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Chautala set to be
re-elected INLD chief Ganeshi Lal may be state BJP
chief Mysterious disease claims 2
lives
Senior doctors
meet SP Haryana’s nod to fair-price chemist shops |
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Demonstration by
farmers Prince Charles to visit Karnal on Oct 31
LEAF FROM HISTORY Bomb hoax in hospital creates panic Bhaniarawala case
hearing adjourned Dharna by Hooda Newly wed girl ends life
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Chautala set to be re-elected INLD
chief Chandigarh, October 27 The organisational elections of the Indian National Lok Dal(INLD), the party floated by Mr Devi Lal in the later phase of his life, is being held on October 29 and Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Chief Minister of Haryana and the politically astute eldest son of Devi Lal, is all set to be re-elected as its national president. A meeting of the national council of the INLD will be held here on Wednesday when the national president and members of the national executive of the party are slated to be chosen. Tomorrow is the scheduled date for the election of the president of the state unit of the party. Mr Sher Singh Badshami, Political Adviser to the Haryana CM, was nominated president of the Haryana INLD last year and this time his again becoming the president of the Haryana INLD cannot be ruled out. However, the INLD members are keeping their fingers crossed on this issue. “You know Mr Chautala’s ways, whether Sher Singh will get an extension or not will be revealed only at the last moment”, a veteran INLD functionary said. “The organisational elections of the INLD are being held to conform with the guidelines of the Election Commission of India. It is a mere formality because everybody knows that Mr Chautala will be re-elected president of the party”, Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, Deputy Leader of the Congress party in the Assembly, said. He went on to add that the INLD was an instrument for perpetuating family rule. An INLD minister, when faced with the question of “family rule” in the INLD, said, “indeed it is family rule. Our party is like a big family and Mr Chautala is acting like the head of the family”. He claimed that all the major political parties of country had their leaders chosen at the instance of one or two top functionaries. “ The Congress, the BJP, the Communists, all follow this formula”, he added. Fatehabad, October 27 The injured was hospitalised in a private hospital here. —
PTI
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Ganeshi Lal may be state BJP
chief Gurgaon, October 27 The date of nomination for the election to the post is tomorrow and the election is to be held day after tomorrow. However, if the consensus for a common candidate emerges, there will be no election and the process will end tomorrow. According to sources in the BJP, Prof Ganeshi Lal has almost emerged as the consensus candidate within the party. He is a senior leader of the party. He is also from the cadre of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Emergence of Prof Ganeshi Lal for the top post assumes significance when considered that he represents the camp which had been against alliance with the INLD, the ruling party in the state. His shooting into prominence is against the backdrop of coming parliamentary election and the subsequent Assembly election in the
state. The group which has reservations against the BJP-INLD tie-up had been considered to be close to the HVP led by former Chief Minister Bansi Lal. As if to send a political message, Prof Ganeshi Lal also hails from Sirsa district, the home district of Mr Om Prakash Chautala. The entire development assumes significance when considered that a few days before October 5, the day the first phase of just-concluded Yatras in Amabla, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Sonepat and Faridabad districts were launched culminating in October 14-Panipat rally addressed by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, senior leaders from the state met party central leadership to build a case BJP going to the parliamentary and Assembly elections alone in Haryana. The leaders who had met Mr Adavni and the BJP National president Venkaiah Naidu on the issue consisted of the five party MPs and state office bearers. The leaders are said to have criticised the functioning of the INLD government and charged that after becoming the Chief Minister, Mr Chautala had been making efforts to weaken the
BJP. They also alleged that Mr Chautala had tried in vain to drive a wedge among leaders in the party. A former minister of Haryana and a senior BJP leader said that Mr Advani and Mr Naidu told the party leaders from Haryana that issue of poll alliance should be discussed at the time of election. There is resentment in the state unit of the BJP against the INLD. During the time of first phase of just-concluded Yatra, the BJP leaders had been trying to impress on the audience that the INLD-BJP tie-up was only with regard to national politics. They tried to distance itself from the INLD saying that the INLD did not attach much signi- ficance to the state unit of the BJP and also that it did not take it into confidence on any policy matters pursued by its government. Also, that the state unit was building up its base to contest all the 90 Assembly seats on its own. |
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Mysterious disease claims 2
lives Fatehabad, October 27 According to reports, Raman, a child from Nehla village died on October 24. He was brought to a local doctor with very high fever. He died within half an hour of being brought to the doctor. Harish, another child died the next day. He too had very high fever. The doctor, who attended on both these children, said that the total leucocyte count in both these cases was very high. The doctors are suspecting these to be case of brain fever. Civil Surgeon Dr Veena Chugh, said she had talked to the doctor who attend on these children and there seemed to be no chances of dengue or brain fever in these cases. She said according to the information she has got, the first child died of some severe infection and the second was having fits. But she said the department was not taking any chances and she has called for the reports of both cases. |
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Senior doctors
meet SP Ambala, October 27 The delegation, led by a senior doctor of Ambala Cantonment, Dr K.D. Sharma, said the induction of Section 304 in the FIR against the doctor couple was not justified as they had no intension to kill Amarjit Kaur. The delegation requested Mr Akil to direct the police authorities to review this Section. The delegation also requested him to review the Section of the PNDT Act in the FIR. Dr Sharma said the police was not competent to register a case under the PNDT Act against any doctor as it should be lodged either through the Civil Surgeon or a complainant. Later, talking to media-persons, he said some persons had misguided the
DGHS, Haryana, and the district administration in this regard.
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Haryana’s nod to fair-price chemist shops Panchkula, October 27 Health Department officials stated that these chemist shops will first be set up at all 19 district hospitals, followed by all civil hospitals at subdivisional headquarters across the state. The move has been initiated to tighten the noose around pharmaceutical giants and chemists who have failed to comply with the department’s earlier order of providing medicines at reasonable rates to all those availing health services in the government set up. The department had implemented a scheme in July wherein the doctors were asked to prescribe only the generic names of medicines. For example, doctors will now have to prescribe the name of salt (Acetyl Salicyclic Acid) instead of a brand name (Aspirin). Chemists were also directed to provide medicines at their generic prices (price of the salt) rather than the MRP mentioned by the pharmaceutical companies. The department and the Haryana Chemist Association had issued a price list of almost 200 generic medicines/medical items. Chemists all over the state were directed to sell medicines in accordance with this new rate list. The Health Department and the State Drug Controller office have been going all out to implement the order by registering cases against at least four pharmaceutical companies on charges of “misbranding” and taking erring chemists to task. The opening of fair-price shops at government hospitals will ensure better compliance. The Health Department had been receiving complaints of an alleged nexus between the doctors and pharmaceutical companies. It was alleged that the doctors were prescribing particular brands of medicines. At the same time to ensure that a similar nexus between chemists and pharmaceutical companies was not formed again by allowing chemists to sell a particular brand of generic medicine, it was decided to bring the prices of all these generic medicines on a par. The Commissioner, Health, Mr Raj Kumar, said, “The margin allowed to chemists (retailers) is sometimes as much as 1,000 per cent. Under the State Urban Reproductive Child Health Programme private doctors looking after 1,000-1,500 families in urban areas will also be urged to open such fair-price chemist shops,” he said.
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Demonstration by
farmers Fatehabad, October 27 Addressing the farmers political leaders termed the decision of the government to close the mill as anti-farmer. They said that they would not allow the government to have its way. The farmers constituted a ‘Mill Bachao Sangharsh Samiti’ in which representatives of all political parties were included. The Samiti decided to organise dharna in front of the mill from tomorrow. A ‘Lok Panchayat’ would be organised in front of the mill on November 8 in which future course of action would be decided. Later, a memorandum was presented to the tehsildar to be sent to the state Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala. The farmers, through this memorandum, demanded a second thought on the decision as it would ruin the farmers of the area. Several political and farmers’ leaders have condemned the decision of the government to close the mill. The HPCC state secretary Mr Atam Parkash Mehta said that the closure of the mill would work to the detriment of the farmers of the area. Mr Om Parkash Bhatia, President of the Kisan Union, Fatehabad, alleged that the losses to the mill were result of the misdeeds of the officers and the government should take steps to inquire in this. He demanded that the government should revoke its decision and order restart of the mill. |
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Prince Charles to visit Karnal on Oct 31 Karnal, October 27 During his three-hour stay here, the Prince will also inspect rural activities like Self help group, Balwari and Child Health Guide run by Trust in adjacent Kutail Gamri, a tiny village. Prince Charles is a patron of Arpana Trust in the U K, an official said here today. —
PTI |
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Skewed sex ratio fails to wake up health authorities Ambala, October 27 The statistics speak for themselves. Compared to the rest of Haryana, Ambala has one of the poorest sex ratios. The census carried out two years ago had revealed that Ambala had much fewer girls as compared to boys in the age group of 0 to 6 years. According to information available, in Ambala district, for every 1000 males there are 873 females in Naraingarh, 862 females in Ambala and 895 females in Barara. In the age group of up to six years, for every 1000 boys there are 781 girls in Barara, 786 girls in Ambala and 780 girls in Naraingarh. While in Haryana, the male-female ratio has seen a drop of four points from 865 to 861 females for every 1000 males. The age group up to six years is again the worst affected in the state with a drop of 59 points. While in 1991 census, it was 879 points, it has gone down to 820 points in 2001. The alarming observation is that the maximum drop in male-female ratio has been witnessed in Ambala district. While the figure was 888 in 1991, it has gone down significantly to 784 in 2001 census. Former president of the Haryana unit of the Indian Medical Association, Dr D.S. Jaspal, said the IMA was carrying out a campaign against female foeticide and the association was fully committed to the implementation of the PNDT Act. “The different aspects in the evil practice of female foeticide, include parents who act under social pressure, the doctor performing the sex-determination test, gynaecologist carring out the abortion and the foetus having no say in the matter. We must fight for the right of female foetus,” he said. Dr Jaspal observed that female foeticide can be fought by sensitising doctors, NGOs, government machinery and panchayat members regarding the need to protect the unborn girl child. Educating and sensitising male members of the family to the special needs of the girl child. Under the PNDT Act, the determination of sex of the foetus is not allowed under any circumstances, except if the doctor suspects possibilities of chromosomal abnormalities, genetic metabolic disorder, sex-linked genetic disorder, haemoglobinopathics or congenital abnormalities in the pregnant woman. The determination can only be done at the centres registered with the government under the PNDT Act. According to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, abortion can be undertaken if the registered medical practitioner is of the opinion, formed in good faith, that the continuance of the pregnancy will involve a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or there is a risk that if the child is born, it will suffer from physical or mental abnormalities. It is also treated legal where pregnancy is alleged by the pregnant woman to have been caused by rape or where any pregnancy occurs as a result of failure of any device or method used by any married woman or her husband for the purpose of limiting the number of children. The Deputy Commissioner, Ambala, Mr
D.D. Gautam, said prompt action had been initiated in the case pertaining to the death of a pregnant woman in a hospital in Ambala City. The Civil Surgeon, Dr Avinash Sharma, could not be contacted despite repeated efforts. Incidentally, the health authorities had carried out surprise checks in the recent past at the ultrasound centres. At ultrasound centre in
Naraingarh, it was found that sex-determination test was being carried out. A case was registered against the ultrasound centre owner.
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LEAF FROM HISTORY Rahul Das Tribune News Service Ambala, October 27 Although private generation of power started during the British era, bulbs and fans changed the lives of people in Ambala after India became Independent. Ambala Cantt Electric Supply Corporation Limited used to generate power in Ambala Cantonment. The power generation used to take place at 12 Cross Road, where currently the Uttar Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam office is located. The power company used to cover Ambala Sadar. While in the Cantonment area, the power supply used to be carried out by the MES, there was a separate power supply company in Ambala City. Mr Vir Sain, who had worked in the Ambala Cantt Electric Supply Corporation Limited in 1951, said that Hermann & Mohata were the managing agents of the company. “Later, Lala Kedarnath became the managing agent in 1946,” he said. The company was established in 1934. Power first came to Ambala in the mid-30s and after India gained freedom, power reached out to more homes. Like in other industries, the equipment was imported. In Ambala Cantonment, the equipment for power generation was from England and Germany. The equipment was oil-powered. “Initially, few people used to utilise power. Gradually after Independence, power transmission to homes increased. After 1955, when power supply began from Bhakra, it brought about a sea change,” Mr Sain stated. He said that unlike alternate current, which is the norm these days, in those days, there was direct current. A complaint centre was established near the Sadar chowk. All complaints were promptly attended to by the personnel concerned. Also, the allotment of power supply was quick and hassle-free. He stated that the procedure for applying for power was simple and there was quick redress of any grievance. Even the distribution losses due to pilferage were practically nil. The power consumption was not as high as it is now. Since there was no television, refrigerator, air-conditioner, hi-fi music system and tubelight, power consumption in different households was low. Bulbs and fans used to be luxuries in the Raj era. Also, power cuts were few. As the power used to be locally generated, the company was able to meet any excess need for power. In 1965, the company was taken over by the government. “Earlier, it was promised that the compensation would be based on the market value but later they took over on book value,” Mr Sain said. Senior vice-president of the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr NC Jain, recalled that power speeded up development of the scientific industry. “Earlier, the industry used to carry out work manually but it changed after power came into the scene,” he said. He said that power first arrived at the homes of the affluent. “Slowly, the middle-class took to power. In those days, bulbs and fans used to be of foreign-make and electric goods used to be imported from Lahore.” Dr Jain said that in place of streetlights, there were kerosene lanterns. “On the Mall Road, a Cantonment Board employee used to light those lanterns every evening. The lanterns were then replaced by wooden poles which were followed by iron poles,” he said. “The Leclanche cell was also used in some households for lighting small bulbs,” he added.
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Bomb hoax in hospital creates panic Ambala, October 27 The Principal Medical Officer of the hospital, Dr V.P. Sharma, said around 1.30 pm today he received a telephonic call in a male voice that someone had placed a bomb in one of the wards of the hospital. Dr Sharma said he immediately informed the Civil Surgeon in this regard who reported the matter to the police. According to information, the police immediately reached the hospital. All wards and OPDs were searched, but nothing was found there. After a one-hour search, the police informed the hospital authorities that no explosive was found anywhere in the hospital. Interestingly, the police party that made a search in the hospital building was not accompanied by an anti-bomb squad.
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Bhaniarawala case
hearing adjourned Ambala, October 27 The counsels of Baba Rohit Mahajan and Gurwinder Kaur filed an application in the court seeking exemption from personal appearance of the Baba for this hearing on health grounds. While accepting the request, the court adjourned the hearing for December 6. Meanwhile, following the attack incident on the Baba last time, the Ambala police had made tight security arrangements outside the CJM court where the Baba had to appear today. None of the supporters of the Baba were allowed to gather in the court premises. It is to be mentioned that around a month back on this court premises, a resident of Patiala, Gopal Singh, who attacked the Baba with a knife had posed himself as the follower of the Baba. |
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Dharna by Hooda Hisar, October 27 The District Congress Committee has started an indefinite dharna against the arrest of JP “in a false and fabricated case” at the behest of local ruling Indina National Lok Dal
activist. Mr Hooda condemned the arrest of JP and said the Congress party would not take lying down political victimisations of its leaders. —
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Newly wed girl ends life Yamunanagar, October 27 Mamta (19), daughter of Gulshan of Jagadhri, who was married last year to Vikas at Jagadhri, allegedly ended her life by hanging herself with a fan last night. After a post-mortem today, the body was handed over to family members. The police is investigating the case. In another incident the body of an operator of the Public Health Department was found at Tihoma village yesterday. It is stated that Nanhen Lal (50) had liquor on Divali along with his friends. A villager found his body near the tubewell. There were burn injuries on his body. In a third incident, the body of a youth, Munna, of Deoria district in Uttar Pradesh, was found at the railway track near here today. It is stated that he was crossing the track when a train crushed him. |
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Probe Mahinder Singh’s
death: residents Ambala October 27 A doctor said the viscera had been sent for further tests. The body was kept outside the Saha police chowki yesterday after it was alleged that he died due to police manhandling. A group of residents met the Superintendent of Police, Mr Mohammad
Akil, today, seeking an inquiry into the incident. OC
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Suicide by woman, three children Fatehabad, October 27 |
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Vayapar Mandal to float party Sirsa, October 27
Newborn baby found
abandoned Kalka, October 27 Truck recovered: A truck (HR-68-1112), which was stolen from here in the wee hours today, was recovered from an area in Punjab. The noise of the starting of truck awakened the owner, who reported the matter to police. The police immediately flashed the message on wireless. Later, police party also tried to chase it. However, the thief managed to drive away the truck. The truck has been brought back
here.
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