Chandigarh, August 30
The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) has widened the scope of its plan to implement the latest remote automatic metering system (RAMS) for high-tension industrial consumers to reduce line losses and prevent theft of electricity. It has been decided to implement the plan in the low-tension industrial category and non-domestic supply consumers having loads of more than 20 KW.

UHBVN managing director Arun Kumar said here that the automatic meter reading system would be installed on all 3100 high-tension (HT) industrial consumers to closely monitor their consumption from the head office of the nigam at Panchkula without any human intervention at consumer premises.

He said the project would be implemented on all HT industrial consumers in the first phase. It would be extended to 9,071 low-tension (LT) industrial and 3,500 non-domestic consumers having loads above 20 KW. The responsibility of implementation would be assigned to the firm who had designed, implemented and maintained data acquisition, revenue billing and meter data analysis application for at least 15,000 consumers.

The head office of the nigam and its vigilance wing would use the data and its analysis report on a daily basis to capture any tampering with meter or its wiring and in case of abnormal consumption pattern, the checking team would inspect the premises immediately.

The implementation of the project would help in accurate billing. The project is likely to be implemented within three months. The proposed RAMS is capable of providing the data of tampering of meters by magnet or through any other device, hourly data of consumption for the past 35 days. Kumar also said that the system was implemented in Delhi and it was observed that there was a significant reduction in distribution losses and theft of electricity.

Chandigarh, August 30
The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) recovered Rs 41.11 crore from non- paying consumers up to August 15 during the current financial year by launching a special recovery campaign. The power supply to 91441 defaulters was disconnected either temporarily or permanently.

A official spokesman said here that the nigam snapped electricity supply of 23,530 non-payers in operation circle Ambala, 19,246 non-payers in Yamunanagar operation circle, 13,029 in Kurukshetra, 9,692 in Panipat, 8,420 in Kaithal, 7,238 in Jind, 3,854 in Karnal, 3,380 in Jhajjar, 2,768 in Sonepat and 284 in Rohtak operation circle. These non-payers had to pay Rs 71.75 crore to the nigam. The recovered amount of Rs 41.11 crore constituted about 57 per cent of the defaulting amount.

He said the Nigam had constituted special teams to conduct cross-checking of premises of permanently disconnected consumers. The inter-division checking was being conducted to minimize the possibility of pilferage of power by the disconnected consumers.

He said during preliminary checking, it was observed that some of the permanently disconnected consumers had been drawing electricity unauthorizedly, which was a cause of concern. Many permanently disconnected consumers had the new connection on the same premises in someone else’s name. This led to loss of revenue to the Nigam. The Nigam would initiate stringent action against the officials who had issued no demand certificates for release of new connections at the defaulting premises.

Faridabad, August 30
Reeling under the existing tax provisions, the industry here is annoyed at the government official’s “misinterpreting” the Building and Other Construction Workers Act, 1996, and imposing another kind of levy on factories.

A delegation of industrialists recently met Satwanti Ahlawat, labour commissioner, and urged her to correct the anomaly by issuing a clarification on the issue.

The industry laments that under the Act, any new construction/project attracts one per cent cess. According to it, as per legal interpretation, the Act does not apply to factory buildings and is primarily meant to cover construction activities not covered under the Factories Act.

The Faridabad Industries Association (FIA) alleges that despite clear provisions, the industry is being forced to deposit the cess. It further alleges that although the industry has already expressed its concern at various forums, factory units continue to receive notices under the BOC Act to deposit the cess, which is “unwarranted”.

According to the FIA, a large number of units have already become victims of this “warped” interpretation of the Act.

Ramesh Jhawar, president of the Faridabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), stresses that there is no rationale for paying the cess as the industry is already burdened with levies on various counts. The government must intervene at the earliest to prevent the industry from exploitation.

Dwelling on the issue, an entrepreneur says basically, the cess is meant for commercial and other kind of new buildings. According to him, under the Factories Act, another building can be set up in a factory premises which already has a licence to run an industry. But government officials are misinterpreting the provisions of the law, he adds.

As per the norms, revenue collected by the government in the name of cess under the BOC Act is meant for welfare schemes relating to construction labourers and workers.

Fatehabad, August 30
Agitation by the farmers of Gorakhpur village against the acquisition of agriculture lands for setting up a nuclear power plant by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is slowly slipping out of their hands.

A tardy response of the government has only helped the issue slip out of the hands of farmers and take political overtones.

The response of farmers, who had in fact happily met the officials of the NPCIL on their last visit here and attended a seminar organised by them to allay people’s apprehensions regarding the nuclear power plant, came as surprise for many.

Some of them, in fact, had volunteered for a tour of some other plants set up earlier in the country. NPCIL officials had offered the tour.

However, when the government issued notification for the acquisition of over 1,400 acres land of the village under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, villagers started their agitation.

Initially, their agitation seemed to be aimed at getting some hiked compensation for their lands, but they soon declared that they would not give an inch of their land at any cost.

“We have been tilling this land since generations. How can the government separate us from this land?” the farmers question.

The farmers have also started questioning the wisdom of setting up a nuclear power plant in an area inhabited very thickly.

The agitating farmers used sarcastic language when Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar, accompanied by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s former aide KV Singh, went to the dharna site to persuade them.

“The government sets up universities and medical colleges in other districts and when it comes to setting up of hazardous units like a nuclear plant, they find Fatehabad suitable,” said some farmers.

Though some kisan leaders like Krishan Swaroop of the Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sabha have been giving alternative to the displaced farmers, those who are going to lose their land are not prepared for that.

“I am not going to give away my ancestral land so easily. I will rather die than to leave my land,” said a farmer.

Opposition parties have given their support to the agitation almost instantaneously. Haryana Janhit Congress supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi has already visited the dharna site and offered his party’s support to the agitation.

District-level leaders of the INLD have been visiting them almost daily. Bishnoi also assured to raise the issue in the state Assembly.

INLD supremo Om Parkash Chautala had already opposed the plant, when a team of the NPCIL visited Gorakhpur last year.

Residents of 14 surrounding villages of Gorakhpur have also announced their support to the farmers’ agitation and declared that they would not allow the plant to come up in their area.

The manner in which the issue has been hijacked from those who actually started the agitation, it appears that the state government has to face much difficulty in settling this ticklish issue now.

Sirsa, August 30
Dr KC Bhardwaj, who recently rook over as the vice-chancellor of Chaudhary Devi Lal University, has several plans for the development of the institution. This is his third term in the CDLU as earlier he joined as vice-chancellor on July 25, 2006, for a period of three years and consequently retired on July 24, 2009.

However, he got an extension for a period of three years or reaching the age of 65, whichever earlier, and retired from the job on January 1, 2010. Later, the state government raised the age of retirement for vice-chancellors to 68 and Dr Bhardwaj has been again given a fresh term of three years by the government.

The VC said his emphasis would be on research work in the university. “Stress will also be laid on holding conferences, workshops, seminars and symposia so as to provide the best possible exposure to students and teachers,” Dr Bhardwaj said.

“There are several schemes in the UGC as well as the Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry for the regions having high SC and backward classes population. I will explore the possibilities of getting grants for the university under those schemes,” he added.

He said students of the region did not have facilities to prepare for competitive examinations. Efforts would be made to provide them guidance so that they could compete with those from other areas. Setting up department of languages will also be on the list of priorities for the new vice-chancellor.

The university does not have departments of Hindi, Sanskrit or Punjabi and Dr Bhardwaj said he would take up the matter with the government. The matter of affiliation of colleges of neighbouring districts with the university is also pending for long.

The VC said he would restart efforts to bring colleges of Sirsa and Fatehabad districts under the ambit of the university so that problems of students of these districts could be mitigated.

Karnal, August 30
Creation of data bank of students in adolescent age group of 12 to 18 years would be the main feature of the third phase of the Indira Bal Swasthya Yojana (IBSY), launched on August 15, and teams of doctors would visit middle, high and secondary schools in Karnal district, informed civil surgeon Vandana Bhatia.

The third and the last phase of the IBSY, launched as an off-shoot of the National Rural Health Mission, was very crucial as adolescent age was the age of hormonal changes and as such the doctors would thoroughly examine the vital health indicators like haemoglobin, visibility, stomach problems, condition of teeth and general physiology of children in the prescribed age group, she added.

All communicable diseases like respiratory infection, diarrhoea and fever and non-communicable diseases like heart diseases and cancer were also being covered under the scheme.

She said the data collected in the third phase would provide vital information about the state of health and prevalence of diseases and deficiencies among children and the reasons thereof and help in formulating the health policy for the state.

The survey of anganwadi children in the age group of 0-6 was conducted in the second phase and it revealed that 37 per cent children were anaemic. The third phase of the survey would also indicate the success of various health and nutrition programmes launched by the government for women and children.

Health check-up of about 10.95 lakh children studying in 9,099 out of the 9,246 government primary schools in the state was conducted in the first phase, launched in January this year, while 9,15,808 children in 15,911 anganwadis out of 17,692 anganwadis were screened under the second phase, launched in June 2010. 

Panipat, August 30
The ancestral house of celebrated Urdu poet and social reformer Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali, whose twin pillar philosophy of Islamic reform and empowerment of women had inspired many around the world, has come face to face with large-scale withering.

Panipat, the city where the author of the famous Mussadas-e-Hali spent last days of his life, had come to be known as Sufi Markaz or the city of peace because of the works of Hali, who was also the country’s first feminist poet.

However, his house, which stands a symbol of great philosophy, is now in a shambles and there is no one to revamp the decaying structure.

A few years ago, the state government had expressed its commitment to preserve and revive the legacy of the poet, which included Hali Memorial Library, Hali Park, his mausoleum and Maulana’s Haveli. Later, it was decided to open a school for girls on the premises of the haveli and it was taken over by the Education Department.

Last year, the department started an elementary school here in which about 50 students from the adjoining areas started receiving education. Even as the building constructed about 150 years ago with bricks and mud started to fall apart, no steps were taken to repair the old structure.

It was only after the repeated communes send by the local officials to the higher authorities that Rs 11 lakh were sanctioned by the state Education Department for the restoration of the house. But, the officials stated that the amount was insufficient to carry on the restoration work.

The officials stated that they had asked the Public Works Department to prepare an estimate report of the amount that was required to restore the house. They added that the senior authorities had already been made aware of the situation.Faridabad hospital equipped to diagnose dengue.

Rewari, August 30
The Veer Savarkar Manch, a voluntary organisation of south Haryana, has sought dismissal of Union Home Minister P. Chidambram for his 'obnoxious' "saffron terror" comments.

In a communication sent to the President of India, Shriniwas Sharma Shastri, convener of the manch, has urged the President to sack the Union Home Minister for 'hurting' the sentiments of the Hindus by stating that the phenomenon of saffron terrorism was very much in existence in the country.

Stating that while Lord Ram wore saffron robes during his 14-year-long exile, Shastri said saffron flags had been fluttering atop all temples of devotees of Sanatan Dharam in India and elsewhere since time immemorial.

He went on to say that saffron colour, which was an integral component of the national flag, symbolised renunciation, austerity and "our spiritual prowess as well".

He further said that by issuing the above statement the Union Home Minister had tarnished the sanctity of Indian culture as well as the fair name of legendary saints and sages and the President should now dismiss him immediately in the interest of the entire Indian nation.

Rewari, August 30
Thousands of men and women devotees from Rewari, Bawal, Jatusana, Kund, Dahina, Kosli, Pataudi and other areas of the Ahirwal region participated in a devotional congregation held under the auspices of the Yoga Vedant Sewa Samiti in the New Grain Market Complex here yesterday. 

Delivering sermons, Sant Asa Ram Bapu exhorted the devotees to go in for satsang (society of pious men) while asserting that the constant company of godly persons alone could be instrumental in "our communion with the Lord of the universe."

Stating that human life was the noblest creation of God upon this earth, he cautioned the aficionados against hankering after the pleasures of senses and concentrate their energies on the pious pursuit of the divine.

Earlier, Bapu was accorded a warm reception by Shanti Devi, mother of Finance Minister Ajay Yadav, MP Goyal, Ashok Data, Pooran Chand Agarwal, Shyam Lal Goyal, Amarkant Sachdeva and others, functionaries of the Sewa Samiti.

Rohtak, August 30
The Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee has described the incident of throwing a shoe towards the Chief Minister at a public meeting in Mahendergarh as a “cheap gimmick and an attempt to take forward a wrong and unjustified action to garner publicity”.

Such an act should be dealt with strictly so that the misuse of an unholy action should not go further to a stage that was shameful and unfortunate. Stating this, HPCC spokesperson Ved Prakash Vidrohi claimed that some politically motivated elements had used the occasion to indulge in such an unfortunate and unwarranted act while there was no such issue that demanded resorting to such an action.

He said it was unjustified that it could happen to the most docile and humble CM like Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Stating that the shoe thrower would not be able to justify this action, he said this was part of a cheap publicity campaign done at the behest of certain disgruntled political elements who wanted to cash in on such an unholy trend.

Describing it as a poor act of corrupting the state politics, he asked all political parties and their leaders to condemn the action. “In fact, such an act is turning into an easy way to get publicity and more and more people are disrupting political gatherings with such gimmicks and none was unaware that this unfortunate notion took its root with shoe being thrown at former US President George W. Bush.

Vidrohi further expressed that usage of black strips by some four or five women in the gathering was just a way of showing their protest and they simply succeeding in it due to the failure of the police to curb such act and nothing more.

“Despite this incident, there was no disruption and people of Mahendragarh continued be there in a peaceful manner, displaying that they are with still with the ruling party”. He said the majority of people continued to remain calm and attentive to the speakers despite the unwanted act and that proved that they did not approve it.

Vidrohi maintained that Congress government accepted and respected the fact that every citizen had a democratic right to voice his or her opinion freely, but this should not be misused for cheap gimmicks.

Rewari, August 30
The mortal remains of veteran freedom fighter Goverdhan Singh (92) were consigned to flames with state honours at Phadni village, near here, on Saturday.

He died of protracted illness on Saturday. His eldest son Nawal Singh lit the pyre.

While SDM SB Lohiya paid floral tributes to him on behalf of the district administration, a police contingent reversed its arms and bade final farewell to the freedom fighter.

Goverdhan, who joined the Indian National Army (INA) in 1941, fought for India’s freedom. Subsequently, he was imprisoned by the British government and he remained in jail at Singapore and Ranch (India) for about two years after which he was released from jail in 1945. He is survived by three sons and four daughters.

Sirsa, August 30
Noted theatre artiste Anoop Lather feels that Haryanavi cinema is in bad shape and needs the patronage of the state government for its revival.

Lather feels that the state government can help the Haryanavi cinema by exempting these films from entertainment tax and at the same time by making screening of such films mandatory in all cinema halls of the state.

He was interacting with students and teachers of the Journalism and Mass Communication Department of Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, through video conferencing in an interview for community radio station of the department. Virender Chauhan, chairperson of the department, hosted the programme.

Lather said several states, including Karnataka and Maharashtra, have used this strategy for helping the regional cinema grow in these states.

Lather, who is presently heading the Youth and Cultural Affairs Department of Kurukshetra University (KU) as its director, has played a major role in preserving and rejuvenating “Saang” by adopting a long-term strategy that involved various cultural fests organised under his supervision by the university during the past two-and-a-half decades.

Haryanavi orchestra, Haryanavi ghazal competition and Haryanavi declamation contest were the innovative ideas that originated on the KU campus and these have created a sense of pride for the Haryanavi language in the minds of youths.

Responding to a query of students, Lather said he himself was extremely hurt by the so-called Haryanavi pop albums that present filth in the name of Haryanavi culture. However, these things would die with time as public would reject these.

He said most of the state universities had not appointed whole-time directors for youth and cultural affairs till date. Culture cannot flourish under the ad hoc arrangements that were in vogue now, he added.

Faridabad, August 30
With a large number of dengue cases surfacing in the national capital since the onset of monsoon, the district authorities here appear to have gone in an overdrive on the prevention and cure aspects of the disease.

As part of move towards early detection of the virus among patients, the District Civil Hospital here has procured a machine and kit to test blood samples. Earlier, the District Malaria Office (DMO) had to depend on the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), Delhi, for such tests.

According to Dr Om Prakash Mehta, district malaria officer, besides procuring the testing machine, the hospital has also opened an exclusive dengue ward. Private hospitals in the district have also been issued an advisory by the DMO to send case history and blood samples of patients suspected of dengue.

According to the DMO, no case has been tested positive so far in Faridabad. In the past about one month, the office got about 40 suspected cases. Blood samples of 20 patients were sent to the NICD while samples of other 20 patients are being tested in the hospital itself after the arrival of the machine and kit.

Meanwhile, the DMO has intensified fogging of sensitive areas of the city, including SJM Nagar, Dabua Colony, Jawahar Colony, Sanjay Colony etc. Incidentally, these are the areas that witness waterlogging during rainy season. The DMO has divided Faridabad into four zones and 78 teams have been constituted. Besides resident welfare associations, about 36 existing government departments here have been advised not to allow accumulation of water in their surroundings.

However, many feel that the advice given by the DMO appears to have gone unheard since the district administration appears to be least bothered on the issue as waterlogging can be witnessed in various parts of the city.

Ambala, August 30
The inmates of Borstal jail, Sonepat, have got their new home in Ambala City. Following the deteriorating condition of the building of the Borstal jail, which was located in the old DC Court Complex, around 90 under trials and convicts below the age of 16 have been shifted to the Ambala Borstal jail, which was constructed recently.

At present, the new jail has a capacity of 45 inmates, but almost double the number has been lodged in it. The new jail has all basic facilities, including airy barracks, modern toilets and open space in the jail campus for sports activities. A kitchen has also been set up in the campus.

In the beginning, the jail authorities have been facing some difficulties to provide basic amenities to the inmates. They have been facing a shortage of LPG cylinder, as cylinders being used in Sonepat have not been shifted to Ambala so far. A water purifier system has not been installed on taps meant for drinking water. Arrangements for 45 inmates have been made in the new jail, but the number has reached to 90. In the coming months, it could increase further.

The new jail has been constructed outside the city area that is why it needs proper security arrangements for the inmates. In 1999, around 12 prisoners had escaped from the Sonepat Borstal jail, while in 2000 and 2002, 10 more inmates had managed to flee from the jail. The Borstal jail is located just close to the court complex, which would enable the inmates to appear in the juvenile court easily.

Jhajjar, August 30
Special health teams were being constituted to provide better health care in the NCR areas falling in the state in view of the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi in October. Haryana Health and Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal disclosed this while talking to mediapersons after listening to people grievances during his daylong visit here recently.

“The state Health Department is fully alert and there will be no letup in providing quality health services in the NCR region during the Games. The department is also taking effective steps to control various diseases caused by changing weather,” said the Minister, adding that a strong network was also being created to provide better medicare to people, besides monitoring the functioning of government doctors.

She said under the Indira Bal Swasthya Yojana, which had been implemented in the state this year, health of all schoolgoing children was being checked up and medicines were being provided to the needy students.

“Less cases of malaria have been reported in the state this year as compared to the previous ones, thanks to the better health care facilities being provided by the state government to the people,” she informed, maintaining that the government was making all efforts to provide better health care to the people. Patients were being treated by specialists in community health centres.

Later, Bhukkal reached the local Panchayat Bhawan where she not only attended the Shahidi Mela (martyr fair), but also saw the exhibition based on sacrifice made by the martyrs for the freedom as well.

Addressing a gathering here, the minister exhorted the people to tread the path of truth shown by the country’s great freedom fighters and martyrs to maintain unity and integrity of the nation, social harmony and brotherhood among the people.

Applauding the exhibition, she said organisation of such sorts of exhibitions in regular interval was essential to make youths aware to work together for the welfare of the nation. She also expressed views regarding the exhibition by penning down few words over a message sheet.

Gurgaon, August 30
The Queen’s Baton Relay of Commonwealth Games (CWG) Delhi-2010 will reach Gurgaon on September 29. The Baton relay is scheduled to stay in Gurgaon on that day.

This was stated by Gurgaon deputy commissioner Rajender Kataria at a meeting of officials called to review preparations to receive the Baton. He appealed to people to participate in welcoming the Baton. The outstanding sportspersons who have excelled at various levels have been asked to come forward to run with the Baton in the city.

These players would accompany the Baton from specific locations up to the next point. The players would run with the Baton in the populated areas and would board a vehicle in the unpopulated areas of the city. School and college students carrying India’s national flags would also welcome and cheer up the Baton relay participants at various places.

The Queen’s Baton entered India on June 25 from Pakistan through Wagha border.

The Baton is scheduled to enter Haryana on Sepember 26 through Dabwali in Sirsa district.

It would reach Gurgaon after passing through 11 districts, including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Jind, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Rohtak, Bhiwani and Jhajjar.

The Baton relay will enter Gurgaon district from Jhajjar via Farukhnagar. It will reach Nehru Stadium after passing through Sultanpur lake, Chandu Budhera, Dhanwapur, Basai and Hero Honda Chowk on the way.

The Baton will be given a gala welcome at the stadium. The deputy commissioner appealed the members of the resident welfare associations and other organisations to join the district administration in welcoming the Queen’s Baton in Gurgaon.

The Queens Baton relay, similar to the Olympic Torch Relay, is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The relay symbolises the gathering of people from across the Commonwealth countries at the four-yearly festival of sport and culture.

The Delhi-2010 Baton Relay was launched on October 29, 2009, at Buckingham Palace in London, with Queen Elizabeth-II handing over the Baton to the President of India, Pratibha Devisingh Patil, who in turn passed it on to Dr MS Gill and Suresh Kalmadi. Kalmadi then passed the Baton to Abhinav Bindra, India's Olympic shooting champion.

The first team of Baton bearers included Lord Sebastian Coe, Kapil Dev, Sania Mirza, Milkha Singh, Dame Kelly Holmes, Vijender Kumar and Susan Gilroy, among others. It will be the longest Queen’s Baton relay in the history of the Commonwealth Games. After the relay covers all 28 states, the 100-day journey throughout the country will finish when the Baton-bearers enter the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium during the opening ceremony of the XIX Commonwealth Games.

The Baton will enter Delhi after passing through Gurgaon on September 30. There will be a three-day relay of the Baton in Delhi. On October 3, Queen Elizabeth-II’s message will be taken out of the Baton and read to the athletes at the opening ceremony of the games.

By the time it reaches the ultimate destination, the Baton would have covered 1,90,000 km touring 71 countries. 

Karnal, August 30
Sainik School Kunjpura (SSK) dominated the IPSE (Public Schools) volleyball championships by emerging winner in under-14 and under-19 categories while finishing as runners-up in under-17 category.

The host SSK defeated LKSE, Gotan (3-2) in the finals in under-19 category and humbled BRCM, Bahal in under-14 category to win the crown. LKSE, Gotan, defeated SSK (2-1) in under-17 category, but SSK bagged the overall championship trophy. It was a nail-biting finish in the final in senior category (under-19) and spectators were thrilled with the performance of the finalists.

Keen contests were witnessed in finals in all three categories and LKSE, Gotan, and BRCM, Bahal, finished fist and second runners-up.

Besides Sainik School Kunjpura, eight public schools, including Sainik School, Kapurthala; Sainik School, Chittorgarh; BRCM, Behal; LKSE, Gotan; GD Birla Memorial School, Ranikhet; Sawan Public School, Delhi; MGM, Valsal; and Vidya Niketan, Pilani; participated in the three-day tournament.

Kuldeep Sharma, MLA from Ganaur, who was the chief guest on the occasion, lauded the SSK for its achievements in all fields and said it was contributing largest number of officers to the Indian Army.

Sonepat, August 30
Sweta Sangwan, a student of class IX of the local Little Angel Modern School, is one of the three girls from the country who have been selected for four-year training in lawn tennis in the US. The entire expenses of the training would be borne by Reliance Industries.

Ashish Arya, chairman of the School Management Committee, informed that Sweta was one of the 15 students of the country who were picked up after the national-level championship for the final trial of selection at Florida in the USA. In this trial, only three girls from the country were selected and the other two were from Southern India.

Arya said the training academy had produced renowned international tennis stars like Pat Samprass and Sarapova who had been the winners of several grand slams and held top ranking in the world of tennis.

Congratulating Sweta on her success, Sonia Arya, director of the school, and Asha Goyal, principal of the school, said her success was a matter of pride for the school, Sweta’s parents and the state.

Sweta hails from Butana village in the district and is a daughter of Bijender Sangwan, junior engineer in the UHBVN. Though she did not belong to a family of sportsperson, taking care of the interest of her daughter in this game, Sangwan arranged a tennis court within his house premises.

When her father was transferred to Chandigarh, she happened to visit Chandigarh and while playing in a tennis championship organised by the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association, she bagged under-12 and under-14 titles.

Before her selection for training in Florida, Sweta’s training in Mahesh Bhupati’s academy at Bangalore was sponsored by Apollo Tyres.