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Hooda govt under fire over power crisis
Deepender Hooda launches soil health drive
Dalits’ uplift on govt agenda, says Hooda
Dance drama portrays subtleties of Mahabharata
Fire in factory during Vigilance raid
Northern states want power at |
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Netaji’s daughter to visit Charkhi Dadri
NCR region ‘most suitable’ for defence academy
RPI sees chance in next Cabinet expansion
Raasleela kindles devotional fervour
Teachers hold protest outside Mullana’s house
30 youths booked in criminal case
HDDC to augment processing facility
Govt neglecting Ambala: Kataria
Chandigarh, Kurukshetra teams winners
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Hooda govt under fire over power crisis
Hisar, December 10 Castigating Mr Hooda for the “blackout-like” situation, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has accused him of misleading people on the issue. Addressing a news conference here today, a senior INLD leader and former Haryana Finance Minister, Prof Sampat Singh, maintained that the Hooda regime had failed in ensuring proper water and electricity supply. “The power transmission system is shaky and it seems that things are going to worsen in future,” Prof Sampat Singh said, adding that the state government had not even been able to decide its priorities as yet. The former minister further alleged that large-scale irregularities in the procurement of paddy and cotton had come to light, which exposed the “anti-farmer” face of the government. “In all, no well-defined policy seems to be in place on any issue, be it recruitment of teachers or completion of SYL canal,” the senior INLD leader asserted. He observed that the state Cabinet members, including the Chief Minister, were more concerned about pleasing the party’s Central leadership than focusing on redressing the grievances of the people of Haryana. On the other hand, resentment prevails among residents of the city as well as nearby villages over the acute and unprecedented crisis of electricity even in this part of the year. Residents of Dabra and Mirkaan villages in the district have even threatened to block vehicular traffic on the Hisar-Tosham road in case no effective steps were taken by December 13. |
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Deepender Hooda launches soil health drive
Rohtak, December 10 He said this was the first-ever campaign in the country to improve soil health on a statewide scale. Expressing concern over excessive and needless use of chemical fertilisers, he said the trend was playing havoc with soil productivity and lakhs of acres had been turned into barren tracts. Mr Hooda urged farmers to use such fertilisers only after proper testing of soil. Incidentally, the campaign would help farmers identify the type of fertilisers required for particular areas. This would eliminate excessive and needless application of chemical fertilisers which, in turn, had raised the cost of agricultural production. The young MP also distributed soil health cards to representatives of various panchayats of this district. He also inaugurated a soil and water-testing laboratory established in the office of the Deputy Director of Agriculture here. The Director of Agriculture, Mr Rajesh Khullar, said experts would test the soil samples free of cost and based on the results, panchayats would be informed of the type of fertilisers required for various land tracts in their jurisdiction. Later, addressing members of the District Bar Association, Mr Hooda said the government was working overtime to commission new power-generation units to end the chronic power-shortage. He said the state depended on the northern grid for its power supply and any disturbance in the grid threw the distribution system out of gear. Mr Hooda said the state hoped to boost its power generation by 5000 MW in the next three years to end the scarcity. He announced a grant of Rs 2.51 lakh for the construction of the bar's library. Mr Hooda also laid the foundation stones of two boosting stations to be built at a cost of Rs 2 crore here to augment supply of drinking water in the town.
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Dalits’ uplift on govt agenda, says Hooda
Chandigarh, December 10 The state government had, earlier, suffered a setback when violence broke out at Gohana and houses belonging to the Dalits were set on fire by an upper caste mob who were infuriated by the murder of a youth allegedly by some Dalit ruffians. But, since then the state government has been trying hard to erase the memory of the Gohana incident from the minds of the victims and the Dalit masses at large. What takes the cake as far as the government initiative on the front of empowerment of Dalits is concerned was the Chief Minister’s announcement at Panipat on the occasion of death anniversary of Ambedkar on December 6. Mr Hooda announced at Panipat, which is not far from Gohana, that the 85th Amendment of the Constitution paving way for accelerated promotion of Dalit employees will be adopted by the Haryana Government. Normally such an announcement is made by politicians on the eve of elections to woo the voters. But in this case, the announcement came within 10 months of a new government taking over. Mr Karamvir Singh, president of the Confederation of SC, ST and BC Organisations, Haryana, said he was indebted to the Chief Minister for the announcement. It would fulfil a long-standing demand of the organisation, he said. The Social Empowerment and Justice Department, which was only going through the motions during the previous regime, has started breathing a new life as a result of the state government’s focus on the underprivileged. Headed by the Secretary, Mr Dalip Singh, the department has formulated a number of schemes all of which has been okayed by the CM with promptitude. Some of the important new schemes floated by the department include giving 200 persons belonging to Dalit communities a soft loan of Rs 5 lakh each every year for purchasing agricultural land, reduction of interest on loan given by the Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation to 5 per cent from 6 per cent and increasing the
house building loans given to Dalits to Rs 25,000 from the existing Rs 10,000. The budgetary support for welfare of Dalits and backward classes has gone up to Rs 30 crore this year from the Rs 17 crore allocated in 2004-05. |
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Dance drama portrays subtleties of Mahabharata
Kurukshetra, December 10 The programme was inaugurated by the Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Urban Development, Mr N. Bala Bhaskar, by lighting the traditional lamp on the bank of the Brahmsarovar here today. Dr Neelam Verma, a consultant physician and cardiologist by profession, has a multifaceted personality. A disciple of Pt Birju Maharaj, she is an expert in the traditional ‘sutradhar’ style of Kathak. The dance drama “Uttistha Bharata”, depicted the scene when before the commencement of the Mahabharata in Kurukshetra, Arjuna was standing between the armies of the Kaurvas and the Pandvas. Despite being the greatest archer and ace warrior of his times, Arjuna was full of grief and sorrow on seeing his relatives on both sides. At such a crucial moment, he sought guidance from Lord Krishna who was his charioteer and friend. Lord Krishna dispelled the dilemma of Arjuna by giving him the divine message of the Gita. The divine conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna was portrayed in an aesthetic and enchanting form. The composition reached its dramatic climax in the exposition of “kaalroop”. Arjuna was very surprised to see the “viratroop” of Lord Krishna during the battle. The dance drama followed the Kathak style in Sutaradhar traditions, where characters play multiple roles while narrating the story. Dr Neelam tactfully played both roles, including compassionate Krishna and as well as role of the grieving Arjuna. There was a unique combination of various artistic inputs and flowing synchronisation between poetry, music, singing, narration, choreography, dramatic swings, special effects, illustrations and animations. On the occasion, the Commissioner, Ambala, Division, Dr Mahabir Singh, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr T.K. Sharma, the SP, Mr Sanjay Kumar, the CEO, Kurukshetra Development Board, Ms Renu Phuliya, were also present.
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Fire in factory during Vigilance raid
Panipat, December 10 Talking to TNS from Karnal, the Xen (Vigilance), UHBVN, Mr Naresh
Sardana, rubbished charges against the Vigilance team. He said the factory owner was involved in power theft and had been fined. Though he admitted that fire broke out during the raid, he said the team was not involved in any foul play. He said the raid was conducted following confirmed reports of power theft and the entire process had been recorded. He said the UHBVN had sufficient proof against the factory, which was withdrawing power illegally. A fine of Rs 12.20 lakh has been imposed on Sharma and a case has been registered for illegally confining the vigilance officials. However, Sharma claimed that the team raided the factory premises and after a verbal duel caused heavy damage to his factory. He claimed that he was using power generators; thus the question of power theft did not arise. The DSP, Mr Varinder Kumar Vij, visited the spot after the Vigilance Department reported the matter to him. He said he had reported the matter to the higher authorities and a team of forensic experts from Madhuban would inspect the spot to assess the cause of the fire.
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Northern states want power at reasonable rates
Gurgaon, December 10 In a seminar — “Problems of power-deficit states, relative merits and demerits of bidding and cost-plus formula” — organised here today by the Haryana Power Corporation, representatives of power ministries and power utilities from various states expressed the need for an amendment to the Central
Electricity Act, 2003, so as to regulate the “arbitrary” price fixation of power by the power generators (read surplus states), especially from the eastern region. The overwhelming opinion in the seminar was that the Act was reformative in nature, but the present scenario, where many states were power-deficit, called for a rethink on the entire issue till a level playing field was ensured and power generation was at an acceptable level in the country. The seminar, presided over by the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand, Mr
P.P. Sharma, was attended by the representatives from Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Chhatisgarh and Maharashtra. The Financial Commissioner and
Principal Secretary, Power, Haryana, Mr R.N. Prasher, said all northern states, along with Maharashtra, Gujarat and some other states, were united on the demand for regulating the selling price of power by the surplus states as well as putting a check on the trading companies in the business. The participants in the seminar also decided to increase the communication and cooperation level among themselves. Some of the participating states were power-surplus at some point of time in a year while deficit at other times. The period of peaks and troughs could be shared in mutual interest, they felt. Mr Prasher revealed that the state of Jharkahand had offered Haryana to set up a thermal power project of 1,000 MW capacity in the state (Jharkhand) in a tripartite joint venture with equities from the two states as well as a private party. A delegation from Haryana would soon visit Jharkhand to study the
feasibility on the proposal. |
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Netaji’s daughter to visit Charkhi Dadri
Bhiwani, December 10 This was disclosed by Mr Ram Kishan Gupta, former MP and former president of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, during a press conference held at the Baya tourist complex here today. Mr Gupta said he had talked to Ms Bose over telephone and she readily gave her consent to lay the stone of the museum, to be constructed by Mr Gupta. The museum would be same as the one in Kolkata, he said. Belongings of Netaji and his valuable articles would be kept in the museum hall, said Mr Gupta, who has opened 14 educational institutions in Charkhi Dadri. He urged the Central and state governments to declare a public holiday on the birthday of the great leader. Mr Gupta further disclosed that he had been associated with Netaji for a long period and knew him closely. He had met Habib-ur
Rahman, a loyalist of Netaji who accompanied him to Germany, said Mr Gupta adding that Rahman too did not reveal the cause of death or his whereabouts. He said the report of the commission, established to know the cause of the death of Netaji, should be made public. He said he would demand the disclosure of the commission’s report and would also seek help of Ms Bose in this connection. “I have always been fighting for the truth in my life and will fight for this truth also,” he stressed. Mr Gupta disclosed that he had gone to Berlin in 1957 and met the wife of Netaji. A few months back, he wrote a letter to Ms Bose and expressed his wish to set up a museum hall in the memory of Netaji and she gave her consent to attend the programme. Her husband would also be coming along, he added. |
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NCR region ‘most suitable’ for defence academy
Rewari, December 10 Mr Naresh Chauhan, general secretary of the RSS, said that Haryanvis constituted one-fourth of the total strength of the armed forces of the country. There was an abundance of ex-servicemen as well as serving soldiers in south Haryana in Rewari,
Mahendergarh, Jhajjar and Gurgaon districts, which is popularly known as a great nursery of soldiers. Besides the number of martyrs war-widows in Haryana was far greater than those in Punjab or other states of the country. Defence experts as well as relevant survey reports had made it known that the NCR region adjoining Delhi was the most suitable site for the setting up of a defence academy, Mr Chauhan pointed out adding that the Haryana government had already made a solemn offer to the Ministry of Defence to provide necessary funds as well as land for the setting up of a defence academy here. |
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RPI sees chance in next Cabinet expansion
Bhiwani, December 10 He said Dulina, Jhajjar and Gohana episodes had tarnished the image of Haryana in the country, so the government should make an act for the safety of Dalits. He said a delegation of the RPI would soon meet the Chief Minister in connection with the atrocities against the Dalits. In reply to a question about the representation of the RPI in the Central Cabinet, Mr Athwale said the coalition government of Maharashtra was ruling with the cooperation of the RPI. The RPI got 22 seats in Maharashtra. He said the RPI never got representation in any Cabinet after Nehru and today people were demanding this. He said he had talked to the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, in this connection recently. |
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Raasleela kindles devotional fervour
Kurukshetra, December 10 The spiritual dimensions of Lord Krishna, depicted in a number of scenes included Lord Krishna’s initiative to act as a bridge between the Pandvas and the Kaurvas. The Raas Leela showed how the Kaurvas preferred to have the Lord’s army with them instead of Lord Krishna. But the Pandvas were satisfied with Lord Krishna alone. The audience of the Raas Leela was in a devotional state of mind. They offered flowers and money to the artistes who were symbolising Lord Krishna and Radha. The colourful
light-and-megasound system added a new dimension to the Raas Leela. With the use of new musical instruments, the Leela appeared to be a unique combination of the old and modern culture. |
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Teachers hold protest outside Mullana’s house
Ambala, December 10 The demonstrators said the teachers in the state were involved in non-educational works, which kept them away from schools for months and it compromised the future of the students. They claimed there were irregularities in the Education Department. They said if the Haryana Government was really keen to improve the level of education, it must consult representatives of teachers, officials and intellectuals. Under the process of rationalisation, the government was trying to make 3600 head teachers surplus, they added. In the rural areas there were no opportunities for a student to opt for either science or commerce. They said although Mr Mullana had been stating that the vacant posts of teachers would be filled, no steps had been taken till date in this regard. |
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30 youths booked in criminal case
Ambala, December 10 Later, Mr Verma lodged a complaint with the city police alleging that the owner of the house wanted him to vacate the house and the matter was pending in court. He said around 30 youths carrying lathies and sharp-edged weapons came there today and threatened him to vacate the house. He said the youths threw away their household goods on the road and forcibly took away their cash, jewellery and a mobile phone. He said in the complaint that the youths manhandled him and his family members. His younger brother Sandeep and two others sustained injuries and later were admitted to the local Civil Hospital. A senior police officer reached the spot. According to the police a criminal case has been registered against Amit, Ashu Malhotra, Bittu, Satpal, Satish and 25 others in this regard. No arrest has been made so for, a police officer said.
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HDDC to augment processing facility
Rohtak, December 10 The plant at present, can process two lakh litres of milk per day. After the augmentation, it would process four lakh litres a day. Besides, the plant would manufacture 30 lakh tonnes of milk powder instead of five lakh tonnes at present. An official spokesperson said that this was being done to encourage unemployed youth in the area to take up dairy farming since the size of land holdings was shrinking rapidly and entire families could not depend on agriculture alone to make both ends meet. He said an extensive campaign would be launched to increase milk procurement from the district. |
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Govt neglecting Ambala: Kataria
Ambala, December 10 Mr Kataria said the residents of Ambala were hopeful that Mr Hooda would make an announcement for a special package for the development of Ambala, but nothing happened. He said the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Chander Mohan, Haryana ministers Mr Venod Sharma and Mr Phool Chand Mullana and the Union Minister Ms Kumari Selja, belonged to the Ambala parliamentary constituency, but the government was not paying attention to it. Mr Kataria said Mr Hooda’s statement about improving the quality of education was meaningless. He said some panchayats had locked up schools for lack of teachers and in many schools there was only one teacher for up to Class V. He said even though the government had been stating that teachers would be recruited, there was no recruitment of teachers.
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Chandigarh, Kurukshetra teams winners
Ambala, December 10 Mr Mullana said playing sports help build sportsman spirit, maintain fitness and achieve overall development. He announced a sum of Rs 21,000 for the organiser, United Basketball Club. In today’s matches, Kiloi Rohtak defeated Karnal, Chandigarh defeated Kol while Kurukshetra defeated Panipat. |
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Vikas Parishad
Ambala, December 10 Eight in charges were appointed to look after organisational work in different wards. Mr Anil Mittal will look after Ward 1 to 5, Mr Naresh Aggarwal Ward 6,7,8 and 19, 20, 21, Mr Lucky Singh Rana Ward 9 to 13, Mr Nand Lal Vohra Ward 14 to 18, Mr Ved Duggal Ward 22 to 26, while Dr Anil Longiya will look after Ward 27 to 30. In the Cantonment Board area, Mr Naval Goel will look after Ward 1 to 4, while Mr Ashok Sharma will look after Ward 5,6,7 in the Railway Colony.
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Medical representatives to hold strike
Ambala, December 10 Mr Sanjay Bhojgi, state president of the Haryana Medical and Sales Representatives Union, said the strike was being held to press for their various demands. He said the Central Government should control the price of medicines and declare sales promotional employee as industry.
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Tibetan refugees offer prayers
Ambala, December 10 Mr Sonam of the Bharat Tibet Sahyog Manch said they would further the peace initiatives undertaken by the Dalai Lama. He said the Tibetan refugees were keen on world peace. A programme was held at the Tibetan market in Ambala Sadar. |
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Labourer killed
Kumarhatti, December 10 Few bricks hit him on the head while he was removing base of the wall, said police. He was rushed to Civil Hospital, Nalagarh, but died on the way. A case under section 304 -A has been registered against unit owner. |
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