The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Rising crime graph puts Jhajjar police in dock Eight murders within a fortnight rock the district Ravinder Saini Jhajjar, March 19 A string of major incidents of murders here have yet again put the district police in the dock. The rising crime graph has not only exposed the failure of the police in checking crime but also raised a big question mark over its functioning. Besides several incidents of snatching and theft, three major incidents of massacres, wherein eight persons were killed and four others were injured, have so far been reported during the past fortnight here which has created fear psychosis among the common man. The latest incident of triple murders took place at Mandhothi village under the Bahadurgarh sub-division here when three Schedule Caste youths were hacked to death by unidentified armed assailants on Sunday night. The deceased, identified as Sonu (20), his cousin Narender (16) and nephew Manjeet (12), were found murdered at their cattle house in the village. Narender and Manjeet were students while Sonu had been working as a bus conductor. Another major incident of crime took place in broad daylight near Dulina police post on the Jhajjar-Gurgaon road here on March 10 wherein three undertrials in a prisoner van were gunned down and four others, including two cops, were injured by a group of armed assailants who ambushed the van when they were being taken back to Bhondsi Jail in Gurgaon after producing before a trial court in Rohtak. The third major incident of killings occurred on March 2 when two brothers identified as Rohit (20) and Himanshu (14) were shot dead by unidentified assailants at their residence in Kashmiri Colony at Bahadurgarh town here. Besides, another big incident of shootout occurred at Dulhera village here when four youths, including the son of a former sarpanch, were gunned down by a group of assailants near the bus stop of the village. The assailants fled the spot after committing the crime. The four victims, identified as Sonu of Pelpa village and Sandeep, Godha and Satte, all hailing from Mandhothi village, were coming back to Bahadurgarh from Jhajjar in a Maruti car after deposing before a court in connection with a criminal case when they were assaulted. Though the police claimed to have arrested accused of all the cases, the incidents have evoked a strong reaction from the residents of the region. Shri Bhagwan Sharma, a businessman, said, “The law and order situation has worsened in Jhajjar as criminals are striking in broad daylight and the police always remains a mute spectator”. Ramesh Ahlawat, a student, said “How can you imagine the security of the common man when the policemen, who are accountable for public security, are themselves not safe in the district. There is an urgent need for strengthening the police system if the state government really wishes to maintain law and order”. Rajesh Kumar, an RTI activist, and Sandeep Kadian, a serviceman, said the residents of Jhajjar were panicked owing to the rising cases of crime. “People are feeling insecure and losing faith in the police as the crime graph has considerably shot up in Jhajjar during the past eight months,” they said. They added that concrete steps should be taken with immediate effect to ensure the safety of the common man here.
	Proposed Hike in Overdrawal Penalty State's power bill likely to go up Manish Sirhindi Tribune News Service Panipat, March 19 With the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) proposing a hike in penalty for overdrawing power when the system frequency goes below 49.7 Hz, the state’s power bills are most likely to go up in the upcoming summer. The CERC has issued notification for levying of additional unscheduled interchange charge (UI) from April 2 for the overdrawal of electricity when the system frequency is below 49.7 Hz instead of the present limit of 49.5 Hz. The additional UI charges would be paid at 20 per cent of the of UI charges, which have been increased by 40 per cent. Under the prevailing circumstances, the state, which is facing an acute shortage of power due to frequent outages of its various thermal units in the three thermal power stations, will be shelling out additional sums to ensure that power supply and demand gap is reduced as much as possible. These days the state is overdrawing power at Rs 3 per unit, as this is the lean season. During the coming summer months, the power position may deteriorate when the system operates on a low frequency. According to highly placed sources in the power utilities, in case all the thermal units will not start producing power, the power bill of the state is most likely to escalate adding to the woes of the already finance-strapped power utilities. The commission has also continued that the 0.02 Hz step is equivalent to 16.50 paise/kWh in the 50.2-50.00 Hz frequency range, 28.50 paise/kWh in 50 Hz to 49.8 Hz and 28.12 paise/kwh in frequency in the below 49.8 Hz to 49.5 Hz range. The proposal has narrowed down the operating grid frequency band from 49.5 -50.2 Hz to 49.7 ? 50.2 Hz and the step size was proposed to be reduced from 0.02 Hz to 0.01 Hz for the UI vector. Most of power utilities across the country have opposed the reduction in step size from 0.02 Hz to 0.01 Hz as this may not be viable at present. The utilities contended that the hike in UI charges would increase the rates of electricity in the market from energy exchange and bilateral agreements.
	Rainwater harvesting system for 25 schools Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, March 19 As many as 25 government schools of Sirsa will soon have rainwater-harvesting systems to provide clean drinking water to children during summer. Under the system, the rainwater falling on the rooftop of the schools will be collected with the help of interconnected pipes and will be stored in a tank. Before collecting in the storage tank, the water will be passed through filtering tanks. The water will be further passed through bio-sand filters to remove all suspended particles and bacteriological contaminants to make it safe for drinking. Once filled in the tank, the water can be used safely for over eight months. The project will be installed by SM Sehgal Foundation, an NGO active in the field of rural development. A team of the foundation will be visiting Sirsa on Monday in this connection. “During my stint as the Additional Deputy Commissioner in Mewat, I got one such system installed at a high school in Patkhori village,” said J Ganeshan, Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa. “It worked wonders in a village where drinking water was scarce and the groundwater availability was at 400 ft,” Ganeshan added. He said Rs 50 lakh would be spent on the construction of rainwater harvesting systems in these 25 schools. Drinking water is a scarce commodity in several villages of the district during summers, particularly in those located near Rajasthan border in the Ellenabad block. People have to fetch water from far off places and sometimes, they have to purchase it.
	Farmers may switch over to guar Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, March 19 Spiralling prices of guar seed are likely to disturb the calculations of the state Agriculture Department with regard to area under cultivation of cotton in the coming season, as many cotton-growing farmers in Sirsa, the largest cotton producer of Haryana, are likely to switch over to guar this time. In fact, several farmers of the district have already sold their next year’s crop through the forward trade for price as high as Rs 8,000 per quintal, though even the sowing season of the crop has not yet arrived. Guar seed, which fetched a price anywhere between Rs 1800 and Rs 3000 per quintal till last year, is selling for over Rs 24,268 per quintal today. With an assured price of Rs 8,000 per quintal, farmers can hope to get returns per acre on a par with cotton without having to invest much on irrigation and pesticides. Haryana, which contributes almost 20 per cent of the total guar production in the country, grows guar in Sirsa, Bhiwani, Hisar, Jhajjar, Narnaul and other areas adjoining Rajasthan. Guar is a raw material to produce guar gum. Guar gum is used as a thickening agent and additives in food products such as soups, sauces, milk and cheese products, processed meat products, etc. It is used in the textile and paper industry and is also used in mining. High demand and low rains have led to a sharp rise in the prices of guar seed and guar gum this year, according to the market sources. “The spurt in prices has definitely attracted more farmers to guar and there may be a decline in the area under cotton cultivation this time,” said a senior officer of the state Agriculture Department. However, RC Punia, Joint Director (Cotton) in the Agriculture Department, said the diversification towards guar would not affect the area under cotton much, as the sowing of guar was limited to the areas adjoining Rajasthan only. He said this time the department had set the target of bringing 6 lakh hectare under cotton, but the statistics available with the authorities so far suggested that the targets would be surpassed.
	Online maths programme at Sirsa e-library Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, March 19 Members of Sirsa district e-library will now be able to have access to “Mathguru”, a syllabus-oriented online programme on mathematics for students of grade 6 to 12. The programme developed by Educomp Solutions Limited, a premier online education company of the country, has been installed at the e-library recently. Deputy Commissioner J. Ganehshan inaugurated the programme and watched the demonstration of the software at the library. The programme had been installed by the financial grant provided by the Department of Higher Education, Haryana, said Rachna Dewan, senior librarian at the district e-library, Sirsa. Anurag Chopra, Head, Project Mathguru, in Educomp Solutions Limited, said Mathguru.com contained pre-recorded lessons for students in grades 6 to 12. “It is an innovative systematic teaching method, which prepares one to score 100/100 in mathematics,” he said. “This is achieved by understanding key concepts, learning from solved examples, practicing with exercise in all topics and taking tests to diagnose thoroughness of one’s exam preparation,” he said. “When studying with Mathguru.com, one gets the feeling that one is in a classroom and is being taught by a teacher who is solely focused on one student,” said Chopra. “One can replay the video as many times as one needs to without hesitation,” he added. Ganeshan said Sirsa was the only district in the state to have a district e-library. He said Mathguru would prove a milestone in teaching mathematics to the students. The members of the e-library would be able to get online mathematics education for the Haryana School Education Board, Central Board of Secondary Education, Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, International General Certificate of Secondary Education and various other international boards. The students would have to log on to www.mathguru.com and use the ID provided by the company to have an access to the lectures. Neeta Samag, senior librarian at the Government College for Women, Bhodia Khera, and Satish Mehra, District Public Relations Officer, Sirsa, were also present on this occasion.
	Workshop on management skills held Tribune News Service Kurukshetra, March 19 A five-day UGC-sponsored workshop on “Management skills enhancement modules on capacity building of women managers in higher education” was organised recently by Women's Studies Research Centre, Kurukshetra University. “Research has revealed that only 7-11 per cent women hold positions such as Vice-Chancellors, Registrars, Deans, Directors, Principals in universities and colleges across the country and therefore it becomes essential to enhance the women’s participation,” said Reicha Tanwar, Director, Women's Studies Research Centre. Co-chairperson, UGC national consultative committee, Prof Susheela Kaushik said despite women being talented and competent in leadership, management and policy making, men still outnumbered women at decision-making levels. About 30 participants from different states attended the workshop.
	Sirsa college holds athletics meet Tribune News Service Sirsa, March 19 A two-day annual athletics meet of Jan Nayak Chaudhary Devi Lal Vidyapeeth concluded here recently. Jitender and Sharmila of the JCDM College of Engineering were adjudged the best athletes in the male and female categories, respectively. SP Devender Singh Yadav was the chief guest at the concluding day ceremony. Shamim Sharma, MD of the vidyapeeth, who presided over the events, said a large number of students participated in the events. In the 1,500-m race, Baljit, Sudhir and Ajay bagged the first three positions, respectively, among the boys, while Sharmila, Ramandeep Kaur and Radha got the first three positions in the girls section. Anil, Virender and Jasanpreet got the first three positions, respectively, in the shot put (boys), while Sangeeta, Kiran and Megha got these positions among girls. In 800m (boys), Vinod, Prince and Arvind got the first three positions, while Sharmila, Poonam and Ramandeep Kaur bagged these positions in the girls section. Anil, Ajit and Ranbir among the boys and Gagan, Ravinder and Ramandeep among girls were adjudged the first, second and third, respectively, in the long jump event. Satwant, Prince and Satbir got the first three positions, respectively, in the 3,000-m race, while Jitender, Kanwar and Anil bagged the first three positions, respectively, in the triple jump. The first three positions in the 400-m girls went to Sharmila, Kamna and Rupender, respectively, while Vinod, Arvind and Rahul bagged the top three positions in the boys category. Surya Prakash, Jitender and Kanwal bagged the first three positions, respectively, in the 200-m (boys), while Gagandeep, Rita and Poonam bagged these positions among girls. In the 100-m race (boys), Jitender, Kuldeep and Kanwal got the first three positions, respectively, while Gagandeep, Poonam and Priyanka got these positions among the girls. Paramvir, Charanjit and Virender bagged the first three positions in discuss throw (boys), while Megha, Kiran and Jagriti got the first three positions, respectively, in discuss throw (girls).
	Renovated hall of Panchayat Bhawan opened Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, March 19 A modern conference hall, the first-of-its-kind in the state, renovated at a cost of Rs 30 lakh, was inaugurated by Mandip Singh Brar, Deputy Commissioner, Kurukshetra, on the premises of Panchayat Bhawan here recently. This air-conditioned conference hall is equipped with modern audio-video system. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Brar said the renovated conference hall was a symbol of development in the district. Nevertheless, the utility of such type of conference hall had always become the part of official meetings and get-togethers. Brar assured the development authorities that the approval and sanction concerned to the further extension of the conference hall would be provided in the context of officers’ waiting lounge, parking facilities, etc. The Deputy Commissioner called upon the officers and representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions to work for the overall development of the rural and urban areas. Earlier, while welcoming the chief guest, Additional Deputy Commissioner Sumedha Kataria said there was a proposal for the construction of a training centre for the self-help groups at the Panchayat Bhawan. Praveen Chaudhary Chairman Zila Parishad also spoke on the occasion. Thanesar SDM Satbir Kundu, Pehowa SDM Bhal Singh Bishnoi and District Development and Panchayat Officer Gagandeep Singh as well as other officers, sarpanches and panches were among those who were present on the occasion.
	AG’s office seeks details on advances Chandigarh, March 19 The office of the Accountant-General, Haryana, has urged all heads of the departments, Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDO), to furnish details regarding no dues certificate of various advances such as house building advance, motor car advance, computer advance and marriage advance to its office. Joginder Singh, Deputy Accountant-General, said all details were available on the website, www.aghry.nic.in. He said if any credits had been found missing in the accounts of the loanees as per the Annual Loan Statement issued to them in August 2011, the same might be intimated to the said office through DDO giving full details like voucher number, DDO amount, etc. — TNS
	Camp creates awareness about renewable energy Our Correspondent Sonepat, March 19 A week-long training camp was jointly organised by the district unit of the Haryana Renewable Energy Department and the Union Ministry of Renewable Energy on the DRDA premises here recently. The camp was organised for ITI-passed students in repair of solar photo voltaic systems and to make them aware about the growing opportunities in the field of renewable energy. While addressing the students on the concluding day of the camp, Additional Deputy Commissioner Ashok Bisnoi said the state had bagged the Energy Conservation Award for the fourth year in a row and was adjudged the best state for creating awareness about energy conservation among students. He said the state government had given priority to tap renewable source potential of the state and to promote its use among the people. This programme had taken rapid strides and it had also opened new venues of self-employment among the youths, he added. Dr JP Kesri, head of the Department of Renewable Energy, Delhi Engineering College, shared his experiences with the trainees in the field of solar energy and also listed job and career opportunities in the field. The students were trained on handling and repairing various systems being operated with the solar energy. They were also taken on a day-long tour to Maneshar in Gurgaon. The trainees were provided free of cost tool kits and training certificates. Pradeep Dahiya, ITI principal, and project officer Rajesh Hooda also spoke on the occasion.
	Japan holds product show in Gurgaon Sunit Dhawan Tribune News Service Gurgaon, March 19 As part of its Japan Next campaign, the Government of Japan organised a three-day show to showcase its quality products here. The show, which also marked the 60th anniversary of Japan-India diplomatic relations, concluded yesterday. According to the organisers, the Japan Next campaign was designed to express Japan’s gratitude to the world for support after the devastating earthquake in East Japan last year. More than 30,000 visitors thronged the exhibition. The campaign also showcased Japan’s recovery through the introduction of Japan’s proud culture and technology, referred to as “Cool Japan.” A variety of events and festivals are being conducted under the campaign across the world. Japanese products displayed at the show included automobiles, consumer electronics and AV devices, in addition to displays reflecting the history of friendly political, economic and cultural relations between Japan and India. The exhibition also displayed panels depicting Japan’s efforts to move forward with rebuilding in addition to the attractiveness of Japanese foods, products and culture, among other items. Akitaka Saiki, the Japanese Ambassador to India, said: “India and Japan have enjoyed the interaction of culture, people and economies since a long time. It is our responsibility to further deepen and mature a partnership of solidarity that has been built on basic values as well as strategic benefits for the good of both the countries. ‘Japan Next’ will be an expression of our nation’s determination to overcome the current challenges and rise above adversity. We hope that through ‘Japan Next’, the people of India will be able to enjoy Japanese media content, fashion, food and hi-tech products.” Kenichiro Takemura, a representative of the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters of the Cabinet Secretariat of Japan, said: “We deigned this campaign to express our gratitude for the support received from India following the Great East Japan Earthquake. We hope this exhibition will serve to further strengthen friendly relations between the two countries while expressing Japan’s appreciation to the Indian people for the support received following the earthquake and communicating Japan’s strong determination to rise above adversity and rebuild. Further, we hope this exhibition will serve to strengthen friendly relations between Japan and India as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of Japan-India diplomatic relations this year”. RV Kanoria, president of FICCI, and Katsuya Okihiro, president of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India, were also present on the occasion.
	‘RTI should be used in responsible manner’ Our Correspondent Kaithal, March 19 A two-day national level seminar on “In Search of Accountability - Response of Indian Polity” sponsored by the Department of Higher Education, Haryana, and organised by the Political Science Department of RKSD Postgraduate College, Kaithal, was held here recently. PK Das, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Science and Technology Department, Haryana, was the chief guest and the keynote speaker. Prof Jai Narain Sharma, Department of Gandhian Studies, Punjab University, Chandigarh, was the guest of honour and Satish Bansal, president of the governing body of the RKSD College, presided over the deliberations. Dr SK Garg, principal of the college, welcomed the guests and other delegates who had arrived from various parts of the country. Das laid stress on the importance of accountability for the smooth and effective functioning of the democracy in the country. He said though there was a provision for accountability of various wings of the government and those functioning on statutory bodies, the elected representatives were also accountable to the people of the country. However, lately it was being realised that some shortcomings had crept into the democratic system due to the lack of accountability on the part of persons and institutions, whose role was important for the smooth functioning of the democracy, he added. “If each one of us realised our responsibility towards the nation and worked with a sense of accountability towards the system and society, the democracy will flourish and the objective of a welfare state can be achieved,” he said. He said the instrument of RTI should be used in a cautious and responsible manner. “Our elected representatives, public servants, NGOs, media, bar associations and all those working for the betterment of society should not forget that they are accountable to the system for their acts,” he said. Dr Jai Narain Sharma said, “We should not forget that if we have rights we have duties too and this was an essence of the democracy. We can improve the system if we have a feeling that we are accountable to someone”. Dr Ranbir Singh, former head of the Department of Political Science, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Prof SS Tiwana, dean, Academic Affairs, Punjabi University, Patiala, and other delegates expressed views at the seminar. Dr SB Goel, head of the Political Science Department, RKSD College, presented the vote of thanks. Dr Ashok Sharma was the convener of the seminar.
	Yamuna group holds ‘blood donation mela’ Suman Bhatnagar Yamunanagar, March 19 The Yamuna Group of Institutions organised the 4th Blood Donation Mela here recently. Ramesh Chander, general manager, paper mill BILT, Yamunanagar, was the chief guest on the occasion. Ramesh encouraged the blood donors and appreciated the efforts of the college for organising such events. PK Goswami, Vice-Chancellor, Assam Science and Technology University, Guwahati, was the guest of honour. He also encouraged the students to donate blood. Bhupinder Nagpal, commercial head, BILT, KL Johar, a former Vice-Chancellor, GJU, Hisar, were the special guest of the event. Dr SR Mediratta, Director-General of Yamuna Groups of Institutions, welcomed the guest. Rajinder Singh, chairman of the college, greeted the chief guest and the guest of honour and thanked them for encouraging the donors. Appreciating the efforts of students and staff of the Yamuna Group of institution, Dr Sarvjeet Kaur, Director, Yamuna Group, extended her vote of thanks to the chief guest, guest of honour, other distinguished guests and all donors.
	252 students get placements Our Correspondent Ambala, March 19 A four-day job fest, Comp Tech - 2012, organised by the Emax Group of Institutions exclusively for the students of Computer Science and Information Technology concluded with the selection of 252 candidates here recently. Over 40 engineering colleges of Haryana, Himachal, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Uttaranchal participated in the fest. A number of students from colleges like RP Group of Institutions, Balana Mahendergarh; Lord’s Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, Babu Banarsi Das Institute of Engineering and Technology, Ghaziabad, College of Engineering, Roorkee, Manglamatya University, Aligarh, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Mandi, Chitkara University, Solan, Marudhar Engineering College, Bikaner, etc, participated in the fest. As many as 24 companies, including Intersoft Professionals, Mind Fire Technologies, Sharp Web Developers, RV Technologies, Abinitio Communication Services Pvt Ltd, Tekhrt, Karrox Technologies Limited, Tia Infotech, Varagi Software Solutions Pvt Ltd, Pidassia IT Consultants Pvt Ltd, CS Infosolutions, Dibon Software Solution, NetPex, Helix IT Solutions Pvt Ltd, visited the campus for the selection of candidates. Om Prakash Aggarwal, chairman of the institute, congratulated the selected students.
	Rewari institute holds annual function Our Correspondent Rewari, March 19 The Somany Postgraduate Institute of Technology and Management (SITM) celebrated its annual function, “The Triumph-2012”, here recently. Students, staff members, functionaries of the management, prominent TV artistes and citizens from various walks of life participated in the function. While Anurag Thakur MP, national president of the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), youth wing of the BJP, was the chief guest, Rishabh Sahoo, an advocate of the Supreme Court, presided over its proceedings. Delivering his keynote address, Anurag Thakur said youth alone could bring about a radical transformation of the country, but the acquisition of technical-cum-professional proficiency was a must for them. Simultaneously, he stressed the need for raising the percentage of youths going in for higher education in India, which presently stood at 13 per cent in comparison to 50 per cent in other foreign countries. Making a mention of the rampant corruption, which had tarnished the image of politicians in the country, Thakur exhorted youths to take up the cudgels against this menace in a determined way. While the principal, Dr Kehar Singh, highlighted the achievements of the institute in his annual report, Vishal Somany, deputy chairman of the institute, announced that they would soon start an ayurvedic college as well as coaching classes for IAS and IPS aspirants here. Students regaled the audience with a fine colourful cultural programme. Meritorious students were also given prizes on the occasion. Vijay Somany, chairman of the institute, thanked the guests and other participants.
	‘Education should be holistic’ Our Correspondent Sonepat, March 19 Balbir Singh Malik, Director General, Higher Education Department, Haryana, has said youths can change the fate of any nation. He was addressing the annual prize distribution function of the local Hindu Girls College here recently. “The Indians have made a mark in almost all the fields at the world level. With an optimistic and sensitive mind, we can overcome our problems because nothing is impossible,” he said. In his presidential address, Rai MLA Jai Tirth said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had given top priority to education in the state, adding that women education had taken rapid strides during the past six years. Arun Aggarwal, president of the governing body of the college, spoke of the achievements made by the college. He added that the Hindu Educational Society was committed to provide education to all the girls in the region. Dr Balbir Kaur, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the BPS Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Khanpur Kalan, said, “The youth force is a boon for the nation and future lies in their hands”. “Education should be holistic and one must not forget one’s roots,” she added. Nirmal Jabbal, principal of the college, also spoke on the occasion. The roll of honour was given to 16 outstanding students in academics, sports and other cultural activities. Prizes were given to 250 students at the function.
	Speed up work on Jhajjar diversion road, officials told Ravinder Saini Jhajjar, March 19 Taking a serious view of the constant traffic jams on the main roads here due to the sluggish pace of construction of the diversion road connecting Jhajjar to the Rohtak and Rewari roads, Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda recently took a stock of the construction work of the road. He directed the officials concerned to complete the work as soon as possible. The MP also directed the Jhajjar Deputy Commissioner not to allow entry of heavy vehicles in the city as they lead to traffic jams on all the main roads of the city. “Since the construction work between the Rohtak road and the Kosli road has been almost complete, hence the diversion road be opened for heavy vehicles. Moreover, alternate arrangements be also made for diverting the flow of heavy vehicles from the Kosli road so that the vehicles could not enter the city,” said Deepender Hooda. The MP also asked the officials to put up traffic indicator signboards on the diversion road so that commuters should not face difficulties while driving. Work on the 4100-metre-long road, which began more than a year ago, is not yet complete. However, The Tribune had highlighted the issue of constant traffic jams in the city due to the sluggish construction work of the diversion road here in these columns a few days ago. The news story had underlined that the slow speed of the construction of the diversion road had been inconveniencing commuters as well as the residents of the area. The residents of localities like Subhash Nagar, Model Town, Old Tehsil area and Quila Colony are facing a tough time due to the slow speed of the road construction. The worst-hit are the people suffering from asthma and other respiratory problems due to the dust rising from the road. Following improper arrangement to control vehicular traffic here, most of the heavy vehicles prefer to use inside roads of the town leading to frequent jams at the busy places here. Even, shopkeepers of the Circular Road and the Silani Gate area have to face inconveniences due to the traffic jam as heavy vehicles cross from here instead of the Rohtak-Rewari road.
	Employ more safai karamcharis, says panel member Satish Seth Kaithal, March 19 The district administration should not only ensure the welfare of safai karamcharis but also ensure that the services of those employees were regularised who had been working on an ad hoc basis for a long time. This was stated by Hari Ram Sood, member of the National Safai Karamchari Commission, at a meeting held at the local Mini-Secretariat here recently. A Mona Sreeniwas, Deputy Commissioner, Kamal Preet Kaur, City Magistrate, Simardeep Singh, SP, Devinder Singh Yadav, ADC, district officials, representatives of local bodies and safai karamchari unions were present on the occasion. Sood said it had come to the notice of the commission that despite an increase in the limits of the urban areas, no fresh appointment of safai karamcharis were made which put an extra burden on such workers, adding that in such a situation, more karamcharis should be employed. He also issued directions to provide residential flats to workers at reasonable installments so that they could live in proper conditions. Sood said during his present visit, he was pleased to note that there were lesser complaints from safai karamcharis this time as compared to the earlier visits and this was an indication that the state government and the district administration had taken concrete steps to redress the problems being faced by the safai karamcharis as per the directions issued by the commission from time to time. He directed the administration to make adequate arrangements for providing further education to SC/ST employees so that they could improve their academic qualification and have better employment opportunities and get promotions after long years of service. He said the services of those employees who had been working since long should be regularised. He also directed the police administration to ensure social security and safety of the Schedule Castes and those working as safai karamcharis. Sood also listened to the problems of safai karamcharis, representatives of the SCs and others. Welcoming the members of the commission, the Deputy Commissioner said the employees should be given residential facility under the Jawahar Lal Nehru Residential Scheme launched by the Central Government for urban slums, if the scheme was enforced in the district.
	Haryana contemporary art exhibition from Mar 23 Karnal, March 19 The Haryana Institute of Fine Arts (HIFA), a Karnal-based cultural organisation of North India, will organise a Haryana contemporary art exhibition at the Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, from March 23 to March 28. The exhibition, aimed at showcasing the modern and contemporary art traditions of Haryana, will be the biggest exhibition on Haryana art, Dr Piush Kumar, president, HIFA, said. The exhibition would be inaugurated by Union Culture Minister Kumari Selja and prominent personalities from the field of art and well-known artists, including Dr SY Quraishi, Chief Election Commissioner of India, Suresh Kumar Goel, Director-General, ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) and Maj-Gen (retd) LK Gupta, chairman, INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and cultural Heritage, would also grace the occasion. Art exhibition by upcoming, established and legendry artists of Haryana, award ceremony and power-point presentation of art work on giant screen would be highlights of the inaugural function.— TNS
	500 lok adalats to be held during 2012-13 Nawal Kishore Rastogi Rewari, March 19 District and Sessions Judge Sneh Prashar, along with other functionaries of the district judiciary as well as members of the Bar Association, participated in a convention held for the dissemination of information regarding legal services in the state at the Judicial Complex here recently. Addressing the convention, Justice Satish Kumar Mittal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and executive president of the State Legal Services (SLSA) highlighted the importance of lok adalats, which were a potential channel for the provision of cheap justice while stating that speedy settlement of cases through mutual consent always lead to preservation of money and time of aggrieved parties. Simultaneously, he made it known that as many as 500 lok adalats would be held throughout the state during 2012-13. Further stating that while 33,160 cases pertaining to public utility services like health, water, power, HUDA, banking, transport and postal services were received in the five district-level permanent Lok Adalats during the past over five years, 16,868 of them had already been disposed of. He also said such public utility services courts would now be set up in Rewari, Bhiwani, Karnal, Sonepat and Sirsa districts as well. Justice LN Mittal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court was also present on the occasion.
	Efforts on to promote Haryanavi dialect: Akademi director Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Fatehabad, March 19 Shyam Sakha Shyam, director of the Haryana Sahitya Akademi, is striving to attract the youth towards literature so that they could know about the culture of their state and the country. He was here in connection with a kavi sammelan organised by the Sahityik Manch, Fatehabad, under the aegis of the Haryana Sahitya Akademi and a workshop on story writing at the local Manohar Memorial PG College, Fatehabad. Shyam, who is in his 60s now, said people of his generation had made their children career oriented. This, he said, took them away from interest towards literature and culture. He said though career was the most important aspect in one’s life, it was also important to know about one’s cultural heritage. The Sahitya Akademi director said it was reassuring to note that the trend had started changing and now several youths were showing their talent in cultural activities in reality shows on TV, besides pursuing their studies. He said efforts were also on to promote Haryanavi dialect. Shyam said he had taken several other steps for the promotion of Haryanavi in particular and Hindi in general. Reading and singing of Haryanavi folklores had been introduced in schools up to class VIII. Workshops on story writing had been started at the district level, he said. He said earlier the Akademi provided grant to 10 books, but now any number of manuscripts, which got 60 per cent or more marks in assessment, would get funding for its publication. Later, at a kavi sammellan held in the Patwar Bhawan, poets like Harbhagwan Chawla and Roop Devgun from Sirsa, Radhey Sham Shukl, Mohinder Jain and Raghubir Anaam from Hisar, Ramesh Sidharth from Rewari, Lok Setia, JL Thakkar, Usha Taneja, Geetanjali, Kumar Kamal Bhaskar, Sant Kumar Tuteja, Gurdeep Singh Imroz and Sudama Shashtri from Fatehabad were among those who recited their poems.
	State invites applications for awards Chandigarh, March 19 The Haryana Women and Child Development Department has invited applications for the nomination of the Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award and the National Award for Child Welfare to encourage those who are rendering outstanding services towards child welfare. While stating this here recently, a spokesperson for the department said the Centre had instituted the Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award of Rs 1 lakh for outstanding contribution for over 10 years in the field of child development, child protection and child welfare to three individuals. Three individuals and five institutions would be awarded National Awards for Child Welfare of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, respectively, for the best work rendered for the cause of children in any branch of child welfare. He said the last date for receiving applications had been extended up to April 30. Individuals or voluntary organisations could submit their nominations for the awards on the prescribed application form which would be obtained from the Deputy Commissioner or Programme Officer concerned of the District Integrated Child Development Services. The complete application form would be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner concerned.— TNS
	Politicians try hand at gentleman’s game MPs XI beat Team CM by six wickets Sunit Dhawan/TNS Gurgaon, March 19 Generally infamous for not so gentlemanly games they play with each other in their never-ending quest for power, politicians of various hues assembled here to give a shot to cricket, also known as the gentleman’s game. Ironical as it may seem, teams of parliamentarians as well as Haryana legislators engaged each other in a friendly cricket match, cutting across party lines. The occasion was the 6th Coca Cola Challenge Trophy cricket match played in the memory of late Haryana Minister Surender Singh here on Saturday. Parliamentarians XI, led by former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, defeated Haryana Chief Minister XI by 6 wickets. Haryana skipper Bhupinder Singh Hooda won the toss and decided to bat first. It could score only 122 runs in the stipulated 20 overs. Parliamentarians XI achieved this target in 18.4 overs and won the match. Cricketers-turned-MPs Kirti Azad and Mohammad Azharuddin, Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid, Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana and AICC general-secretary Birender Singh, RJD MP Lalu Prasad Yadav also participated in the event. Haryana Excise and Taxation Minister Kiran Chaudhary and Mahendergarh-Bhiwani MP Shruti Chaudahry addressed the gathering. The CEO (South Asia) of the sponsor company, Coca-Cola, Atul Singh, proposed the vote of thanks.