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Governance
Fatehabad, April 10 The NGO had been running 140 AIECs and 20 vocational centres out of the total of 216 AIECs and 45 vocational centres in the
district.
In a letter sent to the district project coordinator (DPC) of the SSA, the NGO has informed that it has closed all centres from April 1, 2008. The SCOP had been running these centres since January 2006. The authorities, on its part, have decided to blacklist the NGO and not to give any project to it in future. The district authorities, it may be recalled, had ordered the closure of some alternative and innovative education centres running in this district after irregularities were detected in their functioning in January this year. Out of the 72 AIECs and 18 vocational centres, which were closed by the authorities in January, 38 AIECs and 9 vocational centres belonged to the SCOP alone. The AIECs, which are aimed at providing education to dropout children and nonstarter children, had been entrusted to NGOs by the government. The government pays Rs 45,000 per centre per annum, out of which Rs 30,000 is to be paid to a teacher, called volunteer under the SSA, manning the centre and Rs 15,000 on meeting expenses of stationary and other items. When the authorities checked the working of the NGOs in January this year, many of these were found functioning poorly. As many as 305 AIECs were functioning in this district, which are being run by six NGOs. The SCOP, which was running the maximum number of 159 AIECs at that time, was found to be the worst in working. During inspection, eight of its centres were found outstanding, 24 good, 68 average, 29 poor and four very poor. The Indian Public Education Society, which ran 54 AIECs in the district, was also allegedly found playing a fraud with the government for two of its centres, while 10 and two of its centres were found poor and very poor, respectively, and four of its centres were found closed. The Yours Education Society, Hisar, which is running 17 AIECs in this district, was found running only two of its centres properly. While 10 of its centres were found poor, four other centres were found closed. The All-India Literary Development Committee, Panipat, another NGO working in the district, has 37 AIECs. But during the inspection, 14 of its centres were found poor while nine were found closed. In case of the Haryana Welfare IT Education, Narwana, which has 18 AIECs in this district, three were found closed while the functioning of one centre was found poor. The Abhivyakti Foundation is the only NGO whose functioning was found a bit satisfactory if not up to the mark. Of the 20 AIECs being run by this NGO, three were found outstanding, eight good, eight average and only one centre was found poor. The action of the SCOP has put the authorities in a tight spot as the working of the AIECs and vocational centres has come to a standstill. ADC C.G. Rajnikanthan, while confirming the closure of 140 AIECs and 20 vocational centres by the SCOP, said he would write to the director of the SSA to blacklist the NGO.
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Melody amid cacophony
Ambala, April 10 Whenever you are traveling on the Ambala-Delhi rail section after sunset, the chirping of birds tells that your train is crossing through Ambala Cantt railway station. If you want to savor this inimitable scene, break your journey till sunrise. Local residents and railway employees have been witnessing these birds coming to the sheds every evening and flying away at the crack of the dawn for the past several decades. Strangely, the birds come to this railway station just before the sunset and spend the night there. They take seat on the grills of the platform and chirp throughout the night and never come on the platform to eat the palatable. None of these have ever made nest on the railway station. The birds fly off to their nests to meet their chicks early in the morning just before the sunrise. Generally, birds spend their night along with their fledglings in the nests, but these birds leave their newbies alone in the nest and themselves spend nights on the railway platform. The railway station authorities have made several efforts to stop the entry of these birds as they muck the platform with their waste. Sometimes their waste spoils the clothes of the passengers standing at the platform. A few years back, the railway authorities covered the grills so that the birds could not get space for sitting. Recently, the roof of platform no.1 was renovated in such a way that the bids could not sit under it. The birds, however, have made their way to alternative spots on the platform. An elderly porter says he has been observing these birds for the past four decades. Though the authorities have tried their best to get rid of these birds, they could not do so, he says, adding that he fails to understand why these birds have such affection with this railway platform. The birds have made their nests outside the urban area on some trees and under the bridges where they breed, the porter adds. A retired railway employee, who spent around 35 years of his service period at this station, says the railway authority should take sympathetic attitude toward these birds, as they make it distinctive from other railway stations of this zone.
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Positive trend in laggard districts
Chandigarh, April 10 Among districts that have consolidated their position, Bhiwani and Jhajjar, clearly outshine the rest for waging war against the sagging ratio to come out right on the top of the charts in Haryana. Based on the total number of registered births in the state, the health department, which tabulated the sex ratio for the year in the zero to one-year category, has bracketed Bhiwani and Jhajjar at the first position for showing maximum improvement. While Bhiwani has moved from a sex ratio of 812 per 1,000 in 2005 to 895 per 1,000 in 2007, Jhajjar presently has a sex ratio of 831 per 1,000 against 799 per 1,000 in 2005. Bhiwani deputy commissioner T.L. Satyaprakash attributes the success in his district to the involvement of people. “We launched a multi-pronged attack against female foeticide by developing a force of youth and women to take the message of saving the girl child to every home, organising rallies at the village level, honouring mothers of girl children, involving social and religious institutions,” he says. The district administration also made an extra effort to change the mindset of doctors running ultrasound clinics and kept vigil outside. Bhajan mandlis were also roped in to spread the message of protecting the girl child. “Rakshikas” have come to the rescue of the girl child in Jhajjar district. In an innovative scheme initiated by the additional deputy commissioner Ajit B Joshi, 55 girls were identified for training as dais. “Of these 55 dais, 53 are already working in 43 villages of the district. They have pulled off a miracle. Of the 586 deliveries carried out by them, 70 per cent were girls. Their job is to identify expecting mothers and establish a rapport with them. We have given them mobiles to keep them connected,” he explains. The sex ratio is up by 2.7 per cent in Gurgaon and 1.6 per cent in Karnal. While seven districts of the state have registered a fall in the sex ratio, the remaining districts have nothing to write home about with only a very marginal increase in the ratio. Maintaining that the government, too, is concerned about the lop-sided sex ratio in the state, the secretary, health, Navraj Sandhu, says the department has initiated village-wise monitoring of sex ratio through civil registration system to aid special drives in the areas with persistently adverse sex ratio statistics. “We have started registration of all pregnancies at the nearest health centres, tracking of pregnant women and the motivation of communities. We have introduced awards for villages with highest sex ratio also,” she stated.
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e-governance initiative falls flat
Jhajjar, April 10 A survey conducted by an IT publication has rated Haryana as the third worst e-governed state in the country. The e-governance programme is being adopted to bring in transparency and efficiency in the
administration.
An IT media house, CyberMedia group’s flagship publication, Dataquest has conducted the survey in association with a technology intelligence and research firm, IDC India, across 20 states in its third e-governance survey which was published in its March 15 issue. The two-phased study covers IT officials, citizens and business users. The survey focused on the availability of IT infrastructure, rollout of e-governance projects and the evaluation of impact of these projects in the delivery of government services to citizens and businesses as well as interviews of citizens and businesses. Delhi has topped the list as the best e-governed state followed by Goa, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. While at the bottom of the list is Jharkhand with Haryana and Gujarat at 18th and 19th positions, respectively. Though the survey described Haryana’s initiatives taken in judiciary and education as satisfactory and highlighted the e-services in municipality (local bodies) and transport/RTO as “pain areas” for citizens. Businesses, however, found that the ease of interaction with e-governance services is more than satisfactory for small business assistance, but the quality and availability of such services is not too good. Business registration and licences and permits are areas of satisfaction for corporate organisations. IT initiatives taken by the government in police and security, small business assistance, government tenders and contracts, financial assistances, incentives and grants, and transport/RTO are the areas of dissatisfaction for corporate organisations in Haryana. Commenting about Haryana’s performance, the survey revealed that both citizens and businesses have benefited from e-governance in terms of speed of delivery. Citizens consider simplicity of procedure as an advantage of e-governance while corporate organisations are benefited in terms of increase in availability of service through service centres. The data collected in the survey also disclosed the number of Internet subscribers per 1,000 at 8.8, telephones per 100 at 21.9, number of PCs per 1,000 at 16.5 and per capita IT spend at Rs 458.5. |
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‘Surplus’ wheat in jails raises many an eyebrow
Panipat, April 10 More than 120 quintals of wheat was found “surplus” against the allotted stock from the Sonepat district jail. Tightlipped officials admit that from the recent incidents of gross mismanagement of wheat stock in various jails, which was actually meant for the prisoners, it was quite evident that prisoners were not given required nutrients. According to jail manuals, each inmate is sanctioned a healthy diet, comprising of wheat flour, dal, vegetables, sugar, milk, bread, ghee, etc besides a special meal on
Sundays. Each prisoner is sanctioned 500 g of wheat floor per day. Sources reveal that wheat for all 19 jails is procured annually through HAFED and it is stocked within the jail campus respectively. Interestingly, large-scale discrepancies were found only in wheat whereas the sources say that it is difficult to establish discrepancies, if any, in other food items. During surprise raid at Sonepat jail in the last week of March, the jail sleuths were bewildered to notice that nearly 121 quintals of wheat was in “excess” of jail records. In at least two previous cases, the authorities found shortage of wheat in two other jails. Following an official complaint, sleuths of the state prisons officials raided the Rohtak district jail premises on January 26 this year. During the inspection of food stock, the team found that a total of 220.28 quintal of wheat was missing from the jail. Similarly, on March 17, more than 81 quintal of wheat was found short in the official food stock of Bhondsi jail in Gurgaon district.
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Fall in barley output raises concern
The falling productivity as well as shrinkage in the acreage of cultivation of the crop has not only impinged on the generation of cattle feed and fodder, it has also adversely affected the malt industry in the state. Malt as a raw material procured from barley is supplied to pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries, all considered sunrise sectors as they relate to consumerism as well as existential aspects of life. The scenario assumes poignancy when considered that Haryana produces 3 per cent of malt produced in the country, placed at second position after Rajasthan in pecking order with regard to the quantity of production. The present quantity of production in the state is considered to be much below the demand for the food grain. The shortage of barley, which is a threat to the animal husbandry, raises concern among the Haryanavi society as its folktales surround the abundance of milk and curd and relate to kindred
agriculture sector. It is not that barley production was taking a dip only in Haryana but was part of overall pattern in the country. However, the pattern casts its shadow longer in Haryana. According to one estimate, around 20 lakh tonne of barley was produced in the country in the early nineties, but the present figure hovers around 16 lakh tonne. The shrinkage in the yield as well as acreage under cultivation has been greater in Haryana perhaps on account of faster urbanisation and modernisation in the past few years. The areas of south Haryana, encompassing Gurgaon, Faridabad, Rewari and Mahendergarh, had been the traditional areas for barley cultivation on account of it bring considered to be rough crop as it did not need much water. Former president of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) and a leading malt producer in the country, P.K. Jain said the problem of shortage in the production of barley would have to be addressed by the government on war-footing. The government both at the centre and the state would have to work for the promotion of cultivation of the crop. He lamented that the cultivation was now mostly confined to the marginal agricultural areas. The state must put a cap on hoarding of the crop by traders and middlemen, he said, adding that export of barley should also be banned as alarming situation had been created by substantial export of barely. Jain said the general impression was that the traders, middlemen and merchants were also exploiting the farmers and the producers. These middlemen hoard the food grain and jig the market, as the farmers were not allowed to sell the produce directly to the malt industry.
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Drug Trafficking
Sirsa, April 3 Besides finding peddlers and end users in villages of the two districts bordering Punjab, the drug traffickers have been using the area as a route for smuggling the contraband from Rajasthan, where it is freely available, to neighbouring Punjab where the narcotics are good demand. The district police recently organised a seminar on the laws to tackle the illicit trade at the local Panchayat Bhawan. The seminar, besides creating awareness among the people, provided vital information to police officials, who are still not well versed with the provisions of the laws in this regard. The police officials learnt about the seizure and forfeiture of properties of drug traffickers under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Under the Act, the police is empowered to freeze the properties of the accused, which they have procured from money accumulated through illegal trade and send a proposal to the competent authority set up by the central government under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (forfeiture of property) Act (SAFMA) 1976, and the NDPS Act for seizure and forfeiture of such properties. Archana Ranjan, competent authority and administrator, Priya Sahu, additional commissioner and Rajiv Ranjan, assistant commissioner in the office of the competent authority, were there to create awareness among the police officials and the general public regarding these laws. Anant Kumar Dhull, IG, Hisar Range, Saurabh Singh, SP, Fatehabad, Vikas Arora, SP, Sirsa, police officers of all districts falling under the Hisar range, members of village panchayats, municipal councilors, representatives of various social organisations and prominent persons of the area attended the seminar. Archana Ranjan said the seizure and forfeiture of properties of the drug traffickers could prove an effective step to break the backbone of offenders and it would go a long way in controlling the menace of narcotic trafficking in the area. She said in case the police sped up its actions against drug traffickers under the provisions of these laws, many traffickers would automatically shun this illicit trade. Archana said the police officers should be well acquainted with the rules in this regard so that the offenders could not take the benefit of procedural flaws. She said the provisions of the NDPS Act alone had not proved deterrent as the offenders were bound to take shelters under the various lacunas in the laws. She exhorted the officers to bring cases of habitual offenders to the notice of the authority. Priya Sahu, additional commissioner, and Rajiv Ranjan also addressed the seminar. The IG, Dhull, said in his address that the police would speed up its operation against drug traffickers and was determined to end the menace. He sough public support in this drive against traffickers. SP Vikas Arora informed that the district police had so far sent proposal for the seizure and forfeiture of properties of 12 traffickers valued at Rs 25 crore to the competent authority for its approval. He said the district police registered 470 cases under the NDPS Act during the past one year and 422 persons had been convicted under the Act by courts during this period.
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Inside Babudom
Chandigarh, April 10 The last panel, which has run into problem, had one backward class candidate. In a dinner thrown by a minister during last month's assembly session, Dalit IAS officers were heard talking about how the principle of having at least one Dalit officer in the panel had been totally abandoned in Haryana. Through their friends in the media they also got stories published in newspapers criticising the government for not including any Dalit in the home secretary's panel. Press reports may have done the trick because how else babus will dare to put pressure on the government to bring about a change. Only V Rajasekhar, a former student of Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, shows a streak of activism among the Dalit IAS officers of Haryana. The intrepid IAS officer, it is learnt, was instrumental in getting Infosys chief Narayanmurthy in trouble on an issue involving the National Anthem. The Economist, a reputed publication edited in London, had sometime back published an article wherein the reservation policy of government of India was criticised. It was taken note of by Dalit activists and posted on the net. Soon Dalit IAS officers of Haryana also got to know about the article. Since the offending magazine does not give byline to its writers, those infuriated by the article were unable to find out who wrote the piece. It was decided that the magazine would be burnt to protest against the offending article. Karamvir Singh, a Dalit employee leader, was entrusted the task of organising the event. But The Economist, which is priced at more than Rs 100, it is also not easily available in Chandigarh. Karamvir Singh promised to organise 20-25 copies of the magazine from Delhi for the "bonfire" programme. Money is no problem, he said and assured advance intimation for the event. This reporter is still waiting to hear from Karamvir.
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Separate Gurdwara Panel
Chandigarh, April 10 Earlier, they had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, but their efforts remained unsuccessful. All they got was a lukewarm response or at best empty assurances. Somehow, they came back with an impression, rightly or wrongly, that the biggest hurdle in their way is the Prime Minister himself, who, they felt, did not want to annoy the Amritsar-based Sikh clergy for the fear of being meted out the same treatment it handed over to Buta Singh after the Blue Star operation of the 1980s. The memorandum submitted to Rahul Gandhi was signed, among others, by Sampuran Singh, patron of the ad hoc Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee (HSGPC), its president Jagdish Singh Jhinda and general secretary Didar Singh Nalvi. It said before the last assembly elections in 2005, the Congress had promised in its election manifesto that if voted to power, it shall take all steps needed to establish a separate committee for managing the Haryana gurdwaras, keeping in view the provisions contained in Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966. The memorandum claimed that this promise was made after it was discussed in detail by present Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and union minister Selja with Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. The memorandum said: "It is painful and distressing that now the Haryana government wants to wriggle out of the decision taken by the topmost leadership of the Congress". It pointed out that the provision contained in Section 72(3) the Act was mandatory as was evident from the very language of the section, which said "The provisions of this section SHALL apply also to the Panjab University..., Punjab Agricultural University..., and the board constituted under the provision of Part III of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925." The memorandum said by using the word "shall", Parliament had left no ambiguity or discretion about the creation of a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana. Talking unusually tough, the memorandum said "The role of the present government in Haryana in giving political support to the Amritsar-based SGPC, controlled by the Akalis of Punjab, is beyond our comprehension. It is reminiscent of the 1920s when the then British government in India had supported the priestly class (mahants) in retaining the Sikh shrines of the then Punjab, against the wishes of the Sikh masses. "It had then compelled the Sikhs to revolt to get their gurdwaras liberated from the clutches of the mahants. This had resulted in the unfortunate happening of the 'Saka of Nankana Sahib' wherein hundreds of Sikhs had to sacrifice their lives to get their gurdwaras liberated. "We request you to ensure that the historical events of the 1920s are not repeated now in Haryana," the memorandum urged the "crown prince". The delegation, which met Rahul Gandhi in Delhi recently, told him that the Sikhs in Haryana were densely populated in over 30 of the 90 assembly constituencies. If a separate committee were set up for managing their shrines, the 17 lakh Sikhs of Haryana would like to have a political cooperation with the Congress (and not with Prakash Singh Badal or Om Prakash Chautala of the INLD) on the model of the Delhi Sikhs. It pointed out that when Chautala was in power, a "commendable" job of forming a separate "wakf board" for Muslims of Haryana was done. The delegation urged Rahul Gandhi to use his good offices so that the Chatha Committee, constituted to ascertain the views of Haryana Sikhs on the separate SGPC, gives its report at the earliest and decks are cleared for the creation a separate body, independent of the Amritsar-based SGPC. Rahul reportedly assured the delegation that he would take up the issue with the right quarters in the right earnest.
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Free-ration protest backfires on Bishnoi’s party
Hisar, April 10 Rather than focus attention on the issue of inflation, the protest served to disappoint the massive crowds that thronged to collect the packets. Even though the party leadership later explained that the distribution was meant to be "symbolic", the crowds understandably failed to grasp the political symbolism and the new party ended up earning displeasure of the people instead of goodwill. In Hisar, the exercise was carried out a stone's throw from former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal's sprawling personal residence. The limited stock that the party activists carried with them to be doled out free was exhausted in a matter of minutes. Men, women and children jostled to catch hold of packets. Some women fainted while others received minor injuries. Later, the disappointed crowd marched to Bhajan lal's mansion where the ageing leader had a difficult time calming them down. Similar incidents were reported from most other districts. The fiasco has exposed the political immaturity of the nascent political outfit even though Bhajan Lal is amongst the craftiest politicians in the country and his ambitious son Kuldeep Bishnoi is also not a fresher. Party insiders admit off the record that the exercise was the result of an attempt to do something different from routine political protests on the issue of inflation. They failed to fully anticipate the logistics of free distribution of ration. The saving grace for the party's top leadership was that the exercise was assigned to second rung leaders who made a hasty exit when crowds surged to grab their freebies. Had the top leaders been personally involved, the political damage to the party would have been disastrous. Some HJC leaders also allege that the Congress instructed its local leaders to ensure that there were more crowds than the Bishnoi supporters could handle in a bid to create political ill will. While this cannot be ruled out altogether, the fact remains that the public distribution of small ration packets anywhere in the country would draw more crowds than a lone political party can handle. Similar attempts in other parts of the country have led to tragedies. A political party's move to distribute free sarees in a southern state had led to a stampede a few years ago. Either, the HJC leadership was oblivious of such pitfalls or its over enthusiasm to do something innovative did it in. However, the party think-tank has taken the fiasco seriously though outwardly it is still putting up a brave face. A rethink on how to respond to public issues in the future appears to be imminent.
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'Gadhe Ki Baraat' going places
Rohtak, April 10 Firstly, it was the 193rd show of the play, which is a record in itself. In fact, this play has become the largest running play of Haryana in the North-Indian belt. It was a dream-come-true for Trikha, who had been aspiring to stage the play at the premier institution. The play has already been staged at the Lal Bahadur National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie; National School of Drama, New Delhi; International Film Festival, Lahore; Taj Mahotsav, Agra; and at many such prestigious locations. "It will soon be staged at the Indian Military Academy, Dehra Dun; and Sainik School, Kunjpura," says Trikha, observing that performing at the premier institutes of the country is the dream of any artiste. Though Trikha has acted in and directed several plays, his name has become synonymous with "Gadhe Ki Baraat". A satire on the social system, the play highlights the disparity between the haves and the have-nots in the society in a comical way. The local coordinator of SPICMACAY, Trikha is also associated with the Saptak Cultural Society and has successfully organised an Indo-Pak theatre festival in Rohtak. He has won a number of awards and honours for his theatrical performances at different forums. Other artistes associated with the play include Harish Gera, Parul Ahuja, Tarun Pushap Trikha, Avinash Saini, Deepak Bhardwaj, Surender Sharma, Anindita, Vikas Rohilla, Gulab Singh, Shakti Sarover Trikha, Anil Sharma, Kavita, Subhash and Atma.
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All-women PCR in Fatehabad too
Fatehabad, April 10 The general environment of police stations stops women from approaching the police department even in dire circumstances. Recently, the Sirsa police took the lead in setting up an all-women police control room (PCR) van to find a solution to this problem. Now, the Fatehabad police has also followed the suit and set up an all-women PCR for providing police help to women against whom some crime has been committed. Deputy commissioner O.P. Sheoran flagged off the women PCR recently. SP Saurabh Singh, district inspector Devender Sharma, state president of the Bharat Vikas Parishad
C.P. Ahuja and social activist Dwarka Parshad and several prominent persons of the town were present. Speaking on this occasion, Saurabh Singh informed that four women constables had been deployed in the women PCR, who would remain on duty from 6 am till 7 pm. The PCR will be particularly active on the Bhodia road near the Government College for Women and on the Dharamashala road near the Government Girls Senior Secondary School, where incidents of eve teasing are common. The SP said the women PCR could be contacted by any woman in trouble on toll free telephone no. 100 and upon receiving the call the PCR would immediately reach out to the complainant and help her out. He said initially the PCR would work from 6am to 7pm but later the time would be extended to 24 hours a day.
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Citizens’ Grievances
The road falling in Panchkula on the Zirakpur-Kalka highway is in a bad shape. Right at the entrance to the state one experiences a rough ride. The road is full of potholes with zero maintenance. At some places the pitfalls are as much as 2 ft deep. All this just below a signboard that welcomes visitors to the state is unfortunate. Similar is the condition of several internal roads of Panchkula, which cry for maintenance but nobody seems to bother.
P.D. Aggarwal,
Panchkula Viva voce for M.Phil pending I am pursuing M.Phil in commerce from Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU), Sirsa. I have cleared all theory papers, but my viva voce is pending which is conducted by the university after the students submit their dissertation work, which I have already submitted (regd. no. 06-DE-14233; roll no. 026344). It's been two months now and the university has not even conveyed the schedule for viva voce, following which I will not be issued the degree. These days, posts of lecturer in several Haryana colleges are being advertised and a large number of students like me who are pursing the course from CDLU would not be able to apply. I request the university authorities to hasten the process. Shivani Aggarwal,
Kurukshetra Readers, write in Send in write-ups, not exceeding 200 words, to Haryana Plus, The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh. E-mail: adalat@tribunemail.com |
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Faridabad, April 10