HAU grows medicinal plants in test tubes

HISAR, Oct 20 (PTI) — Scientists at the Haryana Agriculture University (HAU) here have developed techniques to raise medicinal and flowering plants in test tubes using tissue culture techniques.

Tissue culture involves growing a tiny piece of a plant, such as stem, leaf or root on a special nutrient medium, which gives rise to hundreds of tiny embryos which grow into small plantlets that can be transferred to the field.

A team of HAU scientists led by Dr T.M. Varghese recently devised a protocol for mass propagation of two pharmaceutically important herbs, solanum nigrum and cardiospermum halicabacum.

Dr Varghese and colleagues S. Babber, SC Goyal and Vinita Bhatia raised hundreds plants of both these species and successfully transferred them into the field.

Dr Varghese said solanum plants raised through this technique were stronger and two to three times larger than parent plants. Their seeds were also bigger than those of conventionally raised plants.

Dr Varghese and HAU scientist Meena Kumar also raised lakhs of plants of commercially important chrortant chrysanthemum varieties using tissue culture.

The university, had earlier perfected tissue culture techniques to grow datepalm, sugarcane, potato and some ornamental plants.

Scientists at HAU's Biotechnology and Molecular Biology Department are now working on genetically engineered 'basmati' rice and disease resistant varieties of sorghum.

HAU Vice-Chancellor Prof JB Chowdhury said scientists had identified disease-resistant genes in sorghum which would be transferred into high-yielding varieties.

Similarly genes conferring resistance to drought and salinity would be introduced into 'basmati' varieties.

Biotechnology research at HAU is being funded by the Rockefeller Foundation of the USA and the Department of Biotechnology, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and state agencies.

A centre for research and application in plant tissue culture, a joint venture of the Science and Technology Department of Haryana and the Department of Biotechnology, would soon be set up at HAU campus, Prof Chowdhury added.

Water receding in Yamuna
From Tribune Reporters

SONEPAT, Oct 20 — The swollen Yamuna river near Sonepat has started receding since last evening and the district authorities heaved a sigh of relief.

According to official sources, more than 5.50 lakh cusecs of water released from the Tajewala headworks in the river passed through the Khadur tract in this district. However, all the stone studs in Bega and Hamarpur complexes are still intact and had withstood the fury of the Yamuna river. These studs were constructed by the Irrigation Department to check the erosion of land on the Haryana side by the river.

Similarly, the entire 48-km-long earthen protective bund from Bega village to Dahesra village near Haryana-Delhi border, along the Yamuna embankment is safe Mr S.N. Sharma, Executive Engineer, Water Service Division, here along with other staff, remained on round-the-clock duty.

According to unofficial sources, the swollen Yamuna river has started changing its course on Haryana side, 1 km downstream from Bega and Hemarpur complexes, posing a threat to the nearby agricultural land. The situation is likely to worsen further during the receding process of the river.

According to another report, cracks have appeared in the bridge on the Rajpur distributary near Hassanpur Kaurar village.

FARIDABAD: The Yamuna is still flowing 18 inches above the danger mark at Mohna Ghat near Ballabhgarh in Faridabad district following the release of 6.50 lakh cusecs of water from the Tajewala headworks.

Although the river is in spate it is flowing within its banks. However, there is no report yet of any breach in its embankments from anywhere in the district. The sensitive point in the bund near Karawali village in old Faridabad has been strengthened.

The administration is maintaining round-the-clock vigil.

The ferry service at Mohna Ghat continues to be suspended. People living along the river have been shifted to safer places.

Cops rescue trapped commuters
From Our Correspondent

YAMUNANAGAR, Oct 20 — Sixteen police personnel who came to the rescue of the flood affected here are to be rewarded on Republic Day.

Mr Sheel Madhur, Superintendent of Police, Yamunanagar said here today that on Saturday night the Yamuna waters submerged the main Yamunanagar-Saharanpur highway engulfing commuters travelling on the busy road.

The 16 police constables posted at Kalanaur post on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, rushed to the flood-hit zone and, with the help of villagers, rescued trapped commuters.

Tractor-trailers and carts were used in the rescue operation. Mr Madhur, who visited various villages including Kalanaur, Lapra, Kamalpur, Muzzafarpur and many others, said due to pressure of the water a wall of the Kalanpur police post also collapsed. The tractor-trailer of a farmer was washed away at Kalesar village.

The flood waters have since started receding but many villages are still surrounded by two to four feet of water.The Deputy Commissioner, Yamunanagar, Mrs Surina Rajan also visited various villages.

Mr Ashok Sharma, BJP leader, demanded that the government announce a package for the farmers whose crops had been damaged by rain.

Gang of dacoits busted

JIND, Oct 20 (UNI) — The Jind police today claimed to have busted a gang of dacoits and vehicle thieves, operating in the district and adjoining areas.

Superintendent of police Ranbir Sharma said here that the police arrested five members of the gang, including its kingpin, following information that culprits were hiding near Ekkas village, 3 km from here, and were planning to commit dacoity at a liquor shop at Ram Rai village of the district.

A police party conducted a raid at their hide-out on Saturday night and arrested five members of the gang. Two of their accomplices fled away. The police has seized one 315-bore pistol and some live cartridges and a stolen car stolen from Panipat.

The arrested persons have been identified as Suresh, Sanjay, Bijender all of Rajpura Bhain village, Kailash of Nagura village and Naresh of Rai Chandwala village, all belonging to this district. Three members from Rajpura Bhain are reported to be students. Ramesh of Rai Chandwala village and Raja of Nagura village have absconded.

A case of dacoity has been registered against culprits.

DCs told to conduct survey
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Oct 20 — The Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, has advised Deputy Commissioners to conduct a survey of the losses suffered by farmers due to the recent unseasonal rains.

Mr Bansi Lal has also expressed annoyance over the erratic power supply in the rural areas which has hampered the dewatering process in flood-affected villages. He has reportedly told the Haryana Vidyut Parsaran Nigam to ensure uninterrupted power supply to rural feeders so that the rain water accumulated in fields and residential could be drained away without delay.

Mr Krishan Murti Hooda, a former minister in a statement issued here today alleged that standing crops in approximately over 20,000 acres had been destroyed in Rohtak district. He said in a statement issued here today, over 20 villages of the Kiloi assembly segment were facing severe power crisis.

He said Kiloi village was without power for the past over a month. The administration has failed to replace damaged transformers installed in the village and this has disrupted normal life. Studies of students were suffering and flour-mill owners have enhanced grinding charges by four to five times.

He demanded the immediate payment of compensation to the affected farmers at the rate of Rs 5000 per acre. Efforts should be made on war footings to drain away water from fields otherwise the sowing of rabi crop would be delayed, he said.

Mr Hooda charged the Chief Minister with discriminating against the district in the matter of replacing damaged transformers. He said though the farmers of Bhiwani, too, had not paid electricity bills, the damaged transformers in that district were being replaced on asking.

2 police stations set up
From Our Correspondent

GURGAON, Oct 20 — The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Gurgaon range, Mr P.V. Rathi, has underlined the need for the modernisation of the police force to check the rising crime in Haryana, specially in the areas bordering the national capital region (NCR).

Mr Rathi said two new police stations had been set up here on Sunday, replacing the 100-year-old police station. In Faridabad also three more police stations had been set up at Sector 7, Saran and Chandhet.

The new police station had been provided with 100 constables and 12 investigating officers. He said the Chandhet police station had been set up to check the influx of criminals from across the Uttar Pradesh.

The police station at DLF here would beef up security in residential colonies while the Udyog Vihar police station would man the industrial areas where the verification of migrant labourers was difficult, he said.

Thirty police checkposts have been set up in Gurgaon district and equipped with wireless sets.

Mr Rathi said VIP security should be handed over to a separate wing.

Congressmen to take part in campaigning
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 20 — Congressmen from Haryana will actively participate in the Congress election campaign in the ensuing Assembly elections in Delhi and Rajasthan scheduled for next month.

A meeting of the office-bearers, Executive Committee members of the Haryana PCC, presidents of District Congress Committees, party MPs, MLAs and heads of frontal organisations/PCC cells, has been convened by Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, President, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee here on Friday at 2.30 p.m. here to chalk out the strategy and allocate duties to Congressmen of Haryana for campaigning in Delhi and Rajasthan.