The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

New rules on land area stump private schools
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, May 12
The new Haryana School Education Rules, 2003, have caused a flutter among owners of private schools in the district. They have already started knocking at the doors of higher-ups to get some of the rigid conditions relaxed.

“More than 90 per cent of the private schools functioning in the state do not fulfil all conditions prescribed by the government in its new Haryana School Education Rules, 2003,” said an agitated owner of a private high school here. He was a member of the delegation of the district unit of the Haryana Private Schools Association that met the Deputy Commissioner on Saturday.

On the condition of anonymity, he said, “When we have been running the school for the last one decade with due recognition and affiliation, satisfying the minimum norms of land and buildings, how is it possible to increase the land area up to two acres in populated areas of the town? Incidentally, the stipulated increase is almost nine times.”

“We can fulfil most of the other conditions, including pledging of money equal to six months’ basic pay of the staff, building requirements, employment of trained teachers etc laid down in the new rules. However, the government should relax the limit of the land area,” he said.

As a significant number of schools not only in Sonepat district but also in every part of the state have remained affiliated with the Central Board of School Education, it has now been made mandatory for the schools seeking affiliation to any board or education council other than the Haryana Board of School Education to seek recognition first from the state government and then apply for issuance of a ‘No Objection Certificate’ with a processing fee.

The rules also direct that if any school is already affiliated to any board other than the Haryana Board but has not been recognised shall apply for recognition within three months after the publication of the new rules.

Members of the district unit of the Haryana Private Schools Association held a meeting here on Sunday, which was presided over by state unit president Bhagat Singh. He alleged that the district education authorities have started harassing private school owners without providing details of the new rules.

The state association has already sought justice from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he said, adding that the new rules were aimed against the private schools.

Meanwhile, under the directions of the higher authorities, the District Education Office has started mounting pressure on the private school managements to abide by the new rules.

The District Education Officer, Mr Rajinder Singh Dahiya, told the ‘NCR Tribune’ that during his two-day inspection, it was found that 22 out of 34 schools were neither recognised nor affiliated with any board.

And a number of schools recognised up to the middle class level were found running secondary and higher secondary classes in clear violation of the rules, he said. Many evils in the education system, including mass copying, had cropped up due to the mushroom growth of non-recognised private schools in every part of the town, he added.

According to the District Education Office, there are 226 private schools in the district, which include 66 senior secondary schools, 90 secondary (high) schools and 70 middle schools. Most of these are located in the urban areas and their strength is almost 40 per cent of the total schools in the district, including those run by the government.

PG courses may soon cost a fortune in Haryana
Vipin Sharma

Rohtak, May 12
Parents would have to cut corners to make higher education available to their wards from the next academic session in Haryana, if the stiff fee hike likely to be recommended by the universities is accepted by the state government.

The state government had recently directed the universities to work out a cost-based fee structure for different courses, after withdrawing the provision of paid seats, in view of the apex court ruling in the TMA Pai Foundation case last year.

The Supreme Court had ruled that the fee charged from different categories of students could not vary for the same course. The court had thus restrained educational institutions all over the country from charging a hefty admission fee through paid seats.

According to sources, the universities in the state were considering effecting a two to ten time hike in the fee structure from the next academic session. Incidentally, the five-member fee committee constituted by the Maharshi Dayanand University has suggested an increase up to ten times. The MDU Vice-Chancellor, Maj-Gen (retd) Bhim Singh Suhag, has reportedly finalised the new fee structure, which is to be taken up at a meeting of the vice-chancellors.

It is learnt that the fee committee had proposed an increase from Rs 1,660 per annum to Rs 25,000 per annum for the MSc Chemistry course. However, Maj-Gen Suhag has reduced it to Rs 15,000. A similar hike has been proposed for the MSc Physics course. Again, the VC has recommended a fee of Rs 10,000 per annum for MSc Maths and Statistics courses; the existing fee is Rs 1,500 per annum. A student of MA Physical Education course will have to cough up an annual fee of Rs 15,000 instead of Rs 1,447.

Students aspiring for MSc in Biotechnology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Botany and Environmental Sciences will have to pay Rs 25,000 instead of Rs 6,000. Students wanting to take up the Diploma in Physical Education will have to shell out an annual fee of Rs 20,000, as against Rs 12,000 now.

Further, the committee has proposed that the fee for the five-year LLB course be increased from Rs 2,380 per year to Rs 15,000. Likewise, it has proposed that the fee for the two-year MBA course be increased from Rs 10,500 to Rs 25,000 per annum. The proposals in the case of some other courses were still to be finalised.

DU REFORMS
Access to forms in schools, open house
for admission seekers
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 12
More than 600 government-run schools and a few non-government schools have been selected to set up counters for the sale of forms to students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in Delhi University for the 2003-04 academic session. The forms will be supplied to the Deputy Directors of Education of each region in the city from where the forms will be disseminated to various government-run schools. The public schools, however, are yet to furnish a list of schools for the sale of these forms.

This apart, the forms will also be made available in post offices in Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ghaziabad where they will be given to admission seekers as a package along with the information brochures. Forms can also be downloaded from the university website or purchased from the 16 university centres, which will be established all over the city.

“We are going to discuss this with the Post Master General as to how we are going to devise the whole procedure so that people from across the city have access to the forms,” said the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Deepak Nayyar.

Talking to mediapersons here today, he said that starting this year the university has decided to organise ‘Open Day’ where students enrolled in the university along with the staff members will brief those seeking admissions.

“The student representatives and staff members will answer queries pertaining to admissions and other issues that will be put forth by the students and their parents,” said Prof Nayyar.

On day one, the Open Day will be held in the Shankar Lal Auditorium on the North Campus and on the second and the final day it will be held at the SP Jain Centre on the South Campus.

The day-long programme will be divided into five sessions of half an hour each and will have teachers and students seeking to address the queries pertaining to the admission procedure. For the reserved sections and the physically challenged students, the admission forms will be free of cost and there will be centralised registration and issuing of admission slips for all colleges. Another first this year is the use of OMR for data entry.

The application forms for the above mentioned categories will be accepted when relevant certificates are produced and scrutinised. However, forms can be collected without furnishing any documents.

Registration will begin from June 4 and will continue till June 14 for the reserved sections and June 18 for the open category. Admissions slips will be issued for reserved sections from July 2. The first admission list will be announced on June 25, followed by a second list on June 30, the third list will be declared on July 4 and the fourth list on July 9.

While the dates for the sale of admission forms has been set for June 4, students who get a seat among the 44,000 seats will have incentives like a Utilities Centre and a Student’s Centre to look forward to.

“We are hoping that these centres will be ready by August 2003. The Student’s Centre will have a food court, cyber café, book store, TV Lounge, activity centre and a mini open air theatre,” said Prof Nayyar.

He went on to add, “the university has also made provisions for providing amenities like a railway reservation counter, two banks, an ATM machine, a DTC bus pass counter and a post office. These will be clubbed in the Utilities Centre.”

Meanwhile, the university will also add 100 new hostel rooms for girls, 50 will for SC/ ST candidates and the rest for students of Delhi School of Economics. The university is also undertaking the renovation of the Arts Faculty, the Gwyer Hall and is also working to make the campus disabled friendly.

“It has been brought to our notice that most of the buildings are not disabled friendly. The architects entrusted with the job of renovation have been briefed to make ramps and other disabled friendly features in the new buildings and make additions in the older ones,” said Prof Nayyar.

Exams on May 15: The University of Delhi has decided to hold all examinations slated for May 15 as per schedule. No changes have been made in the date sheet following the Delhi Government’s decision to declare May 15 a holiday on account of Milad-un-Nabi.

District-wise changes in textbooks
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, May 12
The Haryana Education Department has changed some of the textbooks of classes I to V in the current academic session. However, there is no pattern and rationale in the district-wise changes.

According to a report, the new book of English will be in force in the districts of Hisar, Kaithal, Jind, Sirsa, Gurgaon, Bhiwani and Narnaul; however, the old book will be used in all other districts. No textbook of class II has been changed anywhere in the state. Likewise, the new Hindi textbook of class III would be in force in Hisar, Kaithal, Jind, Sirsa, Gurgaon, Bhiwani and Narnaul districts; in all other districts, the students will study the old book. New textbooks of English, Mathematics and Parivesh Adhyayan would be enforced in all the districts.

A new English book would be enforced in class IV in all the districts whereas the old text books of Hindi, Mathematics and Parivesh Adhyayan would remain in force in Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Faridabad and Rohtak districts. However, new books of these subjects would be used in other districts.

The Haryana Education Department has directed all heads of recognised schools in the state to implement these decisions. Otherwise, they will face stringent action.

CBI EXPOSÉ
DDA scam: Mukherjee gets interim bail
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 12
Former Delhi High Court judge Shamit Mukherjee, arrested in connection with the DDA scam, was released on 30 days’ interim bail by a city court today. “He (Mr Mukherjee) be released forthwith,” Special Judge Prem Kumar said before whom the former was produced on the expiry of his police remand. Mr Mukherjee has remained in CBI custody for 12 days.

The former judge furnished a bail bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of like amount. He was directed to surrender before the court on the expiry of his interim bail on June 12.

Mr Mukherjee was first remanded in CBI custody for interrogation on May 1 and later, despite the Delhi High Court granting him interim bail, his remand was extended for five more days.

The former judge was granted interim bail on May 5 by the high court on humanitarian grounds, considering his wife’s illness and the age of his mother, though his regular bail plea was rejected.

Mr Mukherjee was arrested on April 30 on the charge of passing a judgement favourable to a hotelier in the Capital in return for illegal gratification.

The CBI has registered a case against the former judge and four others for alleged abuse of official position and entering into a criminal conspiracy. Others named in the FIR include sacked DDA Vice-Chairman Subash Sharma, alleged middleman Dharambir Khattar, suspended DDA official Ashok Kapoor and hotelier Vinod Khatri.

CBI has notebooks of pimp: Despite getting a reprieve from a city court today, Shamit Mukherjee’s problems appeared far from over with the CBI telling the court that it had raided the premises of the man who allegedly provided women to the former Delhi High Court judge.

“Narender Malhotra had been acting as a pimp for arranging women to be supplied to Dharambir Khattar who in turn used to supply them to Mukherjee,” the CBI said, moving an application before Special Judge Prem Kumar, seeking sanction to retain materials seized from the residence during the raid.

A team of CBI sleuths raided Malhotra’s residence in East of Kailash in South Delhi on May 9. The two-hour operation yielded certain articles, including some notebooks and two mobile phones, the agency submitted before the Special Judge after Mukherjee was produced in the court on the expiry of his 12-day police custody today.

The notebooks contained entries in the name of alleged middleman Dharambir Khattar among others and corresponding entries denoting the amount due from them. The mobile phones were in the name of Malhotra’s wife and a friend. The articles seized also included telephone diaries besides a number of credit cards and an assembled computer.

Chopper for Haryana

Sonepat: To curb the activities of anti-national and anti-social elements, the Centre has decided to sanction one more company of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) to Haryana; the state will also be given a helicopter. According to a report, the decision follows a request from Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala to Union Home Minister L. K. Advani a few months ago.

Haryana will be the second state to acquire a helicopter. Punjab, being a border state, was provided one to curb the militants’ activities. Haryana has asked for a modern chopper, which can operate at night-time. OC

SPECIAL FOCUS ON FARIDABAD
Reduction in wheat procurement expected as season draws to an end
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, May 12
There has been a noticeable reduction in the arrival and purchase of wheat in the mandis of the district this year. This has been mainly due to low yield of the crop, decrease in sowing and reduction in arrival of wheat from neighbouring state of UP.

According to figures and details available from the authorities concerned, the total purchase of wheat so far has been 5.188 lakh metric tonnes, which is about 70,000 metric tonnes less to the corresponding period last year.

The total procurement made by the various agencies last year had been about 6.1 lakh metric tonnes, but the figure this time is expected to be around 5.2 lakh metric tonnes only.

The procurement of wheat by the official agencies is nearly over, as there has been decrease in arrivals of wheat in the mandis in the past few days, said an official of the Food and Supplies Department.

He admitted that the total arrival and procurement was markedly on the lower side this season and the difference in the figures with those of last year could be around 1 lakh metric tonnes.

But reports from the mandis and rural areas point towards some prominent factors, stated to be responsible for the decrease in the arrival of wheat in the mandis.

These include low yield of wheat per acre, decrease in sowing area of the crop this season and a shortage of supplies from the UP farmers. Palwal, Hodal, Ballabgarh and Chhant are the prominent mandis in the district, where the arrival of wheat from UP contributed to the enhanced procurement last year.

Some political analysts also claim that since last year was an election year in UP, they were allowed to sell their produce here. This year, however, the farmers of UP wanting to sell their produce were stopped at the UP border.

However, it is a common ‘grievance’ of the farmers in the region that the severe draught of last year and inadequate irrigation facilities led to the decrease in production of rabi crops this season.

A resident of a nearby village said that there was not only a decrease in wheat production, but the farmers were also facing a shortage of `fodder’ for their animals.

He said the cost of dry fodder had ‘doubled’ and the authorities had ‘failed’ to provide any relief on this account.

It is learnt that the procurement work has been ‘over’ in the majority of the mandis.

The Hafed, Haryana Agro Industries and Warehousing Corporation have been the top three purchasers of wheat this season.

FSIA honoured: The Faridabad Small Industries Association (FSIA) has been honoured by the District Red Cross Society for its support and cooperation in various social activities.

The FSIA president, Mr M L Sharma, was awarded a memento by the Red Cross officials at a function at MCF auditorium recently.

Mr Sharma claimed that FSIA had been actively involved in the activities aimed at providing relief to the victims of natural calamities and wartime operations, besides providing infrastructural support to the authorities in various other social programmes.

Official apathy blamed for
unauthorised constructions
Our Correspondent

Sonepat May 12
There are illegal constructions, both commercial and residential, in all corners of this city, in the absence of ‘inspection’ by the Sonepat Municipal Council, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda), the Country and Town Planning Department and other official agencies.

According to a report, the menace, which is quietly spreading its tentacles, comes into focus as and when the authorities concerned suddenly decide to remove illegal and unauthorised constructions ‘raised under their very own nose’. Such unauthorised constructions are provided power and water connections only to be removed later. If the money involved in the real estate business is any indication, the sums are ‘mind bogging’.

According to an estimate, there are more than 5,000 illegal constructions in different parts of the city, both small and big, and encroachment of public land continues unabated. Take the case of palatial houses built on the embankments of Drain no 6, passing through the heart of the city, in contravention of the laid down rules. There is a flourishing nexus between the officials of the Irrigation Department, the land grabbers, as well as the district and police administration along with the local politicians and the moneyed builders.

In another case, the shopkeepers have encroached upon the land meant for a park near the ESI dispensary and the button factory. Concrete platforms have been erected for displaying their goods and parking their vehicles. The municipal authorities have so far failed to take any action against the land grabbers in this area.

Talking the various constituents of the unholy nexus, the conclusion one could draw is the shifting of the responsibility to the other. As a matter of fact, all of them benefit from the encroachment, with the politicians making the most of the unauthorised constructions.

Though the district authorities frequently ‘turn’ their attention to such buildings in other part of the city, the selective manner of choosing the ‘targets’ has raised doubts in the mind of the people as to their real intentions.

An official said that the owners of such buildings have taken recourse to the court of law when notices were issued for the removal or demolition of their illegal constructions. Most of them even avoided replying to their notices. He said that as and when the courts dismiss their pleas, the authorities plan to take action against them.

He, however, admitted that whenever a demolition drive is taken up, it is the usual complaint that ‘others have been left untouched’.

In some cases, the civic staff has been even beaten up by the residents. Sometimes, the non-availability of the police force for providing protection is a major reason for the delay in the demolitions and for selecting only limited targets, he added.

Sources in the Municipal Council and other official agencies admit to a connivance of their staff in allowing unauthorised constructions.

The amount of money involved in the deals is certainly an allurement. But then, nobody talks about the people who are ready to pay large amounts for illegal constructions, he added.

Trucks mar residents’ peace in Sonepat
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, May 12
The residents on the Sonepat-Bahalagarh road has seen their lives turn miserable, with scores of trucks and other vehicles using the area as parking space. Constant blaring of pressure horns, hurtling tempos and absence of traffic signals leading to frequent accidents have destroyed the ‘peace of the people’ in adjoining locality, once known for its serene ambience.

According to a report, trucks pick-up and offload goods here and park it for days in front of the makeshift repairing shops. At many places, the trucks are parked in a double row on the road, causing traffic bottleneck. Many residents have been involved in accident with the speeding trucks and vehicles during the past few years, in which some of them even lost their lives.

Many electric poles on the central verge of this road had been erected, but they are mainly inoperative and the area remains dark at night. Moreover, many of the electric poles have been knocked down by trucks manoeuvring for parking in the area.

The residents of the area claim that the problem on this road has been aggravated after the shifting of the office of the ‘Sonepat Truck Operators Union’ on this road. Now, the trucks of the union have also started diverting their vehicles onto this road. Unfortunately, none of the trucks are diverted to other areas, which are the designated parking places for the trucks in the city.

Meanwhile, the district and the police administration have remained ‘a silent spectator’. Constant representation to the traffic and civic agencies have yielded ‘little response’.

It is unfortunate that the residential area is being used for commercial activities and the authorities have remained a silent spectator, said a senior citizen of the area. The residents point out that it is the responsibility of the authorities to check such disturbances to the residents of the city.

The Residents Welfare Association has demanded the immediate shifting of the office of the truck operators union from this road. The resident want the authorities to take strict action against those truck drivers found violating the traffic rules and regulations.

FACE TO FACE
‘Only a few thousand patients of Parkinson disease have contacted doctors’
Nalini Ranjan

For Dr Madhuri Behari, Professor of the Department of Neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), PRAN (Parkinsonism and Related Disorders Awareness Network) like its name, is really a lifeline. She is the founder president of this dream organisation, which was started in May 2001.

The organisation is engaged in various types of activities for the benefits of the patients of the dreaded Parkinson disease, from which the famous boxer Mohammed Ali and popular pop star Michel J. Fox are also suffering.

Perhaps, the first organisation involved in such a cause in the country, it has done a lot of work in imparting information about the disease to the patients and their relatives.

Dr Behari is considered among the front ranking neurosurgeons of India. After completing her M.B.B.S. and M.S. from the Lady Harding Medical College here, she did her doctorate in medicine from AIIMS.

After about three-year stint at J. B. Pant Hospital, she joined the AIIMS in 1994. She also completed an advance course in Neurology from the Institute of Neurology, London.

In a conversation with the NCR Tribune, she talked about the various aspects of this disease and the role played by her organisation.

How did your organisation, PRAN, come into existence?

While I was doing my doctorate degree in Neurology from AIIMS in 1980, I saw the first case of Parkinson disease. That middle- aged man was a hawker from Bahadurgarh. He experienced severe tremors in his entire body. In those days, very few doctors were capable of diagnosing this disease. It was my privilege that I was given the opportunity to handle this case. That case was very critical and the only hope was to operate upon him.

In those days, an operation, Thalmotomy, was the last resort for patients of Parkinson disease. Then it was very costly and it was beyond the reach of even a middle-class person.

Despite my best efforts, I could not help that hawker. I do not know what happened to him after that, but that incident really perturbed my heart. It was then that I decided to do some thing for the unfortunate patients.

I was so busy with my academic and professional activities that my cherished project could come into shape only much later.

What are the main objectives and activities of this organisation?

Some like minded neurosurgeons, with the support from some well to do patients of Parkinson disease came up with the idea of starting an organisation focussing on this particular disease. It is totally charitable in nature.

Our primary focus is to carry out awareness drives regarding this disease. It is a matter of concern that in India, there is a total lack of awareness about this disease. It is shocking to note that out of the estimated nine lakh patients of this disease in our country, so far only about five thousand have reportedly contacted any expert doctors.

Most of the old aged people feel mild and severe tremors but they do not take it seriously. It might be Parkinson or a related disorder.

We hold awareness camps at different locations in the various cities of the NCR. Recently, we had organised two such camps at Faridabad and Gurgaon. We try to convince the patients that there is life even after this disease. This disease is now curable and after the brain surgery, popularly known as the miracle surgery, one can lead an almost normal life.

Our organisation is also committed to help those patients who cannot afford this very costly brain surgery. The main aim of the society is to create awareness about this disease among the ordinary people.

As medical science continues to provide new information and new drugs, new modalities of treatment are being made available to the patients.

It is our aim to inform the common man about these advances and the new opportunities of treatment available to them.

It was my long cherished dream to have a forum and society, which would look into the need, aspirations and hopes of patients of this disease.

We all know that though significant relief is provided by drugs, this disease is not completely curable. The drug treatment has its own disadvantages and the side effects of the drugs become more severe and unacceptable as the disease progresses. This is the stage when a surgical treatment is needed. The surgical treatment is very costly, so we try to get it sponsored by some organisation.

Our organisation is also trying to undertake a census regarding this disease so that it would be known how many people are really suffering from this disease in our country.

What is Parkinson disease all about and what is its effective treatment?

Parkinson disease is a progressive disorder of the brain, which affects mainly older people. The main signs and symptoms of the disease are slowness in movements, difficulty in walking, postural instability, stiffness of the body and tremors (shaking) of the hands and the feet. It is caused by the degeneration of pigmented nerve cells in the substantia niagra of the brain, resulting in a loss of these nerve cells and also dopamine, the chemical substance these cells secrete. Levodopa is the most effective drug for Parkinson disease and it is the most commonly used drug in the treatment of this disease. It is converted to dopamine in the brain, which is the deficiency in this disease.

Despite treatment, however, the disease is progressive in nature and Levodopa only provides improvement in the symptoms of the disease.

Levodopa may also produce side effects in some people due to its conversion to dopamine before reaching the brain. The side effects are vomiting and nausea. Simultaneous administration of substances, which prevent the conversion of Levodopa into Dopamine outside the brain, thereby decreasing the amount of Levodopa required by the body, and this results into side effects.

Recently, some new drugs have been discovered, which offer a wider choice of medication for the patients, while many others are still under investigation.

With time, however, the drugs, especially Levodopa, either stop showing effects or they cause significant side effects.

At times, these side effects become more disabling than the disease itself, and become difficult to treat. It is at such a time that operation for this disease can be offered to the patients.

For the first time in 1960, an operation called Thalmotomy was performed and became popular as a treatment for this disease.

Although the shakiness of the body was reliably reduced with this operation, more disabling symptoms of this disease like stiffness of the body or the slowness in movements were not beneficial.

Severe side effects such as problem in speaking and swallowing were also seen particularly when this operation was performed on both sides of the brain. When Levodopa was discovered in later part of 1960s, this surgery became less common. Last five years have seen new interest in operative treatment for this disease. This is because new areas of the brain have been identified, which can be operated upon with better improvement in this disease.

New techniques have been developed which allow precise identification of these areas. These modalities are safe and have fewer side effects.

Recently, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been found to be very beneficial for the patients of this disease. In contrast with previous operations in which small areas of brain were destroyed, DBS involves placing a small electrical electrode (a thin wire) into an area of the brain called the Subthalmic nucleus. The electrode is attached to a small machine called the pulse generator (similar to a pacemaker) which is implanted under the skin of the chest wall. The stimulator provides a small electrical current to the area of the brain, where the electrodes are placed within the brain.

This can significantly relieve all the symptoms of this disease without damaging the brain tissues. The amount of electrical impulse given to the brain is very low and can be adjusted by altering the setting on the pacemaker. Currently, this is the best operation available for this disease.

American scientists are working on a new research as to this disease to implant stem cells into the brain. Its initial experiment has shown encouraging signs.

Orphans to enjoy fun-filled learning
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 12
NIS Sparta Ltd, Asia’s largest corporate training and learning organisation, has sponsored a unique adventure-based outdoor leadership training initiative called ‘Peak’ for a team of the orphaned children from the SOS.

Under the initiative, 20 children will travel to Mori, a serene stretch of land nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas known for its scenic beauty and healthy environment.

The expedition will provide the children with an opportunity to enjoy themselves, simultaneously develop their hidden talent and harness their skills such as team bonding, people and leadership skills.

More importantly, the aim is to make the children feel cared for and provide a sense of belonging among them.

The children will enjoy five days of fun-filled learning at Mori. This unique and specially tailored programme for the children between 12 and 18 years is a combination of body and mind exercises including adventure sports such as trekking, route mapping, rock climbing, rappelling and rafting, along with public speaking discussions, music competitions, dramatics and reality learning games such as LDGM.

The programme enables the child to realise his strength and use it as a catalyst for his growth.

Commenting on this social initiative, Sanjeev Duggal, president of NIS Sparta said, “In a world full of personal goals and intense competition, causes such as these are often kept in the backburner. If we have to build the nation, there has to be a joint effort made by corporates along with the society towards the betterment of the less privileged ones. Only then can we hope for a brighter future. This initiative is our small effort in this very direction.”

He added, “Since Peak uses alternative technique to create internal balance, build strong determination skills and instil team work, it will help prepare these children to cope with the reality of the future along with reducing their stress levels.”

NCR BRIEFS
Two bodies found
Our Correspondents

Jhajjar, May 12
Unidentified bodies of a man and a woman were found in a minor canal near Dulhera village here today. According to information, the bodies in a decomposed condition were sent to civil hospital for autopsy. The age of woman and man is estimated at 25 and 35 respectively.

Liquor smuggling

Sonepat: The Haryana Government has been suffering a huge loss of revenue on account of smuggling of liquor from Delhi to this district.

According to a report, this followed the reduction in the rate of liquor by the Delhi Government. A bottle of liquor which costs Rs 200 in Haryana, is being sold at a less price at Kundli village on the Haryana-Delhi border.

According to some liquor contractors, they are also forced to sell the bottle of liquor at the rate of the Delhi Government to save themselves from the loss.

However, the police and the authorities of the Excise Department have failed to check the smuggling and the loss of revenue caused to the state exchequer.

Kidnapped girl untraced

The Kumahar Uthan Sabha urged the district and police administration to stop the work on all the brick kilns in Sonepat district if the girl who had been kidnapped by a youth last month was not recovered by May 17.

According to a report, the girl had allegedly been abducted last month but the police failed to trace her or arrest the youth so far. This has caused resentment among the parents and other workers employed in the brick kilns of the area.

Body recovered

The police recovered the body of a youth Suhsil of Rathdhana village from the farmhouse near Bahalgarh village about 10 km from here on Saturday evening and sent it for a post-mortem.

According to a report, the youth had reportedly been missing form his house for the past two days. The police believe it to be a case of suicide but the parents alleged that he had been murdered. The police have registered the case and further investigations were on.

SP warns criminals

The dreaded criminals wanted in the cases of loot, dacoity and other criminal cases would not be spared by the police and they would be dealt with under the law.

Stating this, Mr Paramjit Singh Ahlawat, SP, told mediapersons here today that if such criminals wanted to surrender themselves, they should do so without delay otherwise they might be killed in the possible encounters.

Earlier, the SP made it clear to the accomplice of a dreaded criminal Vijaypal of Bidhlan village who called on him at his residence yesterday that the police would continue their efforts to arrest the most wanted and dreaded criminals.

Milk plant, dairies owe Rs 2.12 cr

Faridabad: The government milk plant at Ballagarh and four dairies in the district owe Rs 2.12 crore as cess to the animal and husbandry department.

According to district authorities, the above defaulters had failed to pay the cess despite several reminders. The authorities plan to take legal action if the defaulters fail to deposit their dues soon.

The cess is charged under the provisions of Haryana Murrah Buffalo and Milch Cattle Bread Act. The cess is applicable at the rate of 10 paise per litre in the milk processing work. The milk plant, Ballabgarh has the licensed capacity of ‘one lakh litre’ per day, but it owes Rs 36.70 as cess to the department concerned.

The Doaba plant which has a similar capacity reportedly owes Rs 56.90 lakh towards the charges (cess).

The Chief Minister at a recent meeting had directed the officials to recover the dues. TNS

DELHI DIGEST
SHOs shifted after adverse report
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 12
The SHOs of police stations of Kotwali, Lahore Gate in Central district and Sadar Bazar in North district have been transferred following an adverse report of the DCP vigilance submitted before the Commissioner of Police.

Encroachment on public land, plying of buses without permit, illegal construction and liquor smuggling were rampant in the areas under their police stations. These activities were done in connivance with the local police, Commissioner of Police R.S. Gupta said in a press release today.

MCD hall ceiling collapses: Election of ad hoc committees was affected today with the collapse of fake ceiling in the visitors’ gallery in the new meeting hall of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The hall was recently renovated with a cost of Rs 2 crore. The ceiling collapsed on Friday but it came to notice only when the councillors and others stepped in for the election process. Leader of the Opposition Subhash Arya alleged that the contract was given to a person who was close to the leader of the ruling party.

Biker killed: Manish (25), a resident of India Gate area died last evening when his motorcycle was hit by a private bus last evening. The incident occurred when he was going to Masjid Moth area to meet his brother-in-law. As he reached near Seva Nagar crossings, his vehicle was hit from behind.

INLD candidate opposed: Haryana Jat Aarakshan Samiti opposed the INLD candidate in Fatehabad by-election as Haryana Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala did nothing for the betterment of the Jats in the state.