|
|
|
|
PGIMS unit needs care
Rohtak, September 6 As of now, only nine of the 42 sanctioned posts of superspecialist doctor are filled, with as many as seven superspeciality departments remaining without any doctor. Of the total of 14
superspeciality departments at the centre, four are being run by only one doctor Due to the shortage of trained staff and lack of requisite facilities and support from the authorities concerned, the centre has not been able to perform optimally ever since its inception. As of now, only nine of the 42 sanctioned posts of superspecialist doctors are filled, with as many as seven superspeciality departments remaining without any doctor. Of the total 14 super-specialty departments at the centre, four are being run by only one doctor. While there is no regular doctor in the departments of neurology, gastroenterology, nephrology, rheumatology, hematology, gastro-surgery and neurosurgery, the departments of cardiology, cardiac surgery, onco-surgery and burns and plastic surgery have one doctor and endocrinology, urology and pediatric surgery have two each. Due to the shortage of specialist doctors and paramedical staff coupled with the limited number of diagnostic equipment, a number of patients have to wait for long for surgeries and other
treatment. Inquiries reveal that there are some crucial issues that need to be addressed at the earliest. The most significant of these is the administrative control of the centre. At present, there is no participation of the superspecialist doctors in the PGIMS administration. There is also a feeling among the superspecialist doctors that the PGIMS administration, which comprises less qualified doctors as compared to them, does not understand their needs and requirements. As the doctors holding MD or MS degrees have remained on the key administrative positions so far, they perhaps see the superspecialists holding higher qualifications as a threat to their authority. In the given circumstances, most senior medical professors feel that ensuring due share for the superspecialist doctors in the administration is the need of the hour. Or still better, the centre can have an independent identity as an autonomous body. This has already been done in various reputed institutions across the country. With preparations for setting up a medical university at Rohtak in full swing, it is high time for a move to resuscitate the superspecialty centre of the PGIMS in the larger interest.
|
||
|
The girl who did not come home
Fatehabad, September 6 When Phillippe Tretiack, a French journalist working for Elle, an international fashion magazine, came to India in search of inputs for his story on foeticide, he chose Haryana as a perfect destination. He was accompanied by their medical coordinator for the area G.L. Singhal, assistant state drugs controller, Haryana, who has worked on the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Test (PNDT) Act. The journalist visited several villages of the state to assess the situation arising out of the killing of girl children in the womb. His article “Le foeticide des filles en Inde, des femmes en voie de disparition” was published in the French edition of the magazine. The article, translated into English by Mrinalini Harchandrai for the August issue of Elle, is titled, “She didn't come home”. From his experience, Tretiack finds, “It is dreadful. The widespread availability of technology like ultrasound has made the identification of the sex of a child easy. Only this year, due to rampant abortions nearly 500,000 girls will not be born in India”. The journalist portrays a vivid picture of how sex determination tests were being made available on the doorstep in Haryana. He comes across one such ambulance, which he finds more like a hearse. Week after week, it moves from village to village, jostling through dusty roads. He discovers that a whole fleet of these rusty vans, capped with illegal beacons, can be found trawling through various regions. He also finds another such vehicle, an Armada, which comes right on one’s doorstep and indulges in an illegal but very lucrative activity. Ultrasound followed by abortions. This is what comes as a package deal. The journalist also mentions having seen advertisements on display in buses and train with a message “spend Rs 5,000 today to save Rs 500,000 tomorrow” and says the message is far from ambiguous. He explains that in a society where a family looks upon the first daughter as a scourge, second as a tragedy and third as a ruin, taking recourse to these misplaced doctors, whom he describes as, “conductors of premeditated massacre”, is easily explainable. Village after village Phillippe witnessed men between 25-45 years of age, all bachelors, glued to their card game. The French finds that these bachelors belonging to the Jat community are landowners, but over the generations their lands have been successively divided, considerably melting down their inheritance. He calls them a syndicate of bachelors who ask him laughingly, “Can you get us women from Vietnam, Russia or from anywhere else?” Earlier, French author Benedicte Manier, too, visited the state for the inputs of her book, “quand les femmes auront disparu”, published in French. Though the English translation of her work is not available, she also expressed concern over the situation after interacting with a wide variety of people.
|
|
Home of folk art is homeless
Gurgaon, September 6 It is the irony for the people of our country that even though we have incomparable treasure of objects of art and culture, most of these have been brought to light by art historians, critics and scholars of the West. No wonder we lost most of our wealth of folk and tribal arts on account of indiscriminate vandalism, rapid industrialisation and decay. In fact, until recently they were not regarded as art objects, but simply dismissed as crafts or articles of daily use. Home of folk art, a museum in Urban Estate,
Gurgaon, is the brainchild of K.C. Aryan, a renowned artist, who raised his voice for saving the neglected artistic heritage objects, but in vain. As his contribution in this field, he set up this museum in 1984 to house vanishing folk articles, tribal and neglected art objects in an artistically designed building. This centre has a vast collection of objects that have become more or less extinct in India. The objects have been collected from almost all states, but special focus is on three provinces, Himachal
Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Today, these works can only be seen in the galleries of London Collections or Aryan’s private museum. The irony is that despite many requests made by Aryan to the union and the state governments, no space has been allotted to him for setting up a
museum. B.N. Aryan, son of K.C. Aryan, and director of the museum, emphasises that considering the large number of art objects, it is essential to have a separate building so that it gets the kind of exposure it deserves. It could also be a good tourist spot for He says there are around 200 different postures of Hanuman. The board of trustees has planned to set up a separate Hanuman gallery, but it could not materialise due to the lack of space. Aryan says his father approached the government in 1984 to allocate space for the construction of the building but till date nothing has materialised. A number of foreign governments have approached my father to set up this museum in their country, but he has refused all offers, Aryan claims. The artifacts displayed in the museum includes woodcraft objects, iron vessels, embroideries from Himachal Pradesh known as rumals, phulkaris from Punjab, kanthas from Bengal, hangings from Gujarat, shawls from Swat and lithographs from Amritsar. Other objects include terracotta figurines, religious art objects, traditional paintings, woodcarvings, metal plaques and minor art. There is also a collection of around 200 Shiva heads and a large number of life-size mukhalingas from Karnataka.
|
|
|
Illegal water trade thrives in Faridabad
Faridabad, September 6 What is surprising is that this illegal business is going on for the past many years, only to pick up momentum recently, but the district administration appears to be least bothered. Thousands of tractors are being used illegally in this venture. Vehicles harnessed for commercial activities need special permission and registration with the district authorities, which is not done in most of the cases. To carry out the commercial activity,
water tankers of varying sizes are attached to the tractors. A 2,000-lt
capacity tanker is filled from tubewells at a cost of Rs 20. Then begins retail
distribution where water is sold at Rs 4 per can. Industrial and other
establishments purchase water in retail market in Faridabad. Water is also
“smuggled” to Delhi and sold at a higher price. The general opinion is
that a number of influential persons are also involved in this activity. A
complaint had also been made to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda about a
year ago, but no action has been taken so far. The development is alarming in
the context of the rapid depletion of underground water in various parts of the
state, especially south Haryana.
|
|
Water eruption at Kalayat stirs debate
Kurukshetra, September 6 The recent discovery of an artesian well has raised many questions, mainly because the water has come out from an underground aquifer, which erupted due to a fault According to Rajesh Purohit, an archaeologist and curator, Srikrishna Museum, on the previous occasion the water oozed from the ground, but this time it happened from the fissure of the retaining wall of the Kalayat tank and the force is very strong. Possibly the water table has risen sensationally resulting in the creation of fissure of the retaining wall due to differential settlement, he says, adding that whether the water is from the saturated zone or unsaturated zone of water level needs to be examined, which would also ascertain the fact whether the water is erupting from the palaeo channel. The recent discovery of an artesian well has raised many questions. Mainly because the water has ejected from an underneath aquifer erupted due to an underground fault. The paleao channel noticed from the satellite imagery of the Kalayat and Balu area indicates possibility of a buried river that yields molecules of gold, silver, tungsten etc. Kalayat, a village near Narwana, is known for its ancient heritage. It is one of the popular pilgrimages of ancient Kurukshetra called “48 kos Kurukshetra bhumi”. The place is dedicated to saint Kapila, the author of Sankhya philosophy. Kalayat possess one of the rare architectural monuments of Northern India in the form of a brick temple, which was built by legendary king Salwan in the 7th century AD.
|
||
|
‘Jind’ may soon be ‘Jeend’
Jind, September 6 This sleepy town whose name is presently spelled as “Jind”, has not many people who would oppose the ongoing campaign to get the name changed to “Jeend”, says Dev Raj Sirohiwal, who has been associated with the drive connected with the perseverance of the history and archeological heritage of the district. Local deputy commissioner has already written to the department concerned, including the revenue authorities, to consider the matter. Sirohiwal says he possesses an original copy of the seal used by erstwhile ruler Raja Gajpat Singh in 1772, which spells the name of the city as Jeend. He says the seal on a judicial paper that had been an important document of that time is a proof of the fallacy of the present name. Sirohiwal, an official in the public relations department, had shot into limelight after he donated a large number of antiques, including a rare sword and other weapons, which he and his family had been collecting from various sources during the past several years. He says if one goes by the spelling of the city in Hindi, then the spelling in English should be Jeend not Jind. He says revenue officials might have committed the mistake even before the state came into existence in 1966 and this has been going on ever since with nobody taking up the matter. Sirohiwal says if Simla can be changed to Shimla, Mysore to Karnataka, Bombay to Mumbai, madras to Chennai, Calcutta to Kolkata and Pondicherry to Pudducherry, why not Jind to Jeend, which is more justified. The deputy commissioner says the matter is just and proper, and the administration has asked the Revenue Department to implement the change.
|
|
Inside Babudom
Chandigarh, September 6 Mathur was first posted by the Hooda regime as principal secretary, environment, and chairman of the pollution control board. His subsequent posting as principal secretary, fisheries, was considered a bit of a climbdown for the 1980 batch IAS officer. Rather than showing any sign of despondency, which some of his peers in the service betray under similar circumstances, Mathur was soon found immersed in the world of fishes. A native of UP, Mathur is familiar with fish as food. Nevertheless, he would always like to enhance his knowledge by having a conversation on the subject with people who are traditionally fish eaters. Governor of Haryana A. R. Kidwai is considered a great repository of knowledge about fish. The fisheries department will always get in touch with him and seek his advice on fish breeding. As if in acknowledgement of Mathur’s interest, a prawn variety could be bred in Haryana by the fisheries department for the first time in the history of the state during his tenure. Mathur dug up posters made available on the internet by fish eaters and displayed on his walls those he found interesting. In other words, he was thoroughly enjoying a job that was seen as a climbdown for him. His new posting with the water supply and sanitation department shows that officers who can devote themselves to assignments that are not considered “power jobs” do get their rewards, too. Mathur’s successor in the fisheries department is N. K. Jain, said to be a person with strictly vegetarian food habits. It is up to Jain now to show that his vegetarianism apart, he can equal anyone when it comes to the production of fish and the popularisation of fish farming.
|
|
Charkhi Dadri awaits overall development
Charkhi Dadri, September 6 Several ancient monuments, including Shyamsar talab, are in a state of neglect due to indifferent attitude of the government. The population of the town has gone up 7 to 8 times since Independence, but there has been no progress in terms of development even though Dadri got connected with railroad in 1883. Charkhi Dadri was set up by Billan, popularly known as “Faugats’ Dadri Jharu Singh Sarkar”, a descendant of Prithvi Raj Chauhan, in 1441. There are many stories concerning the name of the town. One such story says the town owes its name to an ancient lake that was full of frogs. In Sanskrit, frog is known as “dadur” and hence “Dadri”. Despite having given a Chief Minister to the state and several other senior politicians, the town remained backward and mired in problems. Some of them are: The decades old water supply system is inadequate to provide clean drinking water to residents. Rusty and poorly maintained supply pipes contaminate the water, causing health problems to the residents. Poor sewerage system is another problem that dogs the town. Apart from a few colonies most of these are deprived of proper sewerage. Non-functional streetlights, poor roads, sanitation and hanging live electricity wires etc are putting the residents to a lot of inconvenience. The number of roadways buses has been reduced considerably after the closure of its depot here while private bus owners are fleecing commuters. The local civil hospital, which lacks important diagnostic equipments, is of little help. Shifting the hospital from a central place in the town to Loharu chowk on the outskirts has proved to be a futile effort. The patients find it better to approach any private clinic nearby instead of going to a far off place.
|
|
Sabzi mandi gives way to IT park
Sonepat, September 6 Around 600 acres of land in Rai and Jatheri villages was acquired for setting up a sabzi
mandi, but the entire land was handed over to the HSIIDC. When the farmers opposed the move, the government earmarked 90 acres for setting up a sabzi
mandi. But now that too would be utilised to set up an IT park The farmers have been waiting for the past 25 years for setting up a sabzi mandi for which the land was acquired way back in 1993-94. Around 600 acres of agriculture land of Rai and Jatheri villages was acquired by the then Bhajan Lal government for setting up a sabzi mandi of international standards. The land was acquired at the rate of Rs 1.24 lakh per acre. Initially, farmers of the area opposed the project, but later they agreed presuming that it will provide market to sell their produce. However, in 1996, Bansi Lal in alliance with the BJP formed the government, which remained in power for 39 months. Hardly any step was taken during this period to commence this project. After the inception of Chautala government in 1999, the entire land was handed over to the HSIIDC for the promotion of industrial activities. But the farmers opposed the move and the government earmarked 90 acres in January 2004 for setting up a sabzi mandi. Even though the then Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala laid the foundation of the mandi, hardly any construction activity was started. After the formation of Congress government in 2005, it was hoped that the project will be started soon. But to their disappointment, the government decided to develop an information technology park. A number of farmers have expressed disappointment. “Keeping in mind our own interests, we happily agreed for the acquisition of our fertile land. Had we known that this land would go to the industrialists, we would have opposed the acquisition,” the farmers say. Meanwhile, assistant general manger of the HSIIDC J.S. Jolly says one of the largest sabzi mandi at Azadpur in Delhi is at a distance of 20-25 km from the state border, which provides farmers an easy access to the market.
|
|
Subsidy for jatropha farmers, users
Rohtak, September 6 Disclosing this, deputy commissioner R.S.Doon said a jatropha oil-extracting unit could be established at a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh on which a subsidy of Rs 62,500 would be provided by the government. “Though 117.86 hectares of agricultural land in the district is under jatropha cultivation, no farmer has come forward to set up a unit to extract and refine oil of jatropha seeds,” Doon revealed. The DC further stated that the industrial units using generator sets using bio-diesel extracted from jatropha plants would also get subsidy. A 25 KVA generator set run on bio-diesel costs Rs 2 lakh. The industrial units getting it installed would get a subsidy of Rs 1
lakh.
|
|
CITIZEN FIRST
Recently, the Haryana Board of School Education has introduced semester system in all schools affiliated to it. Though the government is busy making tall claims regarding the success of the system, there are several queries that remained unanswered. For instance, in the Ist semester the method of examination is defective, as only objective type questions are asked. This method does not develop the habit of reading and writing among the students. It would curb their original and creative thinking.
It would also increase the dependence on guides and guess papers. Therefore, I request the state education minister to adopt some remedial measures, otherwise the standard of education, which is already in shambles, will further go down. Madan Gulati Sanitation a far cry The sanitary condition in the state is pathetic, which also leads to spread of several diseases. Only 28.66 per cent of the rural population had access to sanitation facilities in 2001. People still continue to defecate in the open. The village fresh water ponds have become pool of sewerage water, stinking all around. Heaps of dung and household wastes lying around the villages present an ugly look. It is though appreciable that of late villagers have started paying due attention to the government's sanitation project. Still a lot remains to be done for which I appeal to all Haryanavis, especially the rural folk, to make their surroundings clean and green. Puran Singh
|
|
|
Citizens’ Grievances
I put up a case of medical reimbursement before the HPSEB five years ago, but till date it has not been settled. The claim pertains to a heart bye-pass surgery at Fortis, Mohali, in June 2002. Part payments in two installments on vague calculations have been made, but a balance and final payment of Rs 21,565 is pending. I also clarified all points raised with all relevant rulings applicable in this behalf. I request the authorities concerned to release the balance payment.
Ramesh Kumar Gupta Wrong date mentioned I applied for the renewal of my driving licence on 29.3.2007 vide application no. DL/REN/06-07/1914/06-07 to the Licensing Authority/Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), Jagadhri. When I got the renewed licence, I was surprised to see that my date of birth was mentioned as 28.5.1982 against the actual 20.4.1949. I wrote to the authority for correction, but got no response. Shiv Dayal Singh Airfare not refunded I booked an Air Sahara Bangalore-Delhi flight in auction at www.Indiatimes.com on 17.4.2006. (flight no. S2-124, scheduled at 8 pm from Bangalore on 21.5.2006). My order no. was 200162066 PNR no. NWBXK. Later, I got the flight cancelled and the cancellation no. ASK 115004 was allotted to me on 19.4.2006. But till date, I have not received the refund even after making repeated requests to Indiatimes through e-mail. I have also sent a registered letter to the chairman of the group, but to no avail. Ashok Rana No response from HUDA I applied for the allotment of a 4-marla plot in Sector 62, Faridabad, vide application no. 241959 dated 13.09.2006 and deposited Rs 36,174 as earnest money. But till date I have not received any response from HUDA. I request the authorities to issue me the allotment letter in case I have been allotted a plot else refund the money along with interest. Kamlesh Gupta II I had applied for a plot under the EWS scheme-2005 of HUDA, Ambala Estates, Sector 9. I had deposited Rs 2,256 vide draft no. 497744 dated 28.10.05, drawn in the favour of estate officer, HUDA. I have so far not received any response despite writing several times in this regard to the authorities concerned. Surinder Kumar Response With reference to the grievance regarding non-settlement of pension claim of Ramesh Chand Sharma (EPF A/c no. HR/7869/29), it is stated that the EPS claim along with EPF claim has been settled as follows: EPS - Rs 59,480 vide chegue no. 235665 dated 15.01.07; EPF - Rs 3,24,336 vide cheque no. 195250 dated 15.01.07. Both these cheques were cleared on 25.01.07, hence no claim is pending. S.K. Aggarwal
|
|
Jagadhri MC plans Rs 4 cr complex
Jagadhri, September 6 The Jagahdri MC, considered to be one of the richest local bodies of the state, would be constructing the building on its own. The proposed building equipped with modern infrastructure would cost Rs 4 crore. The MC has recently received Rs 2.25 crore as development charges from the police department. “We would spend Rs 1 crore from that and the rest of the money would come from a bank loan”, informed an official. There is proposal to construct 15 shops each on the first and third floor of the building, which would earn the MC Rs 18 lakh per annum. A plush MC office would be located at the second floor. The basement would be used for parking and store. The local bodies department has given its approval for the project. Estimates are being prepared for the demolition of the building and bulldozers would be soon seen in action, claimed the official. About three years ago, the adjoining municipal committee of Yamunanagar, too, had made a similar proposal but it was later dumped. “Yamunanagar MC has a shortage of funds and that is why the project was dumped,” informed a district official.
|
|
3 dists adjoining Delhi most accident prone
Chandigarh, September 6 Gurgaon and Faridabad have been occupying the top two slots of the accident chart of Haryana for the past two successive years, with the former recording the highest number of accidents. The number of accidents in Gurgaon rose from 873 (299 fatal) in 2005 to 1,060 (348 fatal) in 2006. In the first six months of 2007 also, the district tops the state in accidents with 500 reported mishaps, of which 158 were fatal. The number of accidents went up from 650 (179 fatal) in 2005, to 903 (265 fatal) in Faridabad district. However, the district showed a decline in the accident rate when it recorded 356 accidents (95 fatal) till June 30 in 2007, against 375 accidents (106 fatal) during the corresponding period last year. Sonepat overtook Karnal in 2006 to claim the third position in the accident chart. Karnal had reported 643 accidents (234 fatal) in 2005, against 603 accidents (210 fatal) reported in Sonepat. However, the latter reported 748 accidents (210 fatal) in 2006, while in Karnal the figure was 679 accidents (261 fatal) in that year. In the first half of 2007, Rewari dislodged Sonepat from the third position with 293 accidents (77 fatal) against 281 accidents (103 fatal) reported by the latter. Fatehabad recorded the lowest number of accidents in the state both in 2005 and 2006 with 198 (70 fatal) and 222 (60 fatal) accidents, respectively. Its adjoining district, Sirsa, too, had comparatively fewer accidents as compared to the other districts. The number of accidents in this district rose from 235 (86 fatal) in 2005 to 262 (108 fatal) in 2006.
|
|
Malls to replace Panipat's Haali Park
Panipat, September 6 The authorities have proposed to develop an amusement park on the lines of New Delhi’s Appu Ghar at the site of Haali Park. But nothing concrete has happened on this front so far The area is locally known as Haali park, named after Khwaja Altaaf Hussein Haali (1837-1914), a famous poet, scholar and Urdu critic, who was born here on November 11, 1837. The area is spread over 24 acres in Model Town. It is planned to set up commercial centres such as shopping malls and community centres. Besides, ample space would be earmarked for the parking of vehicles. Municipal engineer Narinder Jindal said the project, involving a cost of Rs 800 crore, was at an advanced stage. The local authorities have proposed to develop an amusement park on the lines of Appu Ghar in New Delhi, he added. At present, Haali park is used as a garbage dumping ground. The site has a natural depression and rainwater and excess water from streets use to flow into it, converting it into a stinking place. Owing to official apathy, the park, which was once a major attraction of the township, has lost its charm. A small beautiful lake of the park has now turned into a dirty pond and the boats are lying unused in a corner of the deserted park. Jindal informed that the MC had already planned constructing alternate approach routes and the strengthening of the existing roads. Ruling out the possibility to revive the lake, he said it was not feasible to feed water in the area located in the densely populated locality.
|
|
Rewari set to see industrial boom
Rewari, September 6 With the development of industrial estates at Dharuhera, Bawal and Rewari, the district has now carved out a niche for itself among the prestigious industrial hubs of the state. A spokesman for the industries department says as many as 45 large and medium-scale industrial units as well as over 2,800 small scale and rural industries, with a total strength of over 19,000 workers, are functioning here. Prestigious units like Hero Honda Motors, YKK India, Musasshi Auto Parts India, Agarwal Metal Works, Atlas Steel Tube Industries, India Japan Lighting, Asahi India Safety Glass, Goodlass Nerolac Paints, Paramount Communication, REI Agro, Rico Auto Industries and several others have notably put Rewari on the industrial map. However, the Rewari Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) is of the opinion that much is still needed to be done in terms of infrastructure and other basic facilities. RCCI president Vipin Kaushal and vice-president Davender Kumar Jain feel that owing to the lackadaisical approach of the state government, the local industries have been facing several problems that needed to be addressed on priority. The 41 per cent hike in minimum wages from July 1 is a severe blow to the medium and small-scale industries, which are labour intensive units, they say, adding that after revision the minimum wages in Haryana are Rs 3,510 while in neighbouring Punjab, it stays at Rs 2,440. Describing the hike in minimum wages as detrimental to the industrial growth, they also feel that the government’s proposal for the promotion of unskilled workers from a low category to a higher category is nothing short of interference in the management’s function. Secondly, owing to the power shortage most of the industries here are incurring high cost of fuel to run its plants that escalate the cost of production, rendering the industries noncompetitive, they add. Other problems that Rewari industrial houses face include the lack of a common solid waste-dumping site, delay in setting up of an ESI hospital and lack of basic amenities. The industrialists also want the government to extend the Metro rail up to the Bawal industrial area for the convenience of thousands of employees of the industrial hub as well as to ease the traffic congestion on the national highway.
|
|
Kaithal emerging hub of higher
education
Kaithal, September 6 The liberal education policy of the government has facilitated the opening of new educational institutions during the past few years. This has provided an opportunity to the youth of this area to get higher education locally. The parents, too, feel happy as they have to spend less on the education of their wards. Among the premier educational institutes of the region is RKSD College, the first institution in this area opened in 1954, which provided an opportunity to the local youth to get college-level education. The college now has several branches i.e. RKSD College of Pharmacy, RKSD College of Education and RKSD Evening College, besides RKSD Senior Secondary Public School. Another prestigious professional institute, the Haryana College of Technology and Management (HCTM), which was set up more than eight years ago on the Kaithal-Ambala road, has been providing education in engineering streams. It has now ventured into management field by starting MBA courses. The institute, affiliated to Kurukshetra University, has elegant building and spacious lawns backed by hostel facilities. The Shiv Bhole High Tech Educational Society has recently set up the Saraswati Institute of Management and College of Education at Teek, 10 km from here on the Kaithal-Kurukshetra road. Suresh Gupta, chairman, managing committee, said the college would go a long way in imparting quality education to the youth of this area. The state government has recently accorded sanction for the first polytechnic institute in the district at Cheeka in Guhla subdivision. The opening of the first government institute for higher education, Dr B.R. Ambedkar College, has opened new avenues for the youth of this area. The fee structure of the college is reasonable, facilitating parents with meager sources of income to get their wards access to higher education. The college has also recently started job-oriented professional courses. Other educational institutes in the area include the Regional Research Centre of CCSHAU Hisar at Kaul, Indira Gandhi Mahila Mahavidyalya, DAV colleges at Pundri and Guhla, Ch Ishwar Singh Kanya Mahavidyalya at Dhand, Amar Nath Bhagat Girls College at Serdha village and a Sanskrit college opened recently at kaithal. Many other IT institutions affiliated to various universities have been disseminating knowledge to the aspirants of technical education. With all these facilities and upcoming institutes the district is bound to emerge as a centre for higher education.
|
|
Dr Chauhan gets Oxford
fellowship
Ambala, September 6 Dr Chauhan, who is a senior lecturer in Economics at Kurukshetra University, has been awarded the prestigious Agatha Harrison Memorial Fellowship to pursue higher studies and research. The fellowship is equivalent to the rank of professor at Oxford University. Incidentally, two noted Indian economists, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, have been visiting fellows to Oxford University. Dr Chauhan says, “I will work on a research model entitled ‘Stability and growth pace of European Union and fiscal management and sustainable growth of UK: Lessons and relevance for Indian economy’.
|
|
|
Hooda on goodwill hunt among farmers
Chandigarh, September 6 Within months of coming to power, Hooda introduced a new concept for determining the price of land to be acquired by the government for public purposes. He fixed the minimum floor rates per acre for different regions of the state. The floor rates were many times higher than the rates at which the government was acquiring land at that time. Of course, the farmers retained their right to move a court of law for enhancing the compensation. Many officials advised Hooda against fixing the floor rates on the plea that these would push up the cost of various government projects, but he overruled all objections. The concept of the minimum floor rates gave a bargaining power to the farmers against private buyers, who were forced to offer more than the floor rates to the owners. It was the result of this policy that Reliance had to pay over Rs 22 lakh per acre in Jhajjar district for its SEZ against the prevailing land price of about Rs 3 lakh an acre. Similarly, the government had to pay about three times higher than what was originally estimated for land acquired for the prestigious Kundli-Manesar-Palwal highway around the national capital. Now, Hooda has made a provision of annuity for 33 years on land acquired from the farmers. The owners will get Rs 10,000 per acre for 33 years. So far no other state, even those ruled by the Left parties, has such a provision. It was only after a few days that Hooda’s critics, particularly the INLD and Kuldeep Bishnoi, criticised it, mainly on the ground that the amount of annuity was too meager for the land whose market price was much higher than what the government pays. However, farmer leaders like Mohinder Singh Tikait and Ghasi Ram Nain have hailed the decision as path breaking. Hooda’s decision is significant in the sense that it gives the owners a lien over their land even after its ownership changes hands. Once a new beginning has been made, the rate of annuity can be revised time to time just as the floor rates are being revised. Earlier, the government had dropped the provision to arrest the farmer who failed to repay cooperative loans, not to mention the waiving of Rs 1,600 crore electricity bill
arrears
|
|
||
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
