The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Sirsa, Ellenabad municipal byelections eye-opener for INLD, Congress Former minister LD Arora’s family still holds sway in Sirsa politics Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, September 19 The results of the September 17 byelection for one municipal ward each at Sirsa and Ellenabad have proved eye-openers for both the ruling Congress as well as the Indian National Lok Dal. While the INLD has suffered a major setback losing both elections in its citadel, the Congress, too, has suffered a humiliating defeat at Sirsa, where Sangeeta Sachdeva supported by rebel Congress leader and former minister Lachhman Dass Arora’s daughter, Sunita Setia, emerged victorious. Bypoll for ward 8 of Sirsa Municipal Council has once again proved the supremacy of late former minister Arora’s family in Sirsa politics. The Congress had supported Suchet Kaur Brar in this bypoll. However, despite active support of Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar, who in fact inaugurated her office, former minister Gopal Kanda, District Congress president Malkiat Singh Khosa, HPCC delegates Hoshiari Lal Sharma and Gobind Kanda, District Mahila Congress president Shilpa Verma and Sirsa Urban president Bhupesh Mehta, Suchet Kaur Brar finished poor fourth in the election after Sangeeta Sachdeva, INLD’s Jindo Bai and BJP-HJC supported Rajbir Kaur Brar. The Congress-supported Suchet Kaur could manage merely 217 votes against 954 votes polled by Sunita Setia’s candidate, Sangeeta Sachdeva. The Congress could have done well by taking Sunita Setia, herself a delegate of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, into confidence and fielded a common candidate. Sunita Setia’s father and former minister Lachhman Dass Arora represented Sirsa in the state Assembly in 1967, 1982, 1991, 2000 and 2005. Arora held many important portfolios like Technical Education, Tourism, Sports, Revenue, Consolidation, Rehabilitation, Forest, Home, Local Government, Tourism and Housing and Industries, Mines and Geology and Excise and Taxation and Urban Development and governments led by various Congress Chief Ministers. However, he lost the last election of his life in 2009 to Independent Gopal Kanda. Before this election, Arora had declared Sunita Setia, who served as Chairperson of Sirsa Improvement Trust, as his legal heir and he had gone to the extent of announcing that she would contest the 2009 election on Congress ticket and not he. However, Arora finally decided to contest the poll himself, but poor health worked against him and he lost the election to Kanda. The result of ward 8 has proved that former minister’s family still enjoys the popular support of local people, as both Sunita Setia, as well as her husband Rahul Setia, president of Punjabi Yuva Sena, Haryana, had worked hard for Sangeeta’s victory. Congress, however, can draw solace from the fact that its supported candidate Binder Kaur won bypoll for ward 13 of Ellenabad municipal committee and even Sangeeta Sachdeva, too, is of Congress background, though a rebel in the present election. The INLD will have to do a lot of rethinking, as it failed to retain ward 8 seat in Sirsa, which fell vacant due to the resignation of the party’s councillor Namita Kamboj and to make the things worse, the party lost the byelection in ward 13 of its main leader Abhay Singh Chautala’s constituency Ellenabad.
	Rs 36 cr for development of Fatehabad town Tribune News Service Fatehabad, September 19 The Haryana Government will spend Rs 36 crore on beautification and development activities in Fatehabad town. Fatehabad MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Haryana, Prahlad Singh Gillankhera announced this after inaugurating a walkway in Town Park here to be constructed at a cost of Rs 80 lakh. The project includes increasing the forest covered area in the park and constructing separate toilets for gents and ladies, said Gillankhera. He said lighting facilities in the park would also be improved to make the park look more beautiful. The CPS said an amount of Rs 36 crore had been approved for development and beautification activities in Fatehabad and work on several projects had already started. Gillankhera said work was in progress to construct all roads and footpaths in Fatehabad. He said under this project, all streets of the town would be constructed in cement and concrete.
	Crimes against women Efforts of police showing results, says DGP Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Fatehabad, September 19 Haryana Director General of Police SN Vashisht said recent steps taken by the Haryana police to check crime against women were showing results though on paper the registration of such cases had witnessed an increase of nearly 70 per cent this year. Speaking to mediapersons at the Police Lines today, Vashisht said an increase in the number of FIRs registered in police stations could not be taken as a spurt in the crime. He said after December 16 gang rape in the national capital, there was an increased awareness among women regarding their rights. "I have given clear instructions to all the SPs that FIRs in rape cases should be registered immediately and the accused be arrested within 24 hours. I have directed the police officials to file charge sheet in the court within 30 days." The DGP added that in the cases where complaints were found false, the police had been directed to clear the names of the accused within seven days. He said as many as 21 fast-tract courts were disposing of rape cases at a brisk pace and he cited the example of a case in Fatehabad where a rickshaw-puller, accused of molesting a girl child, was awarded sentence within 30 days of the crime. Patting his back for the women helpline, Vashisht said more than 8,000 complaints have been registered through it so far . He said the recently constituted women RAF would further help in combating crimes against women and as many as 55 master trainers appointed by the Haryana police would create awareness among women and train them in martial arts. Responding to a question on yesterday's honour killing in Rohtak, the DGP said had the couple intimated the police, the incident could have been avoided. Vashisht expressed satisfaction over the crime scene in Fatehabad and said barring Tohana where a few incidents had occurred in the recent past, the district was by and large peaceful. Later, the DGP reviewed crime situation in Sirsa.
	Workshop on Census-2011 Planners should have population data in their hands, says VC Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, September 19 In an attempt to reach out to the real data users, a one-day data dissemination workshop on Census -2011 was organised at Chaudhary Devi Lal University in Sirsa recently. Dr Radhe Sham Sharma, Vice-Chancellor of the university, inaugurated the workshop. G Bapuji, joint director in the Department of Census Operations, Haryana, delivered the keynote address. The Department of Economics in the university organised the workshop. Registrar Dr Manoj Siwach, chairperson of the Economics Department Abhay Singh Godara, Sultan Singh, Raj Kumar Siwach, Monika Verma, Sultan Dhanda, Vishnu Bhagwan, Harish Mudgal, Gita Rathee, Amit Sangwan, Ishwar Singh Malik and several other teachers and researchers of the university participated in the workshop. Emphasising the importance of census data, Dr Sharma said no planning was possible unless the planners had the population data in their hands. He said the researchers in the universities have to rely on the data provided by the Census Department for their work. G Bapuji said the census data was collected in two phases. The first phase of the census was house listing, which was done in Haryana from May 1, 2010 to June 15, 2010. During this period, a National Population Register (NPR) for each resident of Haryana was prepared. The first phase provided the base for the second phase of the census i.e. population enumeration, which was completed from February 9, 2011 to February 28, 2011 with a revision round from March 1, 2011 to March 5, 2011. Giving a brief outline of the population figures, G Bapuji said the decadal growth of the population in Haryana was 19.9 per cent with an absolute number of 42.07 lakh persons. There was a considerable growth in the urban area i.e. 44.6 per cent as compared to 9.8 per cent in the rural areas. "It reveals that people are shifting from the rural areas to the urban areas for better infrastructure facilities, education and employment facilities," he said. Statistical investigators Om Prakash and RK Yadav and senior geographer Dr Radha Raman, also gave their presentations.
	Medical college to provide golf carts to aged patients Tribune News Service Sonepat, September 19 BPS Government Women Medical College in Khanpur Kalan, is one of the few medical institutes in the country, where the facility of the golf carts will be provided to the aged patients arriving in the college hospital for their treatment. Dr RC Siwach, director of the medical college, said after an inspection visit by SN Roy, financial commissioner and principal secretary of the medical education, Haryana, a proposal for the purchase of six golf carts was submitted to the government. The medical college was a dream project of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The government had accorded the sanction for the purchase of six golf carts. "The carts will benefit the disabled and the aged patients for reaching different departments in the hospital. It would also be easier for them to carry their luggage in the hospital from one place to another," said Dr Siwach. He claimed that a very few hospitals in the country had been equipped with this facility. Like other facilities, he said, this facility would also be free of cost for the eligible patients in the college hospital. “It is the aim of the college to provide the best possible and the cheapest facilities to the patients who are mostly from rural areas with limited income sources,” he added.
	Use certified seed, farmers urged Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, September 19 Under the National Food Security Mission, the Haryana State Seed Certification Agency, Karnal, organised a progressive training camp for framers on the premises of Prabhat Seeds in Amin village recently. The main purpose of the camp was to make farmers aware of the utilities of certified seeds. Addressing the farmers, Haryana Agriculture University scientist Dr Chandgi Ram (retd) urged upon the farmers to adopt certified seeds as this was the only solution to achieve the foodgrain target under the National Food Security Mission. He also explained the uses and benefits of certified seeds. Another Haryana Agriculture University scientist Dr CB Singh (retd) recommended sowing of short-term cereal varieties so that farmers could get the benefit of vegetable crops like tomato, potato and onion. He also dwelt upon the testing, quality and storage of seeds. Besides imparting knowledge about modern agriculture, he discussed the ways to achieve higher production. Local Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) scientist Dr OP Lathwal said farmers should use limited quantity of fertilisers to get the maximum yield of their crops.
	Basmati rice can be sown ‘without nurseries’ Tribune News Service Fatehabad, September 19 Direct sowing of rice crop is finding favour with farmers now. While in traditional sowing, farmers prepare a nursery and they transplant the saplings in their fields in standing water, seeds are directly sown through a machine in direct sowing saving much of labour and water. Under the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR), experts from Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University today held a workshop on Direct Sowing of paddy at Haroli in Fatehabad. Fatehabad-based Krishi Vigyan Kendra of the university had organised the programme. Dr Ashok Yadav, Director of the ACIAR programme, Dr Ram Singh, Director, Human Resources Management of the CCSHAU, and Dr SP Goyal, Senior Coordinator of the Krishi Vikas Kendra, spoke on the benefits of direct sowing of rice. The scientists said that basmati rice could be sown with the help of machines and for this there was no need of preparing nurseries first. The agriculture experts said that looking into the decreasing water resources, farmers needed to adopt this technology at the earliest. The agriculture experts showed farms in Haroli and Jandwala Sottar where a directly sown rice crop is standing tall. Several research scholars of the university also accompanied the scientists.
	AADHAAR CARD GENERATION 16 dists in Haryana below 50% Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service Karnal, September 19 In spite of the UPA Government going ahead with the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for various subsidised schemes on the basis of Aadhaar card, only 41.23 per cent persons in Haryana has been issued (UID) cards. Out of a total population of 25.40 crore in the state, only 17 crore population have enrolled themselves for Aadhaar cards so far. But, the cards have been issued to only 10.45 crore people. Mewat is at the bottom with only 8.64 per cent people with Aadhaar cards. While, Ambala is at the top with 80.08 per cent people being issued the UID cards.The administration informed that the Aadhaar cards were being issued under a centralised scheme from a single station in Bangalore. The chances of human errors were just one per cent and the gap of about 25 per cent between the enrolment and the generation of the cards was due to the lengthy process of matching and also limited manpower. Vikas Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, Karnal, said the process was going smooth and the UID cards would be issued to all the citizens. He said the UID card was the only proof of identification and residence. He said out of 15.05 lakh population in Karnal, 11.54 lakh persons have been enrolled. While, 7.45 lakh persons have been issued the Aadhaar cards which worked out at 49.4 per cent. "On an average, 3,450 persons are enrolled everyday and Aadhaar cards are been prepared at 60 centres in the district," he added. Besides Mewat and Karnal, there are 14 other districts where generation of the Aadhaar card was below 50 per cent and only five districts have more than 50 per cent generation till now.
	NGO to act as knowledge partner for Helen Keller School Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, September 19 Saksham, a NOIDA-based NGO working in the field of empowerment of differently abled children, and the district authorities in Sirsa signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) recently to run a transformation programme and act as knowledge partner for Helen Keller School for Visually Impaired Persons and RGK Shrawan Vaani Kalyan Centre for a period of one year. In the presence of Sirsa Deputy Commissioner J Ganesan, Principal, RKJ Shravan Vaani Kalyan Centre DK Jain, Principal, Helan Keller Visually Impaired School, Suraj Kumar, signed an agreement on behalf of the district administration whereas Deepender Manocha signed on behalf of the organisation. Ganesan said the transformation programme would be undertaken in three phases. Under Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) Programme, a scheme had been prepared to provide education to partially impaired children of RKJ Shravan Vaani Kalyan Centre and Helan Kelar Visually Impaired Persons on a par with normal children. Such children would be admitted in normal schools by imparting training to them before the next academic session. Under the scheme, Saksham organisation would impart training to children of both institutes so as to train for reading with normal children. Children would be trained according to their capabilities so that they could get education in engineering, medical and other courses. He said six children would be identified from Helen Keller School which would train in the next academic session. Similarly, children would be identified from RKJ Shravan Vaani Kalyan Centre so as to provide them education on a par with normal children.
	Village elders condemn police action Demand to delete names of innocent persons from FIR Our Correspondent Rewari, September 19 In a sequel to the burning of over 65 vehicles by frenzied mob in Dharuhera on August 30, the police had booked over 700 villagers of the Dharuhera region for attempt to murder, dacoity, causing damage by fire, rioting, obstruction and assault. While several of them had been named in the FIR, some of them were recently arrested and sent to the jail. Taking a serious note of the "victimisation" of innocent villagers by the police, irate elders of 52 villages of the Dharuhera region held a mahapanchayat at Dharuhera yesterday. The mahapanchayat also adopted a resolution in which it gave an ultimatum to the district administration to delete the names of innocent villagers from the FIR in the next 10 days. The mahapanchayat said if their demand was not met , they would resort to to hunger strike before the district secretariat here. Capt Jagdish Chander ( retd), sarpanch of Kapriwas village, presided over its proceedings. The gathering was addressed by Chiranjeev Rao, Power Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav's son, Preetpal Singh Pannu, former Haryana Youth Congress chief, Rewari district Congress president ( urban) Jawahar Lal Sachdeva, prominent INLD activist and former zila parishad chairman Satidh Yadav, senior BJP leader Randhir Singh Kapriwas, national convener of the Rashtriya Nav Chetna ( RNC) Vijay Somany. Specifically pinpointing the conspicuous absence of the villagers, who had been named in the FIR, the mahapanchayat lamented that innocent villagers were now being targeted by the police . Chiranjeev Rao assured the villagers that no penal action would be taken against the innocent villagers and the guilty would not be spared.
	Judges, legal practitioners, academics pay tributes to Justice JS Verma 'Citizens must become partners in governance' BS Malik Sonepat, September 19 Judges, legal practitioners, academics, and students paid glowing tributes to Justice JS Verma at the first memorial lecture programme organised in his memory by OP Jindal Global University on its campus recently. The memorial lecture was delivered by former Solicitor-General of India and senior advocate Gopal Subramanium. The Judge, Supreme Court of India, Justice GS Singhvi presided over the programme. Speaking on the occasion, Justice Singhvi emphasised that citizens had a responsibility to spread the cause of justice and that they must become partners in governance. Rather than blaming the government for environment degradation, food security and other such problems, he said, citizens had to reflect on what they had done to contribute to the governance of the country. Referring to the Justice JS Verma Committee report and consequent Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013, he noted that these changes came about as a result of people’s movements. He observed, “Unless we fulfil our part of duties, talk of constitutional governance is futile. Constitution has not failed us but we have failed the Constitution.” Delivering the address at the Justice JS Verma First Memorial Lecture, Gopal Subramanium said, “As an essential precondition for constitutional governance in the truest sense, there is a need to undertake an orientation course by every Prime Minister, Minister, Parliamentarian, Judge and holders of Constitutional Office, in order to understand the history of the Constitution, the history of Indian people, history of the judiciary, and the great men who have adorned it”. He stressed that in constitutional governance, the national policy on environment, mental health, establishment of primary schools, creation of judicial infrastructure and so on accountability must exist”. Indian society must encourage dissent and every citizen must have the capacity of being able to express his opinion without any fear or favour, he added”. Mr Subramanium pointed out that the degree of public consultation undertaken by the executive government in pushing through economic policies without adequate explanation to the people or to Parliament was highly disturbing. He underlined the strong need for the political system to understand the needs of the oppressed, powerless, landless and the Dalits. Mr Subramanium paid glowing tributes to Justice Verma’s contribution as a judge and in particular his judgments relating to compensation for custodial death, guidelines issued on sexual harassment in Vishakha case, restatement of values of judicial life and the Justice Verma committee report following the Nirbhaya case. Prof C Raj Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of OP Jindal Global University, observed, "Justice JS Verma Memorial Lecture is organised by Jindal Global Law School to celebrate and pay tributes to the life and contribution of a distinguished jurist."
	Karisma Kapoor pens book on motherhood Sunit Dhawan/TNS Gurgaon, September 19 Hindi movie actress-turned-writer Karisma Kapoor released a book on motherhood titled "My Yummy Mummy Guide", co-authored by her with Madhuri Banerjee, at a select gathering here recently. "According to my definition, Mom stands for master of multi-tasking," observed Karisma amidst an applause from the gathering comprising young mothers, expecting women, doctors, nutritionists, fitness-trainers and journalists at the Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) in Gurgaon. The book, covering a wide range of concerns like getting back in shape after childbirth, finding maternity outfits, juggling work life and motherhood, growing-up issues and teen fads, was launched on the sidelines of a panel discussion on "Pregnancy and Parenting" organised by Fortis Mamma Mia, a centre for maternity and child care, and Penguin Books India. The discussion focused on the journey of most women, from hiccups in planning a pregnancy to the burps of infants and the tantrums of toddlers. The panelists included Karisma Kapoor, a professional actress and mother of two, Ishi Khosla, a consultant nutritionist, Shruti Saxena, a pre and post-natal fitness trainer and Anika Parashar Puri, child birth educator and COO, Fortis Mamma Mia. Karisma said she wanted to share her motherhood journey with all young and expecting moms to enable them to face the challenges that accompany the birthing process and yet cherish the most memorable time of their lives. "And what could have been a better way than to pen down tips of my own journey in a book about managing pregnancy, losing weight, beauty tips, and disciplining kids" she exclaimed. Puri noted that there is a growing sense of pressure today among contemporary mothers to "have it all". A struggle to lose weight fast, get back to work without compromising on feeding routines and care for one's child. There is also a constant battle of quality time versus quantity time and on the parenting style they adopt. They need physical as well as emotional support to cope with the bodily changes and fitness challenges, she maintained. "An important aspect many women tend to ignore in this important phase is nutrition and striking the right balance in what they eat. Eating right will not only help them cope with their body's physical and psychological changes, but also enable them to support their child with the right nutrition for a healthy upbringing," she noted.
	School principal honoured Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, September 19 National Awardee Rishi Goel, principal of Gita Niketan Awasiya Vidyalaya, Kurukshetra, was honoured at a function organised by the school management committee and Vidya Bharti here recently. Addressing the gathering, chief guest Prakash Chandra, rashtriya sangthan mantri of Vidya Bharti, said the award was a tribute to the founder of the institution. National Awardee Dinanath Batra, former principal of SMB Gita Senior Secondary School, Kurukshetra, said receiving the award was not the end, but the beginning of an arduous journey. While addressing the gathering, Rishi Goel dedicated his award to Vidya Bharti, which has a noble mission to achieve through the holistic development of its students. He said the award conferred upon him, calls for additional responsibilities and duties. Principals, teachers of Vidya Bharti schools and local schools, intellectuals, professors from Kurukshetra University and other known personalities from different fields were also present on the occasion.
	Deenbandhu Chotu Ram varsity observes Engineer’s Day Our Correspondent Sonepat, September 19 There are a lot of expectations from engineers and they should concentrate on such innovations and research that would prove beneficial for society and the nation. This was stated by RK Arora, Registrar of Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, while addressing students of the university on the occasion of "Engineer Day" organised on the birthday of renowned engineer M Visvesvaraya on the university premises recently. There was no dearth of talent in the country, but there was a need to give a positive direction to the youth's energies, he said and exhorted the students to draw inspiration from the the lives and achievements of great people. The keynote speaker, Prof PV Gupta, said the engineers were the assets of the country and they should desist from such activities which result in unwanted exploitation of natural resources and result in great disasters.
	Ten get placement Our Correspondent Ambala, September 19 A joint campus placement drive was organised at the E-max Group of Institutions by Serco Global Services for recruiting MBA, BBA and B.Tech students of the region. Over 76 students from various colleges from the region participated in the placement drive. Ten students were selected after group interviews and personal HR and technical interviews. The selected candidates would join as a customer processes associates. The salary package of Rs1.80 lakh per annum has been given to the students. The company officials expressed satisfaction on the quality of the students and wished them a bright future ahead.
	Arjuna awardee Neha Rathi felicitated Ravinder Saini Jhajjar, September 19 Arjuna awardee and international wrestler, Neha Rathi, was felicitated by the villagers at a function organised in Dariyapur village under Bahadurgarh sub-division here recently. Deepender Singh Hooda, Member of Parliament, was the chief guest on the occasion. He praised Neha for her remarkable performance in the national and the global events. Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar, was also present on the occasion. Neha Rathi's father Jagroop Singh Rathi is also a wrestler. He had also won Arjuna Award. Deepender said it was a matter of immense pleasure for the people of Jhajjar district that the two promising wrestlers- Neha Rathi and Dharmender Rathi of Mandhothi village have received prestigious Arjuna Award this year. He congratulated Jagroop Rathi for the brilliant performance of his daughter. “It is also noteworthy that players of Haryana have been succeeding in clinching around 50 per cent medals in every global event for the last eight years. While, the state is sharing merely two per cent of the total population of the nation,” added Deepender. Referring to 2016 Olympic games in Rio, he said the state government has also raised the cash award for the winner of the Rio Olympic games. “The gold, silver and bronze medal winners in the Rio Olympic games would be awarded a cash prize of Rs five crore, Rs three crore and Rs two crore respectively by the state government,” said Deepender.
	Vanvasi ashram celebrates silver jubilee Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, September 19 The North-Eastern Folk Art Meet was organised by the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, Haryana (VKAH), Kurukshetra , on the premises of Gita Niketan Avasiya Vidyalaya here recently. The event was organised to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the ashram. The Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, the parent organisation of the VKAH, is an NGO working for the services of the vanvasies in India. Rakesh Dhall, CA, was the chief guest and Dr Surinder Mehta presided over the function. GL Setia, state member of the VKAH, apprised people of the multifarious problems being faced by the vanvasies living in the interiors of the forests in the north-eastern states as well as Orissa, Rajasthan and Gujarat. He called upon the people to garner financial and social support for the welfare of the vanvasies. Satish Bansal, state member of the VKAH, shared his experiences of a visit to the north-eastern states and dwelt upon the pitiable condition of the people. About 26 artistes from Manipur presented a colourful programme on the occasion.
	Overloaded tractors cause traffic snarls Bijendra Ahlawat Tribune News Service Rohtak, September 19 Unchecked movement of tractors carrying material other than agricultural goods has become a menace on the city roads, causing traffic jams and posing a risk to the movement of the common man. Though the police and the District Transport Officer (DTO) is authorised to take action against such vehicles, the authorities have no record of the number of challans issued in the past few years. The DTO is authorised to challan vehicles for overloading. "A majority of the tractor-trolleys are engaged in carrying earth, sand and building material as the charges of such vehicles are low’’, claimed Suresh a local resident. He said sometimes the movement of such vehicles not only resulted in huge traffic snarls, but flowing of sand or dust also made the movement of the two-wheelers drivers nearly impossible. Claiming that carrying such a material in open vehicles was banned under the law, Devender, another resident, alleged that the police and the RTA tend to ignore such violations and put the lives of other commuters at risk, besides causing air pollution. He said tractors and trucks carrying wheat husk (tura) during the harvesting season posed a serious problem as there was none who could make the transporters follow the rules. Employees of the local Municipal Corporations found it difficult to clean the roads everyday, said an official of the civic body. A spokesperson of the police department on the other hand claimed that such vehicles were being challaned on a regular basis but said he had no record of the penalty imposed.
	IMA flays slapping of criminal case against docs Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, September 19 Members of the local chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) are angry over the registration of criminal case against two doctors, including a woman gynaecologist. A woman underwent a caesarian delivery in Janata Hospital here recently. She died in a private hospital in Hisar, where she was shifted after her bleeding did not stop, after which a criminal case was registered against the two doctors. The doctors have taken up the matter with the Deputy Commissioner J Ganesan as well as the Saurabh Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police. They complained that the police acted in a haste and was carried away by the demonstration organised by the victim’s kin. The doctors also said the police did not follow the guidelines of the Supreme Court regarding the proceeding against doctors in cases related to alleged medical negligence. “We are shocked at the manner in which two of our members have been booked while they were merely responding to the call of their duties and did their best to save a patient who had a very rare obstetric related complication,” said Dr Ved Beniwal, Patron of the Haryana Chapter of the Indian Medical Association. The police had yesterday booked Dr Snigdha Khurana, who performed caesarian on the victim and Dr Azad Singh, a private surgeon, who was called by the former after the victim’s internal bleeding refused to stop. “If the police will book the doctors who rush to save human lives without any personal benefit merely on the call of duty, who will come forward in future in such situations?” asked Dr RK Mehta, president of Sirsa chapter of the IMA. Citing a Supreme Court judgment, Jacob Mathew Vs State of Punjab, the IMA members said the guidelines issued by the apex court in such cases clearly said the investigating officer should, before proceeding against the doctor accused of rash or negligent act or omission, obtain an independent and competent medical opinion preferably from a doctor in government service qualified in that branch of medical practise who can normally be expected to give an impartial and unbiased opinion. SSP Saurabh Singh said the police would request the DC to constitute a medical board to examine whether there was any negligence involved. The victim's kin were however demanding a stern action and alleged that the victim died due to negligence of the doctors. The angry kin had created a ruckus and held demonstration with the dead body of the victim, while Dr Khurana had maintained that best of medical care was provided to the victim, who she maintained, died due to a rare obstetric complication.
	State-level sports meet begins Our Correspondent Ambala, September 19 A three-day 48th State-Level School Sports Competition commenced at the War Heroes Memorial Stadium here recently. Sports persons from 21 districts of the state, including 294 boys and 1,604 girls, are participating in the sports meet. Ashok Jain, member of the Haryana Staff Selection Commission Board, inaugurated the meet. Jain said in the last nine years, beside sports, there had been prosperity in all the fields. He praised the teachers and the coaches for giving training to the budding players. He congratulated all the participants and advised them to play with a spirit of sportsmanship and not to indulge in fights. Paramjit Sharma, District Education Officer (DEO), was also present on the occasion. In the competition, the students would compete in gymnastics, football and kabaddi.
	Authority appointed Chandigarh, September 19 The Haryana Government has appointed an appropriate authority under the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994, for the entire state under the chairmanship of the Director-General, Health Services. While giving this information here today, an official spokesman said the Additional Legal Remembrancer, a special secretary and the Joint Director, Women and Child Development Department, would be the members of the authority. — TNS
	Sufi evening on Oct 11 in Karnal Karnal, September 19 Punjabi sufi singer Satinder Sartaaj will perform live at hotel Noor Mahal in Karnal on October 11 evening. The programme has been organised by the National Integrated Forum of Artists and Activists (NIFAA) in association with hotel Noor Mahal. Preetpal Singh Pannu, chairman, NIFAA, said the focus of the programme was on youth and the idea behind organising this event was to promote meaningful songs, which people of all generations could enjoy. Composer, song writer, poet Sartaaj has dedicated several of his compositions to the nature from the very beginning. With the Motto of youth for constructive change, we would also apprise the masses of the social activities undertaken by NIFAA, said NIFAA chief. We would try to highlight how the organisation was fighting against gender inequality, promoting art and culture and communal harmony, he added. — TNS
	Movies This Week The Lunch Box Directed by: Ritesh Batra First time director Ritesh Batra's film "Te Lunchbox", starring Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nimrat Kaur releases all over Haryana today . The film was screened in the Cannes Film Festival and got the Critics Week Viewers' Choice Award. This one is produced by Guneet Monga and Anurag Kashyap. The film is set in Mumbai and it revolves around a mistaken delivery of lunch box, which leads to a relationship between an aged widower and an unhappy housewife. Bharti Achrekar, Nakul Vaid, Yashvee Puneet Nagar and Lillite Dubey supports the lead star cast. For those who love different cinema, "The Lunchbox" is for them. Phata Poster Nikla Hero Directed by: Rajkumar Santoshi Chetna Pande Shahid Kapoor and Ileana D'Cruz starrer "Phata Poster Nikla Hero" is ready to release today at theatres in Haryana. The trade circles say it is a crazy action comedy in which director Raj Kumar Santoshi's comic timing is amazing. Four lavish sets were designed for the song "Tu mere Agal Bagal" beautifully choreographed by Bosco-Caesar duo. The song has already created curiosity among the cine goers. — Dharam Pal A still from the movie, ‘Phata Poster Nikla Hero’