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Solar heaters must for big buildings
The decision has been taken with a view to save power. The step taken by the government can go a long way in saving electricity, fuel, coal and other conventional sources of energy. These systems have also been made mandatory for hotels, motels, jails etc where a large number of people use hot water. Besides, the government is also making efforts to promote the use of solar power. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has recently launched “Shiksha Deep Yojna” in order to promote the system of solar water heating. Under the scheme, brilliant girl students studying in class V to XII, who stood first in their classes, would be given solar lamps. The government has also asked panchayats to play a proactive role in promoting solar power. The panchayats doing well in this field would be given a cash award of Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh on the basis of their performance. Prizes of Rs 50,000 and Rs 25000 would also be given to the panchayats that do well at district level. Under this scheme, Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 have already been given as prize to panchyat of Rindal village and Raison village for power energy saving in the district. The government has also appealed to the people to adopt solar water heating system and make these a mass movement in their day-to-day life.
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Gurgaon hopes for smooth drive as CM chips in
Gurgaon, September 1 This time-bound plan with “non-negotiable deadline” of six months would mean that officialdom responsible for the upkeep of the roads could no longer ignore the public misery. Realising the gravity of the problem, which is basically the creation of local officials who have so far been turning a blind eye to it, Hooda warned them to do the needful or face action. Notably, officials of the PWD B&R, HUDA and the municipal corporation have been ignoring the earlier deadlines issued by the deputy commissioner as well as finance minister Birender Singh, who is also the chairman of the district grievances redressal committee to this effect. All this has resulted in the nightmarish experience of commuting on the roads in Gurgaon both in its old and new parts dotted by stylish high-rise apartments and corporate office buildings. The message was well taken after the CM's tough talk and as immediate compliance of it a meeting of senior officers was held here recently to chalk out the plan and its execution for restoring motorable condition of the roads. Presiding over the meeting, divisional commissioner D.P.S. Nagal expressed surprise that the repair of roads, which was an integral part of this boomtown's basic infrastructure, was neglected despite the availability of huge funds. To get the job done even before the CM's deadline, he told the officers that no laxity would be tolerated on the issue. Making it clear to the officers that they were here to perform, Nagal said the objective of the meeting was to know the roadmap chalked out by each implementing agency and the problems anticipated by them in execution of the scheduled works. He said each executing agency should notify its schedule of work six months in advance and share it with other allied departments so that there was no wastage of government funds. At the same time, he directed the deputy commissioner to make it mandatory that FIR be lodged against any agency which indulged in digging of the roads without taking specific prior approval. The commissioner also asked the officers to conduct joint inspections of the sites before preparation of schedules so that the planning was clear to all allied departments.
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Varsity launches SMS news service
Vice-chancellor K.C. Bhardwaj, who presided over the ceremony, informed that mobile numbers of the Haryana Chief Minister and industry minister were there in the list of subscribers. Chairperson of the mass communication department Virender Singh Chauhan explained the functioning of the service that would be run by the students of the department under the supervision of its faculty members. Speaking on the occasion, cabinet minister L.D. Arora lauded the department’s efforts in providing practical training to the students. He said be it the establishment of news portal or the LED-based news display system or the ongoing process of establishing state’s first community radio station, the department is doing experiments of sorts. He said the Hooda government was committed to the speedy development of educational sector in the state and in this process all possible assistance was provided to institutions like CDLU. After the ceremony, an exhibition on India’s first war of Independence and a lecture on role of Haryanavi freedom fighters in this struggle was organised on the university campus. Addressing students and teachers of the varsity after opening the exhibition, the vice-chancellor said it was due to the support of the Chief Minister that CDLU could not only revive itself from a state of disarray but also started its journey on the fast track of evolving itself into a centre of excellence in higher education. He said the mass communication department of the university was fast emerging as a centre of excellence in journalism education. He said media centre of the department would
be ready for formal opening by the end of December and it would house state’s first community radio station apart from an ultra modern TV
studio. Virender Singh Chauhan, chairperson of the mass communication department, said the trial of the SMS headline service received tremendous response.
He said anybody willing to subscribe to this free service could do so by sending an SMS ‘JOIN
SAMACHAAR’ from his or her mobile to 567678. Alternatively, net users can visit department’s news portal www.jansanchaar.in to join this service. He said four SMS news bulletins would be broadcasted on the mobile phones of the users of this service. Apart from providing latest local, regional as well as national and global news, this service would play a crucial role in training the students of journalism, he added.
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Mandothi back to criminal ways
The recent murder of a youth, Ramchander (28) and the assault on Sukhbir Singh by three motorcycle-borne armed youths within three days of Ramchander’s killing has brought the reign of terror to the fore again. According to sources, the long-drawn gang war at the village was triggered during an election for the post of sarpanch held in 1992. This gang war, which began in the form of a clash between rival groups, has so far claimed 26 lives during the past 16 years. Numerous residents of the village have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder, attempt to murder and other heinous crimes. Several families had been forced to leave the village to get rid from the strained atmosphere prevailing there. Owing to its negative image, the residents of Mandhothi have been isolated from other villages, as nobody wants to have any link with people of this village. As a result, marriageable youths of the village are not able to find suitable match. The residents are also facing problems in marrying off their daughters due to the same reason. Taking a serious view of the situation, a special campaign was launched nearly a year ago by the then Jhajjar superintendent of police, Shrikant Jadhav, with a view to make the village crime-free. With the SP’s efforts the tense situation had started diffusing. However, the latest incidents of crime have once again shattered the confidence of the people of this area in law enforcing agencies.
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Birth anniversary of Devi Lal
Chandigarh, September 1 Whether in power or out of power, the INLD leaves no stone unturned to ensure that its September bash is a grand success, not only in terms of turnout of people but also in terms of grandeur. Even its critics concede that the ability of the INLD to organise political rallies is unmatched. Though the rallies on September 25 are organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of Devi Lal, the political overtones and undertones of the rallies are too obvious to escape public attention. But then perhaps it is a legitimate right of a political party to work for its political ends even when it seems to be working for a noble cause. This year, the INLD has decided to organise its annual one-day jamboree in Bhiwani. The political importance of the venue is not lost on any one. From Bhiwani, elder son of the INLD chief and the party’s secretary-general Ajay Singh Chautala plans to contest the Lok Sabha elections due early next year. The junior Chautala was the member of the Lok Sabha from Bhiwani from 1999 to 2004 when he was defeated by Kuldeep Bishnoi, younger son of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal. Bishnoi had also defeated a son of another former Chief Minister Bansi Lal at that time. Though later, Ajay Singh became a member of the Rajya Sabha and continues to be so, his dream remains to enter the Lok Sabha because being a member of the upper house does not reflect the acceptance of a politician by the public. Before the next Lok Sabha elections, the Bhiwani rally will be an excellent opportunity for the INLD to demonstrate its strength to impress not only the electorate of the state but also its possible electoral allies. The party is in secret talks with the BJP and the BSP for an alliance at the time of the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. Though the BSP has ruled out any alliance in Haryana, the INLD continues to try to mollify BSP supremo Mayawati through its UNPA partners so that its bargaining power vis-a-vis the BJP is not weakened. The BJP is also in touch with the Haryana Janhit Congress of Bishnoi for a possible alliance. The leadership of the Haryana BJP is almost unanimous in its opposition for an alliance with the INLD, which did not endear itself to the BJP by its arrogant behaviour when it was in power from 2000 to 2005. However, a strong section of the central BJP leadership strongly believes that the alliance with the INLD would be more fruitful than that with Bishnoi. Though the INLD invites prominent leaders of what is called as the third front to its rallies, the star speaker is always Om Prakash Chautala, an orator par excellence. Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal or his son Sukhbir; former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and a representative of the Telugu Desam Party are usually permanent fixtures at the INLD rallies. And so is the famous singer Vandana Vajpayee. Till the INLD’s alliance with the BJP continues, a central leader of the latter also used to be present on the INLD dais. The INLD has perfected the art of organising its rallies. From mobilising crowds to managing the parking of vehicles, from decorating pandal to the erection of dais, everything is managed to perfection. A lot of care goes in planning every aspect of the rally. Already the INLD has appointed district in charge for the preparation of the Bhiwani rally. While Ajay Singh will himself look after the rally preparations in Bhiwani and Mahendragarh districts, Haryana INLD president Ashok Arora will supervise Kaithal and Kurukhetra districts; Sirsa Zila Parishad president and younger son of the INLD chief Abhey Singh Chautala at Sirsa and Fatehabad; Sher Singh Badhami at Yamunanagar and Panipat; former finance minister Sampat Singh would be in charge of Hisar and Rohtak; former Governor Sultan Singh at Jind; former speaker Satbir Singh Kadian at Sonepat; INLD spokesperson Rampal Majra at Jhajjhar and former deputy speaker Gopi Chand Gehlot will look after Palwal and Mewat districts. INLD state vice president Ajit Singh will be in charge of Rewari and Gurgaon; former minister Jaswinder Singh of Karnal; former MP Kailasho Saini of Ambala and Panchkula; former MP Inder Singh of Faridabad; former chairman of the Haryana Public Service Commission K.C. Bangar and INLD youth president Suriender Dahiya would look after arrangements at the rally venue.
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MC inert as Fatehabad stinks
Fatehabad, September 1 Safai karamcharis of the local municipal council have created scores of such spots in the town where the filth collected from the area is dumped. Though garbage is collected by tractor-trailers of the municipal committee, it is not been done regularly and in the meantime mounds of squalor are collected causing a lot of inconvenience to the local people. A majority of such spots are in the populated areas of main markets where people have to visit daily. “The safai karamcharis have been dumping garbage in front of shops in Palika Bazar for long, making it difficult for us to sit in our shops,” says Sanjeev Monga of M Dot Infosys here. He says stray animals feast on heaps of garbage throughout the day making it hazardous for the people visiting the market. The animals often stray on the roads causing accidents and injuries to motorists. Kapil Bhatia, another shopkeeper of Palika Bazar, says it has become almost impossible for them to sit in our shops due to the stink that emanates from garbage. This is also increase in the population of mosquitoes and flies in the area, he alleged. The shopkeepers allege that they have knocked at every door but to no avail. This is being done with the tacit understanding between the sanitation contractor and the municipal authorities, they allege. The shopkeepers and residents of colonies in the vicinity have threatened to launch an agitation in case their demand for the removal of garbage is not accepted. Not just Palika Bazar, this is the plight of almost every colony and market of the town. Residents allege that their areas are either not cleaned at all or the squalor is being dumped in their localities. The matter of sanitation was recently raised in the first press meeting of new Deputy Commissioner J.S. Ahlawat. It was alleged in the meeting that the municipal contractor had employed much lesser number of safai karamcharis than the number specified in his contract. It was also alleged that the municipal authorities were hand in glove with the misdeeds of the contractor. The deputy commissioner had assured to look into the matter.
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‘Parivartan’ makes change possible
Sirsa, September 1 Floated by some philanthropist women of this area, Parivartan has done commendable work in the field of drug de-addiction, female foeticide and awareness about HIV/AIDS. The NGO came into being in September 2006 and since then its members are working for the service of the humanity. President of the NGO Shilpa Verma says ignorance of people regarding AIDS and misuse of technology for the determination of the sex of unborn child prompted her to launch this organistaion. "Our organisation holds street plays on female foeticide in villages to convey the message to the masses," she says. Parivartan has so far organised a number of seminars in villages of this district where people are exhorted to shun social evils. Recently, Parivartan organised camps at Kelnia, Jornali, Dhani Khowal, Natar, Bhamboor and Rangri villages. "People are willing to listen to positive messages. Women, particularly mothers-in-law, are interested in sex determination of unborn children of their daughters-in-law," says Shilpa. The NGO is soon going to start registration of all pregnant women of the area. Shilpa says volunteers of the NGO will visit these women frequently and keep a tab on them till their delivery. Shilpa is also a member of a district coordination committee regarding female foeticide and accompanies the authorities during raids on ultrasound centres. The organisation also holds drug awareness meetings and has been able to desist many addicts from taking drugs. "The NGO not only provides counselling to women who have been deserted by their addict husbands but also helps them in getting justice," Shilpa concludes.
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Course for school dropouts on cards
Sirsa, September 1 The chief secretary was interacting with officers of the Sirsa administration through video conferencing recently. He said the state government had implemented schemes to check school dropout rate, especially of the children belonging to the families of Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and minority communities. The earlier schemes implemented in the educational sector had shown positive results, he added. He said a scholarship scheme would also be implemented for the Backward Class (category A) students on the pattern of the scheme for SC students.
He directed the officers to ensure that students should not leave their studies half way. He asked them to prepare an action plan to provide more facilities in government schools and strengthen the educational infrastructure in the
district. The chief secretary suggested setting up secretariats at the village level to house all government offices and make it easier for the rural people to get all facilities at a single place. The said secretariats would house panchayat ghar, patwar khana, aganwari centre, information centre and other government offices. Village-level officers of the agriculture department would also sit in the proposed secretariat so that crop and cultivation related information could be disseminated among the farmers. Deputy commissioner V. Umashankar briefed the chief secretary about the implementation of schemes in the district. The Uttar Saksharta Abhiyan is being implemented all over the district for the persons in the age group of 15 to 35 years. Special emphasis would be given for improving the literacy rate among women, he added. Dharam Vir also reviewed the schemes implemented for giving impetus to technical education. He said special training programmes should be started for less educated youths so as to make them self-dependent. He said the centrally sponsored scheme, Nandi, for providing potable drinking water would be implemented in 25 villages of Sirsa district. He directed the officers to send a list of the villages mainly comprising of minority communities for the implementation of this scheme.
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Drive to check fire safety measures
Jhajjar, September 1 For efficiently carrying out the drive, a committee has been constituted under the leadership of the SDM of the respective areas by the deputy commissioner. This committee will conduct surprise raids in the factories and if any factory owner is found wanting in keeping proper maintenance of firefighting system, action would be taken. Sources said the administration had to take this decision in view of two major recent fire incidents in shoe factories took place within four days at Modern Industry Estate (MIE) in Bhadurgarh town. Both incidents not only caused heavy losses to their owners but also exposed their negligence in keeping regular maintenance of fire extinguishers. As per sources, a majority of the industrialists have installed firefighting system in their factories just only to fulfill legal requirement. However, they hardly bother about the maintenance of the system. This negligent approach proved a major cause of loss during fire incidents, as the fire extinguishers failed to work. The law requires the factory owners to maintain firefighting system at regular intervals and also impart training to its employees for its proper use. But most of the factory owners do not take interest in imparting training to their workers. “The drive will be initiated soon. Fire extinguisher will be on priority but other safety measures will also be checked during the raids,” said Satyender Duhan, Jhajjar SDM, adding that action would be taken against those found violating the rules.
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Sanitation, the filmi way
Adopting a novel and innovative approach while dealing with matters of vital significance remains a desirable quality. In one such instance, a film titled “Badlav”, aimed at promoting the total sanitation campaign of the union government, is being telecast through the cable network of the town these days. The idea of the film, conceived by Rohtak ADC P.C. Meena, is to underline the importance of a toilet in every home for health and hygiene in society. It is part of aggressive campaign launched by the DRDA authorities to make the district free from open defecation. The 40-minute film has been made in Haryanavi so that the intended message is effectively conveyed to the local masses. The film revolves around a group of rural youths who decide to end the practice of open defecation from their village and achieve this aim after facing tough resistance. Local artistes as well as actors of national repute have been roped in for the film. Apart from conceiving the idea of the movie, Meena has also acted in it. “The film has been made on a shoe-string budget, as most artistes worked voluntarily for the social cause,” says Meena, adding that underlying idea behind the movie was to create awareness and remove misconceptions about sanitation among masses. He now plans to get the film telecast throughout the state and even other states.
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Lala Sunder Lal’s death anniversary observed
Rewari, September 1 Lala Sunder Lal was born at Nangal Shahbazpur village in 1876. He had direct access to the durbar of the Nabha state and was always held in high esteem by its rulers. He always evinced a keen interest in the development of the village which had a government primary school as well as the dak distribution facility. The program commenced with the installation of statues of Lala Rustagi and his wife Jamna Devi Rustagi at their samadhi sthal in the village. Later at a shradhanjali samaroh president of the All-India Rustagi Mahasabha Mange Lal Rustagi, highlighted the valuable traits of this personality of the community.
President of the Delhi Rustagi sabha Shri Niwas Rustagi said it was creditable that Lala Sunder Lal’s attributes had percolated to his grandsons and granddaughters who were now known as scions of the exalted “Nangalia
parivar”.
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Official apathy delays hospital’s project
Kalka, September 1 The official sources reveal that the hospital administration had sent many proposals in the last couple of years to the higher authorities for the construction of separate casualty building. Subsequently, the health department had sanctioned casualty department in the hospital, but has not constructed the building for this purpose till date.
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Diahorrea outbreak grips Thamber
Ambala, September 1 In all, 18 persons have been detected with diarrhoea who are undergoing treatment at various primary health centres in Mullana and Barara. Those dead have been identified as Rimpi (10), Maliko (85) and Baisakhi Ram (73). A check-up camp was also conducted in the village recently. Locals allege that the cause of spread of the disease is leaking water pipes. “We have complained to the authorities but no action has been taken,” stated sarpanch Suresh Kumar. District health officer M.C. Verma, however, states that the people of the village take water connections through pipes that are not sanctioned and thus the problem occurred.
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Karnal, September 1
Sirsa, September 1
Jhajjar, September 1
Rohtak, September 1