• Punjabis' interest ignored: sabha

• Dual voting rights

Bansi Lal's plea to educational bodies
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Nov 8 — The Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, has called upon educational societies to function above party politics.

Addressing a largely attended meeting after laying the foundation stone of the new building of Gaur Brahman Ayurvedic College at Brahmanvas village, 10 km from here, today he said the managing committees of such societies should be elected unanimously in the interest of the development of education.

The college, run by the Gaur Brahman Vidya Parcharni Sabha (GBVPS), was set up in 1974 and is functioning in a wing of Gaur Brahman Degree College in the city. The sabha has planned to shift the ayurvedic college to the new site so that the rural population could also avail itself of the medical facilities available at the institute. A 200-bedded hospital will also be attached to the ayurvedic college.

The GBVPS also proposes to set up a dental college on the new campus. Mr Bansi Lal announced recognition to the BDS course on the condition that the sabha would construct the building and acquire the necessary apparatus. Nearly 12 acres of land has been donated by the Brahmanvas gram panchayat.

Although Mr Bansi Lal did not make any political speech on the plea that the function was related to an educational institution, he was successful in conveying the message that he revered the Brahman community the most. He announced an ex-gratia grant of Rs 10 lakh for the construction of the new buildings.

The Education Minister, Mr Ram Bilas Sharma, announced that JBT and OT courses would be started at Gaur Brahman Education Institute. He announced the sanction of 50 seats for each course from the next academic session. He pleaded for treating the BAMS and GAMS degrees on a par with the MBBS degree. This would enable students of the ayurvedic colleges to get internship equivalent to the MBBS internees.

The Urban Development Minister, Mr Siri Kishan Dass, said the Panipat-Rohtak-Rewari road, that passed Jhajjar town also, had been declared a national highway by the Centre. He accused activists of the erstwhile Green Brigade of creating lawlessness in the state.

The president of the GBVPS, Pt Hoshiar Singh Sharma announced that one student from Brahmanvas village would be admitted to the ayurvedic college against a free seat. He said the sabha had mobilised Rs 1 crore from its own sources for the construction of the new campus, which would include separate hostels for girls and boys, a stadium and residences teaching and non-teaching employees.

24-hr power supply in Haryana by July: CM

GURGAON, Nov 8 (UNI) — Haryana will have 24-hour uninterrupted power supply by July 1999, state Chief Minister Bansi Lal has said.

The State Government is working towards this end and several private- sector power projects have already been cleared to bridge the high demand-supply gap, Mr Bansi Lal told newspersons here last evening.

The state has an installed capacity of 863 MW. Over the next three and a half years, additional 1,298 MW power would be generated which would help meet the State’s growing power needs.

Mr Bansi Lal was here to inaugurate the 25-MW power plant set up by Magnum Power Generation Limited (MPGL).

The MPGL Chairman, Mr Sudhir Chaudhary, said the plant had been set up at a cost of Rs 50 crore. Over the next two years, the company would expand the capacity to 125 MW by investing an additional Rs 100 crore, a large part of which would be funded through internal accruals.

Besides, the company was also looking at setting up power plants in Himachal Pradesh. "However, that would come later. With the Haryana plant being commissioned, we would now be working towards expanding capacity here.’’

The Haryana plant, with a capacity of 25.2 MW comprises four units of 6.3 MW each which consists of a KHD Deutz diesel engine. The plant will be supplying energy regularly to Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (HVPNL).

The power purchase agreement with HVPNL is valid for 15 years and the tariff has been fixed at Rs 2.40 per KWH of which Rs 1.11 is linked with fuel/oil prices in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

Power Finance Corporation has given approval to finance the project up to Rs 7.60 crore.

Village development through tourism
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 8 — Haryana is set to embark upon an ambitious project of promoting village development through eco-tourism.

In the first of its kind of project in the country, the Haryana Tourism Department has identified a number of villages to launch the programme. The villages have been identified on the basis of their location and cooperatives consisting of villagers have been formed to run the project.

According to Mr SK Mishra, Chairman Haryana Tourism Promotion Board, the programme was likely to be launched by the middle of next year. The final selection of the villages for the programme which could see tourism flourish in the state, would be made on the basis of their proximity to highway or trekking routes, historical importance and cultural heritage like crafts and performing arts.

The Haryana government would also carry out a survey on the socio-economic condition of the villages to ascertain the viability of the project, Mr Mishra said. He said two villages had already been identified. One was on the Mathura highway and another on the Shekhawati route.

According to Mr Mishra, under the project, each member of the village community would buy shares for the particular project and financial help would be provided to the cooperative to construct dwelling units and restaurants with local architecture for the tourists.

The villagers selected for the project would also be trained in the running of such dwelling units. He said an ambience would be created by a village set up, cultural programmes and real life rural activities. This would help the tourists to get a first hand feel of the rural life, he said.

Excise staff demand police escort
From Our Correspondent

FARIDABAD, Nov 8 — A meeting of Haryana Excise and Taxation Gazetted Officers Association was held here today in which delegates from all over Haryana participated.

All the members mourned the death of Shri Lachman Ram, Excise and Taxation Officer, who was shot dead by a transporter on November 1 when he seized trucks carrying goods without payment of tax.

The members expressing grief over the murder of Lachman Ram, demanded payment of liberal compensation to the bereaved family and recognition of his services.

The president of the association said that incidents of attack on officers and staff engaged in checking evasion of taxes were increasing. He further said a stage had been reached where staff were hesitant to face aggressive tax evaders. It was necessary that adequate police protection be provided to officers on duty and be placed under the control of the Excise Department.

Gazetted officers of the department should be trained in the use of arms and equipped with the arms at state expense, he said.

30 Agroha medical students rusticated

HISAR, Nov 8 (UNI) — As many as 30 final year students of Agroha Medical College here have been rusticated by the college management for unlawful activities, reports today said.

The trouble started yesterday when the students, met the Director and other members of the management to inquire about the recognition of the college by the Medical Council of India (MCI). It is alleged that the agitated students had closed the gates of the college after the discussion went in vain.

It is reported that the NCI has not yet granted recognition to the college as it does not fulfil certain conditions.

Immediately after being rusticated, the students filed a petition in a court yesterday, requesting for a stay on the rustication. The court has issued notice to the management for November 13.

The students today met the Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner to intervene immediately.

It may be recalled that the HVP-BJP government had closed its grant to the college after it came into power.
The staff of the college has not been appointed as per the norms of the MCI.

Haryana to have nodal blood donation centre
From Our Correspondent

PINJORE (Panchkula), Nov 8 — The need to address the problems being faced by blood donors in the rural areas was felt by the participants on the concluding day of the 23rd national conference of the Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohaematology (ISBT) here today.

Doctors, motivators, scientists, technicians and social workers from all over the country, who participated in the three-day seminar, also stressed the need for modernisation of blood and motivation of the voluntary blood donation movement.

The Senior Vice-President of the ISBT, Dr P L Dhand, said to help the rural blood donors the ISBT had sought the help of the district blood bank officers. Haryana was ahead in terms of voluntary blood donation and there was a need to take the movement to other parts of the country.

He said that the ISBT was planning to set up a nodal centre in Haryana to further the blood donation movement in the region. Talks regarding this were being held with the state government, he added.

Dr S K Agnihotri, Head of the Department of Blood Transfusion at the PGI in Chandigarh in her paper "Rational use of blood and blood components" said there was a need for proper utilisation of blood, which could make up for 25 per cent of blood shortage in the country.

Dr Neelam Marwaha in her paper "Red cell substitute" said the USA and Japan had made headway in research to make synthetic blood as a substitute to the red blood cells (RBCs).

Papers were presented by other participants on bone marrow transplantation, peripheral blood cell transplantation, cord blood banking, irradiation of blood, status of blood transfusion services in India, and good manufacturing practices in blood banking. A motivation session was held at the end. Around 1700 delegates participated in the conference.

Protesters block traffic
From Our Correspondent

REWARI, Nov 8 — Hundreds of party activists led by a Congress legislator, Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, organised a dharna and a demonstration at the Jhajjar Chowk here today in protest against the "deplorable" condition of Circular Road and government "apathy" towards various other development works in the Rewari region.

They blocked vehicular traffic and raised slogans against the Bansi Lal government.

Addressing the demonstrators, Captain Yadav said he had previously given an ultimatum that if the roads, which had been lying in a "pitiable" condition for the past two years, was not made motorable by November 7, they would organise a demonstration. He asserted that the state government was meeting out "stepmotherly treatment" to Rewari.

The blockade was lifted only after an assurance was given by the Executive Engineer, PWD (B and R), that the road would be made motorable by December 15.

Later, a memorandum listing various demands was given to the SDM.

Hindu pilgrims leave for Pak on Nov 16
From Our Correspondent

YAMUNANAGAR, Nov 8 — The Pakistan Government has conveyed its approval to a jatha of 200 Hindu pilgrims to visit their historical shrine Shri Kattas Raj in Pakistan, the President of the Kendriya Sanatan Dharam Sabha (Northern India), Mr Shiv Partap, Bajaj said today.

A communication in this regard was received by Mr Bajaj from the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, here today.

He said the jatha would leave on November 16 for Lahore by the Samjhauta Express to participate in the Mahashivratri celebrations and take a holy bath in Shri Amar Kund in Shri Kattas Raj on November 18 and 19.

The pilgrims will also stay in Lahore for two days for sightseeing.

Punjabis' interest ignored: sabha
From Our Correspondent

FARIDABAD, Nov 8 — At the state-level meeting of the Haryana Punjabi Welfare Sabha held here today, Mr Lachman Dass Arora denounced the Congress high command for ignoring the interest of the Punjabi community while giving the assembly ticket for the ensuing elections in Delhi and other states.

Mr Arora, a former Haryana Congress minister, said that only four Punjabis were given the Congress ticket while the Punjabi population is more than 60 per cent in Delhi.

Dual voting rights

HISAR, Nov 8 (UNI) — Residents of a government colony here are enjoying dual voting rights, one in the Bir village area and second in Ward Number 29 of Nagar Parishad, Hisar.

Ms Sumitra Godara from the ward said about eight months ago the voters of Mini-Secretariat Colony were declared urban voters and enrolled as voters of the city for the nagar parishad and other elections. But their names continue in the previous voter list of the village panchayat of Bir.

Some voters exercised their franchise at both the places in the last election, she claimed.