The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Old syllabus for Class IX, XI to continue Shiv Sharma Bhiwani, May 11 The Haryana School Education Board has decided that the syllabus and books for Class IX and XI for this session will remain same as that of the last year. This is due to the fact that the NCERT has not sent CDs of the syllabus to the board. Board sources said today that in the case of Class IX the books included Hindi and social studies, while in the case of Class XI the books were of history, political science, sociology, commerce, accountancy, geography and Hindi. The distribution of board textbooks would be carried out directly by the schools and the registered booksellers. The booksellers will give 5 per cent discount to the students on the printed price of the books. The sources said the board had also decided that there would be two separate exams under the semester system, but the examination fee would be charged only for one examination. A decision to this effect was taken to avoid extra burden on the students. The board had earlier discontinued the system under which private candidates could appear for the board exam. Now, private candidates could appear under the Open School system and there would be no difference between the status of Open School students and the normal school students.
	Consumers may get power supply through open access Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 11 Consumers having a load of 1 mega watt and above in Haryana can now get their power supply from a power generator of their choice. Keeping in view the shortfall in power supply, Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) has now decided to allow these consumers to bring in power through Open Access now. Officials in HVPN said though they had earlier fixed October 1, 2006, for using Open Access Policy, they have now advanced it, to help the bulk consumers source their own power requirements, and help in the overall availability in the state to improve. It may be noted that in May, 2005, HVPN had notified the Open Access for the consumers in Haryana. The regulation provided that in the first phase, consumers having power demand of 15 MVA and above may use Open Access from October 1, 2006. In the second phase, consumers who have contract demand of 3 MVA and above could use Open Access from October 1, 2007, while those having a demand of 1 MVA be allowed to use this system of choosing the source for supplying power, from April1, 2008. Officials said that detailed guidelines had been placed on the website of HVPN (www.harayanaelectricity.com) for the open access users. They said this was a new beginning in the power sector in Haryana and large industrial and commercial consumers can now get quality and uninterrupted power supply. As an incentive towards promoting this scheme, the state power distribution companies have also waived off the open access charges.
	Ambala may have private power units Tribune News Service Ambala, May 11 Haryana Power Minister Venod Sharma said today that Ambala was one of the areas in Haryana where private companies were keen to set up power generation units. Mr Sharma said the private companies which have evinced interest in establishing power generation units include Tata, Jindal, Tayal and Wiseman. The state government was giving serious thought to the offer made by those companies. The companies which accepted the rules and regulations of the state government would be granted permission to start power generation. They were interested in setting up units in Yamuna Nagar, Ambala, Faridabad, Panipat and Kurukshetra. They wanted to set up gas-based units. The state government would verify that which company had adequate supply of gas, how much power it was going to generate. Mr Sharma said the state government was making efforts to increase production of power. In the next three years 5000 MW of additional power would be generated. He blamed the previous government for the present power crisis. He said a 600-MW coal-based power project was being setting up at Yamuna Nagar and work had been initiated at 1000-MW coal-based and 1065-MW gas-based projects in Faridabad. Also, an understanding had taken place for 1000-MW gas-based power supply between the Haryana Power Generation Corporation, Tata and Gail.
	HC quashes Haryana liquor vends’ allotment Our High Court Correspondent Chandigarh, May 11 In what may cause major embarrassment to the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Haryana Government, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today quashed the allotment of 993 liquor vends, allotment of which was made to some contractors allegedly close to the powers-that-be in an allegedly hush-hush manner on March 31. Today, after hearing counsel for various sides, the Division Bench of Mr Justice A.K. Goel and Mr Justice Rajesh Bindal held all such allotments as void and directed the government to make fresh allotment. However, the court allowed the present allottees to continue till May 31. Fresh allotments would be made after duly notifying the mode of allotment, quota, licence fee and other details. It would be for a period from June 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007. The Bench also ordered that in case no fresh application or offer is received for any of these vends by the specified date, the allotment already made on March 31 would continue. It also ruled that in case the fresh allotment is made to a person other than to whom the allotment was made on March 31, the new allottee would be entitled to refund of licence fee on proportionate basis. A number of petitions had been filed in the High Court, challenging the allotment of liquor vends to a select group of liquor contractors at throwaway prices. The petitioners had claimed that the allotment of vends of country liquor and Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) was against the excise policy as announced by the Haryana Government. In fact, during hearing, counsel for one of the petitioners had alleged in open court that the Hooda government had favoured a Sirsa-based liquor baron by allotting huge number of vends out-of-turn to him. The advocate, Mr Mohan Jain, counsel for petitioner Ram Chander, had also prayed that an inquiry be ordered to be conducted by the CBI to thoroughly investigate the largess to Mr Amrit Singla and his family, as companies owned by him and his family members in various names have been allotted hundreds of vends in various districts of Haryana. He alleged that the allotments were totally arbitrary, malafide and had been done for extraneous consideration. He claimed that by allotting a major portion out of the 993 vends to one family a price that was 40-60 per cent less than the original price, the government had gone against the premise of its own policy which said that each vend would be allotted by drawing lots. The petitioners had prayed for setting aside licences granted to the respondents, alleging that the number of vends was almost doubled only to give undue benefit to a select few. It had been stated that the Singla family has been granted licence to operate 119 IMFL vends in Fatehabad and Sirsa districts alone. Today's order comes as a sharp rebuff to the claims of the Hooda government of having ensured complete transparency in making liquor vends' allotments.
	Maintain quality, MLA tells contractors Tribune News Service Ambala, May 11 Development work, pace of which had slowed down in Ambala Sadar, is likely to pick up from tomorrow with contractors and Ambala Cantt MLA D.K. Bansal reaching some understanding at a meeting today. Work had slowed down following a Vigilance team had collected samples from different roads. It was then decided that payment to contractors would only be made after the samples were found to match the requisite quality. The contractors had been avoiding new contracts. Mr Bansal told the contractors today that quality of the development work must be maintained. He suggested that the contractors should work in consultation with the municipal councillor of the ward. He said a lack of quality would not be tolerated since it was the taxpayers’ money which was used for developing the city. The contractors demanded either cement should be provided at subsidised rates by the Municipal Council or their rates should be hiked.
	Roadways staff feel cheated as leaders squander stir gains Tribune News Service Hisar, May 11 The recent strike by the Haryana Roadways employees against the plying of Volvo buses has left the employees feeling cheated while the union leaders are adopting face saving tactics. The strike was called off after talks with the state authorities even though the main demand of stopping the Volvo bus service has not been met. The employees’ “chakka jam” caused a great deal of inconvenience to thousands of commuters, students and other people for several days, besides causing loss worth crores of rupees to the state exchequer. Still, no worthwhile gains could be attained for the employees in general. Since all three major staff unions affiliated to the Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh, Sarv Karamchari Sangh and INTUC had supported the strike call, the employees do not know whom to turn to at this hour. The so-called employee leaders are, however, patting their own backs after talks with the Chief Minister and Transport Minister. Though they are touting it as a victory, what they have actually got from the government is a mere assurance on action against the officials responsible for lathi-charge on the agitating employees and compensation for those injured. Even the cases registered against the protesting employees have not been taken back and they have just been released on bail. Though the entire episode had put considerable pressure on the state government, it did not agree to any of the major demands of the employees. According to sources, the union leaders bowed before the government after it was decided to invoke ESMA against the protesting employees. On being invited by the Chief Minister for talks, these “leaders” found a chance to justify ending the stir. However, though the Chief Minister’s dinner diplomacy proved to be successful in tiding over the crisis, the staff unions have lost the faith of employees, government as well as the common people.
	DCC chief’s resignation not accepted Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, May 11 The resignation, submitted by District Congress Committee (DCC) president Pawan Garg from the post of DCC presidentship here on April 20 last month, has been rejected by the party’s high command. DCC general secretary Laxmikant Sharma said here today in the letter received from the party high command, Mr Garg had been described as a hard working activists of the party. The party high command has appealed to Mr Garg to continue as DCC chief. After the resignation of Mr Garg, activists, in a unanimously passed a resolution, demanding rejection of Mr Garg’s resignation by the party high command, Mr Sharma added. Congress workers expressed gratitude towards the party high command for not accepting the resignation of Mr Garg.
	Ganda Nala a nuisance Tribune News Service Panipat, May 11 Ganda Nala, a channel of untreated water, passing through Sectors 11 and 12 of the town has become a nuisance for local residents. Foul smell from the flowing water causes inconvenience to the local community. A visit by this correspondent revealed poor planning on the part of the urban development authorities. Located on the western side parallel to the GT Road, HUDA developed urban estates but failed to implement any plan to get rid of the problem. The nala terminates at the treatment plant near Siwah village about 4 km from the sectors. Talking to TNS, some residents blamed the authorities for not listening to their woes, as the nala remained choked due to lack of maintenance. Mr Naresh Jain, a resident of Sector 12, said he had an impression that HUDA and development agencies would shift the nala but the authorities failed to take any action. Mr B.S. Aggarwal, a resident of Sector 11, said politicians visiting the area made promises but did not honour them. He said the waste water was a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies.
	Poll duty: police unsure of payment from 2 states Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 11 The counting of votes for the Assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu being over, it is now time for the Haryana Police personnel deployed in these two states on election duty to return home. The Haryana Police's top officers are, however, unsure whether the police force will receive the payments the two states owe Haryana for the deployment. At least in the case of West Bengal, the Haryana Police has reason to worry as far payments are concerned. Haryana Police personnel were earlier deployed in West Bengal back in 1970 when the state was reeling from the Naxalite uprising. But the payment of more than Rs 1.5 lakh — payable to Haryana by West Bengal for the deployment of the force for one full year — is still pending with the West Bengal Government. Be it election duty or deployment for some religious occasion, state governments apparently always show reluctance when it comes to paying the police force of another state. Four states, including West Bengal, owe Haryana over Rs 1 crore for the deployment of the Haryana Police in their territories on various occasions. The UP Government owes Haryana over Rs 13 lakh for election duties and other assignments performed by the Haryana Police in UP. Rajasthan owes Haryana over Rs 28 lakh for police deployment while in the case of Assam the amount payable to Haryana is a whopping Rs 59 lakh. Haryana Police personnel were deployed in the northeastern state in 1985 for one full year. Haryana is also yet to recover over Rs 9 lakh from the Uttaranchal Government for deployment in the Kumbh Mela in Hardwar in April, 1998. Although some of these arrears date back to 30 years or more, the police establishment here has not given up hope of recovering the payments. Sources said that Jammu and Kashmir , following persuasion, recently coughed up Rs 3.10 lakh it was supposed to pay to Haryana. Public sector oil corporations also owe the Haryana Police a hefty sum which is in fact much more than the combined debt of the four state governments mentioned earlier. The Bharat Petroleum Corporation, the IOC and the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation together owe the Haryana Police over Rs 6 crore for deployment on their premises.
	Do pranayam to keep fit, says Swami Ramdev Tribune News Service Karnal, May 11 Yoga guru Swami Ramdev asked people to do a set of seven pranayams, breathing exercises especially kapaal bhaati and anulom-vilom regularly to keep fit. He stated this at a week-long yoga camp, which started at Karan stadium today morning. Thousands of people, not only from Karnal and adjacent districts but also from some other states, attended the camp. The camp was scheduled to start at 5 am but people started coming earlier. “Young people between 25 and 35 should particularly remain free of diseases as during this age, if one suffers from any ailment, it may be transferred to the new-borns in the form of genetic diseases said Swami Ramdev. The organisers had installed two giant screens to ensure that those sitting far could also have a better view of the yogasanas and pranayam demonstrated by the Swami. Haryana Transport Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala, former Union Home Minister ID Swami, Assandh MLA Ms Rajrani Poonam, SP Sibash Kaviraj also attended the camp.
	Tax Dept realises Rs 85 lakh Sonepat, May 11 The Central Excise, Custom and Service Tax Department today claimed to have detected tax evasions of Rs 85 lakh as two more cases of Service Tax evasion in Sonepat was unearthed during special campaign. According to official sources, the department had checked the records of Satnam Overseas and Idea Mobile Communications Limited at Murthal and found that both firms had failed to pay service tax. The Idea Mobile Company had erected towers at different places without the government permission. The company had been receiving the Capital Goods Credit facility on the erected towers from the government and failed to pay Rs 75 lakh as Service Tax to the government exchequer, sources said. However, after the Department found the irregularity, the company paid the service tax along with the penalty to the government. While Satnam Overseas was found guilty of not paying service tax amounting to Rs 10 lakh for transporting goods. — PTI
	PWD staffer held for extortion Tribune News Service Hisar, May 11 Banwari Lal Sharma, an employee of the Public Works Department here, has been arrested by the police for extorting money in the name of a Deputy Superintendent of Police. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Dr Amit Aggarwal, told The Tribune here today that several complaints had been received at his office, in which local industrialists and businessmen had alleged that somebody demanded money from them in the name of senior police and administrative officials. “The amount demanded used to be so moderate that most of the persons preferred to give it to the caller,” the SDM said, adding that the practice had been continuing for the past several months. Today, on receiving a complaint in this regard, the SDM, with the help of ASP Rakesh Arya, laid a trap for the person who had called up the complainant and sought money in the name of a DSP. Sharma was thus arrested by the police and a case was registered against him. However, it is not clear whether the arrested person was behind all such recent incidents or some other person(s) are involved in the racket. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Arun Kumar Gupta, has appealed to all residents, including industrialists and businessmen, not to give any money to any person even in the name of charity, if it is demanded on behalf of some government official.
	Horticulture Officer held for graft Our Correspondent Bhiwani, May 11 The Haryana Vigilance Bureau caught red-handed Satish Kumar, District Horticulture Officer, Bhiwani, while accepting a bribe of Rs 1500. Stating this here today, a spokesman of the bureau said Satish Kumar was arrested when he was taking the bribe from Mr Ravinder, a resident of Asalwas village, district Bhiwani, for issuing the inspection report of onion crop. A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 7/13/49/88 of the IPC.
	Two motor cycles stolen Our Correspondent Rewari, May 11 A motor cycle (HR 26 D 4028 ), which belonged to Arvind Saini of Sector 1 here, was stolen from a school in Model Town here on Saturday night. In another incident, Harish Chand Yadav’s motor cycle (HR 36 F 1707) was stolen from Sajjan Colony here on Saturday night. The police has registered cases of theft.
	Haryana Health Minister injured in road accident Rahul Das Tribune News Service Ambala, May 11 Haryana Health Minister Kartar Devi and three others sustained injuries after her official car met with an accident on Jagadhari highway late this evening. Ms Kartar Devi, who has sustained an injury on her teeth, was administered first aid at the Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantt. The accident took place at about 8.50 pm near Khuda village. The Health Minister said she had sustained minor injuries in the accident. “There is nothing to worry. I am fine. There is an injury on my teeth as my face hit the front due to the sudden jerk,” she said. “The accident took place when a motorcycle suddenly appeared on the highway from an approach road. My car driver tried to avoid the motorcyclist and the incident took place,” the Minister added. Two persons, including the car driver, have also sustained injuries in the accident. The car rammed into a house located by the roadside. Beena Devi, who was in the toilet, sustained injuries after the toilet collapsed due to the impact of the accident. The Deputy Commissioner, Ambala, Mr J.P. Kaushik, and the SDM, Mr Mukesh Ahuja, rushed to the spot on learning about the accident. An alternative vehicle was arranged for Ms Kartar Devi so that she could go to Chandigarh. The Superintendent of Police, Ambala, Mr Amitabh Dhillon, said three persons, including Ms Kartar Devi, have sustained minor injuries in the accident. “There was some damage to the official car of Ms Kartar Devi. Immediate medical attention has been given to the injured,” he said. The relatives of Ms Beena Devi, resident of Khuda village, were upset over the alleged misbehaviour of a staff member of Ms Kartar Devi. Mr Sumer Chand, a relative of Ms Beena Devi, said the staff member began to argue with us. “He used foul language and was fighting with us even though we are the victims,” he said.
	Man dead, son hurt in mishap Tribune News Service Karnal, May 11 Mr Ramesh Chand of Beer Rehatkhana village was killed on the spot while his son Jai Pal received injuries when a tanker hit their tractor on the GT road near Takhana village in Taroari. While the body of the deceased was sent to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination, the injured was admitted to the hospital for his treatment. Meanwhile, the police lodged an FIR in this regard against the tanker driver.
	Investiture ceremony in DAV school Tribune News Service Surajpur, May 11 Students of DAV Senior Secondary Public School, Surajpur, yesterday celebrated investiture ceremony on the school premises here. A school cabinet was also formed and the duties were assigned to the outstanding students. During oath ceremony, students pledged to extend their co-operation in maintaining the discipline, besides upkeeping the school dignity. Winner students of various activities, including inter-house and inter-class were also given prizes on the occasion, said Mr R.P. Anand, Principal.