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| Tuesday, May 23, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Poll trial of strength for INLD,
BJP Record wheat arrivals in mandis
Red Cross services no longer cheap INLD plans to capture Rori seat:
Surjewala Undertrial escapes from jail Couple shot at |
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Sarpanch kidnapped ITI building not inaugurated Water project inaugurated Another Haryana tourist complex Dr Ram Parkash bereaved
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Poll trial of strength for
INLD, BJP KARNAL, May 22 — The first open trial of strength between the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the BJP will be witnessed tomorrow during the election of the Karnal Municipal Council chief. Both parties have announced their official candidates. The efforts by Mr I.D. Swami, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, to arrive at a consensus on the candidate for the post has not borne fruit. Mr Swami had taken up the issue both with the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, and his son, Mr Ajay Chautala to reach a consensus on candidates for the post of president of various municipal committees and councils in Haryana. But the Chief Minister did not need the suggestions of the Union Minister. The open tussle between the INLD and BJP for the presidentship of various municipal committees and councils in the state also indicates for widening schism between the two parties. In the race for chairmanship, both parties are claiming majority support. The Haryana Chief Minister is taking a lot of interest in the election. The INLD candidate, though not even a primary member of the party, enjoys the total blessings of the Chief Minister. The interest of the Chief Minister is visible from the fact that he has even allegedly approached the local Independent MLA, Mr Jai Prakash Gupta, to support the INLD candidate. Mr Gupta’s group enjoys the support of about six councillors. The INLD has four members in the council the other Independent who is likely to support the INLD candidate, Mr Gian Singh Chawla. The BJP has 13 members in the council who had won on the party symbol. Besides, four others who fought as Independents were supported by the party. The BJP claims that it enjoys a majority with the support of 16 to 17 candidates in the 32-member House. The BJP has declared Mr Baldev Chawla as its official nominee for the council chairmanship. Hectic lobbying by the
INLD is on to win over the majority of councillors. Mr
Jai Prakash Gupta’s group is also likely to support
the INLD candidate. In such a situation, the contest has
become close. Tomorrow’s election for the council
chairmanship would also indicate whether Mr Chautala has
been able to gain a foothold in the urban areas or not. |
Record wheat arrivals in mandis CHANDIGARH, May 22 — Good news is pouring in from the mandis of Haryana. While wheat arrival in the mandis has touched a record high, there is also a marked increase in the collection of market fee from the transaction of agricultural produce in the mandis. The Haryana Agriculture Minister Mr Jaswinder Singh Sandhu said that Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board (HSAMB) and market committees had collected a sum of Rs 49 crore during April 1 to May 12 this year which was about Rs 4 crore more than the collection during this period in the previous year. The HSAMB’s collection was Rs 105 crore in the last financial year as against Rs 99 crore in 1998-99, he said. Mr Sandhu said that the increase was despite the present government reducing by half the market fee on 21 agricultural items including gram, maize, bajra, jowar and oilseeds. He said that reduction in market fee had greatly benefitted the agro-based industries and helped them in competing with the neighbouring states, and added all loopholes of the collection method were plugged which resulted in better collection. The State also achieved a milestone when the wheat arrival figures in the mandis touched more than 43 lakh tonnes on the close of May 20, which was about 6 lakh tonnes more than the arrival last year. Thirtyeight lakh tonnes of wheat had arrived in the mandis last year which was an all time record. This year the Union Government expected a poor harvest in Haryana and set the modest procurement target of 32 lakh tonnes for the State. However, an official spokesman said that procurement by government agencies had reached more than 42 lakh tonnes on May 20 and it would go further up. The spokesman said that
Sirsa district was the leading contributor with arrival
figure of more than 6 lakh tonnes, followed by Kaithal
with 5.50 lakh tonnes, Karnal with 5.31 lakh tonnes,
Fatehabad with 5.08 lakh tonnes, Jind 5.06 lakh tonnes,
Kurukshetra with 4.46 lakh tonnes and Hisar 3.24 lakh
tonnes. |
Holder of 4 Guinness records YAMUNANAGAR: Several Indians have made it into the Guinness Book of World Records, but few have repeated the feat. Dipak Syal, a qualified interior designer from Yamunanagar, has made it four times into the book. He is the only Asian with this record to his credit. But he wants to do more. ‘‘I want to line up some more records breaking all human achievements to get a total of 11 records which will make me the person with the highest number of Guinness records’’ says 28-year old Dipak. Dipak is perhaps the only person known to have made portraits on grains of rice. In his collection he has a number of portraits of prominent persons. One of them is the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi painted on a single grain of rice. Recently he sketched with naked eyes the portrait of H.H. Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum as a millennium art piece on a rice grain with the name UAE flag (coloured) and his signature. And to make it extraordinary, the grain is passed through a human hair. He spent more than 700 hours in seven months to complete this special artifact masterpiece. Till date this is the best miniature work he has done in 15 years. Dipak started trying his hand on micro miniatures in 1985. In school his talent did not get any recognition or encouragement. However, he continued topping in arts and drawing. In 1987 Dipak started entering competitions. Finally, he succeeded in writing 813 alphabets on a single grain of rice which was far above the existing record during 1990. At present he can write more than 2,500 alphabets and can draw anybody’s portrait on a grain of rice. The Guinness officials approached him for a performance and Dipak with aplomb repeated the feat. They awarded him with the laurel of being the world record holder. Dipak uses a human hair split 11 times as a brush, dipped in natural colours to write and draw on grains. Then the grain is polished with a thin layer of lacquer to give it a long life. He does microminiature with the naked eye. Each portrait or inscription takes six to 12 months. This is the statuary condition laid down by the Guinness people that no external aids should be used to perform a feat, says Dipak. The four records Dipak has made are writing 2,557 alphabets on a grain of rice, balancing 253 coins horizontally on the edge of a vertically free standing coin, balancing 21 coins horizontally, vertically and alternately on their edges and threading a sewing needle 8,927 times in two hours continuously (77 times in a minute). He has also drawn the entire globe on a lizard egg. He believes one must have a sharp eyesight, good reflexes and an artistic vision for indulging in minuscule writing or painting. ‘‘I reckon I have an excellent eyesight, that is why I have pledged to donate my eyes to the eye bank,’’ he says. He has won the State Award. Now he is eyeing the National Award. He has plans to manage the next set of human achievement records within the next few months. Dipak was honoured and
sponsored by a number of big organisations in India and
abroad. Recently his trip to Dubai was sponsored by Air
India to display his latest
‘‘masterpiece’’, the portrait of
Sheikh Rashid on a grain of rice which is the only piece
in the world. It will be kept for public viewing at
Sheikh Zahid Museum, Dubai. This will be a proud moment
for India that an Indian artist’s artwork will be
kept in an international museum. |
Red Cross services no longer
cheap GURGAON, May 22 — Concept of free economy and liberalisation and the related corporate culture appear to have attracted the Red Cross Society in this District the most. It charges higher prices for most of the goods and services it provides to poor patients suffering who visit district hospital from remote villages. The Red Cross charges Rs 50 for X-Ray coupled with this is the additional Rs 17 on each of the films levied by the State Government. It purchases X-Ray films from the market at cheaper rates. The Red Cross in neighbouring district of Faridabad charges Rs 30, excluding the sum levied by the government, for the same films. This is irregular when the Red Cross societies are units of same international organisation. Although there are different sizes of film, the Local Red Cross makes no distinction in terms of their selling price. Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Gurgaon, Dr N.K. Jain told The Tribune that the anomaly would be rectified. Authorities of the District Hospital took note of it only after receipt of complaints from people. Incidentally, the Deputy Commissioners in the districts are ex-officio chairpersons of Red Cross Societies. The nearby Jain Dharmat Laboratory charges less for the films. The Red Cross has counters in each of the District Hospitals for the supply of films. According to observers, overcharging with profit motive of the Red Cross does not jell with the philosophy behind its birth during the World War II. It came into existence to give succour to the victims of the War on humanitarian ground. Conceptually, the organisation, across the world, has become a by word for ‘‘no profit’’ and philanthropic activities. In Haryana, as in other parts of the country, various departments in the district are asked to contribute to the Red Cross, to help provide humanitarian service. Charging of excess for X-Ray films by the Red Cross is not the isolate case. Its medical store counter at the entrance of the District Hospital charges more for drugs and medicines. Just across the road, the private medical stores charge less for the same medicines. Red Cross charges Rs 6 per km for the services of its air conditioned ambulance. More than a month ago it continued charging the same rate even though the AC was out of order. On complaint against the authorities of the District Hospital the then Deputy Commissioner of the district, Mr T.C. Gupta, had to intervene against this unfair practice. The Red Cross has two
ambulances for Gurgaon City. One it bought itself own and
the second one fitted with AC was donated by a private
construction house. The one having AC is generally
pressed for VIP duties. The common people of the city
have to make do with one ambulance. Seats of the
ambulance can accommodate only dwarfed or child patients.
The organisation does not bother to change the
arrangement seats to make it comfortable for all kinds of
patient, especially when it charges a market rate of Rs 4
per km. |
INLD plans to capture Rori
seat: Surjewala SIRSA, May 22 — "The Election Commission’s attitude to the next byelection is negative and casual," said the former Haryana Congress Pradesh President and senior Congress leader, Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, here today. He was here after campaigning for his party candidate in the Rori constituency. Mr Surjewala said that a delegation met the Election Observers here and their attitude was not responsive. The Expenditure Observer arrived here just two days back while the ruling party candidate has spent crore of rupees in this election. He alleged that the ruling party wanted to capture the constituency through the police and criminal forces and created terror by registering cases against political opponents. He concerned over the
law and order situation, anti-poor and anti-farmer
policies of the state government. He approved the
‘shadow’ Cabinet move of Mr Bhajan Lal if taken
up in a proper way. |
Undertrial escapes from jail AMBALA, May 22 — A prisoner lodged in Ambala Central Jail escaped by crossing the 20-foot-high boundary wall early this morning. Five other prisoners, who were also involved in the attempt, were nabbed by the jail authorities on the spot. According to official sources, the escapee was identified as Phulla Singh of Panipat district. He is an undertrial prisoner and involved in about one dozen cases of theft and other crime. The sources said after the incident when he was chased by the police he entered the Air Force area by crossing the fence. The Air Force security guards immediately nabbed him. He was interrogated by the Air Force authorities, the sources added. Meanwhile the Superintendent of Police, Ambala, visited Central Jail. It is not learnt how the prisoner managed to come out from the cell early in the morning and succeeded to cross the boundary wall. A case has been
registered at Baldev Nagar police station in this regard. |
Couple shot at FARIDABAD, May 22 — Armed miscreants with muffled faces last night injured a couple in R/H-5 here. According to information, Raghavan, a resident of H-block, was strolling outside his house with his two children when car-borne miscreants demands Rs 50,000 from him. When he refused they fired at him injuring his foot. Hearing the sound of gunshot, Sindhu, his wife, came out of the house to the rescue of Raghavan. The miscreants again opened fire injuring her. The police has
registered a case. They have been admitted to a hospital. |
Sarpanch kidnapped JHAJJAR, May 22 — Mr Jagbir Singh, sarpanch of Jakhoda village of the district, was kidnapped by some miscreants from his village yesterday. Members of his family said the sarpanch contacted his brother on telephone and informed him that he was kidnapped. The police has
registered a case. |
ITI building not inaugurated KALKA, May 22 — The ITI building constructed four years ago on the 10-acre land, which was provided by Bitna Panchayat, is lying uninaugurated. The District Congress Legal Cell, Chairman, Vijay Bansal, told that the foundation stone of this building was laid during 1995 by the then Chief Minister Bhajan Lal and the building was completed during 1996. Mr Bansal alleged that
due to step-motherly treatment meted out to this area by
the government, the inauguration of the ITI had not been
done, consequently money spent was going waste and youth
of this area were being deprived of the benefit of the
ITI. Mr Bansal also told that training in five
disciplines/trades was also approved, which had also been
limited to the files only. |
Water project inaugurated REWARI, May 22 — Mr Vishnu Bhagwan, Principal Secretary, Chief Minister, Haryana, inaugurated a Rs-64 lakh drinking water augmentation project at Lilodh village, 55 km from here, yesterday. It will daily provide water to nearly 12,000 residents of Lilodh, Sudhrana, Jhal and Juddi villages. Mr Bhagwan said 101 of the 129 villages in Rewari district had been provided water through the canal-based water supply schemes. He said the work on the projects of the remaining 28 villages would expected to be completed by March 2001. Earlier, the Principal Secretary laid the foundation stone of a Rs 75-lakh drinking water project at a village 8 km from here. Mr K.C. Sharma,
Financial Commissioner, and Mr P.D. Gupta, Secretary,
Public Health Department, were also present among other
senior district officials. |
Another Haryana tourist complex SONEPAT, May 22— The Haryana Tourism Corporation (HTC) has set up a new tourist complex "Ethnic India" near Rai village on the national highway No 1, about 13 km from here. According to a press release issued by the corporation this complex is also situated only 7 km away from the Haryana-Delhi border. The Haryana Chief
Minister, Mr Om Parkash Chautala will inaugurate the new
tourist complex shortly. |
Dr Ram Parkash bereaved CHANDIGARH, May 22 — Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, MLA, president, Haryana Pradesh Congress (I) committee, has expressed grief at the sad demise of Mrs Luxmi Arya, founder Principal, M.D.A.V. Institution and younger sister of Haryana PCC General Secretary, Dr Ram Parkash. In a condolence message
to Dr Ram Parkash, Mr Hooda expressed heart-felt sympathy
for the bereaved family. |
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