Fast-fermenting yeast identified

HISAR, Aug 23 (PTI) — Scientists at Choudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU) here have identified a strain of a fast fermenting yeast which is heat tolerant.

The invention will help the alcohol industry which was till now using "saccharomyces cereviaiae" yeast to produce alcohol from sugarcane molasses.

Besides taking more fermentation time, it needed low temperature to be maintained for its growth, leading to increase in the running costs.

"The isolation of the new yeast strain for ethanol production is the outcome of collaborative studies being conducted by Dr Dalel Singh, a senior microbiologist at CCSHAU and Prof Roger Merchant of the University of Ulstar, Northern Ireland under a European Commission funded research project," said Dr Kuldeep Singh Dhindsa, Dean, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, here today.

The new yeast strain will benefit the alcohol industry particularly in warmer parts like India, Africa and South east Asia where ethanol production from sugarcane molasses is considerably hampered by higher temperature in hot seasons, he added.

In India, six million tonnes of molasses is generated every year which is processed at about 250 distilleries to produce nearly two billion litre of alcohol.

According to Dr Dalel Singh, the principal investigator, the new yeast strain had been successfully tested at the Modinagar distillery. It produced 7.3 per cent alcohol in 16 hours, whereas the commonly used yeast, produced the same per cent of alcohol in 26 hours without cooling of the fermenter.

Dr Singh said that tracing out of some new bacterial strains which have high potential to reduce the pollution load of digested molasses spent wash effluent, had been another achievement under the EC funded project.

Paying for armed police escort
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Aug 23 — Police service have been commercialised at least in the industrial estate of Faridabad which has witnessed stray incidents of looting.

The SSP, Faridabad, Mr Mohammed Akil, has introduced a novel scheme of providing an armed police escort to factories for bringing cash from banks against the payment of service charges.

According to the scheme, described as innovative by the Faridabad Industries Association, the police provides the escort on the payment of Rs 500 up to two hours of service and Rs 250 per hour afterwards, including diesel expenses. The escort vehicle has four to five armed policemen.

The facility is extended to industry on a first come, first served basis. Mr Akil has advised industry to plan cash withdrawals in such a manner that the police can be informed two or three days in advance.

Booking for this facility is done at the control room and the charges are to be deposited in advance at the SP's office. The escort van is available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Interestingly, the escort van, costing nearly Rs 4.55 lakh, has been donated to the police by the industries association. Around 50 industrial units have gone in for the facility, says an association spokesman.

Resentment over change in policy
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Aug 23 — The state government has scrapped reservations for sportspersons and ex-servicemen in the JBT/OT course from the current academic session.

The decision has caused resentment among sports organisations and ex-servicemen. Till last year, 3 per cent seats were reserved for each of these categories.

According to available information, at least 144 sportspersons had secured admission to these courses last year because of the reservation facility. Similarly, the wards of ex-servicemen had also got admission.

While various sports organisations have urged the Chief Minister and the Governor to revive the policy, the Ex-Servicemen Kalyan Sangh has threatened to go to court on the matter.

If the prospectus issued by the Directorate of Secondary Education, Haryana, is to be believed, five additional seats in the JBT (now DEd) course have been made available for candidates who permanently belong to the villages where these training institutes are located and whose panchayats have donated land or building for the institutes.

This policy has generated tension in Madina village between the Gindhran and Korsan "panas". Persons belonging to one of these "panas" went to court here to seek directions that the candidates belonging to their "pana" should be given admission to the JBT course in the institute set up in their village. The lower court ruled that the five candidates belonging to the "pana" which had donated land would have the right to admission.

Annoyed over the court decision, the other "pana" has threatened to lock-up the institute if its candidates are denied admission.

Old woman robbed, killed
From our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Aug 23 — Phoolawati, an old woman, was allegedly murdered by some robbers who broke into a house in the DLF Colony early today. The assailants, reportedly decamped with some ornaments.

According to information, the criminals entered the house by scaling the wall. They went to the room in which the old woman was sleeping and hit her on the head. She became unconscious and the robbers removed gold bangles and a gold chain she was wearing and escaped.

The house belongs to a well-known jeweller of the town. It is learnt that other family members, including her four sons, were present in the house at the time of the incident. They were sleeping in other rooms. The family members came to know about the incident in the morning when she did not come out of the room. She was 65.

The police has requisitioned the services of a dog squad and a team of the forensic experts from Madhuban. A case under Section 460 of the IPC, has been registered. The police officials avoided newspersons, who wanted to know the details.

Meanwhile in another incident three unidentified car-borne youths stopped a car near Bahadurgarh town last night and snatched Rs 80,000 from the driver of the car.

A married woman who was allegedly burnt to death by her in-laws in Gandhi Nagar here died at the PGIMS yesterday. A case under the Dowry Act has been registered by the police.

Free homoeopathic clinics
From Ashwani Dutta

YAMUNANAGAR: Hundreds of students, including girls, of Seth Jai Parkash Polytechnic College, Damla, 10 km from here, complain that there is no special bus service on the route for them, resulting in inconvenience and at times delay in their reaching the college.

Mr Anil Kumar, principal of the college, said the college had made a request to the officials of Haryana Roadways at Yamunanagar to arrange for more buses in the morning between 7.15 a.m. and 7.45 a.m. and in the evening between 3 p.m. and 3.30 p.m.

* * *

The District Homoeopathic Association has opened four free Homoeopathic dispensaries in collaboration with the District Red Cross Society. Dr Sushil, general secretary of the association, said more such dispensaries would be opened in rural areas.

He said homoeopathic medicines were cheap and even the lower and middle class person could afford these.

The district has topped in the implementation of the Prime Minister's Rozgar Yojna (PMRY) in Haryana, Mr Rajiv Sharma Additional Deputy Commissioner, said against a target of 415 for 1997-98, 440 had been given loan for self-employment.

The Haryana government started the scheme on November 1, 1993, under which Rs 1 lakh is given as loan to educated youth so that they can start business.

Mr Sharma said those who were matriculate or I.T.I. passed in the age bracket of 18-35 with a family income not more than 24,000 per annum were eligible.

* * * * *

The government of India has launched "Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojna (SJSRY) to replace the Nehru Rozgar Yojna (NRY), Urban Basic Services for poor (SBSP) and Prime Minister's Integrated Urban Poverty Eradication Programme (PMIUPEP) with effect from December, 1997. The Additional Deputy Commissioner said the over-all monitoring, coordination and implementation of the yojna had been entrusted with the State Urban Development Society, Haryana (SUDSH), at the state level and the district urban development agencies at the district level.

Under the yojna, efforts would be made

towards community empowerment. Community organisations like neighbourhood groups, neighbourhood committee and community development societies (CDSs), would be set up to provide a mechanism for local development.

Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojna consisted of two schemes. The first was urban self-employment programme. The urban poor living below the poverty line, especially women, SCs and the disabled would be helped to set up small enterprises.

The maximum unit cost would be Rs 50,000 and the maximum allowable subsidy 15 per cent of the project cost, subject to the limit of Rs 7500. The beneficiary was required to contribute 5 per cent of the project cost as margin money.

The second was the development of women and children in urban areas (DWCUA) scheme which was urban poor women to help in the self-employment ventures in groups suited to their skills and aptitude.

The DWCUA group is entitled to a subsidy of Rs 1,25,000 or 50 per cent of the project cost, whichever is less.

Adopt people-friendly approach: DIG
From Our Correspondent

FATEHABAD, Aug 23 — A cultural evening was organised by the district police yesterday to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Independence. Artists from various schools of the town participated in the function. Artistes from the Yuva Shakti, Ambala, presented gidda and jindwa.

Speaking on the occasion the DIG Hisar range, Mr V.B. Singh, exhorted the police to develop a friendly approach towards the people.

Highlighting the glorious past of the land of Saraswati, — Sirsa and Fatehabad, Mr Singh said with the changing time and threats before the country, even the concept of ahimsa had undergone a change.

One stabbed to death
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Aug 23 — Unidentified persons stabbed to death Harjit Singh last night on National Highway 5.

According to reports, Harjit Singh was attacked while he was sitting on his scooter outside his residence. He was rushed to the local Civil Hospital where he died.

Personal enmity is reported to be the cause behind the incident. The police has registered a case.

Bid to tone up police wireless network
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Aug 23 — The Faridabad police has introduced two separate communication channels on its wireless network.

This was stated here today by Mr Mohammed Akil, SP, at a meet-the-press programme organised by the Faridabad Press Club.

While one channel would be used for conveying messages the other had been exclusively reserved for passing emergency law and order messages to the control room and senior officials. Earlier, both types of messages were being passed on the same channel causing unnecessary delays.

Mr Akil said a mobile van had been stationed in his office for transporting heavy cash by banks and industrial units at nominal rates. This would go a long way in preventing the looting of cash.

The state police had asked the Centre to provide force for the security of its VIPs living in Faridabad as there was a shortage of cops here.

ASI sentenced for taking bribe
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Aug 23 — Mr P.L. Goyal, Additional District and Sessions Judge, has sentenced Bhoop Singh, ASI, to three years' imprisonment and ordered him to pay a fine of Rs.5,000 for accepting bribe.

According to the prosecution Bhoop Singh was caught red-handed while accepting Rs 2,000 from Rishi Pal by a raiding party headed by the DSP and the SDM on July 18, 1996. The money was demanded from Rishi Pal for not producing Ram Bahadur, his relative, before a Magistrate.

Mr Goyal held the accused guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act even though Rishi Pal and Ram Bahadur had turned hostile and not supported the prosecution during the trial. In such cases conviction could be ordered even on the basis of statements of official witnesses present in the raiding party. No leniency was called for in such corruption cases, Mr Goyal observed.

PM urged to intervene in teachers' strike
From Our Correspondent

SHAHABAD, Aug 23 — The Haryana College Teachers Union has urged the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to intervene in the ongoing countrywide strike of university and college teachers.

In a statement issued here today, a spokesman of the union, Prof Harbhajan Singh, said the union had exhorted the Prime Minister to ask the Union Human Rasource Development Minister, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, to concede its demand for the implementation of the recommendations of the UGC.

The union also appealed to the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, to impress upon the central government to accept the demands the striking teachers. His voice would carry weight as his party was a partner in the ruling alliance at the Centre, Mr Harbhajan Singh added.

Liquor smugglers' gang smashed
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Aug 23 — With the arrest of four persons, the CIA staff smashed a gang of liquor smugglers and seized three trucks of the IMFL worth about Rs 25 lakh from their possession here today.

Superintendent of Police K. Selvraj told that the three trucks had been impounded by the police. The arrested had been identified as Bhag Singh and Dharam Singh of Bela Mandir (Himachal) and Lakhvinder Singh and Sukhvinder Singh of Bhairwal (Punjab).

He said that a case under Section 61/1/14 of the Excise Act had been registered against them at Kharkhauda police station.