Rohtak, September 9
The department of power supply claim to have spent crores on the replacement and upgrading of power lines and other infrastructure, but complacency at work at many places still poses a threat to the lives and safety of people.

While power lines have been dangling dangerously low at certain places, worn out and low-capacity transformers give sleepless nights to many.

Recently, a driver and two workers on a trailer had a narrow escape here when their truck came in contact with a high-tension power line passing overhead near the Gohana bypass chowk. The truck was on its way to Panipat around noon when it came into contact with the wire, said a local resident.

There was heavy sparking as the truck halted there. Fortunately, the driver and the two persons accompanying him had a narrow escape perhaps since the truck was dry and had rubber tyres that saved the electric current to pass through it, claimed an onlooker.

The height of the power lines carrying 66,000 volts of power is less than 20 ft while it should be at least 60 ft from the ground. Even this distance has been reduced to a dangerous level after the earthwork done for the construction of the bypass, but the authorities appear to have bypassed the safety aspect making it an unsafe place, claimed Sanjay, a local resident.

This is not an isolated case and there are numerous places where power lines have been dangling low, many of them had even resulted in mishaps.

It may be recalled that a girl, aged 11, was killed after she got electrocuted at her house in Nehru colony here last month. Her brother was injured grievously. The victims had come into contact with a high-tension wire passing through the terrace of their house.

In almost all districts, there are numerous residential localities where high-tension wires are put up haphazardly, claimed an employee of the power department.

Rewari, September 9
With an ardent craving to comprehensively implement Russian scientist Victor I. Petrik's Pure Water Programme (PWP) in India as well, Nilesh Neel, a Pune-based entrepreneur, poet and writer, has set up Water Freedom Revolution (WFR) Industries. While Dr. Petrik will be its chairman, he himself will be directing its proceedings here.

Dr. Victor I. Petrik, an internationally acclaimed and a Nobel-nominated scientist,has also invented a simple chemical composition called HRCM, which is a highly effective treatment technology for polluted water.

The work of HRCM as a filter allows purification of water from microorganisms- bacterium and viruses. The HRCM as a sorbent and filter surpasses all known equipment in the domain of water purification.

With a single filtration of drinking water, turbidity decreases by 25-60 times and the number of fluidised particles by 10-30 times.

The prestigious Sierra Laboratory of the US has certified that HRCM-based water filters are 350 times better than even the GAC- the best activated carbon in the American market.

While HRCM-based filters can clean water from various sources such as tap water, industrial wastes, rivers etc, they are small, durable and much cheaper in comparison to other filters.

The UN is soon going to make it mandatory for all countries to use HRCM-based filters for all government as well as non-government organizations. HRCM-based filters are now being used in Russia, USA and 18 other countries.

Gurgaon, September 9
Intermittent rains during the past several days have exposed the hollowness of the local authorities’ tall claims regarding the quality of roads and their preparedness to tackle the monsoon situation.

Extensive damage caused to a majority of city roads is causing grave inconvenience to commuters and residents. It also puts a big question mark on the mammoth wastage of public money spent on their repair and construction year after year.

Those coming to Gurgaon from nearby towns are the worst sufferers, as the roads leading to the city are in a terrible condition. The roads connecting Gurgaon to the surrounding towns like Rohtak, Faridabad, Jhajjar and Najafgarh continue to be in a bad shape, which makes travelling to Gurgaon a nightmare.

Long traffic jams, which have become a regular feature of the city, have also aggravated due to the accumulated rainwater and bad roads adding to the woes of the people.

While the vehicle drivers are doomed to drive through traffic bottlenecks on the potholed and water-filled roads and streets, pedestrians find it tough even to cover short distances. Small-time traders are also severely hit with the rainwater accumulated in front of (even inside) their shops and kiosks.

A cursory survey of the city, especially the old one, substantiates that sanitation is clearly the last priority for the local municipal and health authorities. The accumulated rainwater and slush have already become a breeding ground for mosquitoes; and threat of the outbreak of water-borne and other seasonal diseases looms large. The situation is particularly pitiable in the lower-middle class localities around the main bus stand and in other parts of old Gurgaon.

However, the ordeal of common people does not seem to be moving enough to wake the authorities from their deep slumber. In the given circumstances, calling Gurgaon a millennium city comes across as a cruel joke.

Jhajjar, September 9
Shrichand Kakran, an old war veteran of the Azad Hind Fauj, residing in Haripura Mohalla, died at Jhajjar on Monday after a brief illness. He was 96 and is survived by five sons and a daughter.

Kakran was laid to rest with state honours at the Badli road in the town. A contingent of the police reversed their arms and fired a volley of shots in air while bidding farewell to the departed soul.

Senior Congress leader Raj Singh Jakhar, Jhajjar deputy commissioner Chander Prakash, SP Saurabh Singh and several senior officers of the district laid wreaths on the body of the freedom fighter to pay their last respect.

Sanjay Kumar told mediapersons that Kakran was born on September 17, 1914 at Jhajjar. He joined the Jat Regiment in 1940 and later Azad Hind Fauz of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in 1942. He suffered many inhuman conditions at the hands of Britishers.

Kakran also languished in jail from 1942 to 1945 and was honoured in the presence of the then President Dr Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dr Radhakrishnan after the freedom of the nation. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Pratibha Patil also bestowed upon him in 1972 and 2008, respectively.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Education and Health Minister Geeta Bhukkal and MP Deepender Hooda have condoled the death of the veteran freedom fighter.

In a condolence message, Bhupinder Singh Hooda described Kakran as a great patriot and conveyed his heartfelt sympathies to the members of the bereaved family and prayed that the departed soul might rest in peace.

Terming Kakran as an embodiment of sacrifice, selfless service and struggle, Bhukkal said he had made a great contribution during the freedom struggle. Deepender Hooda said his supreme sacrifice for the nation could not be forgotten.

Hisar, September 9
An exhibition on Haryana’s Role in the Freedom Struggle was organised by the Department of Archives at the local CRM Jat College. A seminar on “Dharohar Ki Suraksha Mein Yuva Shakti Ki Bhumika” was also organised on the occasion.

Sub-divisional magistrate Amardeep Jain, who inaugurated the exhibition, said it was important to keep youth acquainted with the history of freedom struggle so that they could appreciate the benefits of a democratic society.

He said the history could be properly appreciated not only by reading alone, but also by seeing and listening. The archives displayed at the exhibition would go a long way in making youth experience the freedom struggle in a completely different way.

RK Srivastava, assistant director, Archives, said archives and other historical records were a nation’s heritage and youth had to play an important role in preserving the nation’s history. He said display of archives motivated youth and students and made them responsible citizens. IS Lakhlan, principal of the college, also spoke on the occasion. A question-answer competition, a collage-making competition and a painting competition were also organised as part of the exhibition.

CRM Jat College, Hisar, Rajiv Gandhi Mahavidyalaya, Uchana, and DN College, Hisar, won the first, second and third positions, respectively, in the question-answer competition. Poonam, Tripti and Naina of SD Girls College, Hansi, won the first, second and third prizes, respectively, in collage-making competition.

In painting competition, Ramesh Kumar of CRM Jat College, Hisar, won the first position. Lalita and Sunita of SD Girls College, Hansi, bagged the second and the third prize, respectively.

Gurgaon, September 9
Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner Rajender Kataria was honoured with the “Award for Excellence in Tourism Promotion” for his contribution in promotion of tourism in Gurgaon and nearby areas.

The award was presented to him by Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Dr Farooq Abdullah and Union Minister of State for Corporate and Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) Salman Khursheed during the Sixth Hospitality India and Explore the World Annual International Awards-2010 ceremony organised in New Delhi recently.

The award ceremony was organised by the Austrian Tourism in collaboration with tourism magazines “Hospitality India” and “Explore the World”. Tourism ministers from different states and prominent persons from the tourism and hospitality sector were also present.

It may be recalled that in view of the Commonwealth Games, the Haryana government had appointed Kataria as the nodal officer for monitoring the tourism-related activities in the NCR of Haryana.

Caption: Gurgaon DC Rajender Kataria receives the “Award for Excellence in Tourism Promotion” from Union Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Salman Khursheed at a ceremony organised in New Delhi.

Sonepat, September 9
Boys were outsmarted by girls in the May/June -2010 semester examinations of different courses under Bachelor of Technology and Masters of Technology programmes conducted by the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of science and Technology, Murthal.

Out of the 39 top positions in the second, fourth and sixth semester examinations, girls bagged as many as 25 positions.

In the sixth semester examinations of different courses under Bachelor of Technology, Sonam Malik topped the university with 84.70 per cent marks in electronics and communication engineering and Shalini Duhan in biomedical engineering with 85.22 per cent marks.

Other university toppers in the sixth semester included Priya Malik in biotechnology with 84.64 per cent marks, Sumit Kumar in architecture with 66.80 per cent, Rohit in computer science and engineering with 84.70, Manoj in chemical engineering with 89.17 per cent and Shahil Chopra in electrical engineering.

Out of 12 university toppers in the fourth semester examinations, as many as eight positions are grabbed by girls. The B.Tech toppers are Pooja in computer science and technology, Ankita in electrical engineering, Sunil Bansal in electronis and communication engineering, Devender in chemical engineering, Kanika in architecture, Alisha Chaudhary in biomedical engineering and Meenakshi in biotechnology.

In M.Tech, Jaspinder Kaur topped in electronics and communication engineering, Ramandeep in medical engineering, Poonam in MBA and Jitender Singh in MA English and communication studies.

Similarly, as many as 14 girls and six boys topped the second semester examinations, the results of which were declared recently.

Karnal, September 9
The Haryana Civil Pensioners and Welfare Association has demanded an increase of 5, 10 and 15 per cent in basic pension at the age of 65, 70 and 75 years, respectively, and cash card facilities for treatment of critical cases in all government-approved hospitals so that the payment is made directly to the hospital.

The pensioners should be given 50 per cent concession in Haryana Roadways buses and the Railways and the medical allowance should be raised from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per month, president of the association HP Babbar said.

"The cost of living is rising day by day and it is becoming difficult for the pensioners to cope up with the ever-increasing expenses. Therefore, we request the government to take the issues of pensioners on priority and provide subsidised ration from the government-approved depots to pensioners drawing monthly basic pension up to Rs 10,000," he added.

Earlier, in its meeting held at Karnal Club here, the association demanded LTC facility for pensioners after every two years on the pattern of Punjab government and raising the limit of expenses on geriatric diseases like vision and hearing problem.

Sonepat, September 9
The dusty town of Gohana in the district is all poised to move ahead in terms of development as a number of projects are going to commence soon.The projects were planned and finalised by a committee of senior officers of different departments formed under the chairmanship of principal secretary to the Chief Minister about four years ago.

While talking to mediapersons recently, Virender Singh Sehrawat, SDM Gohana, informed that the government had sanctioned the development of a lake and park in an area of about 18 acres near the drain no 8 on the outskirts of the town at an estimated cost of Rs 4.50 crore.

He said the draining of accumulated water from the area between Adarsh Nagar and old vegetable market would be completed by the month end. Sehrawat said the Haryana Urban Development Authority would develop the park and lake and the work was likely to commence in October.

After the completion, the lake and the park would be the main attraction not only for Gohana and adjoining areas but also for tourists using the Rohtak-Gohana-Panipat national highway while undertaking journey to their further destinations.

The land acquisition process for the construction of a bypass around Gohana had almost been completed and the farmers whose land had been acquired would get the payment within next two months. “The bypass will be crossing Gohana-Panipat, Gohana-Khanpur Kalan, Gohana-Sonepat, Gohana-Kharkhoda, Gohana-Rohtak, Gohana-Meham, Gohana-Julana and Gohana-Jind roads and will solve the problem of traffic congestion in the town,” he added.

Claiming that most of the localities of the town had already been covered with the sewerage and storm water drainage facilities, he said the land acquisition process for the construction of a mini-secretariat on the Gohana-Sonepat road had already been completed.

Notices under section-4 of the Land Acquisition Act had already been issued to acquire about 450 acres for developing two residential sectors on the outskirts of the town, he added.

In reply to a question about the progress in the construction of Sonepat-Gohana-Jind railway line, Sehrawat informed that farmers of villages in Jind and Sonepat tehsil had already been paid compensation for their acquired land whereas payment to the farmers of Gohana tehsil would be disbursed within next two months.

With the cooperation of various voluntary organisations and banks as well as shopkeepers, the exercise to make Gohana a green city was going on satisfactorily, he added.

New Delhi, September 9
The state government would continue to lay stress on quality education and the state would be developed as “hub of education of international stature”, said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda while addressing mediapersons in the national capital here recently.

The primary focus would be to provide quality and need-based education to respond to dynamic changes happening all over the world. Hooda said budget allocation for education had gone up. This had given great impetus to expansion of the education.

“A Central University has been set up in Mahendergarh and a Women University at Khanpur Kalan, Sonepat. Gurgaon is to get a Defence University. Rewari has got a Sainik School. Medical College Rohtak is being developed into Medical University. In Faridabad, YMCA has been given the status of a university,” said Hooda.

“In Hisar, University of Animal Sciences is being developed in the name of Lala Lajpat Rai. Kalpana Chawla Medical College at Karnal, Mahila Medical College at Khanpur Kalan in Sonepat district and a Medical College in Mewat is being established. In Jhajjar, AIIMS like institution is to be set up. Murthal Engineering College has been converted into Technical University,” added Hooda.

The crown would be the Rajiv Gandhi Education City at Kundli, Sonepat, where institutes of international level would be opened. In addition, various institutes of national repute in the field of footwear, fashion technology and institute of designs were also coming up. Four private universities have come up that include OP Jindal Global University, Sonepat, ITM University, Gurgaon, APEEJAY Stya University, Gurgaon and AMITY University, Manesar, Gurgaon, besides deemed universities at Ambala, Gurgaon, Karnal and Faridabad, said Hooda. Hooda said the education policy has been framed to improve education at all levels.

Sirsa, September 9
The UGC has awarded the prestigious “Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship 2010” to Anita Rani Gill, a research scholar in the Department of Biotechnology in Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU), Sirsa, for carrying out her PhD research work.

She is working under the guidance of Dr Priyanka Siwach, associate professor in the department, on the use of biotechnological techniques for exploiting the medicinal properties of peepal tree for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. She is the first student of the department to receive this fellowship. Dr KC Bhardwaj, vice-chancellor of the university, congratulated the student and appreciated the research activities of the Biotech Department done under the chairpersonship of Prof SK Gahlawat, Dean, faculty of life sciences.

Anita will optimise the conditions for large-scale enhanced production of the selected metabolites, associated with this activity, in the in vitro callus lines of peepal. She was registered for PhD in 2009 and till now she has optimised the conditions for in vitro production and long-term maintenance of callus tissue and as well as for regeneration of healthy shoots from small stem segments of the tree. Now onwards, genetic transformation of peepal and characterisation of acetyl cholinesterase inhibitory activity (used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease) in various in vitro-regenerated plant parts will be carried out. The research will be a boon to pharmaceutical industries, claimed Dr Gahlawat.

Kurukshetra, September 9
To mark the auspicious occasion of the Teachers’ Day, Lt-Gen Dr DDS Sandhu, vice-chancellor, Kurukshetra University, arranged a party in the lawns of Faculty Lounge of the university campus here recently. All teachers of the teaching departments, institutes and university maintained colleges were invited in the party.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sandhu said the Teachers’ Day was celebrated in the memory of Dr S. Radhakrishnan, second President of India, who was a great scholar, philosopher and teacher. Dr Radhakrishnan had a firm belief that teachers would play a key role in the development of the country after its Independence.

Teachers’ Day celebrations across the country provide an opportunity to attract attention to teachers and their key role for the quality education at all levels.

Dr Sandhu called upon the teaching fraternity of the university to play a vital role in taking the university to new heights. He also promised that the administration would provide all kind of support to the teachers for this endeavour.

Prof Raghuvendra Tanwar, registrar, Kurukshetra University; Dr Mahinder Singh, proctor; Dr TR Kundu, dean, Colleges; Dr Nafa Singh, dean, Students’ Welfare; Dr Sat Dev, chief warden; and Dr Reicha Tanwar, director, Women Studies, Kurukshetra University, were among those senior functionaries who were present on the occasion.

Kaithal, September 9
The student community can play an important role 
in making the state pollution-free and keeping the environment clean. This was stated by Dr AS Chahal, chairman, Haryana Pollution Control Board, while speaking at a seminar on “Implementation of laws pertaining to polythene-free campaign” at RKSD College, here.

Amneet P. Kumar, deputy commissioner, presided over the function and flagged off an “awakening rally” by students that passed through the town’s main roads, exhorting people to discard polythene.

Dr Chahal, who was the chief guest, said students and children could be the best instrument for carrying the message of environment conservation to the masses. He said, “After the Independence, our country has moved fast on the path of progress, but in the race of industrialisation, we directly or indirectly spoiled the environment. In our attempt to increase the agricultural productivity we made indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers which ultimately has a negative effect on the upper layers of soil and cause immense loss to crop-friendly pests”.

He said due to polluted environment, the occurrence of diseases had been on the increase. The state government had taken a number of steps to check the use of polythene which was the major source of environment pollution, he added.

Dr Chahal said under the new law, the violator could be sentenced up to six years and fined Rs 1 lakh. The Chief Minister had set a target to plant 
five crore trees and industrial units had been asked to install special instruments to purify the industry’s effluents.

The deputy commissioner said those using polythene were being fined and the district administration had been making efforts to create awareness among people to plant more trees. BB Kaushik, ADC, also spoke on the occasion.

Chandigarh, September 9
Despite increasing awareness about the need to donate eyes in Haryana, thanks to the Nehru Drishti Yojana, there are still many in the state who need cornea transplantation and are awaiting donors.

According to Dr CS Dhull, Director, PGIMS, Rohtak, the Eye Department of the institute alone has a waiting list of 246 persons, who need cornea transplantation.

He says only 78 per cent of the eyes donated are transplanted. The remaining 22 per cent are used for training and research. Every call for eye donation is answered, but doctors go into the medical history of the deceased to ascertain and ensure that he or she did not suffer from any disease that could be transmitted to the benefactor. This accounts for the 22 per cent difference between donation and transplantation.

Eye transplantation is done free of cost at the PGIMS and other state hospitals, while private sector hospitals charge anything between Rs 30,000 and Rs 70,000. The operation lasts less than one hour.

He says relatives of a deceased person should inform the eye bank about the death of the donor at the earliest, because earlier the eyes are enucleated, better it would be for the benefactor. Eyes must be enucleated within four to six hours of the death of a donor and these could be preserved for up to seven days.

According to Dr Dhull, storage is no problem because there are always more seekers than givers. Even otherwise, the institute has adequate storage capacity.

Age is no bar for the donation of eyes and transplantation, nor is the blood group. In fact, eyes of a donor who happens to die at an early age will be more useful for benefactor. Cornea enucleated from the body of a person with a particular blood group can be transplanted to one having a different blood group. So is the case with sex. The cornea of a male can be transplanted to a female and vice versa. One wearing specs; having undergone cataract operation; or suffering from diabetes or hypertension can also donate eyes. But those suffering from HIV, hepatitis-B or syphilis cannot donate eyes. Except for born blind and those losing eyesight due to diseases of retina, all others can be transplanted cornea.

Dr JP Chugh, head of Cornea Clinic, PGIMS, Rohtak, says patients are transplanted cornea on a first-come, first-served basis. The clinic has AIIMS-standard facilities, including staff and equipment, for transplantation, which is the only way to treat corneal blindness.

Dr Chugh says the number of transplants done in Rohtak increased from 26 in 2006 to 83 in 2007, 112 in 2009 and 123 in the first eight months of 2010.

One purpose of the Nehru Drishti Yojana, which was launched in the state by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda by pledging to donate his eyes, is to make people aware of the importance of pledging eyes before death.

Under this initiative, 20 eye collection centres have been set up in district hospitals, which make it convenient for relatives of the deceased to reach for the donation of eyes. One can ring up 102 from anywhere in Haryana and call a doctor for the donation of eyes.

There are about 1.2 million corneal blind people in the country. A majority of them are young and their sight can be restored by corneal transplantation. Though eye donation is catching up with people and approximately 40,000 eyes are collected every year in the country, the requirement is about one lakh corneas per year. 

Karnal, September 9
Having failed to get a satisfactory response from HUDA officials despite repeated pleas for the redressal of their long-pending grievances, the Karnal Urban Estate Residents Sangarsh Simiti on Monday adopted an unconventional mode of protest by organising a photo exhibition displaying the miserable conditions of the urban estate.

Photographs of various sectors were displayed in front of the HUDA office here, which highlighted potholed roads, problems faced by motorists and poor sewer and drainage systems.

Photographs depicting unhygienic conditions due to the lack of proper garbage-collection and solid waste disposal systems, and waterlogging were also displayed. Some pictures highlighted the menace of stray animals.

The samiti alleged that though complaints of contaminated drinking water being supplied to some areas had been made to the authorities concerned, they had failed to ensure regular chlorination of water. Besides, parks were not being maintained properly and vacant land in HUDA sectors earmarked for specific purposes had not been utilised.

The samiti submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, demanding an inquiry into the execution of works like road repairs and laying of sewer lines by an independent agency to find out whether the specified parameters had been met or not, Preet Pal Singh Punnu, convener of the samiti, said.