The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Increase in political activities of MP’s wife raises eyebrows
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, August 5
A sudden increase in political activities by MP Ashok Tanwar’s wife Avantika Maken Tanwar has raised eyebrows in Sirsa. Having kept a low profile so far for the past four years and having spent most of her time in Delhi, Avantika is often seen participating in social and political activities in Sirsa these days.

Ever since Ashok Tanwar was elected to the Sirsa parliamentary seat in May 2009, Avantika used to visit Sirsa only occasionally, but now, Tanwar’s newly constructed house at Sector 20, Sirsa, has become her permanent abode.

Local residents wonder whether an increase in Avantika’s political activities is an exercise to extend a helping hand to her husband, who is secretary, AICC, and is busy in the poll-bound Rajasthan, or there is any political ambition behind this move.

The manner in which several Congress MPs in the state have been procuring Assembly tickets for their close kin or powerful politicians have been getting parliamentary ticket for their kin - Jai Parkash and his brother Randhir Singh, Naveen Jindal and his mother Savitri Jindal, Shruti Choudhry and her mother Kiran Choudhry, Selja and her cousin Jagan Nath and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepender Singh Hooda - political observers have been watching Avantika’s political activities with keen interest.

Avantika comes from a political family. Her father Lalit Maken, MP, and mother Geetanjali, daughter of former President Shankar Dayal Sharma, were gunned down by militants in Punjab when she was barely six.

During her young age, she has been active in the National Students Union of India. However, Avantika denies she has any political ambitions.

“My only motive is to help my husband, who has to work on several fronts as an MP for Sirsa and as a secretary of the AICC. Since my husband has to tour a lot in states assigned to him, I do not want a vacuum here in his absence,” she said.

Till now, the family did not have a proper accommodation in Sirsa, as Tanwar lived in a rented accommodation, Avantika added.

But now when their house had been built, she prefer to stay more in Sirsa than in the government accommodation in Delhi, she said.

Avantika said she was much impressed with what Tanwar had done for Sirsa in a short span of time.

She enumerates projects like better train connectivity to Sirsa, setting up of the Kaushalta Vikas Kendra (skill development centres) in villages, career counseling centres, organisation of Mahila Goshtis in collaboration with the Chaudhary Devi Lal University for women empowerment, mega-health camps in various towns and the most recent - opening of single windows for grievances redressal in line with the Jan Sunwai Act in Rajasthan and other projects.

She said while she read news items of MPLAD funds of many MPs remaining unutilised, Tanwar was already overspent as far as distribution of funds was concerned.

Newly built bus shelters in Rohtak have no takers
Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service

Rohtak, August 5
The newly constructed bus shelters in the city have no takers. Built by the district authorities and costing several lakhs, these shelters have been almost lying idle.“The ambitious scheme of providing bus shelters has perhaps failed to take off due to lack of vision and proper planning by the authorities concerned and this has made a large amount of money go waste due to these spots serving no purpose,” said Parveen Kumar, a local resident.

He said the shelters should complement the facility of the local bus service, which was still at an infant stage. He alleged that the authorities perhaps had no time to think about the issue.

While the local bus service has a fleet of three or four buses, their service was so thin that passengers had to depend on three-wheelers, which ply in huge numbers.

“I have not seen any bus halting at the bus shelter adjoining the Government College for Women and had noticed that it was lying unused almost all the time,” said Sarita, a student.

She said while students of the college had sought a special bus service for girl students, neither the college authorities nor the district administration had paid any attention towards the demand resulting in girls taking auto rickshaws to reach their homes.

Several girl students of colleges here had no bus service to reach their institutions, claimed another student.

The project of bus shelters could have been a success if the local bus service was strong and adequate to meet the needs of the local commuters, said Yoginder Dahiya, an advocate. He added that these shelters, worth lakhs, if not used properly could turn into junk.

Doctors, paramedics to play active roll
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Sirsa , August 5
Doctors and paramedics will play a more active role in the distribution of Iron and Folic Acid tablets in Sirsa, where parents in 118 out of 303 government schools have refused to allow their children to consume these pills.

At a meeting of the officials of the Health and Education Department, held in Panchayat Bhawan here, teachers complained that after the incidents of students falling ill due to IFA pills, villagers were not ready to listen to them at all.

In some villages, teachers had to face hostility from the parents. Teachers wanted that the job of distributing IFA pills be assigned to doctors and paramedics, as they were better qualified to handle the subject.

Deputy Commissioner J Ganesan told the Civil Surgeon, Dr Surender Nain, to ensure more active role of doctors, paramedics, ASHA workers and ANMs so that parents could be convinced about the importance of IFA pills in a better way.

Meanwhile, the authorities have decided to hold a meeting of school management committees (SMCs) comprising of parents in Sirsa before the coming Monday, when the health authorities are supposed to administer third dose of pills to the children.

In Fatehabad meanwhile, pediatricians attached with the local chapter of the Indian Medical Association today issued an appeal for the success of Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) programme.

Pediatricians Dr Vinod Batra, Dr Ravi Dawra, Dr Satish Bansal and Dr Pawan Mehta consumed IFA pills in the presence of the Civil Surgeon, Dr SB Kamboj, to show that these tablets were free from any major side effects.

Cardiologist operates upon woman through novel technique
Coronary artery disease, hypertension spreading fast among people of Haryana
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Bhiwani, August 5
Meena (60) has got a new life at MK Memorial Superspeciality Hospital here after she started feeling short of breath and blood pressure as high as 190/120. Such high blood pressure was also called malignant hypertension and it could damage other body organs like heart, kidney and liver. She also has diabetes which made her condition worse.

She was treated by Dr LK Jha, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, who visits MK Memorial Superspeciality Hospital every week.

After examination by Dr Jha, it was found that the woman also had signs of heart attack. The patient was immediately given treatment to normalise blood pressure.

The aim of the treatment was to treat the patient in such a way that her blood pressure was kept in control with minimum medicines throughout her life, explained Dr Jha. The blockage in arteries supplying blood to heart was another disorder which required equal and immediate attention.

Taking into consideration the situation, Dr Jha operated upon the patient through angioplasty, which was the safest with least amount of cuts in the body. The blood flow to the heart was restored using the latest and revolutionary disappearing stent. The uniqueness about disappearing stent was that it would disappear after 2 years, therefore leaving arteries as natural as ever, leading to increased blood flow in response to exercise. Also the patient was not required to take high doses of blood thinning medicines and was free from side effects that were seen with other types of stents, said Dr Jha.

During the same procedure, Dr Jha also implanted a stent in the arteries supplying blood to kidney, which in turn controlled the high blood pressure. Now the woman is on a nine-week post procedure and her BP is well controlled with no episodes of malignant hypertension. Her problem of difficulty in breathing is also very well controlled.

Explaining about coronary artery disease and hypertension, Dr Jha said that these two diseases were the leading causes of disability and death among people. Ironically these diseases were spreading fast among people of Haryana. Smoking and high consumption of items like ghee and sugar were major reasons for its trigger in Haryana. According to reports, hypertension and CAD have affected more than 50 per cent and 24 per cent of people in Haryana respectively.

Rs 10 rupee ka bhojnalaya' in Hisar
Customers have to wash utensils themselves
Deepender Deswal
Tribune News Service

Hisar, August 5
As the controversy over cheaper meals raked up by Congress leaders rages, it is interesting to find how an eatery known as “10 rupee ka bhojnalaya”, located along the roadside just two km from the town on the Chandigarh road, offers Rs 10 per thali.

The dhaba being run for the past over three decades provides a full meal to one person for Rs 10 once a day. The meal includes one sabji and roti, nothing else, no salad no sweet dish. And the customer has to wash the utensils himself/herself!

The eatery being run by a charitable trust is providing food to the poor on subsidised rates. Its chairman, Dinesh Daalwala, who takes care of the eatery, informed The Tribune that it was getting difficult to serve meals at this rate.

“Only poor people, mostly rickshaw-pullers, come to take meals here. We have around 30-35 customers daily at lunch and dinner times. We issue them a receipt for Rs 10 each and then offer them one sabji and rotis. They take water on their own from the handpump located outside the dhaba and return the utensils after washing these after having food,” said Raju, the mess in charge at the dhaba. He is the only person employed at the mess who also prepares sabji, rotis and also serves food to customers. He draws a salary of Rs 4,000 per month besides having free meals at the dhaba.

Daalwala said that his father, Bishan Swaroop Daalwala, started the eatery for the poor in 1978. Recalling the reason behind opening this eatery, he said that his father was arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security (MISA) Act in 1978 and sent to the Mahenderagarh jail where they used to get Rs 3 per thali.

“After being released from jail, he also started a dhaba offering a thali at the same rate. Though it was a philanthropic move, it was not a financial liability at that time. Gradually, we had to inject funds from trust donations to run this eatery and also hiked the price to Rs 5 in 1995. In 2009, we had to double the price due to rising prices of essential commodities,” Daalwala said, adding that though he wanted to continue the scheme, it was becoming more of a financially burden on the trust.

Reacting to the statements of politicians who claimed recently that Rs 12 was sufficient to feed a person in a day, he said it was a joke on the condition of the poor. “It’s obvious that these persons don’t know the 'aate-daal ka bhav' (prices of flour and pulses)”.

Giving rise to controversy
In December last year, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit stirred a controversy by saying Rs 600 was enough to support a family of five while launching the ambitious food security programme, the Dilli Anna Shri Yojna at Delhi.
Last week, Congress spokesperson and MP Raj Babbar stoked the controversy further by claiming that one can have a hearty meal in Rs 12 in Mumbai. He, however, retracted from the comment a day later.
Another Congress leader, Rajya Sabha MP Rashid Masood claimed that one can eat well for Rs 5 in the Jama Masjid area of Delhi in an attempt to defend the Planning Commission’s assessment that anyone who spends more than Rs 33.33 a day in urban areas and Rs 27.20 a day in rural areas is above the poverty line.

Fulfilment of residents' demands
Sonepat MLA writes to Union Railway Minister
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, August 5
BJP MLA from Sonepat Kavita Jain has written a letter to Union Railway Minister Mallikarjun Khadke expressing resentment among people against the railway authorities for not fulfilling their longstanding demands, despite repeated pleas.

She said if the railway authorities continued its neglecting attitude, people would be left with no option except to block the Delhi-Ambala railway track in support of their demands.

Copies of the earlier communications with former railway ministers and other senior railway officers had also been enclosed with the letter.

In the letter, she had pointed out that the scheduled visit of the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) to Sonepat was being repeatedly postponed on one pretext or the other for the past one year and it had disillusioned members of the Dainik Rail Yatri Sangh.

She had also mentioned about the pending demands of daily rail commuters in the letter that included stoppage of the Shan-e-Punjab, Pooja Express, Swaraj Express, Sachkhand Express and Pathankot Express trains at Sonepat; new passenger trains between 9.15am to 2.15 pm from Delhi to Panipat and between 3pm to 6.25pm from Panipat to Delhi and increase in number of compartments in the scheduled passenger train.

Other demands include toilets in EMU trains, a foot-over bridge near the old anaj mandi, increase in number of ticket counters, opening of an internet café, early completion of the Jind-Gohana-Sonepat railway line and upgrade of the hospital at the Sonepat railway station.

Varsity students bring laurels
Tribune News Service

Hisar, August 5
Three students of Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LLRUVAS), Hisar, brought laurels to the institute by getting selected in the Short Service Commission in the remount veterinary corps of the Indian Army as Captain.

Dr Virender Pratap Rana, Dr Pawan Verma and Dr Jagdeep Dalal have been selected. They are among the total 11 candidates who are selected from all over India.

University Vice-Chancellor Major General Dr Shri Kant Sharma SM, VSM (Retd) congratulated the students on their success and hoped that this would motivate more students to serve in the Army.

Dean College of the Veterinary Sciences Dr Suresh Chander, praised the students for the commendable feat and said it was not only a matter of pride for the college but also for the state.

Hooda launches Education Dept web portal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 5
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda launched the web portal of the Higher Education Department, www.highereduhry.com, here today. Hooda said since the website of the department has been launched, its maintenance and regular updating was the main concern, which the department would have to take care of.

Principal Secretary, Higher Education, SS Prasad, said it would collect information from different sources and create a single point of access for information. The portal would succeed in disseminating information relevant to stake holders, utilising user friendly interface.

The web portal would bring transparency in admission process by providing real time student admission monitoring and tracking.

Young medico on mission to spread awareness
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 5
A young medical professional, Dr Vrinda Sharma, is a woman on a noble mission. As the founder of the Medicos and Associates Network for Organ Donation Awareness (MANODA), Dr Sharma is doing a yeoman's service in spreading the message of organ donation in a traditional country like India where superstitions rule the roost.

Talking to The Tribune on the eve of the Organ Donation Day, Dr Sharma stressed the need for organ donation awareness among society in general and medical fraternity in particular.

"Youth power of our medicos should be tapped for spreading awareness about the cause. Small seeds of enlightenment in our society will eventually lead to an era of awakening in the future," she said.

"Given that 1.5 lakh persons die in road accidents every year in India, there is a tremendous potential for cadaveric transplant. One organ donor can save up to 8 lives. Most citizens are aware about corneal and kidney donations but liver, lungs, pancreas, intestine, heart valves, skin can also be transplanted," Dr Sharma added.

She said networking of hospitals with the major tertiary health care institutions would go a long way in infrastructure enhancement for transplants.

Another suggestion during the awareness campaign was that the member of the families of the persons donating organs should be given priority in case they needed organ transplant.

The Organ Retrieval Banking Organisation (ORBO), AIIMS, New Delhi, and PGIMER, Chandigarh, maintains a registry of potential donors as well as needy recipients with them.

In fact, MANODA has launched a campaign to make citizens pledge and donate their organs. Anybody above the age of 18 years can pledge for organ donation. Moreover, not all who pledge end up as potential donors at the time of death.

"One needs to be declared brain dead before the doctors harvest his/her organs. No harvest can be done without the consent of the family. The body does not get disfigured and is respectfully handed back after harvesting organs," she added.

Commissioner reviews implementation of schemes in Jhajjar
Tells officials to chalk out action plan to expedite work
Our Correspondent

Jhajjar, August 5
Commissioner of Rohtak Division Chander Prakash has directed administrative officials in the district to chalk out an action plan for the ongoing development works so that the same could be concluded well in time.

Chander Prakash was addressing a meeting of the Jhajjar Officers’ Board at the conference hall of the Mini-Secretariat here recently.

He said development schemes were rolled out for the welfare of needy people and successful execution of schemes to a large extent hinged upon the administrative officials, who must toil hard with dedication for the implementation of the same.

Prakash reviewed the execution of the Food Security scheme, Mahatma Gandhi Grameen Basti Yojna, MNREGA, and Priyadarshini Aawaas Yojna in the district and asked the officials concerned to present their progress report in this regard.

He also got information about the redressal of public grievances related with potable water, concrete roads and streetlights.

“The officials told to take up the projects announced by the Chief Minister on priority and keep a regular follow-up regarding the implementation of development works. They should apprise the Deputy Commissioner of any difficulties they face during the process of approval and construction of projects,” said the Commissioner.

He said the officials should also keep a tab on regular programmes and ensure not only the quality of construction materials being used in the development projects but also the completion of projects in stipulated time.

Deputy Commissioner (DC), Jhajjar, Ajit Balaji Joshi, informed the Commissioner about the ongoing development projects in Jhajjar and also presented a report regarding implementation of various government schemes during the meeting.

The DC said all vital steps were being taken to ensure the benefit of government schemes to people, besides holding meetings of the officials concerned at regular intervals to review the schemes.

HUDA Administrator Rohtak Pankaj Yadav, Jhajjar ADC Pushpender Chauhan, SDM (Beri) Sanjay Roy, SDM (Bahadurgarh) Jitender Dahiya, SDM (Jhajjar) Pradeep Kumar and City Magistrate Pradeep Kaushik were among those others present.

Patwaris, Kanungos raise slogans outside mini-secretariat
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, August 5
Patwaris and kanungos from the Revenue Patwari and Kanungo Association observed a pen-down strike and demonstrated in front of the mini-secretariat in support of their demands here recently.

They raised slogans in support of their demands.

The Association's spokesman said they work equivalent to their counter parts in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh but are paid almost half of the salaries to what is paid to their counterparts.

According to the government figures, Haryana is ahead of Punjab in its per capita income.

"The Association has appealed to the state government to intervene into the matter and grant them the salaries equal to their Punjab counterparts," the spokesman added.

Their demands include grant of salary at par with their counterparts in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, removal of conditions for passing of departmental examination of Kanungo for providing Assured Career Progress (ACP) to the post of Patwari, grant of benefits for providing ACP at appropriate time as prescribed by the Haryana Government, grant of permission to Patwaries who have passed the departmental examination of Kanungo to appear in Naib Tehsildar departmental exam and also conduct Kanungo departmental exam every year, grant of Rs1,000 per month to field Kanungo as office rent, Rs 500 as cleaning and water charges and Rs 500 as electricity allowance per month and appointment of one field Kanungo on five Patwar circles.

Education Dept issues annual sports calendar
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 5
The Haryana School Education department has issued modified sports calendar for 2013-14.

A spokesman of the department said Taekwondo, Judo and Volleyball games would be held in Gurgaon between August 17 and August 20, 2013.

Boxing, table tennis, softball and football matches would be held in Bhiwani between August 17 and August 20, 2013. Basketball, softball and cricket matches would be held in Sonepat between August 22 and August 25, 2013.

He said kho kho, yoga and cricket matches would be held in Panipat between August 27 and August 30, 2013. Chess, karate and kabaddi matches would be held in Jhajjar between September 1 and September 4, 2013.

Wrestling, yoga, fencing and kho kho matches would be held in Jind between September 6 and September 9, 2013.

Gymnastics, football and circle kabaddi matches would be held in Ambala between October 3 and October 6, 2013 and basketball, baseball and throwball matches would be held in Karnal between October 7 and October 10.

Similarly, volleyball, netball and weightlifting competitions would be held in Yamunanagar between October 12 and October 15, 2013.

Swimming, diving, water pool, hockey, archery and circle kabaddi matches would be held in Sirsa between October 17 and October 20, 2013 and handball and kabaddi matches would be held in Kurukshetra between October 22 and October 25, 2013.

He said according to the new calendar, hockey, cycling and rifle shooting competition would be held in Shahbad between October 26 and 29, 2013.

Badminton, athletics and lawn tennis matches would be held in Panchkula between October 26 and October 29, 2013.

Boxing, wrestling, handball, volleyball and hockey competitions would be held in Hisar between November 5 and November 8, 2013 and athletics, skating and netball matches would be held in Rohtak between November 10 and November 14, 2013.

NGO celebrates 'Friendship Day' by befriending plants, trees
Bhanu P Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Karnal, August 5
While the people in general celebrated “Friendship Day” on August 4 by greeting the near and dear ones, Satya Foundation celebrated the day in a unique manner by “tying threads” (Rakhi) to plants and tress, sending the message that “plants are the best friends”.

Volunteers of the organisation impressed upon people to make trees their friends and added that if trees were treated as friends, all problems concerning environment and pollution would be solved.

Till a few years ago, children used to play and enjoy their childhood under the shadow of trees but today these trees have vanished, HS Nain, a retired Principal and chairman of the NGO, said.

The love stories that blossomed under the shady trees and the picnics enjoyed by people have become a thing of the past and there is a dire need to restore and expand the green cover and regenerate forests, he said.

“The objective of this exercise is to increase awareness among citizens, particularly the students, about the importance of trees and to create a sense of responsibility among citizens to nurture and look after the trees. There are a few things that one can do to
preserve the environment at an individual level like planting trees, recycling household waste, ground water recharging, using CFLs, turning off electrical gadgets when not in use and avoiding use of plastic bags," Nain said.

Advocate Nirmal Singh emphasised on preservation of environment and stressed aggressive plantation drives and adopting steps to ensure survival of plants.“We should learn a lesson from the recent destruction in Uttarakhand and try our level best to save environment,” he said.

The NGO started its plantation drive in June and planted hundreds of plants of different varieties, including neem, jamun, peepal and other shadow-bearing trees in Karnal, Kurukshetra,Yamunanagar and Hisar districts.

MMU holds five-day management development programme
Tribune News Service

Ambala, August 5
Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana (Ambala) organised a five-day Management Development Programme on “Iso-Quality Management System” in association with the MSME-Development Institute, Karnal, under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of the union government.

The programme was attended by 26 participants from various fields. During the programme, the topics for discussion included, quality management system, ISO- 9001: 2008/ISO 14001 (EMS), ISO 22000, HACCP, occupational health and sms, Qms/Ems standards and economic benefits, concepts of continuous quality improvement - TQM and integrating it with ISO:9001.

The program was inaugurated by MM University Registrar Dr HK Sharma. Quality Council of India Lead Assessor RD Khatri, delivered lecture on standards of ISO 9000.

MSME-DI, Karnal, Assistant Director Sanjay Nigam, requested the participants to understand the quality management tools, their significance and implementation in MSMEs. Maharishi Markandeshwar University Trust Director Research Dr Vipin Saini, shared his experiences and benefits of QMS. MSME-DI, Karnal, Assistant Director, MK Verma proposed a vote of thanks.

Three thieves, including a woman, arrested
BS Malik

Sonepat, August 5
The police has arrested three members including a woman of a gang of thieves and recovered stolen saris and suits worth over Rs 40 lakh from their possession.

According to the police spokesman, the arrested gangsters are Rajesh of Mission Chowk in Sonepat and Shabban alias Meetu wife of Shahbudin and Khkokhan alias Guddu of JJ Colony of Buwana in Delhi.

On the complaint of Rakesh of Badayun district in Uttar Pradesh, a case was registered in Kundli police station on July 15.

Rakesh said he was carrying a load of saris and suits in his canter from Delhi to Punjab on July 14 night.

However, after reaching Kundli, he slept in the canter and next morning, he found the canter's back locks were broken and the loaded articles were missing from the canter.

After receiving information that two men and a woman were on the look out to sell the stolen articles, the Kundli police arrested them from Kundli border area recently.

During interrogation, the arrested gangsters confessed their involvement in looting the saris and suits which they had stored in a rented room in baba colony in Sonepat.

Khkokhan alias Guddu also confessed that he was involved in four other cases of theft.

Polyhouse farm owners in Sirsa a dejected lot
Farmers feel their investment going waste
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, August 5
They had opted for polyhouse farming in the hope of better prospects, but one year down the line, they are feeling cheated.

Several entrepreneurs, who invested their money on setting up polyhouse farms in Sirsa, are a dejected lot, as they have not been able to recover their own investment, what to speak of earning profits.

Farmers feel that not only their investment is going waste, but the heavy subsidy amount the government invested on their project under the National Horticulture Mission was also getting lost.

Sushil Mittal, state president of the Haryana Cotton Industries Association, who has set up a polyhouse to do protected farming on one acre, said the scheme, as such, was not bad.

“However, due to a tacit understanding between officials of the Horticulture Department and private companies empanelled to set up polyhouses, the farmers’ money as well as the government’s funds were going down the drain,” Mittal alleged.

Mittal said he gave a cheque for Rs 13.19 lakh to the representatives of Jain Irrigation Systems for setting up polyhouses on November 7, 2011, and the government contributed Rs 25 lakh (approximately) as subsidy.

The company handed over to him the greenhouse in readied condition in July last year.

“I was assured that I can get crop worth Rs 18 to 20 lakh per annum. However, in the first season, I harvested a crop of 100 quintal of Shimla Mirch (bell pepper) that fetched me Rs 2 lakh, though I had already spent Rs 6 lakh on plants, pesticides, fertilisers and trained labour,” Mittal said.

“In the meantime, portions of poly roofs have been blown away due to winds, as the company’s fittings were defective. However, the company refuses to replace these despite three years' warranty. My requests to the Horticulture Department’s intervention have also gone unheeded,” he added.

Sanjay Goyal, another resident who started a polyhouse on one acre of land at Begu Road, alleged that he suffered financial losses of Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 lakh in one year.

“The polyhouse structure set up by Jain Irrigation Systems is unable to maintain temperature during extreme conditions. During extreme cold weather, the temperature inside the polyhouse should be 10 degrees more than the outer temperature, but it did not work leading to loss of crops,” said Goyal.

Dhanjay Kumar, a representative of Jain Irrigation Systems in the area, however, maintained that many of the farmers were earning handsome profits after his company installed polyhouses for them.

He admitted that complaints of defects in the polyhouses do come, but the company attended to them on priority.

Surjeet Machra, District Horticulture Officer, Sirsa, however, maintained that immediately after receiving a complaint from Mittal, he conducted a joint inspection of his polyhouse with assistant project officer Jitender Mongia and Devi Lal, Horticulture Development Officer (Plasticulture), sent the report to Jain Irrigation System for correcting the shortcomings detected there.

He said that somehow, Mittal was still not satisfied with the repairs done by the company and he had sent another complaint to me.

“I was out of station for a few days and will look into the complaint now,” he said.

Machra, however, held that some farmers were themselves responsible for the losses and added that they should have got proper training before starting the project.

Measures to combat vector-borne diseases
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, August 5
The Health Department in Haryana has taken several steps for combating vector-borne diseases more effectively this season. A spokesperson of the Health Department said decisions were taken in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Additional Director General Health Services Dr VK Sharma, for the implementation of instructions and guidelines issued by the Centre as well as the Haryana Government on vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue, chikungunya and Japanese encephalitis.

It was decided to declare confirmed cases of dengue, chikungunya and Japanese encephalitis only after confirmation by the MAC- ELISA IgM test instead of the Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT).

It was also decided that the confirmation of dengue positive cases by NS1 antigen test kits may also be done if patient was detected in early infection that is from first to fifth day as per guidelines of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP).

Blood Samples of dengue, chikungunya and Japanese encephalitis cases may be submitted to the nearest Sentinel Surveillance Hospitals, in case of non availability of MAC-ELISA test kits or NS1 antigen test kits in the Medical College, except PGIMS, Rohtak and Maharaj Agrasen Medical College, Agroha, where the kits are being provided by the Directorate of Health Services.

It was also decided that the Sentinel Surveillance Hospitals (SSHs) will be established in PGIMS, Rohtak and Maharaj Agrasen Medical College, Agroha, subject to the availability of ELISA reader or washer and manpower including Microbiologist, Pathologist and Laboratory Technicians in the institution.

In view of situation of the disease, the test kits will be supplied by the National Institute of Virology, Pune, free of cost.

Line listing of all the suspected and confirmed cases of the vector-borne diseases should be maintained and submitted to the concerned Civil Surgeons on daily basis through an e-mail or a fax.

List of patients suffering from dengue who are given Platelets, should be submitted to the concerned Civil Surgeon.

Dr VK Sharma stressed the need to create awareness among the general public to check the menace of mosquitoes and prevent vector-borne diseases.

Dr Sharma suggested that people should keep their surroundings clean. They should clean their air coolers once a week.

He also the lid of the overhead water tanks should be closed tightly so that the mosquito do not enter the tank.

Dr Sharma said people should also be urged not to let the water flow in open because it further gets accumulated in pits and low lying areas and creates source for breeding of mosquitoes.

"People should not throw unused tyres, plastic bottles and other containers in open because these containers provide breeding source for the mosquitoes," Dr VK Sharma added.

Director Health Services (Malaria), Dr Kamla Singh, gave a presentation on the status of the vector-borne diseases and the action plan as well as the strategies being adopted for prevention and control of these diseases.

Dr Kamla Singh informed that 57 per cent reduction in the incidence of the vector-borne diseases has been reported this year as compared to last year.

This swimmer is battling all odds at Deaflympics to win gold
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, August 5
He is away to Bulgaria representing the country at Deaflympics 2013. The lone swimmer to participate in this event from Haryana, 19-year-old Akshat is battling all odds, including a congenital hearing impairment, to get gold for his country. Starting out in 2008, his relatively short stint with the sport has won him many laurels, including two Golds and three Silvers, at National Games for the Deaf (NGD) held in Aurangabad in April 2013.

“He was never too good at studies and we never expected wonders but would always be worried about his future. He took up swimming for fun in 2008 and within months everybody could see him seeking his destiny there. He participated in several state and national events and won medals but now is the greatest moment for him,” says his proud father, BK Bhardwaj.

“He delivered the best qualifying time in all five events for the Deaflympics Qualifiers held by SAI in Delhi. The boy is not able to hear applause but understands the cheery expression of friends and family when he hits the water. He has immense potential which needs motivation from the state which boasts of an extremely rewarding sports policy,” says Sapan Das, his coach from the Talkatora Stadium.

Parking lot contractor 'fleeces visitors' at mini-secretariat in Hisar
Deepender Deswal
Tribune News Service

Hisar, August 5
The visitors to the mini-secretariat and the district court complex in Hisar are a harassed lot as the parking contractors have been charging them double the rates for vehicle parking. All this is going on under the nose of senior district officials as they are unable to check the illegal collection.

According to information, the administration had given the contract to private persons to operate the parking lot outside the mini- secretariat and the adjoining district court complex about three month back. The parking operator’s men, who are deployed outside, charged double the amount of sanctioned rates before letting customers enter the lot without giving any receipt.

The contractors’ men even allowed the vehicles in the no-parking zone outside the ground floor of the mini-secretariat for extra charge. The policemen who are posted near the gate also remain mute spectators to all this.

Naurang Singh, a resident of Hansi village who visited the DC office, informed The Tribune that he had paid Rs 10 for parking his motorcycle for about one hour. “I know that the parking rate is Rs 5 but I have no option but to give double charges as there is no other parking place nearby”.

Another car occupant, who parked his car at the parking and was asked to shell out Rs 20, rued that he had an argument with the man at the parking gate but despite 10 minutes' spat he was not ready to issue a receipt. “The contractor has hired strongmen as parking operators who are always ready to pick a fight in case any visitor tried to argue with them,” he said.

The sources said around 10,000 visitors visited the mini-secretariat and the court complex daily. “The officials concerned and the police seem to be hand in glove with the parking contractor as it has turned out to be a lucrative business for them. The visitors who come with their grievances never want to be embroiled in another row by messing with the parking operators”, another visitor said.

He said that even the previous contractor used to charge double the fee and the administration had cancelled his contract only in the last month of his contract despite many complaints. The administration has given the mini-secretariat contract for Rs 9.20 lakh and Rs 14 lakh for the court complex in April this year.

The SDM, Hisar, Amarjit Singh, however, said that he had received some complaints about the contractor regarding overcharging. “I have served a notice to the contractor and will initiate an inquiry against him. The contract of previous operator, too, was cancelled on similar grounds and if the present contractor is overcharging, similar action will be taken against him,” he said.

Residents seek right to walk in Gurgaon
Sunit Dhawan / TNS

Gurgaon, August 5
A group of Gurgaon residents promoting non-motorised transport (NMT) in the city have taken a strong exception to the installation of signage-boards on footpaths by the HUDA authorities here.

Maintaining that the signage-boards installed on the footpaths hinder the movement of the pedestrians for whom these are meant, the group members have urged the authorities concerned to get these removed or relocated.

These signage-boards installed by government agencies like HUDA, not only interrupt the free movement of the pedestrians, but also pose a safety threat as these lead to road mishaps many a time, they pointed out.

Municipal Councillor from Ward No 30 Nisha Singh, who has been supporting the NMT movement proactively, has taken up the issue with the HUDA authorities.

In a communiqué mailed to the local HUDA Administrator, Nisha Singh has asserted that the engineers (and urban planners) were supposed to respect the people's right to walk without having to dodge various obstructions on the footpaths.

In support of her assertions, councillor has attached several pictures of signage-boards installed on footpaths along HUDA roads in Sectors 46-51, 51-52, 56-53, 44-43, 29-27, 40-41, 40-31, 38-39 and 47-46.

She lamented that the HUDA and other civic authorities, erect many such obstructions on the footpaths without sparing a thought for the pedestrians.

Offering a solution, the councillor has stated that the HUDA signage-boards installed on uni-poles were better as they do not obstruct footpaths and can be seen from far.

KU Law Dept conducts orientation programme
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, August 5
Kurukshetra University Law department conducted an orientation programme for the first year students of the department, recently. The Institute Director Prof RK Gupta welcomed the first year students and explained the value and importance of legal profession in the present scenario.

Explaining about the facilities available at the university campus, Director Women Studies Research Centre Prof Richa Tanwar, said there is zero tolerance on eve teasing, sexual harassment and ragging on the campus. "There is a special committee to curb such type of unlawful activities," she added.

Prof Anil Vasisth detailed about the extra-curricular activities held at the university level. He also informed about the Students Grievances Redressal Cell for resolving the problems of the students.

Deputy Chief Warden Prof Darshan Singh briefed about the hostel rules and regulations.

Prof Sunil Dhingra said access to Wi-Fi facility for Internet on the campus is available for the students. He also pointed out that everyone will be under surveillance, therefore, the students should not misuse the Internet.

KU Liberian RD Mehla explained how to use data base of the library, so that the students could access online sources for using library.

Assistant Director of Sports Dr Bandhari, explained about the activities and sports facilities available in the university meant for all the persons irrespective of any stream and class. He encouraged the students for their participation in sports.

Coordinator of the program Dr Naresh Vats, explained the basic rules and regulations of the institute and tips for their career.

Kurukshetra University newsletter released
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, August 5
Kurukshetra University Vice-Chancellor Lt Gen (retd) Dr DDS Sandhu, released the Kurukshetra University Newsletter here recently.

Sandhu said the newly released newsletter will reflect the academic, research, cultural and sports activities of the university.

"All the stakeholders of the university students, teachers, administrators, alumni, parents and future aspirants will benefit from the newsletter," he added.

The Officiating Editor and Assistant Professor Dr Bindu Sharma said the newsletter covers the academic, co-curricular and research activities dated from January 2013 to June 2013. It carries photographs of important activities that have taken place on the campus during this period.

The KU Newsletter has been renamed as the Kurukshetra University Newsletter after its registration with the Registrar of Newspapers of India.

School holds exhibition
Our Correspondent

Cheeka, August 5
DAV Senior Secondary School, Cheeka, organised an exhibition recently. Over 1,000 models and projects on different subjects like science, social science, political science, maths, history and commerce were displayed.

NK Bhyana, Principal, Guru Gobind Singh Polytechnic, Cheeka, was the chief guest on the occasion. He was presented a bouquet by RR Suri, Principal of the school.

Dr Bhyana applauded the school's initiative regarding innovative education.

He said such activities enhance the knowledge of students and gave them a break from their routine life.

People from every walk of life visited the school to see the exhibition. A number of exhibits of working models were displayed and explained, which got appreciation from one and all.

At the end of the exhibition, the best entries were selected by judges deputed for different subjects and prizes were distributed among the winners.

Research grant
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, August 5
Dr Suresh Kumar, Associate Professor, Department of Electronic Science, Kurukshetra University, has received a grant of Rs 53 lakh from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, for conducting research in Nanotechnology. He will work on nano-wires for their applications in the area of nano-electronics and nano-photovoltaics.

The Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, Lt General (retd) DDS Sandhu, has congratulated Dr Suresh Kumar for his achievement.