Students Union has sought a CBI inquiry into the
functioning of these colleges. |
Rs 62 cr HAU budget passed HISAR, Oct 1 — The Board of Management of Haryana Agriculture University has approved the budget of Rs 62 crore for the university, besides granting extension to Registrar Vinay Kumar for one year. However, Dr Umed Singh Dahiya, Director Students Welfare will hold the charge till further arrangements are made. The monthly stipend of the students of B.Sc. Agriculture has been brought on a par with the students of B VSc, from Rs 1500 to Rs 3000. This was a long pending demand of the agriculture students. The board has reportedly
authorised the Vice Chancellor to implement the
recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission report in the
university, whenever the state government implements it
for the employees of various semi-government and other
autonomous bodies. |
Civic body proposal rejected FARIDABAD, Oct 1 — The Haryana Government has rejected the proposal of the Faridabad Municipal Corporation to rename Dasehra Ground of Ballabhgarh after Raja Nahar Singh, who was hanged by the British in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, in 1858, thereby giving a setback to the Congress-dominated civic body. The corporation had passed a resolution last month to this effect and sent it to the government approval. But the government in the face of stiff opposition from the local MLA and councillor both belonging to the BJP, the ruling alliance partner of the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) refused to give its permission to change the name of Dasehra Ground. Soon after the resolution
was passed the corporation authorities put up a board
outside Dasehra Ground declaring it as Raja Nahar Singh
Ground. The board has since been removed. |
Dewater flood-hit villages: Hooda ROHTAK, Oct 1 — The Haryana PCC Chief, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has urged the government to make immediate arrangements for the draining out of water from the flood-affected villages of Rohtak and Jhajjar districts. He said that the government should also take immediate steps for providing food and medicines in these villages. He demanded payment of compensation to the villagers whose crops and houses had been damaged due to unseasonable heavy rains. The government should
defer for a year the recovery of loan for the inhabitants
these villages, he said. |
'Lift ban on sale of mustard
oil' ROHTAK, Oct 1 — Mr Pardeep Jain, president, BJP, Rohtak unit has demanded that ban on the sale of mustard oil in the state be lifted. The BJP leader alleged that some foreign and multinational companies had conspired in creating that impression that use of mustard oil was the sole reason for dropsy. The government, he said,
should check adulteration in the mustard oil but not ban
its sale. The ban on the sale of loose mustard oil would
hit the manufacturers in the small and cottage industry
sector. |
Dacoity plan: 4 arrested FARIDABAD, Oct 1 — The police yesterday arrested four persons on a charge of planning to commit dacoity in a house in Sector 22. A 12-bore pistol, two knives and a lathi were seized from their possession. The arrested persons have been identified as Ratiram, Jagha, Pappu and Bir Singh. He said they were also involved in 10 chain snatching incident. The police has also
arrested Arun Kapoor of Sector 16 for allegedly making
bogus ration cards for students. |
Hartron computer centre opened AMBALA, Oct 1 — The chairman of the Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board and a former Deputy Speaker of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Mr Ved Pal, said here yesterday that the state would promote computer education. Speaking at the inaugural function of a computer training centre, Hartron workstation, of the Haryana State Electronics Development Corporation, he said the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, had announced that an information technology park would be built. Mr Anil Vij and Mr Nirmal
Singh, both MLAs, said computer education should be made
a compulsory subject. |
Chautala accused of misleading
people HISAR, Oct 1 — The Panchayat Minister, Mr Kanwal Singh, has criticised the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, for, what he called, misleading the people of the state. Addressing a series of public meetings, near here, he alleged that Mr Chautala was trying to create a chaotic situation in the state. He accused him of trying to mislead the Centre and "blackmail" it. The minister claimed that
the "prerna rally" organised by the INLD at
Rewari on the occasion of Mr Devi Lal's birthday, was a
failure. |
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