Chandigarh, October 3
Hundreds of posts of teaching and non-teaching staff have been lying vacant in government-aided private colleges in the state because of confusion over the reservation policy. Last recruitments were done in 2006 and 2008 , filling about 600 posts.

Till about 2000 there was no reservation in government-aided private colleges . Even after reservation was introduced, vacancies were not filled because the government did not want to add to its financial commitment. The government shares over 90 per cent of the financial burden of these colleges.

The confusion is whether reservation should be department-wise or on the basis of the staff strength . In 2008, reservation was made department-wise. But after that the colleges received a communication from the government that as a new roaster system of reservation was being worked out, all recruitments were to be held in abeyance. The new system is yet to be introduced.

The Haryana College Teachers Association recently met Balbir Singh Malik, Director-General, Higher Education, and urged him to expedite the framing of the new roster system so that vacancies in the colleges could be filled .

Rajbir Prashar and Narender Singh, president and general secretary, respectively, of the association , said here today that till new recruitments were made, the government should come out with a policy of guest faculty with the minimum prescribed salary. They said the government’s policy of guest faculty in government schools had rejuvenated school education.

The teachers’ other demands included comprehensive medical security, parity of women teachers' working conditions with those in government colleges, adherence to UGC regulations for selection of principals and proper implementation of the pension policy for teachers recruited on or after January, 2006.

Karnal, October 3
Just three days after the Railway police in Haridwar received a letter, purportedly sent by Pakistan-based terror group, the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), threatening to attack top government functionaries and vital installations in Uttarakhand during the festival season, a similar letter was received by the stationmaster of Karnal railway station yesterday.

The letter, claimed to be written by the self-styled area commander of the LeT, Karim Ansari, threatened bomb blasts at key stations in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi during the Diwali on October 26. Taking the threat seriously, security was tightened at the railway station here. Other stations in Haryana and neighbouring states have also been put on a high alert.

The letter, which named Karnal, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Ambala, Hisar, Rewari and Jind stations as the targets, said some religious places in Punjab were also on the hit list.

As there is a huge rush in trains these days due to the festival season, the security agencies are not taking any chances, an police official said.

Fatehabad, October 3
Doctors working in government hospitals of the district wore black badges today to express resentment against the state government’s alleged poor response to their demands.

The Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA), an organisation of government doctors, had given the call for today’s agitation.

Dr Rajesh Khyalia, president, Dr Jasbir Parmar, general secretary, and Dr Inderjit Singh, joint secretary of the HCMSA, addressed a meeting of the local chapter of the association in the local General Hospital.

The speakers alleged that the trend of re-employment of doctors after their superannuation was not only injustice to those waiting in line for promotion but to the whole cadre of HCMS doctors.

This will bring stagnation in the cadre, they said.

The association, Khyalia said, had already represented their case to the Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Health, and the Health Minister, Haryana, and expressed their opposition to the re-employment of government doctors.

However, despite assurances, the policy was being followed.

Khyalia said non-practice allowance for all purposes, post-graduate admission policy, increment for PG doctors and entry-level pay scales of doctors were some of the demands that have been pending for a long time.

Members of the Multi-Purpose Health Workers Association also expressed their support for the doctors and criticised the ongoing trend of re-employment.

Chandigarh, October 3
Deep fissures have emerged among Haryana government doctors, who have been agitating against the government’s policy of re-employing doctors at senior posts, including that of the Director-General, Health Services, in the state.

While the Haryana Civil Medical Association (HCMA) is opposed to the re-employment on the ground that the policy was not only discriminatory but also led to stagnation, several civil surgeons have welcomed the re-employment of Dr Narbir Singh as the Director-General, Health Services.

On a call given by the HCMA, doctors wore black badges in several districts of the state today. On the other hand the civil surgeons issued a statement expressing their gratitude to the Chief Minister for re-employing Dr Narbir Singh and dissociating themselves from the stand taken by the HCMA.

The civil surgeons who signed the statement included Dr Bharat Singh (Jhajjar), Dr Vinay Govilla (Rohtak), Dr Ramesh Sethi (Sonepat), Dr Shiv Kumar (Karnal), Dr Ramesh Dhankad (Bhiwani), Dr Jatinder Grewal (Hisar), Dr Jagmal Singh (Kaithal), Dr Hari Ram Yadav (Rewari), Dr SC Bhagat (Faridabad) and Dr Munna Lal (Palwal).

The statement claimed that all other civil surgeons had also given their telephonic consent to their decision.

Narnaul, October 3
As many as 8,006 persons underwent eye screening at the biggest eye check-up camp organised at seven villages of Mahendragarh district yesterday.

The camp was organised by the Hasanpuria Gramin Janseva Samiti with support of the district administration to mark the Gandhi Jayanti. A team comprising 21 doctors checked the eyes of 8,006 persons, recommended surgery to 2,033 patients and operated upon 428 patients on the same day. With this, Mahendragarh district officially entered the Limca Book of World Records and is also likely to make it to the Guinness Book. An official announcement to this effect will be made soon.

Before this, Dera Sacha Sauda at Sirsa had organised the biggest eye check-up camp at which 4,603 persons underwent eye screening.

Dr Saket Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, kept a close watch on all seven camps, which were held at Kanti Kheri, Bachhaud, Bochharia, Sehma, Bhojawas, Kanina and Sehlang villages in the district.

It was the first attempt of this magnitude to cure the local residents of cataract. The organisers had arranged for transportation, food, medicines and spectacles for the cataract patients free of cost.

Hisar, October 3
As the campaign for the Hisar Lok Sabha byelection enters its final phase, it is turning out to be a referendum as to which party will emerge as the favourite for the next assembly poll.

The issue of development raised by the Congress, that of bad governance raised by the INLD and the promise of restoring political domination to Hisar made by the Haryana Janhit Party-BJP combine have failed to cut much ice. The theme of the contest still is the future prospects of the political parties concerned.

It was apparent immediately after the death of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal when the seat fell vacant, that the byelection will turn out to be a battle for survival for the main parties. It has become clear now.

For the Congress, a win here is crucial for the future of the party as well as that of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. No wonder then that the entire Congress leadership is engaged in a no-holds-barred campaign. Leading from the front, Hooda has been camping here since September 26. He ends his tour tomorrow after covering all nine assembly segments that comprise the Hisar Lok Sabha seat.

The Congress has detailed all its ministers, legislators and other organisational leaders for campaigning in all nine assembly segments. This makes it apparent that the Congress has more at stake than a mere tactical win. A win for the Congress will catapult it to the top of the charts after the reverses it had to take in the 2009 assembly poll.

The INLD, buoyant after its surprisingly good performance in the 2009 assembly poll, is trying to reinforce the belief that it is on the verge of capturing power in the next assembly poll. A defeat in this byelection will be a severe setback to its plans. Under the circumstances, the issue of bad governance by the Congress is at best an academic exercise.

For the HJC-BJP nominee Kuldeep Bishnoi it is a real battle for survival. If he wins, the HJC-BJP combine will end up as a third political force in Haryana and a credible alternative to the Congress and the INLD. However, should he lose, he is certain to be decimated politically. No wonder he is promising to restore the political glory of Hisar and thereby indicating that the future of Hisar is hinged to his victory.

Another key issue is the caste divide. The incident of violence against Dalits in Mirchpur and later the pro-reservation Jat agitation at Mayyar village, near here, left the community divided on caste lines. No party has so far been able to bridge this gap. This is likely to affect the prospects of different candidates.

Under the circumstances, the candidates as well as the star campaigners are pulling out all stops to win votes. However, the voter remains uncommitted making the byelection a nightmare for them.

Rohtak, October 3
In its campaign against the anti-social elements, the district police has arrested and slapped around 394 cases under various sections of the IPC against the offenders during the past about eight months.

The police has asked the local residents to bring to its notice any incident of nuisance or trouble-making at public places immediately and has released a helpline number in this regard.

According to the SSP, Satish Balan, the drive had been made into a routine as the complaints of creating nuisance and drinking at public places had been on the rise. He said while around 347 cases had been registered for drinking at public places, another 47 cases had been registered against the accused found to be creating nuisance at such places.

He said to curb the activities of the anti-social elements, cops, both in dress as well as in civil clothes, were being posted at important places, including cinema halls and markets. It is reported that an incident involving a group of youths creating a scene and indulging in indecent behaviour at a Cineplex here a few weeks ago had made the police chief intensify the campaign.

Action had also been taken against the cops who had been found misbehaving with others in an inebriated condition. Some of the cops were either suspended or sent to the Police Lines for indulging in such activities, claimed Sanjay Deswal, the PRO of the district police.

He said a helpline number had also been released by the district police for the convenience of the common man for reporting such incidents. Such calls or messages were seen personally by the SSP, he said, claiming that vigil against such elements had been increased.

Cops had also been posted at all the places where Ramlila was being staged currently to keep law and order.

Sirsa, October 3
The construction of a sprawling bungalow in a non-residential area in violation of the master plan on the Chaudhary Devi Lal University campus has raised eyebrows.

The huge bungalow has luxurious woodwork and marble flooring, not even seen in houses allotted to senior faculty members, allege university teachers. “We came to know about this bungalow, when some students said that entry to the shopping complex from one side of the building had been banned on the orders of the Executive Engineer (XEN),” said a teacher.

The bungalow has been built for Satish Vij, Executive Engineer, who heads all construction-related activities in the university. What has surprised some teachers the most is the question as to why such “preferential” house has been constructed for Vij, who was brought here on deputation by giving him a promotion, but who was found unsuitable for selection as an XEN by the university’s selection committee.

An Ambala-based lawyer has sought information under the RTI from the university about the money spent on the construction of the bungalow besides the reason for keeping Vij as an XEN on deputation for such a long period, more so when the selection committee of the university has declared him unsuitable for the post.

Manoj Siwach, Registrar, said he had no idea about the category of the house the university had built for the XEN.

Yamunanagar, October 3
From the concerns of regional cinema to the unrealistic portrayal of women in mainstream cinema -- these were the issues that dominated deliberations on the fourth day of the HIFF (Haryana International Film Festival) organised at DAV College For Girls.

Parveen Arora, who had attempted to introduce Punjabi literature to a wider audience by turning Jnanpeeth Award winner S Gurdial Singh’s novel “Parsa” into a 10-episode TV serial -- also titled “Parsa”, said, unlike the languages of the southern and western India, where meaningful regional cinema could evolve due to their exclusive audience, the same had not happened in Punjabi and Haryanvi languages because the viewer in this region preferred watching Hindi films, which were produced by a well-established industry. “The division of Punjabi-speaking populace into three states has affected the growth of literature in the language, he said. Secondly, film-making involves a lot of investment which can be recovered only with a sizable audience.”

The politics of language and dearth of good literature in regional languages has killed the growth of cinema in these languages. Well-meaning people like Manmohan Singh, who left cinematography to make Punjbai films, could not do much in the absence of a sizable audience,” said the director of “Parsa”. He also felt that the way Punjabis were portrayed in the mainstream cinema had done more harm to the community. “Punjab is shown in cinema as though everyone is doing “balle balle” or “tararara” or just cracking jokes. No one is addressing the conflicts of the Punjabi community, which can be projected through regional cinema, provided we get good literature that can be modified into good scripts,” he added.

Selected episodes of “Parsa” were screened for the participants of a film-appreciation course along with the documentary film made on the life of S Gurdial Singh by Arora. Rajendra Gupta, who essayed the complex role of acerbic Parsa for the TV serial, was honoured by the HIFF for his role in promoting regional cinema. Gupta belongs to Panipat, and despite his success in the mainstream cinema, has continuously appeared in the cinema of the region.

The audience was also introduced to short meaningful films like “Ye Khula Aasmaan”, produced and directed by Gitanjali Sinha. The film explores the core of human relationships and their loss, touching upon the isolation of children in a world loaded with parental expectations.

Yashpal Sharma, who enacted the lead role, told the audience, it was the script that motivated him to work for this low-budget film. Music for the film is composed by Anand Milind. Using a metaphor of a kite, the growing distance and silence between parents and their relationship with the child is explored, in the backdrop of lilting music.

Karnal, October 3
Swift action by Karnal Child Marriage Protection Officer, Savita Rana, today saved two minors from entering wedlock in Uchani village, 8 km from here, today.

On a tip-off that the marriage of two minors was being solemnised in Uchani village, Rana raided the village with her team members and stopped the parents from marrying off the minor children, which was an offence.

When Rana reached the village, she found that the marriage of two girls, Meenakshi and Raman, from the same family, was being performed and the barat had come from Panipat. When questioned about the age of the girls and boys, she was informed that Meenakshi was a minor while Pradeep, who was being married to Raman, was below 21 years of age.

She stopped both the marriages and all the family members were taken to the women cell for investigations. Rana said an injunction notice would be procured from the local court and action would be taken against the accused to set an example for others as minors were mentally and physically not ready for marriage.

Faridabad, October 3
Three persons, including an Army personnel and his brother-in-law, were arrested here today while impersonating as sleuths from the Delhi-based National Investigating Agency (NIA) and harassing a local chartered accountant in his office.

According to the SHO, Kotwali, Udai Raj, the police received a distress call from the office of the chartered accountant, KK Johri, located at Nehru Ground, of being harassed by a couple of persons.

The police team visited the office premises and found that three persons, incuding Arvind Singh, a jawan from the Indian Army and posted at Shahjhanpur in Uttar Pradesh, posing as sleuths from the NIA, were questioning the chartered accountant. The impersonators were armed with a forged court order, a search warrant and a lap top. The jawan also had a forged NIA identity card.

According to the police, Chander Pal, brother-in-law of the jawan, was the mastermind in the case. He once worked allegedly as a peon in the office of the chartered accountant. He had quit the job last month.

First, the jawan and another accomplice, Iftikar, had entered the office. Later, Chander Pal joined them which created suspicion in the mind of the chartered accountant. Also, according to the police, the mannerisms of the impersonating sleuths also raised suspicion in the mind of the staff in the office leading to the distress call to the police.

While Arvind Singh and Iftikar are from the Ballabgarh area in the district, Chander Pal is from Dhakura village in the bordering district of Palwal. All the three are in their twenties.