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Refinery discharge destroys forest cover
Panipat, November 17 Excessive discharge from the refinery has led to the destruction of the vast forest cover with more than 4,500 trees already dead and many other facing extinction. The biodrainage project was conceived by the IOC's top brass in 1998 after it discovered that the topography of the region did not support the natural flow of discharge from the refinery. It was decided to grow certain varieties of hyper-accumulator trees that soak heavy metal and through perspiration leave water vapours into the atmosphere thus purifying the discharged effluents in an effective manner. For the purpose, the IOC roped in the state forest department that extensively planted hyper-accumulator trees, including eucalyptus (safeda) and syzigium (jamun), over 145 hectares adjoining the refinery. The project proved to be a huge success and it continued to treat discharged effluents effectively for the past nine years. However, since January this year, the refinery almost doubled its discharge into the forest area that had been brought under the project. This caused an irreparable damage to the trees, which could not soak the extra discharge and started dying one after another. The area under the project had been divided into seven segments and in each segment around 2,200 trees had been planted. As of today, trees in two segments have completely been destroyed while a large number of trees in other segments have either died or have started showing signs of destruction. A visit to the project site by The Tribune team revealed that stinking black coloured discharge in huge quantities had killed every tree and plant. Sources in the forest department said in January this year the refinery management doubled the discharge into the forest area, besides the quality of the discharge also declined considerably. Perturbed by the environmental degradation, the forest department wrote several letters to the IOC's top management demanding that the refinery should immediately take remedial measures in this regard. However, no measures were initiated. Vasvi Tyagi, district forest officer, said the situation was grave. She said trees in half of the total area close to the refinery had been badly affected and on two hectares not even a single tree was left. She said the department had recently written to the state pollution control board asking it to take samples and conduct chemical tests on the discharge from the refinery. The destruction of the forest has also raised concerns amongst local environments who feel that the refinery management should be more responsive to such threats and take effective steps to check further loss of forest cover.
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A key player in holistic development of youth
Karnal, November 17 The programme that integrates four earlier programmes of the union ministry of youth services and sports, namely, promotion of youth activities and training, promotion of national integration, promotion of adventure, development and empowerment of adolescent mandates that those belonging to underprivileged sections of the society are exposed to adventure related activities besides access to education and skilled development. Director of the Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana chapter of NAF, Lt-Col YPS Dahiya (retd), said the foundation, since its inception in 1979, had been working for allround development of youth so that they conducted themselves as nationally oriented, knowledgeable, confident, balanced, value- based and socially adjusted citizens. It has been promoting adventure activities among youth, particularly those hailing from underprivileged sections of the society aimed at exposing youth to vagaries of nature, hardships and hazards to build their personality, character, confidence and courage. The NAF had been organising seminars-cum-workshops-cum-exhibitions every year in different parts of the country. Rising Sun Public School, Madhuban (Karnal) was chosen as the venue for the annual event this year. Inaugurating the two-day workshop, Lt-Gen G.L. Bakshi, former director-general of the NCC, said only bookish knowledge and computer education was not enough and adventure was a must to make children bold and develop their decision-making qualities. He said the importance of adventure-related outdoor activities had been dawning not only on youngsters but also on parents who were shedding their over-protective attitude towards their kids and sending them to adventure camps during the vacation. Deputy commissioner B.S. Malik exhorted the youth to become strong physically and mentally and fight against social evils with a sense of involvement. He asked children to discharge their duties towards the society faithfully and help create a new social order. Adventure activities like para-sailing, rappling, Burma bridge, commando net, tunnel and zorbing were organised during the seminar and an exhibition was organised to showcase the equipment used in mountaineering and other adventures.
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Cops’ temperament to decide posting
Chandigarh, November 17 Sources in the police department say a rough exercise has already begun with all station house officers (SHOs) asked to identify personnel with angularities in character working under them. Though officials admit that the rugged training that policemen undergo does leave behind some character traits, the mission on hand is to pick on personnel who get easily excited and provoked. “We do not want such personnel to be posted on law and order duty. We have a traffic wing and office duties and they can be accommodated at such postings which do not involve carrying of weapons,” a senior officer explains. While the SHOs through the superintendents of police (SPs) are already on the job to identify such characters, the department has employed the services of two psychologists at the Haryana Police Academy. They, too, have been asked to prepare personality profiles of police personnel so that duties can be allocated on the basis of temperament. Though this system is being used to track down policemen with extreme behaviour at different levels in the force, the police is now working on a proposal to post a psychologist each in all 20 districts in the state. “Law and order duties and chasing criminals cannot have trigger-happy cops who get easily excited in challenging and provocative situations. The nature of the mob is always to excite the force, whether by pelting stones or charging at them. At such places, we want policemen who can keep their cool and perform their duty by adding to the trouble brewing during protests. This excise will help us build a force for maintenance of law and order which is more equipped to handle trying situations,” the officer adds. Only recently, a police party from Hansi in Hisar district “accidentally” shot dead a student mistaking him for a notorious criminal on the Dadri-Tosham bypass here. The deceased, Kuldeep (22), was on his way home on a motorcycle along with his two friends after attending a marriage in a nearby village.
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Public transport in a mess in Rohtak, Jind
Rohtak/Jind, November 17 Commuters are left with no option than to depend on the messy and ill-organised private passenger vehicles, which rather pose danger to the commuters as far as the safety and their overall standard was concerned. The non-availability of adequate number of public transport buses, especially on the local and shorter routes, has led to mushrooming of illegal private transport, especially maxi cabs and jeeps on a majority of routes. Autorickshaws are hardly subjected to any kind of check on pollution levels. The condition of the state roadways buses has not been above any body’s imagination, though the authorities concerned claim the service as one of the best managed in the country. While Rohtak depot of the transport has been having a fleet of 160 buses at present, of which 159 have been plying on various routes. The depot in Jind has around 145 buses at present. The move to motivate private sector in transportation of passengers in the state has been taken up several years back, but this appeared to have gone flat with majority of the cooperative societies gone flop due to various reasons. Though several of buses of such societies were still been plying, but their survival was based on the fact that they had been running on profitable and selected routes only and not the routes allotted to them, claimed the sources in the department. The depots in these two districts came up as soon as the state came into being in 1966, but the development and maintenance of the infrastructure regarding the service had been poor and below average, felt the members of the worker’s union of the department. Policies and functioning of the department at higher levels had been a target of severe criticism and the authorities were blamed for the present conditions. According to general manager of the Haryana roadways at Rohtak Dhanraj Kundu, “There has been no shortage of staff or the buses in the local depot. But according to the employees union, the number of buses ought to be double than the present strength if the demand was given a look.” “There had been no air-conditioned bus service in any of these districts while such a service could be a success on longer routes, said Abhishek, a local resident. About 40 per cent of the total buses available had been running on shorter routes. But the commuters on some of the important routes face problems when the service was thin at odd hours especially between 8 pm to 4 am, claimed an employee. The local bus service in Rohtak, which used to ply between the main bus stand and the PGIMS (Medical college and hospital) for several years and which started way back in 1970’s, also stand withdrawn for the past about eight years. This gave a spurt in number of autorickshaws in the town, making the air most polluted and roads accident-prone. The authorities, however, site the ongoing development projects in the city, which include construction of some of the flyovers, for delay in the start of a local transport. The district administration had given several hundred permits between 1993 and 2003 for plying of maxi cabs. The number of such vehicles had crossed 10,000 in both the districts, according to reports. This had certainly eroded the revenue chunk of the state government, as most of such vehicles had been evading taxes, claimed an office bearer of the roadways worker’s union here. The regional transport authority that used to be an independent office under the supervision of an HCS rank officer had ceased to work in most of the districts after handing over the work of RTA to the SDM office of the subdivision. The SDM’s, on the otherhand, hardly find time to look into the work of this office due to the engagements connected to their main office and hence, this work lay ignored, said the sources in the department. The accidents due to rash driving by the maxi cabs and private commercial vehicles result in death or maiming of hundreds of passengers each year in these districts as the persons driving these vehicles had either been ill-trained or had no fear or respect for the traffic rules. The new bus stand at Rohtak that was constructed on the byepass road here a few years ago, with a view to provide a spacious place had again become a victim of severe congestion and encroachment, thanks to the failure of the authorities to check construction, illegal parking and opening of commercial establishments in the close neighbourhood of the bus stand. The very purpose of the new facility stands defeated just because of the sloppy attitude of the officials, said a local journalist Satvir Singh.
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Brass-plated carts face extinction
Hisar, November 17 These nomads known in Haryana and Rajasthan as “gadariye lohaar” (nomadic blacksmiths with carts) are no longer investing in these carts, thanks to government schemes offering them plots free of cost to lead a settled life. Gangwa village, which lies on the outskirts of the town, is the only place in the state where these carts are still made to order. But, these are now bought by affluent nomadic blacksmiths merely as a relic of their culture and not as a mobile home. Till a few years ago, more than 50 families were engaged in this business. Now, only three families make these carts with others having shifted to other businesses because of diminishing demand. Originally, these families belonged to Karno Chathi village of Nagore district of Rajasthan. Sada Ram and his four sons were the first to shift to Gangwa village about 200 years ago. Later, more families shifted here as the
business prospered. Sadhu Ram, an artisan, says these carts are a lifetime investment for nomads. In the past, one such cart was given in dowry to every girl belonging to the tribe. These carts are specially designed to store everything a family may require while travelling from place to place. Every cart has a special brass box with a heavy lock to store valuables. These carts are made from shisham wood, brass plates, leather and iron. The special brass nails known as kulli are still bought from Nagore. The brass plates are available in Delhi while shisham wood is available locally. Fakir Chand, another artisan from Gangwa, says it takes two artisans more than a month to make a cart. Each cart costs about Rs 20,000. It is sold for around Rs 35,000. “Meagre profits and diminishing orders are forcing us to take up other businesses. Besides, we no longer have the space in the village where we can assemble these carts,”
he laments. He says the orders these days come mainly from organisers of cultural fairs in India
and abroad. The Gangwa artisans have during the past five years sold more carts to government organisations and museums than to nomadic tribesmen. Fakir Chand says the younger generation of these tribes is no longer nomadic by culture. So, instead of giving these carts in dowry, these tribes now prefer to invest in a plot in a village. Since their children go to school they prefer industrial jobs rather than roaming around pointlessly all over Haryana and Rajasthan, he says. “We are changing too. Our children are not interested in learning the art. So, the future of this art form is doomed,” Sadhu Ram adds.
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Environment
Hisar, November 17 Inaugurating the seminar, Haryana Agricultural University vice-chancellor J.C. Katyal said the campaign to save environment must begin at the local level from where it should progressively
proceed to the international level. Katyal said environmental problems affected every living being on the earth and as such everyone needed to make an effort if the planet had to be saved. While agreeing that economic progress was a necessity for the global community, he said it must be ensured that financial gains were not made at the cost of environment. This held true for the development of technology also. Sumedha Kataria, additional deputy commissioner, Kurukshetra, said sanitation was a key component of environmental issues. Citing her experiences from her involvement in the Sarasvati Project and total sanitation campaign, she said personal hygiene and community sanitation were the very basis of any campaign aimed at saving environment. Dr Savita Singhal of Haryana Agricultural University said the involvement of rural women in policy-making for saving environment was necessary. She said emphasis must be laid on sharing resources, which would also help curb consumerism. Singhal also underlined the need for population control. Presiding over the concluding session, deputy commissioner O.P. Sheoran said the masses must be educated about the need to save the environment. He said such a vital problem could never be solved without the involvement of the man on the street. The highlight of the seminar was an exhibition on environmental issues. Some of the T-shirts with slogans on environmental issues displayed were the centre of attraction.
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Gurgaon mall goes without power
Gurgaon, November 17 The Mall Occupants' Welfare Association has blamed the alleged nonchalant attitude of the builder for the current situation, as he was required to take a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the board after installing a sewerage plant and silent generator, which the builder had failed to do. Besides, the builder had allegedly kept a payment of Rs 15 lakh pending to be paid to the DHBVN, which had earlier disconnected the power supply to the mall on November 5 and November 7. Association president Raj pal Singh Bajwa said the occupants had paid Rs 14 lakh of the dues pending to the DHBVN instead of the builder making the payment and asked the nigam for time till December 15 to make the rest of the pending payment of
Rs 1 lakh. “It is strange that the pollution board has woken up after so many years to realise that the builder had not taken the required NOC,” Bajwa said. The mall became operational three years ago. "We have suffered losses amounting to crores of rupees in the past week since customers are returning because of the lack of electricity in the mall,”
Bajwa lamented. There are several multinational companies and leading Indian financial institutions, besides high-end restaurants operating from the mall. Blaming the builder, Vijay Dixit, for the current state of affairs, Bajwa said the association had sought a meeting with him several times to resolve the issue, but he had remained elusive. Dr C.V. Singh, regional officer, pollution board, said, “We have sent orders to Vijay Dixit many times but he never responded. Now I have told the occupants to complete the relevant documents and deposit the required security along with the bank guarantee, which they have agreed to do”.
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From beggar’s bowl to the needy
Sonepat, November 17 Recently, he solemnised the marriage of an orphan girl, Sonia, with Raj Kumar, a painter. He arranged all the things, including the meals for the marriage party, and other articles of domestic requirement. He begs on Tuesdays and Saturdays and people are so much impressed with his selfless service that his bowl gets filled in no time. He does not prefer to beg on other days as two days’ collections are considered sufficient by him to meet his requirements. He cremates not only unclaimed bodies but also arranges to send the mortal remains for immersion in the Ganga at Hardwar or the Garh Ganga. He distributes books and stationary free of cost among 150 students of poor families every year.
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BSP gets into campaign mode
Faridabad, November 17 The BSP has already conducted a series of meetings of its workers at various levels in this district projecting Sharma,a fomer cricketer.The workers' meetings addressed by state BSP leaders have been making calls to the rank and file to ensure the victory of Sharma so as to help the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and party supremo Mayawati emerge as the next Prime Minister. The Congress has Avtar Bhadana as its sitting MP from this parliamentary consitutuency. However,the talk in the party is that the chairman of the Adminstrative Reforms Commission of the state and party MLA from Palwal,Karan Dalal,is also lobbying to pip Bhadana to the post. Dalal,whose very name as a possible Congress nominee is opposed by several sections in the party,is said to be opposed to the candidature of Bhadana.Rather,both Bhadana and Dalal blamed each other in the case of twin murder of sisters who were natives of Prithla,a few moths ago.With the Haryana police allegedly caught in the cross-fire between the two senior leaders of the ruling party,the investigation into the case became a laughing stock.The residents of the area met Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to hand over the case to the CBI for investigation.It is a different story that the governemnt promptly handed over the case to the premier investigating agency. The reason for Dalal eyeing party nomination is not far to seek.The demographic profile has undergone a transformation following the implementation of the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission.The number of Jat and Punjabi voters has increased signficantly. The local Congress leaders say another senior leader of the Haryana unit of the party Gulshan Bagga is also an aspirant for party nomination on account of the increase in the number of Punjabi voters,whose strength is now about 2 lakh. However,notwithstanding the politicking in the local unit of the party, many senior leaders say that any Congress nominee having the blessings of Bhupinder Singh Hooda will win from Faridabad.No single leader from the party had an indepedent standing enough to win except the image of Hooda,they add. The inner rivalry in the BJP,which has forged an allinace with the INLD is no less,if not more for party nomination from this seat.It is certain that the BJP will put up its nominee as the INLD is not likely to stake claim on it. Former BJP from this seat,Ram Chander Bainda,former minister and Kishan Pal Gurjar are said to be strong contenders and both sides are said to be lobbying intensely in the party.Rather groupism in the local unit of the BJP is quiet visible on the issue. Spice is being thrown in the controversy in the BJP with one of its former MLAs,Chander Bhatia also making open claims that he was an aspirant for party nomination on account of an increase in the number of Punjabi voters.However,although Bhatia rebuts,many in his own party put question mark on his sticking with the BJP.Whle Bhatia says that it is conspiracy on the part of some leaders in his won party to defame him,there are strong feeling in certain quarters that he was having talks both with the BSP and the Haryana Janhit Congress(BL) to get nomination to contest from this parliamentary seat. The Haryana Janhit Congress(BL) appears to be vascillating as no one has emerged favourite for possible nomination.Earlier, its chief,Kuldip Bishnoi, had claimed that the names of nominees of all the 10 parliamentary constituencies in the state would be declared by Independence Day.Many feel that the party is waitng for erosion in other political parties to possibly choose its nominee.
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Integrated township to come up in Fatehabad
Fatehabad, November 17 Named Alpha International City (AIC), the township is being developed in 51-acre of land in sector 4
in Fatehabad. The company is also developing townships in Karnal and Kurukshetra and claims it has been doing very well in all the three cities. "During the perceived downturn in real estate, we have recorded sales of over Rs 124 crore under the ongoing scheme in these townships in the past 3 weeks,” said director and CEO of Alpha G Corp S. K. Sayal. Talking about the company's latest initiative in a sluggish market, Sayal said that response to their schemes for the three integrated townships is overwhelming. They have utilised past four months in putting entire infrastructure in place, which would provide ideal living environment for their buyers. “With this scheme, we are happy to prove that diligence and professional delivery standards go beyond market uncertainties. Our research before launching this festive scheme led us to expect a good response despite the general slowdown.” According to a study there was an ever-increasing aspiration and demand for more wholesome and organised lifestyle among adults as well as children in families of tier 2 and 3 towns. While many people have the resources to buy the homes of their dreams, these were not yet available in the market. “People see the investment opportunity by way of affordable pricing in our townships that are bound to find very lucrative deals once they are inhabited as happened in the case of our premium residential complex, Gurgaon One where prices were appreciated by three times in the past year after delivery.” Even in HUDA Sector 3 in Fatehabad and Sectors 5, 7 and 13 in Kurukshetra and Sectors 7, 8, 9 and13 in Karnal, prices were tripled even without the class of infrastructure that we have," Sayal said. According to him, “In order to fulfill the dreams of affordable housing for all, the company offered an option of a nominal booking amount of Rs 1 lakh during the festive scheme this year. There was additionally a special discount of 5 per cent on the basic sale price for serving/ retired defence personnel/ retired government/ PSU officers as well as the physically challenged.” In case of time linked plan, the payment would be for three years with an average of two installments per year. This payment plan is along the lines of that established by HUDA and this is the first time a private developer is offering payment plan of three years with six installments payable every six months. In case of down payment plan, a rebate of 9 per cent would be offered to the buyers. This would also coincide with the time when the agricultural money would be available in the market to facilitate farmers to invest in a good living habitat. Alpha GCorp Development Private Limited has received license and approved master plan from DTCP, Haryana. Fatehabad is right in the heart of the agricultural belt of the state. It is well connected to Delhi, Chandigarh, Bhatinda, Hisar and Rohtak via NH10. Home to affluent farmers and landowners, this quiet and peaceful city is suddenly in the news due to various developmental activities surrounding it. With so many projects being developed together, it is no surprise that a proposal to build an airport in the nearby city of Hisar has been conceived by the government. “The district has the makings of a great city to live in and is becoming a great investment destination," elaborated vice president, corporate affairs and marketing, Alpha G:Corp Prodipta Sen while speaking about high appreciation expected in the region. The integrated township would be ready for handover in June 2010 so that buyers could build their dream homes as per their schedule and convenience. Alpha GCorp is also in the process of finalising real estate sites for largescale development in other cities, towns and townships with
100 per cent foreign direct investment.
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Educationist J.N. Kapur’s legacy lives on
Yamunanagar, November 17 Kapur set up a chain of DAV institutions in the rural and back
ward areas. He also played a role in the freedom movement as he was associated with Lala Lajpat Rai. He was the youngest member of the DAV Movement College Managing Committee, Lahore, when he was 24. After 1952, he devoted his life to the cause of education, especially for improving the lot of the poor. He started the work of rebuilding DAV institutions in the district and
other places. He established a chain of institutions, including two dental colleges, and the first physiotherapy institute in the state by collecting donations. He believed in providing equal opportunities to girls and started DAV College for Girls in the district in 1958, with only four students
out of which two were getting free education. His son, Vijay Kapur, who is the chairman of the DAV schools in the district, says: “Even at the age of 86, my father continued to work for the cause of education in spite of his deteriorating health and set up M.N DAV Dental College at Solan.” He also set up a polytechnic for women in 1991 in the district. “To recognise the contribution of my father, the first dental college of the state has been renamed as J.N. Kapur DAV Centenary Dental College,” Vijay said, and added a number of organisations and dignitaries had now recommended the name of his father for the Padma Bhushan or the
Padma Vibhushan. Several social organisations, educational institutions and dignitaries have now joined hands demanding a national award for him.
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Kapal Mochan’s potential as tourist spot
(Kapal Mochan) Bilaspur, November 17 Lakhs of pilgrims from various states, mainly Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh took a holy dip in three sarovars from November 10 to 12 during the three-day Kapal Mochan fair. There is a need to popularise this place not only at the state but also at the national level. Every year during the fair, seven to 10 lakh pilgrims visit here. Besides, sadhus from different states too come here in large numbers and most of them stay at Suraj Kund Ghat. There is a need to properly maintain the sarovars. Besides, maintenance and carpeting of internal roads and the 12-km stretch from Jagadari to Billaspur is required.
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Bijli Nigam to improve power supply in Jind
Chandigarh, November 17 An official spokesman said here today that the Nigam had identified 73 feeders for segregation of load. The total project cost was estimated to be Rs 20.75 crore. The work on 13 feeders had been completed so far and electricity consumers of more than 40 villages had been benefitted by way of reliable power supply with better voltage. He said the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam and the UHBVN had approved construction of 132 KV substations at Ghoghariyan, Dablain and Bibipur villages and a 33 KV substation at Shamdo village with a total investment of over Rs 36 crore. Simultaneously, the existing capacity of 220 KV substation Jind, 132 KV substation Naguran and 33 KV substation Pindara would be made at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore. Referring to power supply through the high voltage distribution system and aerial bunched cable-based system, he said the work had been completed in 37 villages and 12 residential colonies in the district in the first phase. A test study carried out by the Nigam before and after implementing the system had revealed significant reduction in tripping, breakdown and damage to distribution transformers in these areas. Encouraged with the results, the work had been initiated in 12 villages and four colonies to implement the system. He said the Haryana Power Utilities had spent about Rs 120 crore in the district to strengthen the transmission and distribution system during past three years. It has been planned to spend Rs 70 crore to improve the network during next 18 months, he added.
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HMT colony in deplorable condition
Kalka, November 17 Informing this, Vijay Bansal, former secretary of the state Congress, said it had been mentioned in the letter that the HMT colony for HMT employees comprising of 1,000 dwelling units had been turned into deplorable condition. The condition of approach roads, internal roads, drains, streetlights and cleanliness of the colony is in shambles. Subsequently, employees and their families have been facing a lot of hardship due to the lack of basic amenities in the colony for a long time.
It has been urged in the letter that the authorities concerned responsible for the maintenance of the colony at Pinjore should revamp the civic amenities. A visit to the HMT colony by The Tribune reveals that the roads of the colony are in pitiable condition with many potholes that create inconvenience to the pedestrians and vehicle drivers, especially during the rainy days. The colony has over 250 streetlights, but most of them are non-functional. The residents also allege non-maintenance of children parks in the colony. Even the houses are not in good condition. Windows and doors need to be immediately replaced. Moreover, there is also the problem of leakage in the rainy season. Although the residents have brought these problems to the notice of the civil department of the HMT many times, but to no avail. Live wires at the telephone and electric poles pose a threat to human life. The residents have also demanded a shelter opposite the main gate of the HMT on the National Highway 22 and streetlights on the link road near Pinjore Gardens.
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Students, teachers resolve to work for country’s uplift
Sirsa, November 17 The ceremony was organised to mark the birth anniversary of India’s first education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Addressing the students and teachers, Chauhan remembered Azad as a staunch nationalist who forcefully denounced the two-national theory propagated by the Muslim League.
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