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Illegal mining, construction of embankments cause floods
Badal ‘misleading’ on separate body for state gurdwaras
Chautala for
expanding party base
Lance Naik Harjinder
Singh cremated
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Govt for transparency in allotment of chemist shops
Vigilance seeks criminal cases against 4 officers
Crime graph up in Karnal dist
Agonising wait ends after 5 months Leela Kanwar’s family waits for a
miracle
Rs 31.59 crore for Haryana’s
revised TB control plan
Project for utilising flood, rainwater demanded
Woman kills self, children
Bhatotia’s services lauded
Management of chest injuries
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Illegal mining, construction of embankments cause floods
Yamunanagar, July 10 The Haryana Irrigation Department has objected to the construction of embankments by the UP Government before the Central Water Commission (CWC). The matter has also been taken up with the UP Government. The department has also reported to the Haryana Government that illegal mining caused flooding in the villages of the Chhachhrouli block. Deep mining also damaged a bed bar near Mandewala village. Sources in the Irrigation Department said it had been mentioned in the report that Yamuna water got diverted towards Haryana due to illegal mining in the riverbed and the subsequent floods in four villages - Nawazpur, Lakad, Kanewala and Bhilpura of the Chhachhrouli block. The department has expressed concern that only 1.25 lakh cusecs of discharge in the Yamuna flooded the villages. The Irrigation Department for the past three years had been warning the mining department and the government that illegal mining in the riverbed might cause floods in the adjacent villages, said the sources. In March, 2004 the Chief Engineer, Irrigation, had also written to the government regarding the illegal mining, said the sources. It was only last month that the district administration banned all illegal mining in the area and also asked the contractors to remove heavy machinery from the area. The mining contract was auctioned for Rs 11-crore last year. In its report to the CWC (and also to the government), the Irrigation Department has mentioned that construction of embankments by the UP Government on its side was against the guidelines. The embankments are believed to be one of the reasons behind the flooding in the Radaur block. Earlier, the UP Government had proposed to raise three embankments along the river to save its villages from flooding but the Haryana Government objected to the proposal. The matter reached the CWC and the standing committee on the Yamuna asked the two governments to solve the matter amicably. The Chief Engineer, Haryana Irrigation Department, Mr R.K Garg along with officials yesterday visited the Mandewala bed bars and areas where UP Government had carried out constructions. When contacted Mr Garg said it appears the river had changed its course towards Haryana. He said illegal mining had also damaged a bed bar near Mandewala. Regarding the construction of embankments by the UP Government, he said the matter had been taken up with the UP Government and also with the CWC. |
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Badal ‘misleading’ on separate body for state gurdwaras
Sirsa, July 10 Mr Jhinda termed both as habitual liars. He blamed the duo for spreading rumours. He said their statements about Sikhs could not have a separate management body was frivolous. He said globally a number of committees and boards were managing the shrines competently. He said that Mr Badal had one-point agenda to put hurdles in the formation of the Sikh body in Haryana. He said that with the aim to misguiding the Sikh the two had started doling soaps in the forms of announcing educational institutions in Haryana. Elected member of the SGPC and secretary of the ad hoc HSGPC, Mr Didar Singh Nalvi said that constitution permits the Sikhs of Haryana to have a separate body to run gurdwaras. He said that Mr Badal had ill-intension on the formation of the Sikh body and made it as a closely guarded secret. He made it clear that the members of the HSGPC were determined to form it as full-fledged body and made it free from clutches of SAD leaders. He added that the members hoped that the Chatha Commission constituted by the Congress government would soon submit its report on the issue but made it clear that they would agree on it only if it worked positively for their constitutional right to have a management body. Sikh leaders of Haryana present said that Mr Badal was using the issue just to maintain his control over the Sikh shrines for political mileage. Sikhs in Haryana would have leave no stone unturned to get a Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee constituted and would agitate if the Congress failed on its fulfil the same the same, said president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna at a rally at Kalanwali town in Sirsa. |
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Chautala for
expanding party base
Fatehabad, July 10 Mr Chautala was presiding a meeting of the party workers of the district first time since he lost power. INLD MLAs Dr Sushil Indora and Mr Gian Chand Odh and former MLAs Mr Nishan Singh and Ms Swatantar Bala and district INLD women wing president Ms Krishana Poonia were also present on the occasion. Addressing the workers, Mr Chautala said his party lost the last Assembly elections due to certain mistakes committed by the party as well as his government. He said that as the head of the party, he had already owed responsibility for the defeat. He announced the commencement of district-level party meetings in state from next week and said another meeting of party workers would be held on July 20. The INLD chief said the first big rally of the party would be organised on the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Devi Lal on September 25. |
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Lance Naik Harjinder
Singh cremated
Ambala, July 10 A contingent of Army as well as police reversed their arms and the contingent fired in the air as a mark of respect to the martyr. L/Nk Harjinder Singh attained martyrdom while fighting terrorists in Poonch in J&K near the Line of Control. Army personnel engaged terrorists in a battle as they were trying to infiltrate. Naib Subedar Avtar Singh of Ropar, L/Nk Gurjaint Singh of Mansa and L/Nk Kuldeep Singh of Sangrur laid down their lives. Thereafter, when L/Nk Harjinder Singh went looking for hidden terrorist, he spotted a terrorist and opened fire. But, he sustained serious injuries in a grenade blast which led to his demise. L/Nk Harjinder Singh had joined the army in 1988. He had joined the 21 Sikh regiment. Subsequently, he was shifted to 13 Sikh Regiment. |
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Govt for transparency in allotment of chemist shops
Chandigarh, July 10
As such there was nothing wrong and objectionable in the policy, which aimed at providing quality medicines to patients at reasonable rates. Under the policy it was decided to allot chemist shops to voluntary and charitable organisations, which were supposed to run the shops at a specified rate of margin of profit. However, the implementation of the policy left much to be desired. Most of the shops were allotted to individuals enjoying political patronage instead of voluntary organisations. These individual allottees, in many cases, managed to corner more than one shop at more than one station, and further sublet the shops, defeating the very purpose of the policy. Since most of the allottees enjoyed the patronage of influential leaders of the then ruling party, the authorities had virtually no control over them. At many places even pharmacists were not employed by the allottees, which is mandatory under the law. According to informed sources, the government has now decided lay down stringent conditions for shortlisting the prospective allottees. A committee under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner of the district concerned will be formed. The shops will not be allotted on the basis of interviews of the candidates as this has a scope for favouritism. The shops will be allotted on the basis of a draw of lots held by the committee. The government has also fixed the margin of profit of the chemist shops to be opened on the premises of civil hospitals. It will be from 10 to 15 per cent. The sources feel that since the allottees will not be the favourites of politicians, the Health Department will have a better control over them. |
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Vigilance seeks criminal cases against 4 officers
Chandigarh, July 10 A spokesman of the Bureau said it also recommended the recovery of over Rs 75,000 and a registration of cases and initiation of departmental action against the defaulters. The Bureau had also recommended departmental action against six officers, 21 officials and three others in seven other inquiries conducted by it during the same period. He said the Revenue Wing of the Bureau had detected a case of leakage of revenue amounting to over Rs 1.09 crore. During the special checking of state roadways buses, 162 passengers were found travelling without tickets. A sum of Rs 17,700 was realised as penalty from the ticketless travellers. Five private vehicles were impounded and 22 were challaned. The Bureau also caught red-handed three officers and officials while accepting illegal gratification ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000. The officials were later convicted by different courts of law. |
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Crime graph up in Karnal dist
Karnal, July 10 According to an official document on crime available from the office of Mrs. Bharti Arora, Superintendent of Police as many as 1391 cases were registered under various sections of the IPC in the first six months of the current year as compared to 1,090 cases registered under various sections of the IPC during the corresponding period in 2004. Similarly, 999 cases were registered under various Acts, including the NDPS Act, the Excise Act, the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Essential Commodities Act, during the first six months of the current year as compared to 814 cases registered under these Acts during the corresponding period in 2004. As per the document the details of heinous crime are; 24 cases, during the first six months of the current year as compared to 23 cases in the year 2004. Similarly, under Section 376 of the IPC 21 cases, under Sections 363/366 of the IPC 12 cases, under Section 364/365 of the IPC, three cases, under Section 395 of the IPC three cases, under Section 392/394 of the IPC 14 cases, under Section 457/380 of the IPC 93 cases, under Section 379/380 of the IPC 303 cases, under Section 307 of the IPC 14 cases and under Section 354 of the IPC 22 cases were registered in the past six months. Seventeen six one, two 10, 72, 190, eight and 11 cases under the same Sections of the IPC were registered during the first six months of the previous year, respectively. More than 1,221 cases are
awaiting investigation at various police stations. |
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Agonising wait ends after 5 months Ambala, July 10 Hailing from Babyal village, Laxman Singh had joined the Border Road Organisation as a dozer driver in 1987. The incident had taken place on the world’s highest motorable pass, Khardung La. Laxman Singh’s brother, Shakti Singh, said that they received a call on February 19 at about 10 am. “We were informed that Shakti Singh had been missing since February 18. There was no further information,” he said. He said later they learnt that there had been heavy snowfall at Khardung La pass.”Following the snowfall, three dozers were directed to clear the snow. The dozer being driven by Laxman Singh was in the centre while the other two were at the other ends. There were two other persons alongwith Laxman Singh,” he said. Shakti Singh said that even as Laxman Singh was clearing the snow with his dozer, there was an avalanche. “Laxman Singh, his two colleagues and the dozer came under the avalanche. The force of the avalanche was such that men and the machine were completely entombed in ice,” he said. He said that while one body was recovered the next day, Laxman Singh and another person’s body could not be traced. “We used to regularly call them up in Ladakh but there was no information about Laxman Singh,” he said. On July 2, the family received a phone call that Laxman Singh’s body has been found. “We were told that Laxman Singh’s body could be recovered after ice melted. The body was recovered from Khardung La top,” he said. “The body had remained entombed in ice for about five months,” he added. Thereafter, the family was asked to reach Chandigarh so that Laxman Singh’s body could be handed over to them. “We cremated Laxman Singh on July 4,” he said. The family members are upset that nobody from the district administration has even bothered to come over and meet them. “Except for Zila Parishad chairman, Mr Brahm Pal Rana who came for cremation, nobody else has visited us. It seems that we have been totally ignored by the district administration as well as the politicians,” a family member said. He lamented that when the family faced an uncertain period, no support was extended to the next of kin. “Laxman Singh died while doing his duty in inhospitable conditions. Yet his effort has gone unsung,” they said. Laxman Singh is survived by his wife Meena Rani, two sons Ajit and Rajat and daughter Alka.
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Leela Kanwar’s family waits for a
miracle (Himshikha) Pinjore, July 10 Forty
six-year-old Leela Kanwar, an Upper Divisional Clerk at Western
Command Headquarters, Chandimandir, was on her way to the office on
Tuesday morning, when she was washed away in a seasonal rivulet at
Chandimandir. This rivulet flows along the road, but because of
incessant rains the water had overflowed on to the road, and she drove
her scooter in the nullah. For the past five days now, the army
authorities as well as family members have been conducting search
operations in the nullah and in Ghaggar river (in which this nullah
merges at Bhankharpur in Punjab). Yesterday, too, the search was
carried on till Surat Manauli near Chhatbir by the Army authorities,
but in vain. As the days pass by, the family still clings on to the
hope that Leela Kanwar is alive. “She is a tough woman. She could
have been rescued by someone. She could be unconscious... and since
there were no identification papers on her person, the person who may
have rescued her, could not contact us...” says Mr Kanwar Pratap
Singh. Till the time her body is recovered, I cannot believe that she
is no more,” he says in a voice hoarse with emotion. The children,
too, are unable to accept that she could have died. Preeti, who is a
Class XII medical student at Government Senior Secondary School,
Sector 23, Chandigarh, and Digvijay, a Class X student at Army School,
Chandimandir, are in a state of shock. “ She should be alright,”
is all they say to console each other and their father. Preeti says
that on Tuesday, she had asked her mother not to go for work, as it
was raining heavily. “But she was devoted to her job and did not
want to take leave. Last year, too, she was the only employee in her
division to reach office in spite of the floods. She was appreciated
by her bosses for her consistency and regularity,” she says. Capt.
Baldev Singh (retd.), a close family friend of the Kanwars’ says
that the Army authorities have left no stone unturned to recover the
body. “ We, too, have been going to various villages, and requesting
the panchayat members to inform us in case she is found,” he says.
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Rs 31.59 crore for Haryana’s
revised TB control plan
Chandigarh, July 10 While stating this here today, the Haryana Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Health, Ms Urvashi Gulati, said the laboratory would maintain the quality of sputum microscopy and also be used for training laboratory technicians and senior treatment laboratory supervisors. She said 5,000 Directly Observed Treatment Centres were functioning covering 34,013 TB patients under the RNTCP. She said it had been decided to honour those community volunteers, private practitioners and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on the World TB Day which were doing a good job under the programme. |
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Project for utilising flood, rainwater demanded
Rewari, July 10 Addressing a press conference here yesterday, he flayed the state government for its “lackadaisical” approach towards the power consumers of south Haryana (who had all along been paying their electricity bills honestly and regularly) while waiving the Rs 1600-crore arrears of electricity bills of consumers of other parts, mostly Jat-dominated areas of the state who had defaulted in the payment of their electricity dues. He asserted that consumers of south Haryana be given at least 50 per cent subsidy for a period of five years in the payment of their electricity bills. |
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Woman kills self, children
Jind, July 10 According to a report, Sunita shut herself and her children in a room of the house and set herself and her children on fire after sprinkling kerosene. When the neighbours heard their screams and saw smoke from the room of the house, they broke open the door of the room and found burnt bodies of the victims and informed the police. A family dispute and poverty was said to be the cause behind the incident. Sunita’s husband Ramesh Kumar is unemployed and used to take liquor which often led to quarrel between the couple. |
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Bhatotia’s services lauded
Rewari, July 10 Haryana Irrigation and Revenue Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav lauded Bhatotia’s services to the state. Mr Jagmohan Singh Kang, Transport Minister also praise Mr Bhatotia. Swami Sharnanand, who presided over the function, said that if persons like Mr Bhatotia entered politics, it would be beneficial for the area. Legislators Mr Naresh Yadav (Ateli) and Mrs Shakuntala Bhagwaria (Bawal) also spoke. |
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Management of chest injuries
Ambala, July 10 Major General S.K. Kaul, Commandant of Command Hospital, Chandi Mandir, deliberated upon the complex procedures and advancement in the field of cardiac thoracic surgery. Brig P.R. Rao, consultant surgeon and Deputy Director of Medical Services, during his talk on autologous blood transfusion laid emphasis on transfusion of individual’s own blood and outlined the significance of this procedure in the era of AIDS as the safest way to avoid all possible infections transmitted through blood. |
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