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| Wednesday, July 19, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Over 1 cr budget estimate for Haryana
Red Cross PR dept failure angers INLD men Paddy output may be
45 lakh tonnes Cops carry on despite water in chowkis ‘Human error’ behind train
mishap New MDU courses yield little |
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Nilgai menace eludes solution Minor reshuffle of officers Shorewala’s police remand
extended Faridabad Red Cross Society
‘the best’ Pay fixation benefit for
ex-principals Educationist dead Life convict dies in
Haryana jail Two killed in
road mishap One drowned,
Yamuna waters flood
villages Jat society raises seat
percentage in schools, colleges ST cut on sports goods
sought
|
Over 1 cr budget estimate for
Haryana Red Cross CHANDIGARH, July 18 — An annual budget estimate of Rs 1,11,41,000 for the Haryana Red Cross and of Rs 17,90,000 for the state St. John Ambulance Association for 2000-2001 were approved today at a high-level managing body and executive committee meeting here today. The 27th Annual General Meeting, under the presidentship of the Haryana Governor, Mr Babu Parmanand, was attended by the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Minister of State for Health, Dr M.L.Ranga, Minister of State for Education, Mr Bahadur Singh, and Minister of State for Social Welfare, Mr Risal Singh. The Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners of the state also attended the meeting. Later, at the award presentation ceremony, the Faridabad District Red Cross Society was adjudged best in performing Red Cross activities in the state. The district was presented with the best overall performance shield, besides awards for fund-raising, hospital welfare section and voluntary donation. Speaking at the function, Mr Babu Parmanand urged voluntary organisations to motivate and educate people for promoting Red Cross activities in order to help the poor. “The Government alone cannot be expected to look after all the welfare activities of the state. It is the duty of all to supplement the resources and serve the nation. In fact, all religions in the world preach to look after the disabled,” he said. The Haryana Governor urged the donors to donate liberally for making the Red Cross movement more successful.”Voluntary donation is a noble cause. But we also have to assure people that their donations will be utilised judiciously and properly,” he added. Mr Pamanand commended the various activities of the State Red Cross Society, especially voluntary blood donation programmes. “A total of 63,755 units of blood were donated by more than 280 blood donors in different voluntary donation camps. This and the fact that the society is supplementing the government efforts in various welfare programmes is an extremely commendable effort”, he stated. He complimented the state government for maintaining peace and communal harmony and also starting various welfare and development schemes in Haryana. As many as 148 awards and shields were presented on the occasion. The Haryana Red Cross Membership Shield was given to the Rohtak Red Cross Society. The Fund Raising Runners-up Shield went to Gurgaon. The Priya Grover Voluntary Blood Donation Shield was presented to Panchkula. The Krishna Prakash Voluntary Blood Donation Shield went to Sirsa. The Family Welfare Shield was presented to Ambala and St John Membership Challenge Shield went to Panchkula. Earlier, Ms Shashi Bala,
Honorary Secretary of the Haryana Red Cross Society,
assured those present that sincere efforts would be made
to provide artificial limbs and aids to all the
handicapped in the state. There are about 2,64,000
disabled persons in the state. The award presentation
ceremony was also attended by the District Education
Officers and social workers of the state. |
PR dept failure angers INLD men KARNAL, July 18 — The functioning of the Haryana Public Relations Department came in for criticism at a recent meeting of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) workers, ministers, party MPs and MLAs which was held at Kurukshetra. Party sources told TNS here today that workers expressed resentment against the state public relations department which had not been able to project a good image of the party among the masses. The meeting, held on Sunday, was presided over by Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Chief Minister, and attended by all party functionaries. The meeting was not open to the press. Over six Independent MLAs also attended the meeting. The sources said the question of inadequate propaganda by the state public relations department among the people was raised by Mr Sant Kumar, a party worker. He is reported to have brought it to the notice of the Chief Minister that the public relations department was not properly propagating the policies of the government among the rural masses. Therefore, it had become impossible for the workers to counter the propaganda of the BJP and Congress against the INLD government. The Chief Minister is reported to have agreed that some lacunae was there. Therefore, he asked the party workers not to be dependent on the public relations department. Instead the workers should go to the homes of the people to explain the policies of the INLD government and what steps were being taken to execute them for the welfare of the people, he added. Mr Chautala stated that it was in this context that a state-level rally was being held at Kaithal on July 24 (the day INLD government would complete one year in office) to acquaint the people of the state with the achievements of the INLD government. Mr Chautala further promised that more such meetings would be held throughout the state. He also told the party workers that on some issues the Congress and BJP workers had taken a joint stand. Mr Chautala maintained that it made their intentions clear. He told the party workers that false propaganda was continuing that his government was out to impose fresh house tax and re-impose octroi. But these suppositions were wrong. He also told the workers to counter the fear among the masses that his government was anti-urbanite. He asked his ministers Mr Sampat Singh (Finance Minister) and Mr Subhash Chaudhary (Local Bodies Minister) to explain the government’s stand on these issues to party workers. Mr Sampat Singh is reported to have told the party workers that there was no move on the part of the government to re-impose octroi or to get more revenue from the traders. He also explained the genesis of introducing form ST-38 in sales tax assessment. He said that the INLD government wanted to rationalise taxation in the state. There was no move to extract more money from the traders. Mr Subhash Chaudhary stated that it was with a view to rationalise house tax that the municipal committees in the state had distributed forms for survey of houses. The different slabs of house tax for the same category of people in the same city and mohallas were regrettable. It was for this purpose that a new survey was being undertaken. The government did not want to impose heavy house tax on the people. A party worker from
Hisar, Mr Om Prakash, wanted that propaganda material in
the shape of booklets should be printed and distributed
among the workers. Mr Chautala told the meeting that
about 1000 booklets were being printed for this purpose.
Later, the Chief Minister attended a function being
hosted by the Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University. |
Paddy output may be
45 lakh tonnes CHANDIGARH, July 18 — Haryana expects to produce 45 lakh tonnes of paddy this season. This was stated today by the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, while reviewing the kharif procurement arrangements and the movement of foodgrains from the state. Mr Chautala urged the Centre to announce the price for levy rice and its specifications on the date it announced the procurement date for paddy to avoid any confusion among millers. The Chief Minister also asked the agencies concerned to commence procurement by September 15. He directed the state agencies to complete the necessary arrangements before the beginning of the paddy procurement season. Mr Chautala directed the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board to construct 35 covered sheds at an estimated cost of Rs 13.27 crore in mandis located in major paddy producing areas for providing a foodgrain storage capacity of 1.05 lakh metric tonnes. The board, in the first phase, would construct covered sheds in the grain markets of Hansi, Ratia, Palwal, Kaithal, Kalayat, Pundri, Gharaunda, Assandh, Thanesar (vegetable market), Pipli, Ladwa, Yamunanagar, Chhachhrauli, Khizrabad, Sadhaura, Gumthala Rao and Judlana by August next. In the second phase, the
covered sheds would be constructed in the grain markets
of Barwala (Hisar), Namaund, Tohana, Dharsool,
Bhattukalan, Hassanpur, Garhi, Dhand, Karnal (two),
Assandh, Gumthala Garh, Jiwannagar, Ellenabad, Malenka,
Badaguda, Kutabad and Bilaspur by September 15 next. |
Cops carry on despite water in
chowkis AMBALA, July 18 — The life of a policeman is tough, with long and challenging duty hours, and the weather gods do not seem to be helping matters much. Three police chowkis here saw water accumulating inside and at least one chowki was temporarily shifted after another rainy day today. A small wall in chowki 3 near Civil Hospital, Ambala City, gave way due to the second consecutive day of rain today. On top of it, water had entered the chowki. The chowki was later temporarily shifted to Old Civil Hospital, Ambala City. The two other chowkis which are facing an acute problem of waterlogging are chowki 1 and chowki 4. While chowki 1 is located near Old Anaj Mandi, chowki 4 is located near Valmiki Basti in Ambala City. At both the chowkis, there was approximately two feet of water after incessant rain over the past two days. Dirty water had entered all the rooms of the chowkis, but the policemen on duty kept on working in the trying conditions. A policeman on duty said water entering the chowkis was an old problem. “First, we received training in handling errant people. Now, we are gaining on-the-job knowledge of water works. It sure helps in having an all-round personality,” the cop said with a laugh. The policemen stated that they had rolled up their trousers and were continuing with their daily routine as best as possible. They pointed out that when the rain stopped, they would be able to lead a more normal life. “But we have no regrets. Jab force join kiya to yeh sab bhi usi ka hissa hai. Agar aaj hum nahi yahan baitha hote, to hamara koi aur vardi wala bhai yahan baitha hota,” a policeman said. Despite the problem of water accumulating inside the chowkis, the policemen on duty were at work, reflecting the spirit of performing their duty in difficult and challenging conditions. The Superintendent of Police, Mr N.S. Virk, said a small wall had collapsed in chowki 3 near Civil Hospital. “The chowki has been temporarily shifted to adjoining Old Civil Hospital. Water had accumulated in two other chowkis, but work is going on,” he said. A police official who had earlier served in chowki 3 recalled that the particular chowki had become dilapidated. “When I was serving about two decades back, there used to be rooms where I used to stay. Recently, when I went there, I was informed that those rooms had collapsed long time back. Even then, the roof of the police chowki used to leak at some places,” he said. Meanwhile, the residents of Ambala had a difficult time in coping with water-logging for the second day today. The problems caused due to rain water accumulating persisted and some Ambala City residents took to the streets to protest against the inaction of the administration in preventing waterlogging. In the morning, a demonstration was held at Arya Chowk in Ambala City by local residents, who demanded that the administration take swift action to ensure that water-logged areas were cleared of rain water. The demonstrators left only after being assured that their grievances would be looked into promptly. The houses located near
Saha bus stand were badly affected by waterlogging. In
that area, there is no way out for accumulated water.
Water had also entered shops located on Sadhaura road and
Dudiani village in Naggal was affected by excess water
last night. |
‘Human error’ behind train
mishap CHANDIGARH, July 18 — It was "human error" that led to the accident between the Howrah-Amritsar Express and the empty rake of the stationary Ambala city-Saharanpur passenger train at Ambala city on July 1. The driver, Mr Nanak Chand, and the assistant driver, Mr Prem Pal, of the Howrah-Amritsar Express were killed while seven others sustained injuries in the mishap. According to the report of the preliminary inquiry into the causes of the accident, there was more than one "human failure" responsible for the accident. The empty rake of the Ambala city-Saharanpur train, technically referred to as empty coaching rake (ECR), which was pulled by an electric engine, was heading towards Ambala city when the power supply was disrupted. It came to a halt after partly clearing automatic colour signal no. 305, near Prem Nagar, in Ambala city. The preliminary report established that this ECR was not carrying any tail-lamp which, according to the safety norms, was mandatory. The guard of this ECR also did not have a hand-held signal lamp to caution the driver of the train coming from the opposite direction on the same track at a speed of more than 100 km/hr. The report also referred to the action of the electronic signal maintainer (ESM). It held that electronic signal no. 303 was defective that day. The ESM at signal no. 303 connected it to the axle counter for relaying a continuous "green signal" so as not to detain or delay the passing mail and express trains. The report said that the ESM was not qualified to rectify faults which occurred at signal no. 303 which, before being connected to the axle counter, was showing a constant "red signal". The driver and the assistant driver of the Howrah-Amritsar Express, after seeing the "green signal" at signal no. 303, continued to run through at a speed of 110 km/hr without realising that because of a power failure an ECR was on the track two signal points ahead. The report said that had the ESM activated the "yellow" or caution signal instead of the continuous "green signal" at signal no. 303, the driver of the Howrah-Amritsar Express would have slowed down the train. Further, since it was 4.30 in the morning and there was neither any tail-lamp on the ECR nor a manual "red signal" from its guard, the crew of the Howrah-Amritsar Express had no clue to the danger ahead because of darkness. The report held that
this accident was a clear case of "human
failure" and "criminal negligence",
primarily because of the action of the ESM, who put
defective signal no. 303 to permanent "green",
and that of the guard of the Ambala city-Saharanpur
train, who neither put a tail-lamp on the last coach of
his ECR nor displayed a hand-held red signal to caution
the approaching train. |
New MDU courses yield little ROHTAK, July 19 — The decision to start 15 courses by "cash-starved" Maharshi Dayanand University from the current academic session with the principal objective of raising funds seems not to have born fruit due to certain flaws in the implementation of the scheme. Moreover students, teachers and even the university administration are uncertain about the future prospects of certain courses. Senior teachers point out at certain lapses which may affect the popularity and efficiency of these courses. Referring to five courses to be started by the Directorate of Distance Education they apprehend that the belated decision may not attract a sufficient number of students. They argue that a majority of students have got admission to various courses by now whereas the university has not completed the process to start these courses. For instance, they say, admission brochures for these courses have not been prepared so far. It is learnt the brochures will be prepared by the end of this month and will further take at least 15 days for publication. After that the courses would be advertised and candidates given approximately 20 days to apply. The process of scrutiny and selection will take nearly 10 days. Even after that, selected candidates will be given one week to deposit fees. The entire process will take more than two months. Once the admissions are over, the directorate will have to face the main problem of preparing syllabi for different courses and arrangement of counselling. The five new courses to be started by the Directorate of Distance Education are a two-year masters degree in global business management, a one-year P.G. diploma in advertising, a one-year P.G. diploma in pharmaceutical marketing, LL.M. and a P.G. diploma in labour laws, labour welfare and personnel management. For the first time, the university has decided to publish a composite prospectus for all five courses. The step will not only lengthen the publication process of the brochures but also make these dealer. When contacted, some teachers admitted that it was an irrational decision as a student would have to pay for all five brochures even if he desired to apply for a single course. A brochure for these courses costs Rs 500. The fee for the first three courses has been fixed at Rs 10,000 per annum and for the rest at Rs 7,000 per annum. Showing reluctance at investing funds on improving the infrastructure, the Vice-Chancellor has reportedly directed different departments to run additional courses with the existing infrastructure. A former Vice-Chancellor
of the university told this correspondent that an attempt
to start some of these courses was made by the university
earlier too. He said a survey was conducted in this
regard but technical experts were not for starting the
courses in view of their poor demand in the market and
insufficient infrastructure in the university. |
Nilgai menace eludes solution CHANDIGARH, July 18 — With villagers of Haryana showing little interest in the hunting of the nilgai, the state government is virtually groping in the dark on how to cope with the burgeoning population of the animals. "Often we get reports about the destruction of crops by herds of nilgai, but one really does not know how to control this menace", a wildlife official said, adding that the beasts were also known for causing accidents when they strayed on to the roads. According to Forest Department sources, the nilgai population in Haryana was 17,893 in 1993 when the wildlife census was carried out. The present population of the nilgai is estimated to be more than 27,000. The animals are concentrated in Rohtak, Hisar, Sirsa, Mahendragarh and Bhiwani districts, where they also reportedly cause the maximum damage to crops. Although the nilgai is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the state government, under pressure from villagers, got special permission for allowing their hunting. However, individuals were not allowed to kill the beasts for which permission had to be sought from the Divisional Forest Officer of the area concerned by the panchayat or other similar institutions. Also, it was made mandatory that the beast, after being killed would have to be buried in front of a Forest Department officer so that its flesh was not eaten. However, it was seen that though the villagers were demanding steps from the government side for controlling the menace, they were not keen on hunting the animals. Official sources said that between November, 1996 (when the permit system was introduced in Haryana) and December, 1998, 16 permits were issued for killing of 104 beasts, but only eight nilgais were actually killed. Between January 1, 1999, to August 31, 1999, four permits were issued for killing 49 beasts, but not even one nilgai was killed. From September 1, 1999, up to now two permits have been issued for killing 10 nilgais and only one has been killed so far. Efforts were also made to catch the animals, but the government gave up the idea when after an expenditure of about Rs 2 lakh and the deployment of a large number of personnel only three animals could be caught near Palwal. Forest officials here said that one of most important reasons for the failure of the government policy on the killing of the animals was the popular perception about the nilgai being a member of the bovine family. "This perception is borne out by the fact that the animal is called nilgai, though in reality it is from the deer family", said an official who added that Hindu farmers did not want to kill the nilgai because they thought it was from the cow family. There were also some communities in Haryana such as the Bishnois who were against the killing of these animals, he said. Red tape and the procedure relating to the seeking of a permit and disposing of the carcass also played a role in the government policy coming to nought, he added. According to wildlife
officials, the only solution to the problem of the
shooting up of the nilgai population could have been a
corresponding increase in the population of predators in
forests. However, in the last census only 25 leopards,
including four cubs, and three black bears, which were
among the predators of the nilgai, were recorded in
Haryana. These animals were found in the Shivalik Hills
and the Aravalli Hills where there was hardly any nilgai
population. The officials said with deforestation and the
expansion of human habitation shrinking the habitat of
carnivorous animals, there seemed to be no immediate
solution to the nilgai problem. |
Minor reshuffle of officers CHANDIGARH, July 18 — The Haryana Government today effected a minor reshuffle of IAS and HCS officers. Mr M. Kithan, Director, Social Justice and Empowerment, was given additional charge of the post of Joint Secretary, Social Defence and Security and Welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes, relieving Mrs Shashi Bala Gulati of this charge. Mr S.K. Sharma, Estate Officer, Urban Estate, Panchkula, has been given additional charge of Secretary, Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board. Mr B.B. Kaushik, City Magistrate, Fatehabad, has been posted as Under Secretary, Cooperation, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development. Mr R.K. Chauhan,
Subdivisional Officer (Civil), Fatehabad, has been given
additional charge of City Magistrate, Fatehabad. |
Shorewala’s police remand
extended KAITHAL, July 18 — The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr N.P. Dewet, extended the police remand of Mr Anil Shorewala, a son of former Haryana Finance Minister Charan Dass Shorewala, here today, till July 22. It’s reported that the court has also issued search warrants for the residential premises and business establishments of Mr Shorewala. The police had requested the court to extend the remand and issue search warrants as it wanted to get some documents relating to immovable properties acquired by the family and Mr Anil Shorewala. The police has also to recover Rs 1.50 lakh from Mr Anil Shorewala and his brother as a youth of Guhla area has filed an affidavit alleging that he paid the amount to Mr Shorewala and his brother to get a job when their father was Finance Minister in the Cabinet of Mr Bansi Lal. Earlier, the police had recovered Rs 1.50 lakh from Mr Anil Shorewala which was given to him by a youth of Jind district. The police is reported
to have contacted the income tax authorities to get
copies of the income tax returns filed by members of the
family of the former Finance Minister. |
Faridabad Red Cross Society
‘the best’ CHANDIGARH, July 18 — The Faridabad District Red Cross Society was today adjudged the best in the Red Cross activities. The Haryana Governor, Mr Babu Parmanand, who is also the President of the Indian Red Cross Society, Haryana branch, presented shields, plaques, gold and silver medals, and prizes to about 150 persons and organisations for their outstanding performance in the field of Red Cross activities at the annual general meeting of the Haryana State Red Cross held at Haryana Raj Bhavan. The state Chief
Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Lady Governor, Mrs
Sudesh Kumari, the Minister of State for Health, Dr M.L.
Ranga, the Minister of State for Education, Mr Bahadur
Singh and the Minister of State for Social Welfare, Mr
Risal Singh, were also present on this occasion. |
Pay fixation benefit for
ex-principals CHANDIGARH, July 18 — the Haryana Government today allowed the benefit of pay fixation to government college principals who had retired prior to January 1, 1986, in the pay scale of Rs 4500-7300. The Finance Minister,
Prof Sampat Singh, said this would be applicable to those
principals who had either completed 25 years teaching
service before their retirement or if their juniors who
had completed 25 years service had been given the pay
scale of Rs 4500-7300 with effect from January 1, 1986.
In the rest of the cases the notional pay fixation
benefit will be admissible only in the pay scale of Rs
3700-5700. |
Educationist dead YAMUNANAGAR, July 18 — An eminent educationist and social worker died here today after a brief illness. Mr J.K. Kapoor, 90, who had brought a revolution in the field of education and medical sciences in this entire region by associating himself with DAV movement right from childhood, introduced DAV Centenary Dental College here. Mr Kapoor had opened about one dozen educational institutions, including the DAV Institute of Physiotherapy, DAV Public School and many others. Recently, with the efforts of Mr Kapoor, a new dental college was also opened at Solan in Himachal Pradesh. All DAV institutions in Yamunanagar district will remain closed for two days due to the demise of Mr Kapoor. He has left behind his
wife, two sons and one daughter. His cremation will be
held tomorrow morning as his daughter has to come from
the USA. |
Life convict dies in Haryana jail ROHTAK, July 18 (UNI) — A convict, Subhash, serving life term in the local Central Jail died yesterday after taking tea. According to reports, Subhash after taking tea in the morning felt uneasiness. As his condition deteriorated, the jail doctor referred him to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences here, where the doctors declared him dead. Several attempts to contact jail officials on the phone proved unsuccessful. Subhash hailing from
Kharkara village in the district, was sentenced to life
term in a murder case three years ago. |
Two killed in road
mishap HISAR, July 18 — Two persons were killed and about seven injured in a head-on collision between a Haryana Roadways bus and a canter near Khara Kheri, village about 25 km from here, on the National Highway (No. 10) last night. The deceased have been identified as Yashveer, bus driver, of Baland village in Rohtak district and canter driver Harji Ram (39) of Bhirdena village. The injured, S.K. Malhotra and Ghwari Devi of Sirsa, Parmeshwari Devi, Asha Rani, Sheela Rani, Rohit and Mukesh of Fatehabad were admitted to a hospital in Fatehabad. In another incident, a 45-year-old man allegedly committed suicide by jumping before a train near Hansi railway station, about 26 km from here, yesterday. The deceased could not
be identified so far. The body has been brought in the
civil hospital here for post-mortem. |
One drowned, Yamuna
waters flood villages YAMUNANAGAR, July 18 — Incessant rain for the past two days has claimed a life in the district. A number of houses have collapsed. Villages situated on the bank of the Yamuna have been flooded. The Tajewala headworks has crossed the danger mark. Agya Pal of Model Town Krera village was drowned and two residents of Jathlana in the district were saved from drowning by passers-by. A number of colonies in
the city, included Amar Puri, Tilak Nagar, Lajpat Nagar,
Tagore Garden, Thapar Colony, Model Colony and Professor
Colony, were reported to be under three feet of water. |
Jat society raises seat
percentage ROHTAK, July 18 — Finding the limited seats not in proportion to the rising number of students, the Jat Education Society has increased the seats from 18 to 40 per cent in the schools and colleges being run by the society. Mr Raj Singh Nandal, President of the society, said 40 per cent seats had been increased in C.R. Memorial Public School, 35 in Jat Senior Secondary School, 18 in Jat School, 25 in Jat College and 27 in Maharani Kishori Devi Jat Kanya Mahavidyalaya from the current academic year. Mr Nandal visited Jat
College yesterday and directed Dr Ishwar Singh Dalal,
Principal of the college, to set up six counters for
depositing the fee for the convenience of the students.
He also inspected the construction sites of the
girls’ hostel and auditorium and stressed on the
early completion of the buildings. |
ST cut on sports goods
sought BHIWANI, July 18 — The local Sports Dealers Association has urged the Haryana government to reduce sales tax on sports items to make it affordable for the commonman. A spokesman of the association said here yesterday that people were not buying sports items from here which were available on cheap rates in the neighbouring states. He said the sales tax in the state was comparatively higher i.e. 10 per cent, whereas it was 2 per cent in Rajasthan, 4 to 5 per cent in Punjab and 4 to 6 per cent in Delhi. The spokesman further said the dealers did not want the withdrawal of the tax but it should be on a par with other states. This would discourage the habit of tax evasion and the dealers would pay the tax. The association has
requested the Chief Minister, Mr O.P. Chautala, and the
Haryana Olympic Association, President, Mr Abhay Singh
Chautala, to reduce sales tax on sports items. |
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