Call for campaign against pollution
FARIDABAD, Sept 26 — Justice Kuldip Singh, a former judge of the Supreme Court, yesterday called for a campaign against pollution which had posed a serious danger to life on earth.

Managing committee poll set aside
ROHTAK, Sept 26 — Decrying political interference in elections to governing bodies of educational institutions, the Additional District Judge, Mr M.S. Sullar, has set aside the elections to the managing committee of the Gaur Brahmin Vidya Parcharni Sabha, Rohtak, held on May 4, 1997.

3 school rooms for 325 students
GURGAON, Sept 26 — As many as 325 students of Class VI to XII have to make do with only three rooms in Government Senior Secondary School 10+2 for boys Ferozpur Jhirka.

HAU farm mela a big draw
HISAR, Sept 26 — Hundreds of farmers from Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh attended a two-day farm mela which concluded at CCS Haryana Agricultural University here today.

No privatisation of power sector: CM

DABWALI (Sirsa), Sept 26 (UNI) — Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal today categorically stated that neither any asset of the erstwhile state electricity board was being sold nor was it being privatised as alleged by opposition parties.

Addressing a largely attended public meeting here, the Chief Minister said farmers would continue to get power at the subsidised rate of 50 paise per unit on the existing pattern.

He said of the Rs 2400 crore sanctioned by the World Bank as loan to restructure the power sector in Haryana, Rs 240 crore had already been received and the second instalment of Rs 1100 crore was expected to be released in March next.

He said Rs 40 crore would be spent on improving power availability in Sirsa district during the next two years.

The reform programme being implemented in Haryana to improve power availability, besides enhancing consumer satisfaction was being cited as an example by the World Bank.

He said a consultant of the Pakistan Government was asked by the World Bank to study Haryana’s power reform project to improve power generation, transmission and distribution in that country. The Andhra Pradesh Government had also sent its team to study the steps being taken by Haryana to restructure its power sector, he said.

Cautioning the people against "ill designs" of Opposition leaders in the state, the Chief Minister said that Indian National Lok Dal leader Om Parkash Chautala and former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal were hand in glove as their sole aim was to mislead the people in a bid to grab power. They were not interested in the welfare of the state, he added.

Mr Bansi Lal announced postponement of the recovery of cooperative crop loans for six months of farmers of the area whose cotton crop had failed. He said effective steps were being taken to ensure that the cotton crop did not fail because of any disease in future.

The Chief Minister declared Dabwali as industrially backward and announced that a memorial would be raised in honour of children who lost their lives in a fire tragedy in the town some years ago. He announced a grant of Rs15 lakh for the construction of a multi-purpose hall being raised as a memorial to the children.

Accepting the demands of the people of the area, he announced that a college would be opened here from the next session and upgradation of the high school at Kalanwali. He said roads in the area would also be repaired.

Home Minister Mani Ram Godara described Haryana as the "most peaceful state in the country." Food and Supplies Minister Ganeshi Lal and Minister of State for Irrigation Harsh Kumar also spoke.

Earlier, a "siropa" and a purse of Rs 1.52 lakh were presented to the Chief Minister by the people of the area. The Chief Minister handed over the money to the Haryana Vikas Party.

Hafed told to buy paddy as FCI says no
From Sushil Manav

FATEHABAD: Sept 26 — After the refusal of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to procure paddy from five grain markets of the district, including Rattia and Fatehabad, the district administration has asked Hafed, a state government procurement agency, to procure paddy on all days of the week till further arrangement.

It is learnt that the job of paddy procurement in these markets was assigned to the FCI and Hafed. While the former was asked to procure the crop on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Hafed was asked to do the procurement work on the remaining three working days.

But after a letter by Mr A.D. Nityanand, Senior Regional Manager, Haryana, local FCI officials refused to lift paddy from the markets. Mr Nityanand had asked his juniors not to procure paddy from the five markets of the district where the corporation was not allowed to procure wheat this year.

Now the Deputy Commissioner, Mr K.S. Yadav, has asked Hafed to do the procurement work till further arrangements are made.

The FCI, it is learnt, has not been able to get the stock of paddy procured last year milled. At least six lakh bags (about 40,000 metric tonnes) of paddy procured last year worth Rs 18 crore is lying stacked at Rattia, Tohana, Fatehabad and other FCI godowns of the district.

According to reliable sources, no private miller is coming forward for milling this paddy. As per the specifications set by the FCI, the miller is supposed to give 68 to 72 per cent yield of rice from the paddy. But as the standing crop in the region was lashed by heavy rains last year too, the crop is of inferior quality. The millers do not expect to get more than 61 per cent yield from the paddy procured last year.

Decay and pilferage of the crop is not ruled out. It is learnt that paddy worth crores had been damaged at Dharsul in this district last year for similar reasons. The paddy was ultimately declared damaged and dumped by the FCI officials.

The District Manager, FCI, Mr N.D. Singh, when contacted confirmed that 40,000 metric tonnes of paddy procured last year was lying stacked in various godowns of the district, but said the corporation had entered into contracts for the milling of 15,000 metric tonnes today.

Protecting the forests
From Sarabjit Singh
Tribune News Service

PINJORE (Haryana): Days have gone when a forest guard used to be the most hated figure for hill people in this belt. There were reasons for such hatred against forest officials.

For meeting their day to day needs of firewood and fodder for livestock, most of the people used to enter the "reserved forest" area. For such violations forest guards used to catch the people and fine them.

But now locals and forest guards and other officials work in tandem to protect forests thanks to the Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme launched in this part of Haryana by the Forest Department with the active guidance and technical know-how of the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute, Research Centre, Chandigarh.

In fact, only recently the Forest Department authorities concerned realised that it was impossible to prevent the degradation of forests without the active involvement of the locals.

The Forest Department with the help of the Centre has constituted 55 Hill Resources Management Societies (HRMS). A non-government organisation TERI (Tata Energy Research Institute) has also been associated with them.

In the changing scenario, the role of the Forest Department has become more supportive, considerate and accommodating to satisfy the aspirations of the locals keeping in view their priorities, perception, preferences, motivation and constraints. The HRMS is associated with the Forest Department in afforestation, soil conservation, plan formulation, implementation, appraisal and monitoring of the JFM programme.

Dr J.S. Samra, Director, Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute, Research Centre, Dehra Dun, along with Dr R.K. Aggarwal, Head of Chandigarh Centre, took a media team to the projects initiated under this programme at Lohgarh and Dhamala village, near here. Dr Samra said earlier the attitude was that "only government officials know everything and locals know nothing". But truth had dawned lately that locals knew several times more than officials about how to protect forests, their regeneration and protection.

He said in Dhamala village, a water harvesting structure had also been raised to provide water for irrigation and save soil erosion and to protect human settlements from floods. It was a source of income for locals and their yield from farmlands had also gone up.

The change in the socio-economic status of locals was perceptible. "We had nothing to boast of a few years ago, but today my family owns a motor cycle and the financial conditions are far better", said Jiti, a resident of Dhamala village while talking to media persons. He could not find words to express his happiness.

Dr Amarinder Kaur, Conservator of Forests (North Circle), Panchkula, said earlier bhabbar grass was auctioned to contractors by the department but under the programme the same was given to HRMS at a reserve price. The HRMS can sell the surplus grass in open auction. The net income from the sale was divided between the government and HRMS in a 25:75 ratio.

The HRMS contributes 30 per cent of its share for the further improvement of the area from the income accruing from the auction of grass. In addition to this 10 per cent was contributed towards "Kalyan kosh" and the remaining money was used for village development. The fund was used strictly on non-religious and apolitical activities.

Even locals had been ensured 30 per cent share from the income accruing following the sale of forest wood in the coming years. Although it appeared to be a meagre share but keeping in view the size of the forest the benefit to locals following sale of forest would be in lakhs of rupees, according to Dr Amarinder Kaur.

Income from the sale of bhabbar grass, alone to Dhamala village was around Rs 1.5 lakh and to Lohgarh village Rs 3.30 lakh.

But the most interesting tale is of the Banjara tribe which has been involved in the protection of bamboo forest near Balgudam village under the JFM programme. As many as 30 Banjara families get 100 bamboos each for paying Rs 7 only to manufacture bamboo baskets in lieu of protecting the forest from fire, grazing, theft etc in collaboration with the forest officials.

Morale booster for Hooda
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 26 — Much to the discomfiture of his opponents, the Haryana Congress President, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has earned kudos from the AICC President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, for successfully mobilising party cadres in the State.

For Mr Hooda, appreciation from no less a person than Mrs Gandhi has come as a big morale booster because his opponents in the party, particularly the former Chief Minister, Mr Bhajan Lal, and the former party President, Mr Birender Singh, have been constantly accusing him of being soft on the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal.

A few months ago Mr Bhajan Lal and Mr Birender Singh had separately sent several delegations to Mrs Gandhi and other central party leaders to debunk Mr Hooda and to demand a change in the party guards in Haryana. While the common aim of the two leaders was to see the ouster of Mr Hooda from the presidentship of the Haryana Congress, they could not, however, agree on one person who should replace Mr Hooda. In fact both considered themselves to be the "most suitable person" to lead the party at this juncture. Their disagreement was Mr Hooda's strength.

In contrast to Congress traditions, Mr Hooda did not join the game of sending delegations to the party high command in his support. Rather, he concentrated on his work of mobilising the party cadre, which has now been appreciated in writing by Mrs Gandhi.

In a brief, but politically significant, communiqué sent to Mr Hooda, Mrs Gandhi wrote: "I am glad to note that the party cadres are being mobilised in the State. I wish you every success." It is no secret that in the Congress a frown or a smile from the Gandhi family matters a lot.

Congress circles interpret Mrs Gandhi's message as a rebuff to all those who have been working for the ouster of Mr Hooda, particularly Mr Bhajan Lal who recently went on record to say that a change in the leadership of the Haryana Congress was on the cards.

Meanwhile, Mrs Gandhi is likely to visit Haryana in the second week of October. She has also changed the purpose of her visit. Earlier, she was to visit the families of those farmers who had allegedly committed suicide due to financial constraints.

However, after the Jind DCC sent a report that no farmer in the area had committed suicide due to financial constraints, the party has rechristened the AICC President's programme as "Sonia Aap Ke Dwaar".

Call for campaign against pollution
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Sept 26 — Justice Kuldip Singh, a former judge of the Supreme Court, yesterday called for a campaign against pollution which had posed a serious danger to life on earth.

Speaking at a seminar on pollution organised by the Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action here, Justice Kuldip Singh said that although India was known as a country of rivers most of them had now become sewage. He stressed the need for installation of sewage plants so that pure water flowed in the rivers.

Describing Delhi as the worst-polluted capital of the world, Justice Kuldip Singh feared that if no step was taken everybody would have to wear masks.

Mr M.C. Mehta, an environmentalist, regretted that the law against pollution was not being implemented. Haphazard cutting of trees and an increase in the number of factories and vehicles were the main causes of pollution.

Mr B.K. Panigrahi, Deputy Commissioner, who presided over the function, said ground water in Faridabad had become heavily polluted. It had now been decided that no tubewell would be sunk in the municipal corporation area without the permission of the Central Ground Water Board.

The state government had set up three water treatment plants at a cost of Rs 72 crore in Faridabad which would be formally commissioned by Chief Minister Bansi Lal on October 2.

Managing committee poll set aside
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Sept 26 — Decrying political interference in elections to governing bodies of educational institutions, the Additional District Judge, Mr M.S. Sullar, has set aside the elections to the managing committee of the Gaur Brahmin Vidya Parcharni Sabha, Rohtak, held on May 4, 1997.

The sabha runs five educational institutes — Gaur Brahman Degree College, Gaur Brahman College for Education, Gaur Brahman Ayurvedic College, Gaur Brahman Sanskrit College and Gaur Brahman Central High School — in Rohtak.

Mr Azad Attri, a member of the zila parishad, had challenged the elections on the ground that proper procedure was not followed while conducting the elections to the managing committee and the governing bodies of respective educational institutions.

Mr Hoshiar Singh Sharma, office secretary, Haryana Vikas Party, was elected president of the sabha on May 4, 1997. Earlier, he was appointed Chairman of the ad hoc committee appointed by Maharshi Dayanand University on the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The term of the ad hoc committee was to expire on November 30, 1996 but its life was extended till May 31, 1997, as it had failed to conduct elections.

Declaring the elections as null and void, the judge observed that "illogical, as it may look strictly speaking the tendency and frequency of political interference in the elections of the governing bodies of educational institutions, hampering the educational prospectus and career of students, is tremendously increasing day by day in our society."

The judge ordered revival of the ad hoc committee to manage the affairs of the educational institutions till fresh elections were held.

The order said that "keeping in view the totality of the facts and circumstances and the conduct of Mr Hoshiar Singh Sharma, to my mind, it would be expedient in the interests of the institutions, if the elections of the sabha are smoothly conducted under the direct supervision of the Registrar of MD University".

He directed the university to conduct the elections within two months.

3 school rooms for 325 students
From Our Correspondent

GURGAON, Sept 26 — As many as 325 students of Class VI to XII have to make do with only three rooms in Government Senior Secondary School 10+2 for boys Ferozpur Jhirka. The school has 20 rooms but due to lack of maintenance and repair 17 rooms are in dilapidated condition. The worst affected are laboratory rooms of physics, and chemistry students' library.

According to reliable sources roofs and walls of these 17 rooms are such that these could collapse at any time.

School building was built in British period. Before independence the building was used for housing courts and police station.

After independence the building was converted into a school.

The sources say for the past eight to 10 years the Public Works Department (Building and Roads) did not repair the building.

Cracks in roof and walls are easily visible. Teachers say that they hesitate to take classes in the rooms for practical work in physics and chemistry laboratories due to ramshackle building.

School authorities had written to the District Administration regarding the position of the school building. But it appears that the issue has not been taken seriously. During the examination days it creates a problem for school authorities to accommodate students appearing in the examination.

HAU farm mela a big draw

HISAR, Sept 26 (UNI) — Hundreds of farmers from Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh attended a two-day farm mela which concluded at CCS Haryana Agricultural University (CCHAU) here today.

The farmers purchased improved seed of the ensuing rabi season crops, besides familiarising themselves of the latest agriculture technology.
The theme of the mela was "High production with better management of inputs". The visiting farmers were taken to the demonstration plots laid by the university experts, and were apprised of the technology applied in raising bumper crops.

According to Dr R. Yamdagni, Director of Extension Education, the farmers purchased certified seeds worth Rs 30 lakh of major rabi crops of wheat, gram, raya, barley and vegetables from the sale counters put up by approved agencies like the National Seed Development Corporation, Central State Farms, Haryana Seed Development Corporation and the university itself. They also evinced an interest in biofertilisers and the farm literature produced by the CCSHAU.

The buzz sessions held on both days of the mela attracted a lot of farmers as the university experts provided on-the-spot solutions regarding farm and livestock problems.

Dr Yamdagni said the farmers were also enlightened on the importance of integrated pest and nutrients management in agriculture.