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We’ll realise Jindal’s dream, says CM
Seven killed, 1000 huts gutted in fire
Confusion marks move to close down schools in houses
Hospital sans doctors
Repoll held peacefully
Campaigning picks
up for MC Ambala Sadar poll
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Officials make short shrift of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan
Karnal fire brigade ill-equipped
3-day remand for official in foodgrain scam
Govt agencies to purchase
mustard
Employee of Kanya Gurukul murdered
Woman robbed of Rs 2 lakh
SA Jain college annual convocation
Minister campaigns for Congress MC candidates
Shop burgled
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We’ll realise Jindal’s dream, says CM
Hisar, April 11 Scorching hot weather notwithstanding, a large number of people from all walks of life, including leaders from various political parties, senior civil servants, industrialists, had assembled to pay their respects to their respected “Bauji”. Addressing the huge gathering on this occasion, the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, said he always appreciated Jindal’s simplicity and sobriety. He promised all possible help and support in realising Jindal’s dream of making Hisar a model city, apart from raising a memorial to the departed leader. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Union ministers Rao Inderjeet and Ram Vilas Paswan, Haryana Congress President Bhajan Lal and local MP Jai Prakash also paid floral tributes to Jindal. Mr Bhajan Lal observed that Jindal had earned name and fame in the world by virtue of his hard work and entrepreneurship. His untimely death was a big setback, he added. A number of present and former ministers, MPs and MLAs, including Haryana Assembly Speaker Harmohinder Singh Chattha, Mr Birender Singh, Mr Randeep Surjewala, Mr Phool Chand Mulana, Ms Kartar Devi, Mr Arvind Sharma, Mr Atma Singh Gill, Mr Chhattarpal Singh, Prof Sampat Singh, Mr Ajay Chautala, Mr Pawan Bansal, Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala and Mr Sahib Singh Verma were present on the occasion. An all-religion prayer meeting was also organised on the occasion. |
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Seven killed, 1000 huts gutted in fire
Gurgaon, April 11 Although the official figure puts the death toll at three, unofficial sources say that the number of persons killed in the fire is seven. A fireman Ramzaan, was also injured while trying to control the flames. He has been hospitalised. According to the
SDM, Gurgaon, , Mr Vivek Singh, an inquiry has been ordered to find out the cause of the fire. A majority of the persons living in the huts were labourers, rickshaw pullers, ragpickers and their family members. All of them are said to be migrants, including some from Bangladesh. As none of the residents have a permanent address, the authorities are clueless about the names of those who have died. However, Nirmal, a resident of Samstipur in Bihar, who is working as a labourer in a nearby factory, said the three bodies referred to were of an adult male and two
children. They were reportedly Bengali speaking. The adult had apparently died in the fire along with his seven-year-old
son. The third body was that of a three-year-old child. The fire was so intense that a fleet of 14 fire brigade tenders took about two hours to douse the flames. Flames raged up to a height of about 30 ft. Black smoke enveloped the area for about an hour. About a dozen of houses in the “H” pocket of DLF-1, adjacent to the cluster of huts, were also damaged in the
fire. The 10 fire brigade tenders of Bhim Nagar Station and Sector 29 station along with one from Maruti Udyog Ltd, one from the nearby Air Force Station and two from Delhi were pressed into service. According to the Sub-Fire Officer of Sector 29-Fire Station, Mr Birbal Sharma, the tenders were requisitioned from Delhi and other institutions as a precautionary measure. The huts had been built on about 10 acres of private land owned by the Nambardar of Sikanderpur village, Mr Ram Mehar Yadav, and his kin. According to Neelu, a resident of Nadia district in West-Bengal, the owners used to charge from Rs 500 to 2000 as rent depending on the site and size of the huts. The fire was so severe that not even a single structure was found intact at the site. Several residents were seen digging in the debris. Many found it difficult to find the exact location of their jhuggies. According to the residents and the SHO, DLF Police Station, Mr Hari Kisan, the fire started from one of the huts and subsequently spread in the area due to the strong
winds. The fire spread fast also because of bursting of LPG cylinders. Almost all huts had a cylinder. According to the Sub-Fire Officer, the fire fighting operation was hindered due to periodic bursting of LPG cylinders. According to one resident the population of the cluster of huts was about 5000. The incident has opened a can of worms for the DLF management, the floater of DLF City, and the district authorities. Residents of DLF City allege that they have often complained against the coming up of jhuggi clusters in various parts of the area to various authorities, including the DLF Managment, but to no avail. The DLF management, however, put the blame on the district administration. The
distinct police had nabbed seven Bangladeshis near Bristol Hotel, which is located near the site of the tragedy, more than a month ago. Also, about half a dozen Bangladeshis, including females, had been nabbed by Gurgaon-Delhi police for various crimes. |
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Confusion marks move to close down schools in houses
Faridabad, April 11 The parents associations have asked the state government to get the Education Rules-2003 implemented properly and ensure that all affected students were able to get admission in other schools without any harassment and exploitation. Notices had been served by the district education officials to these institutions after the recent order of the High Court to get the schools functioning from residential buildings closed. The last date for taking action in this regard is reported to be April 30. A majority of the schools to which notices have been issued have been unrecognised. Several thousand students were studying in these schools. Owners and associations of such schools have been claiming that the closure of their institutions would mean that a large number of students would have no school to go to as a majority of the students belonged to
economically weaker section and were unable to get admission in known and recognised schools. A delegation of the body representing such schools had recently met top authorities of the Haryana Government in this regard. The authorities had reportedly assured the delegation to look into the various clauses of the Educational Rules- 2003 again and had agreed to delay the implementation of the Rules by one more year. However, on other hand the district education officials seem to be helpless in the matter in view of the court’s order and have already initiated action against such schools. A division Bench of the High Court, in its order delivered on March 1, 2005, had asked for action against private schools operating from residential buildings. This decision had come after a petition filed by a private school in 1997 that the official order regarding evacuation from a residential building should be quashed as the school was recognised by the Haryana Education Department. This had led to a survey which revealed that over 550 schools were functioning from residential buildings in Faridabad alone, while the number of such schools in the state could be in more than 5000. The authorities here have issued notices to over 500 schools so far leading to confusion. While the parents of the affected students seem to be worried about the admission of their wards in new schools, the owners of such schools have started approaching political leaders. Representatives of such schools met atleast three MLAs of the district recently with a plea to intervene in the matter. The Haryana Abhibhawak Ekta Manch, on other hand, has welcomed the move to close down such institutions, but has demanded that the authorities should ensure that the affected students and parents were not harassed and that career of no student was jeopardised due to this move. According to Mr Kailash Sharma, General
Secretary of the manch, some of the schools were
allegedly harassing the parents in the matter of providing Transfer Certificates and at the time of new admissions. He said the parents who had deposited admission fee already should either be given a refund or should be exempted from paying the same fee in the new school. He said schools should also honour the condition of providing free education to poor students. |
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Hospital sans doctors
Sirsa, April 11 A visit to the hospital revealed that there was no doctor in the Eye, ENT and Orthopaedic Departments. According to sources, the shortage of doctors has been existing for the past six months. They say during the previous INLD regime, some doctors were transferred to far-off places for having an association with a Congress leader. The sources say there is no ophthalmologist in any of the government hospitals and the health centres in the district. “We are forced to attend to the patients of other departments,” said a senior doctor. Inability of the health authorities in appointing doctors has forced patients to approach private practitioners. “Whenever we visited the hospital we were told to go to the private clinics,” said a middle-aged man whose son had a fracture in his leg. The sources say despite repeated messages to the authorities nothing has been done. The shortage of doctors also affected the emergency services.
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Repoll held peacefully
Panchkula, April 11 The repoll was ordered after violence in the village late on Saturday evening, after the election results were declared. Gurmeet Kaur was declared elected with a margin of 15 votes over her rival Ranjit Kaur after a recount. Earlier, Ranjit Kaur was declared the winner with a margin of three votes. This provoked the villagers who had roughed up the staff on election duty. Some of them snatched a ballot box and set it on fire. The counting of votes for the Block Samitis and the Zila Parishad will be held tomorrow. Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer, Mr Brijendra Singh, today appointed the Returning Officers for the four blocks in the district. Mr Devinder Kaushik, SDM, Kalka has been appointed Returning Officer for the Pinjore block, Mr Ved Prakash, Divisional Forest Officer, Morni for the Morni block, Ms Vandana Disodia, City Magistrate, for the Barwala block and Mr O.P. Sharma, Estate Officer, Panchkula for the Raipur Rani block. The results of the Zila Parishad elections will be declared by Mr Brijendra Singh and Mr Virendra Dahiya, SDM, Panchkula.
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Campaigning picks
up for MC Ambala Sadar poll
Ambala, April 11 Candidates in the fray in different wards are making all out efforts to woo the electorate. The stress is on door-to-door campaigning. Corner meetings are also being held in the evenings. There is a four-cornered contest in Ambala Sadar. The contest is between Congress supported candidates, the BJP and local organisations like the Vikas Parishad and the Sangharsh Vahini. While the Vikas Parishad is led by former Ambala Cantonment MLA Anil Vij, the Sangharsh Vahini is led by former leader of the Congress in the MC Ambala Sadar Hira Lal Yadav. The Congress supported candidates and the Sangharsh Vahini are contesting from all 31 wards. While the BJP candidates are contesting from 23 wards, the Sangharsh Vahini is contesting from 16 wards. An effort was made to strike an alliance between the BJP and the Sangharsh Vahini. However, the effort fell through over seat distribution. A close contest is expected between the candidates of different political parties. It is believed that the narrow victory margin in the Assembly election is a reflection that a tough fight is on the cards. Candidates are seeking votes on a host of local issues, A main concern of voters is the issue of floods. People want that an effective arrangement be done to ensure that Ambala Cantonment does not face the fury of floods. Issues include good roads and streetlights. People want that there should be proper garbage disposal and the municipal council should lay an effective sewerage. |
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Officials make short shrift of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan
Chandigarh, April 11 Under the SSA, Rs 230 crore was available for spending under various schemes during the last financial year. But only about Rs 100 crore of the money was spent by the time the financial year came to a close on March 31. The unspent funds were surrendered to the Government of India, which provides 75 per cent of the funds earmarked for the SSA project. The SSA is a universal education programme and its objective is to provide education up to Class VIII to all children. The programme is supposed to cover students already enrolled in schools as well as those who have never got enrolled or dropped out for various reasons. For the second category of students (“out-of-school students”), Rs 33 crore was earmarked. However, barely Rs 1 crore out of the Rs 33 crore was spent on such children, who almost invariably come from the most impoverished sections. For the “out-of-school” students, there are two schemes under the SSA: the Education Guarantee Scheme
(EGS) and the Alternative or Innovative Education Programme (AIEP). While the first scheme envisages keeping children on the school premises for at least four hours on every working day and providing them with books as well as toys, etc, the second scheme is to make residential arrangements for children who have not been attending school so far. There are an estimated three lakh such children in Haryana. Under the SSA project, there should be 12,000 EGS or AIEP centres in the state for them — each centre catering to the needs of 25 children. However, the number of such centres in the state at present is learnt to be 1,000 only. Crores of rupees that could have been spent on setting up new centres have been returned unspent. Community mobilisation to create public awareness about the need for universal education is another area which was neglected by those manning the SSA project. A sum of Rs 33 lakh was earmarked for this purpose, but not even 10 per cent of the money was spent. Under the SSA, Rs 23 crore is available for supplying textbooks to students free of cost. This fund, too, remained unutilised. Now the students will have to wait till the end of the summer vacation to get their free textbooks. |
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Karnal fire brigade ill-equipped
Karnal, April 11 Consequently, farmers have to rely on traditional methods of extinguishing the fire. Crops worth crores had already been gutted throughout the district during the past one week. With crops ready for harvest there was no dearth of combustible material. Farmers are on high alert as a minor fire could cause a large-scale damage. There is one fire tender each at Indri, Nissing, Nilokheri and Assandh. The department finds itself ill-equipped in such situations especially in rural areas. The geographical spread of the district is such that the reaction time is greatly expanded. A fire that broke out at Dadupur village near Jundla on Friday resulted in hush loss. By the time the fire tender arrived from Karnal all that was left for farmers to toil was turned into smoldering heap. The farmers are of the view that tremendous loss could have been arrested had fire tenders arrived in time. On the other hand, officials of the department said the fire tender at the district headquarters was more than 13 years old and its efficiency had undoubtedly decreased. A couple of years ago, the local officials had written to the state headquarters at Chandigarh to increase the fleet of fire tenders but the request remained unheard. Sources in the department said when the standing wheat crop caught fire due to power lines passing over the fields at Darar village. the fire tender from Karnal reached immediately but its pressure tank blasted-off. Then, the only fire tender available at Nilokheri was called at the district headquarters as the fire tender at Karnal had been sent to Ambala for repair. |
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3-day remand for official in foodgrain scam
Panipat, April 11 Goyat was arrested by a team of the Panipat police, led by the DSP (City), Mr Shiv Dayal, last evening. Assistant Food and Supplies Officer Bhoop Singh and Inspector Ashok Bajaj were arrested on April 4. Both are now in judicial custody till April 23. An FIR against Bhoop Singh, Ashok Bajaj and inspector Ajit Singh was registered in the Model Town police division under Sections 420, 120-B, 166 and 167 of the IPC on November 26. Meanwhile, sources in the police said more arrests were likely as Bhoop Singh and Ashok Bajaj revealed that the stolen foodgrain was sold in New Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana. The foodgrain was stolen from a department godown situated in Panipat. |
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Govt agencies to purchase
mustard
Rohtak, April 11 A press release issued in this connection said farmers from nearby districts had been coming to the centres in the district leading to overcrowding and delay in procurements. The farmers who bring their crop would have to produce revenue papers of their land with them to be allowed to enter the town. The police posts at the district borders would allow only Rohtak farmers to proceed to the purchase centres. A purchase centre had been set up at Sampla, near here, also. Farmers of that area have been advised to take their produce there. The procurement would continue till May 15 at the MSP of Rs 1,700 per quintal, it was added. |
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Employee of Kanya Gurukul murdered
Sonepat, April 11 According to police sources, Mr Sharma was attacked with blades by a few persons while he was on his way to the fields. He sustained multiple injuries on his body. Mr Sharma was admitted to a private hospital from where he was shifted to the PGIMS, Rohtak, for further treatment. He, however, succumbed to injuries on way to the PGIMS. Mr Sharma had last night attended a party given by the newly-elected Sarpanch of the village. He was found lying injured in the fields this morning. A murder case has been registered and further investigations are on. Meanwhile, in another incident, Ms Urmila Siwach, wife of Mr Ram Phal Siwach, a Congress leader of Gohana, was shot at by some persons on Saturday evening. She was going to a book shop near the Devi Lal Chowk for purchasing text-books for her sons. When she reached near the shop a shot was fired from inside. Ms Siwach was rushed to the community health centre from where she was referred to the PGIMS for further treatment. Mr Ram Phal Siwach demanded the immediate arrest of the culprit and suspension of the licence of the gun shop owner. The Gohana police has registered a case against the unknown assistant under Section 307 of the IPC for causing bullet injuries to Ms
Siwach. |
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Woman robbed of Rs 2 lakh
Jind, April 11 According to reports received here, Kavita of Budhakhera Lathar village, along with her brother-in-law Anil, came to Jind and, after withdrawing Rs 2 lakh from a bank, went back to the village in a three-wheeler. Anil reportedly got down at Julana and Kavita alone reached the village. When Kavita was going to her house on foot, the robbers intercepted her and snatched money bag from her. They fled on their motor cycles after the robbery. Kavita raised the alarm but no body was there to help her. After receiving information about the incident the SHO of Julana police station reached the village along with police force, but the robbers could not be traced. |
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SA Jain college annual convocation
Ambala, April 11 Degrees were awarded to 475 students. Speaking at the function, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr JP Kaushik, said the college is one of the oldest colleges of Ambala. He opined that the education system started by the Britishers was capable of only producing clerks in offices. He said after Independence a large number of medical and engineering colleges have been opened but there was a need for qualitative improvement. College Principal, Mr SP Singh, spoke about various achievements of the college. He said the college would offer MSc maths and DPEd courses in the near future. |
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Minister campaigns for Congress MC candidates
Ambala, April 11 While addressing a meeting in Ward No. 21 in support of Mr Inder Pal Singh Pammi, he said the promises made during the Assembly election would be fulfilled soon. He assured that the problems of drainage, sewerage and drinking water would be solved on the priority basis. He asked the people to give full majority to Congress for all round development of the city. He also addressed several meetings in support of Congress candidates Ms Satnam Kaur, Mr Bhupinder Singh Bhani, Ms Nirmala Gulati, Mr Pawan Aggarwal, Mr Ajay Saini, Mr Bharat Rattan, Ms Sunita Dhiman, Ms Vimla Gurdev, Mr Satish Kumar, Mr Brij Lal, Mr Daljit Singh Goga, Ms Vinod Bala Chadda, Ms Dilip Kaur, Ms Amarjit Kaur Sodhi and Mr Vikram Tanwar. Talking to mediapersons, he said he would do his best to make the city industrial forward so that the unemployed youths could get the jobs. He said the city was ignored during the regime of former government, but now it would get its full share in development works. On the performance of the state government, he said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was doing every effort to end corruption and terror from the state. He said the Chief Minister would set an example of a model government. The media-in-charge of Ambala Congress, Mr Dilip Chavla Bittu and senior leaders of the party, including Mr Dharmpal Chadda, Mr Dharmpal Kalia, Mr Harish Shasan and Mr Rajan Guglani, were also present on the occasion. |
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Shop burgled
Ambala, April 11 Guru Nanak Saree owner told the police that robbers had decamped with Rs 4.70 lakh. He claimed that besides cash, robbers had also taken away cloth from his shop. The exact loss is being assessed.
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