3-year term for killing deer

INLD to go alone during next poll

"Fateh dhwaj" begins drive

Fraud case against postal employee

18 booked for making, supplying fake drugs
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Jan 9 — Cases have been filed against 18 manufacturers and distributors of spurious drugs in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr R.K. Sharma, by District Drugs officials here today.

Cases have been filed under Section 18/27 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act after a preliminary inquiry. The government laboratory at Chandigarh has confirmed that these drugs are "not of standard quality and thus spurious".

All accused have been directed by the court to appear on March 16.

Following a tip-off Mr Man Mohan and Mr Adarsh Goel, district Drug Inspectors approached the accused as "fake customers" and fixed a deal of phenol. They said they would carry the material the next day. Both inspectors along with other officials raided residential premises of the accused next day and seized spurious black disinfectant fluid (phenol), labels of the popular brands of phenol (Appu and the Man), cans and bottles in large numbers. On being asked by the officials they could not produce the drug manufacturing licence.

It is learnt that the accused have earned lakhs by distributing spurious phenol.

Also, cases have been registered against 14 persons on the charge of manufacturing drugs without possessing the drug manufacturing licence.

Mr Girdhari Lal Singal, Senior Drug Inspector, Rohtak Zone, said samples of these drugs were declared spurious by the Central Drugs Laboratory, Calcutta. As per said reports the samples gave negative identification test for the presence of framycetin sulphate B.P. in them. A Rohtak based firm had got passed the sample of this spurious drug from a private laboratory. A case has now been registered against this laboratory. The manufacturing firm of this drug (framycetin) his reportedly been earning crores by supplying it all over the country.

The accused booked are Ved Parkash, Urmil Gupta, Arun Kumar Singh, Rajiv Gupta, Bipin Prabhu Lal Kothari, Sajan Kumar, Rameshwar Bajaj, M/s Roop Enterprises, M/s Hindustan testing and Research Lab, Charanjit Singh, Medichem Laboratory, Rajendra Prasad and Gajendra Singh.

According to Health Department Officials computerised printing technology has made it easy for anti-social elements to copy wrapper and seal of famous brands.

SI in soup over wrong certificate
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Jan 9 — If the police is to be believed, Vijay Singh, allegedly involved in and arrested for the kidnapping of a petroleum dealer, Mr Sant Lal Pahwa, of Jhajjar, bears a "good moral character."

The certificate was given by the SHO of Jhajjar police station, Sub-Inspector Satya Bir Singh, while recommending issuance of an Arms licence to Vijay Singh.

The SSP of Jhajjar, Mr Navdeep Singh Virk, has ordered the registration of a criminal case against the SI. Mr Satya Bir Singh was transferred from Jhajjar to Rohtak a couple of months ago and is posted at the Civil Lines police station. Vijay Singh, too, has been named as an accused in this case.

Vijay Singh, who was dismissed from the Haryana police in 1996, applied for an Arms licence in 1997. While submitting the verification report, the Sub-Inspector reportedly stated that Vijay Singh was a "serving" constable and bore a good moral character and recommended the issuance of the licence.

The application was still pending in the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Jhajjar, Mr Arun Kumar, when the dismissed constable was arrested in the case of kidnapping of Mr Pahwa.

Mr Arun Kumar referred the application back to the SSP, Mr Virk, for re-verification of the antecedents of the applicant. Preliminary inquiry conducted by the DSP, Bahadurgarh, Ms Suman Manjri, revealed that the SI had sent a wrong report about the applicant.

The matter was also referred to the Director-General of Police, Haryana, who ordered a departmental inquiry against the Sub-Inspector besides the registration of a criminal case. The DSP, Jhajjar, Mr Sat Parkash has been named as the inquiry officer.

HAU appointment
Victim of ‘pressure’ tactics
From Vimal Sumbly
Tribune News Service

HISAR, Jan 9 — The growing interference by some members of the Board of Management of Haryana Agricultural University into administrative matters has been proving too embarrassing for the Vice-Chancellor.

Yesterday, Dr HK Verma of the Department of Extension Education withdrew his candidature for the post of Professor in his department. Dr Verma, while withdrawing his candidature raised some important issues that will have a bearing on the long-term functioning of the university, particularly that of the Vice-Chancellor.

The Vice-Chancellor is the Chairman of the university's Board of Management. However, over a period of time it has been found that most nominated members put ‘pressure’ on the chairman, forcing him to reverse his decisions.

Dr Verma was a victim of such ‘pressurising’. On January 28 last, he was interviewed for the post of the head of the Department of Extension Education in the university. The interview was conducted by the selection committee, comprising deans, directors and one outside expert with the Vice-Chancellor as its chairman. He was selected for the post and appointed as head on February 2 last.

The appointment was formally to be approved by the Board of Management.

Allegedly at the behest of one member, Mr Javir Singh Bisla, the board refused to approve the appointment of Dr Verma. Since the selection committee, which interviewed the candidates for the post, had not recommended any other name, Dr RS Malik was appointed to the post. Dr Malik is reportedly related to Mr Bisla.

The Vice-Chancellor reportedly resisted the pressure from the board members for about eight months. But ultimately, he had to succumb to the pressure. Dr Verma, who had joined as head of the department on February 2, was relieved on September 29 last, without being given any opportunity of being heard.

Dr Verma was to appear for the selection committee interview yesterday. However, in a written representation to the Vice-Chancellor, he said, "I have no faith and trust that this time also the worthy Vice-Chancellor would be able to uphold the recommendations of the selection committee before the board, in case I am selected for the said post any kind of pressure at any time might prevail on the worthy Vice-Chancellor and the recommendations of the selection committee would become a mockery". He demanded that the interview be conducted by the board, or in the presence of one of its nominees.

Work on new Yamuna bridge in progress
From Ashwani Datta

YAMUNANAGAR: Work on the bridge which connects Haryana and Uttar Pradesh is under way on a war footing. The bridge will replace the century-old main bridge on the Yamuna.

According to official sources, instructions have been issued by the UP Governor, Mr Suraj Bhan, a resident of Mehlar village in Yamunanagar district, to complete the bridge by June, 1999.

It is gathered that the UP Chief Minister, Mr Kalyan Singh, has taken personal interest in the completion of the bridge because it is the only highway which connects Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Work on the bridge, which started on March 21, last year, is in full progress and Rs 15 crore has already been spent. When this newsman visited the bridge site, he was informed by Mr D.K. Gupta, Assistant Engineer of the UP State Bridge Corporation, that the bridge, having a length of 475.35 metres and width of 7.5 metres, had been given a schedule of 24 months. The bridge would have 1.5 metre footpaths on both sides.

About 400 workers, including three assistant engineers, one mechanical engineer, one deputy manager and one project manager along with six junior engineers, are working round-the-clock to meet the deadline.

About 60 per cent of the work has been completed and eight of the 15 pillars have already been put up.

Owing to heavy rain last October, work on the bridge was delayed by two months as claimed by UP State Bridge Corporation officials.

The old bridge was originally built in 1856 by the North-Western Railway and acquired by the then United Provinces Government. In 1996, Rs 75 lakh was spent on the repair of the old bridge. The old bridge was never properly maintained and neither was there provision of lights nor railings.

Thousands of vehicles use this bridge daily but nobody has bothered to attend to its upkeep.

The central government has provided about Rs 4 crore for the construction of a new bridge and an equal amount was spent by the Haryana and UP Governments.

Medical students allege harassment
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Jan 9 — Lack of proper communication and coordination between the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) authorities and the state government has landed some medical students who finished their MBBS course into trouble.

The students who completed internship on December 31 last have been asked to repeat the same for about four days more to become eligible for the degree.

According to PGIMS sources, the medical students who had gone on strike for some days in March last year had been given an assurance by the Director of the institute, Dr D.S. Dubey, that the strike period of about four days would be condoned. The Resident Doctors Association claimed that the strike had been called off after the authorities gave them this assurance.

The association president, Dr I.M. Rustagi, said here today that now the PGIMS authorities had gone back on their promise and were "harassing" the students by asking them to rejoin as interns for about four days. He said several students had already joined some institutes and places and it was quite difficult for them to repeat the job as required. He said the Director also had issued such an order.

While the Director, Dr D.S. Dubey, is reported to be on leave up to January 18, the Acting Director, Dr S.B. Siwach said that while Dr Dubey had condoned the strike period the state government in its recent order had not acceded the request of the Director and had informed the Institute that the matter had been filed and had not agreed to any such request.

It is learnt that the Director, in anticipation of a favourable decision from the government, had decided to condone the strike period. The Acting Director has reportedly asked the students to either wait till the Director joins his duty or accept the state government order in this regard.

Man held for raping minor at knife-point
From Our Correspondent

SIRSA, Jan 9 — Subash of Dhani Chattargarhopatti has been arrested under section 376/507 of the IPC. According to police sources, the arrest was made on the complaint of a minor girl, who alleged that Subhash raped her at knife-point on January 5, when she had gone to defecate in the fields.

Dacoities: SHO suspended
From Our Correspondent

GURGAON, Jan 9 — The DIG, Gurgaon range, Mr PK Mehta has suspended the SHO of the city police station with immediate effect.

According to sources, the DIG has taken this step after three incidents of dacoity in the town recently.

Meetings of SPs and other senior police officers of the range have been called in this connection.

3-year term for killing deer
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, Jan 9 — Mr Gulab Singh, presiding officer of the environment court here, has sentenced five persons to three years' imprisonment on the charge of killing two deer on July 9, 1997, in a village under the Bhattu police station.

The court yesterday imposed a fine of Rs 500 on each of the offenders. The Divisional Inspector, Wildlife Department, had registered a case against Kaur Singh, Prakash Milia, both residents of Dhabi Kalan village, and Ramji Lal of Chuli Deswali village under the Wildlife Preservation Act, 1972.

"Fateh dhwaj" begins drive
From Our Correspondent

FATEHABAD, Jan 9 — "Fateh dhwaj" a police-public forum launched it's drive against the use of polythene bags here today with the support of the NSS unit of the local Manohar Memorial College, Evergeen Youngs Club, Tohana and the local Welfare Club.

A cycle rally was held in the town. At least 600 persons participated. The rally began at the local M M College and passing through Model Town, Grain Market, Thana Road, Jawahar Chowk, Shiv Chowk, DSP Road and Gurdwara Road, concluded at the local Police Lines.

The participants stopped on the way to pick polythene bags lying on roads. These were later dumped in a tractor-trailer. The participants also distributed pamphlets highlighting the ill-effects of polythene.

Later, addressing the participants and people who had gathered at the Police Lines, the SP, Mr Rajbir Deswal, said it had been proved that polythene bags, being non-bio-degradable, posed a major threat to environment. The bags also choked sewer and drainage systems and many a times proved fatal for pets and cattle.

INLD to go alone during next poll
From Our Correspondent

BHIWANI, Jan 9 — The Indian National Lok Dal will fight the next Haryana Vidhan Sabha elections on its own. This was stated by Mr Om Prakash Chautala, president of the party, while addressing a meeting of party workers of Mundhal Khurd and the Bhiwani assembly constituency here today.

To strengthen the party, its workers would be given training in political affairs. Training camps would be held during the month of March at Gurgaon, Hisar, Panipat and Kurukshetra for the purpose.

Fraud case against postal employee
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Jan 9 — The police in Jhajjar town has registered a case against an employee of the Department of Posts on charges of committing a fraud of about Rs 5.55 lakh on the department.

According to a complaint lodged with the police by the Superintendent of Posts at Rohtak, the Postal Assistant at Machhrauli village in Jajjar district allegedly sold fake "Kisan Vikas Patra" for more than five years worth Rs 5.55 lakh to various persons in the region.

A case under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered against the accused.