Fatehabad, July 5
Fourteen schoolchildren fell ill reportedly after consuming iron and folic acid tablets at the government school at Hukmanwali village in Fatehabad today.

Sapna, Satbir Kaur, Luvpreet Kaur, Khushpreet Kaur, Jagdeep Singh, Nirmal Kaur, Padam Singh, Karamjit, Amritpal Kaur and Khushpreet Kaur of class VI, Luvpreet of class VII and Pawan, Neetu Rani and Sukhbir Kaur of class VIII complained of nausea and pain in the abdomen.

They were shifted to the General Hospital in Fatehabad. Worried parents of some students arrived at the hospital to enquire about their well-being.

Dr Suraj Bhan Kamboj, Civil Surgeon, said only one child needed admission to the hospital and the rest were discharged after first-aid.

The health authorities had been distributing the tablets among schoolchildren under the weekly iron and folic acid supplementation programme of the National Rural Health Mission.

During a recent haemoglobin check-up drive, a majority of children had been found anaemic. After consuming the tablets supplied by the health authorities, hundreds of children across the state had been falling ill.

In Fatehabad, hundreds of children had complained of nausea, vomiting and pain in the abdomen when they were given the tablets in May.

The incident today was the first instance of students falling ill after the schools reopened on July 1 after the summer vacation.

earlier incidents

May 14: 20 children fall ill at Bhuderwas; eight shifted to community health centre (CHC) at Ratia

May 15: 20 schoolchildren from Bhunderwas, 32 from Burj brought to Ratia CHC

May 16: Eight children from Bhunderwas, 20 from Burj brought to Ratia CHC

May 17: Six children from Ratia CHC, 15 from Hamzapur village shifted to Fatehabad General Hospital

May 21: Eight children from Chandrawal with complications shifted to Bhuna CHC

May 22: Over 100 children fall ill at Baragura in Sirsa, 25 at Phulo in Sirsa, eight at Jandli in Fatehabad

May 24: 12 children fall ill at Nadori in Fatehabad

May 29: Five children fall ill at Mohammedpur Rohi in Fatehabad

May 31: Schools closed for summer vacation, health authorities postpone drive

Chandigarh, July 5
The Union Ministry of Coal has allocated the Kalyanpur-Badalpara coal block in Jharkhand to Haryana. Stating this today, Haryana Power Minister Ajay Singh Yadav said the allocation was a major boost to the power generation sector in Haryana.

The Kalyanpur-Badalpara coal block, allocated jointly to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, has estimated reserves of about 102 million tonnes and is spread over about six square kilometres.

The minister said this was the second block to be allotted to Haryana and coal from this block would be used for partially meeting the fuel requirement of the 1x660 MW thermal generating unit at Yamunanagar, the progress of which was held up for want of coal linkage.

With the allocation of the new block, the project can take off and its commissioning can be expected in the 13th Plan period. Another coal block at Mara-II, Mahan in Madhya Pradesh, having reserves of about 950 million tonnes, is already being jointly developed by Haryana and Delhi.

Yadav said the Union ministry allocated 14 coal blocks for the power sector in six host states on the recommendation of the Inter-ministerial Committee.

Kurukshetra, July 5
The ‘bhoomi pujan’ for north India’s first and the nation’s second Shri Venkteshwra Swami Balaji Mandir was performed near Braham Sarover here today. The Rs 40-crore mandir spread over six acres would be completed within two years. 

TVSN Prasad, Chief Administrator, Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board, who was the chief guest said the mandir was being constructed by the Tirumala Tirupati Dayavashthanam Tirupati Trust. — OC

Chandigarh, July 5
The Haryana Government is all set to amend the procedure for selection and appointment of State Information Commissioners. As a petition challenging the appointment of Urvashi Gulati as Haryana State Information Commissioner came up for resumed hearing, the Haryana Advocate-General sought adjournment for amending the rules.

As the petition came up for consideration, the petitioner’s counsel HC Arora confined his arguments to the manner of conducting meetings of the statutory selection committee.

After hearing the arguments, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih expressed concern that agenda of the meeting was not supplied to the Leader of the Opposition despite his dissenting note.

Moreover, the detailed profiles of all four candidates considered by the committee were also not supplied. The Bench was not convinced with the arguments put forth by Advocate-General Hawa Singh Hooda that there was no provision for sending the profiles of the competing candidates to the Leader of the Opposition, along with the intimation regarding the date and time of the proposed meeting of the selection committee.

“Non-supply of the complete profile of the four candidates under consideration to the Leader of the Opposition, despite a demand made by him in writing, to enable him to inquire about their antecedents, negates the intention of the legislation, which envisages the involvement of the Leader of the Opposition in the selection process. The provision for the selection committee is not a mere formality. The majority members may or may not agree with the minority view of the Leader of the Opposition but he has to be provided an effective opportunity of participation in the deliberations of the selection committee,? the Chief Justice observed in the open court.

The Advocate-General then made a fervent plea that the PIL be adjourned to enable the Haryana Government to amend its notification dated May 11, 2012, vide which a detailed procedure for selection and appointment of State Information Commissioners has been laid.

He assured the High Court that the Haryana Government would address the “concerns” expressed by the High Court while amending or modifying the notification. The PIL will now come up for further hearing on August 5.

Kaithal, July 5
Residents of Kakot village and members of school samitis were shocked to find stocks of wheat flour and rice to be used for mid-day meals infected with insects during a visit to government schools today.

Not satisfied with the explanation of those responsible for overseeing the preparation of mid-day meals, they locked the stocks at various schools.

They informed District Education Officer (DEO) Jasbir Singh, who sent Block Education Officer (BEO) Shamsher Singh to conduct an inquiry and report to him.

The BEO examined the stocks and noticed that those were infected. The stock of wheat flour was quite old. A senior secondary school, a girls' primary school and a boys' primary school are located on the premises.

It came to the BEO's notice that students carried utensils from their homes while utensils provided by the government were packed. It also came to light that cooks prepared meals on an estimate and there was no weighing machine.

The BEO urged members of school samitis to keep a regular watch on the cooking and quality of meals prepared so that only quality mid-day meals were served. The DEO said laxity on the part of any staff member would invite action.

Jhajjar, July 5
The Haryana Roadways Workers Union has threatened to launch a state-wide agitation against the government if it does not cancel the recruitment of 14 drivers made under the outsourcing policy in Gurgaon recently.

Dalbir Singh Nehra, president of the union, said the government was deliberately ignoring the interests of common man by making appointments on various posts through outsourcing.

He maintained the union had also submitted a memorandum to the state government for getting this policy rolled back, but to no avail. In the given situation, the employees had no other option left but to launch a decisive struggle against the government to get their demands met, he added. Nehra informed that the union delegation would also call on higher authorities of the roadways on July 11 in connection with their demands.

Badopal (Fatehabad), July 5
Members of the Bishnoi community and animal rights activists threatened to remove the fencing being put up by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) authorities on over 185 acres for setting up a residential colony for its project at Gorakhpur village after a black buck got trapped in the metal net and died today.

The black buck was running to the other side of the fence when its antlers got trapped in the fence. Angry members of the Bishnoi community and activists of the People for Animals (PFA) and the Akhil Bharatiya Bishnoi Jeev Raksha Samiti assembled this morning and protested against the authorities.

“Despite our requests that the NPCIL should not put up fencing till an alternative arrangement for the animals is made, the authorities are going ahead with the work. We are giving the last warning to the authorities to stop work immediately, failing which we will remove the fencing,” said Badopal sarpanch Ram Murti Devi's husband Joginder Singh.

He alleged that the authorities had been cruel to the animals while putting up the fencing as the natural habitat had been bifurcated without proper rehabilitation. Pointing to a herd of male black bucks on one side of the fence and female black bucks on the other, district PFA president Vinod Kumar Karwasara said animals ran towards each other unmindful of the deathtrap.

“If the government is keen on setting up the nuclear power project, let it go ahead with its plan. This land was acquired for a residential colony, which can easily be shifted to some other site, leaving the natural habitat of the animals,” he said.

NPCIL Project Manager TR Arora said they had written to the Chief Warden for Wildlife and sought guidance from the Wildlife Institute of India. “We will initiate steps for relocating the animals the moment we get a reply,” he added.

Nearly 500 black bucks, almost an equal number of 'neelgai' and several other species of wildlife have their natural habitat in and around the 185 acres acquired by the NPCIL for its residential colony.

Sirsa, July 5
Parents of children studying at a government school in the Chattargarh Patti area today locked the school building and held a demonstration against the lack of teachers and the reportedly indifference attitude of the education authorities.

Parents reached there in the morning and locked the school building. In the meantime, a teacher from the primary wing of the school arrived there. The angry parents roughed him up and forced him to stay outside the school building.

“There is acute shortage of teachers at the school and those who are posted here leave the school immediately after marking their attendance in the morning,” alleged a parent.

He alleged that despite repeated complaints, the education authorities had failed to initiate any action against the errant teachers. The parents announced that they would not allow the school to be opened until the authorities enforced discipline.

District Elementary Education Officer Madhu Mittal and Block Education Officer Surender Sharma reached the school and pacified the parents by promising to improve conditions.

Gurgaon, July 5
BJP president Rajnath Singh has questioned the haste in which the Congress has brought the ordinance on food security. Talking to newspersons on the sidelines of the national executive meeting of the BJP Kisan Morcha here today, the BJP leader pointed out that the Congress had promised to introduce a Food Security Bill within 100 days in 2004.

“I want to ask the Congress leaders what was the urgency to get the Bill enacted through an ordinance instead of presenting it for debate during the monsoon session of Parliament,” Rajnath said, adding that the Congress had obviously done it in view of the approaching elections.

“It’s not meant for food security, it’s actually for vote security,” he quipped in response to a query. The BJP president termed the Bill as “incomplete” and asserted that it could be accepted only after certain amendments.

Earlier, Rajnath led a tractor rally to the meeting venue. The BJP leader drove a tractor to reach the venue.

Addressing the delegates at the three-day national executive meeting of the BJP Kisan Morcha which began here today, he alleged that 1.83 lakh farmers had committed suicide in different parts of the country during the past three years due to anti-farmer policies of the Congress-led UPA regime at the Centre.

Replying to another question, the BJP chief said the party had no objection to probe in the Ishrat encounter case, but maintained that the name of Gujarat Chief Minister Narender Modi should not be dragged into the controversy.

The convention is being held under the chairmanship of Om Prakash Dhankhar, president of the BJP Kisan Morcha. BJP leader Sushma Swaraj is slated to address the participants tomorrow. 

Karnal, July 5
The 16-member group of Kedarnath Bhola Brigade from Karnal has reportedly been missing for the past 20 days in rain-ravaged Kedarnath dham.

With tears rolling down their eyes, the sobbing relatives remain glued to TV and wait for the "good news about their rescue". The Kedar Bhola Brigade has been organising "Bhandara" (Free kitchen) at Kedarnath Dham for several years for the devotees and this year too they had gone for organising the "bhandara".

Karnal Deputy Commissioner Renu S Phuhlia today visited the homes of members of the Kedar Bhola Brigade and expressed sympathies with their families that do not know whether their kin are "alive or dead".

Chandigarh, July 5
Krishna Mohan, Financial Commissioner, Revenue, said as requested by the Uttrakhand Government, the state government today sent relief material consisting of flour, rice, dal, tea, sugar, milk powder and shoes.

He said the Deputy Commissioners of Ambala, Kaithal, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Sonepat and Jind had sent one truck each loaded with these items for those affected by the recent floods and landslides in Uttarakhand. —TNS

Karnal, July 5
A newlywed woman committed suicide today by hanging herself in Shanti Nagar. Deceased Daljeet Kaur, a resident of Nissing, was married to Gurbaksh Singh three months ago.

The deceased's father, Chanchal Singh, alleged his daughter was being tortured for dowry. He said his daughter had not committed suicide but was strangled by her husband and in-laws.

He alleged that her in-laws were demanding an Activa scooter. The victim's husband and father-in-law had been booked. — TNS

Sonepat, July 5
The police has seized around 700 boxes of liquor from a godown near Khewra village in the district last night. The police also arrested two persons Narender of Khewra village and Narender of Polangi village in Rohtak district.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Ajit Singh said on

a tip-off, an SIT unit raided the godown and seized 398 boxes of the IMFL and 300 boxes of the country made liquor.

The seized liquor was brought from Chandigarh for supply in Delhi. —OC