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| Monday, September 4, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Minting money through drugs HISAR, Sept 3 — A major scandal involving purchase of drugs worth crores year after year by government departments at higher rates has come to light. According to highly placed sources, the scandal involves the purchase of drugs from government-approved sources through their distributors at rates higher than the wholesale rates at which government departments are supposed to procure their requirements from approved sources directly. Bridge ready, awaits VIP 14 pc fall in crime
rate
Turkmen artistes cast a spell Interview for lecturer posts not held
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No posts under Pak
occupation: Swami Dalit Sena to expand base in region Dalits shortlisted for GJU VC post ‘Change policy on quota’ Lawyer threatens another judge Bitta for panel to correct political
system Assault victim’s eyes donated
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Turkmen artistes cast a spell FARIDABAD: Faridabad was chosen as one of the five places in the country where artistes from Turkmenistan (Central Asia), presented a colourful display of its arts and culture , perhaps for the first time since its independence from the erstwhile Soviet Union in 1991. Entitled “Days of Turkmen Culture in India”, the programme was organised by the Department of Culture with the help of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Turkmenistan Embassy. Haryana’s Department of Public Relations provided the support to organise the programme at the Municipal Corporation auditorium here last week. The programme was able to get a good response from local residents who gathered in strength despite the fact that most of the items were presented in its national language. “It was really enthralling and I enjoyed every bit of the one-and-half-hour show,” commented a spectator. According to a spokesperson of the cultural troupe, the idea behind the programme was to further strengthen relations and understanding between the two countries and to mark the 500th birth anniversary of Bairam Khan “Turken”, one of the most ‘distinguished officers’ of the Mughal court. Bairam Khan who was honoured with the title of ‘Khan Khanan’ by Akbar had accompanied Humayun from Persia to India. He was a multi-faceted personality who shaped the destiny of Mughals in the field of Sufism, art, culture, philosophy and creative literature. A folk dance group, “Mongly”, the Owaz orchestra, fashion design theatre and folklore ensemble of Jamal Saporova constituted the artistic events. While the dances reflected the elegance, temperament of the modesty of Turkmen girls, the folklore ensemble presented some of the melodious songs of that country. A fashion show displaying Turkmen dresses was a special attraction of the event. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anand Mohan Sharan, honoured the artistes. It presented a show at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi on August 24, at Bangalore on August 26, at Mysore on August 27 and at Mumbai on August 27 as part of its week-long programme in India. |
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Minting
money through drugs HISAR, Sept 3 — A major scandal involving purchase of drugs worth crores year after year by government departments at higher rates has come to light. According to highly placed sources, the scandal involves the purchase of drugs from government-approved sources through their distributors at rates higher than the wholesale rates at which government departments are supposed to procure their requirements from approved sources directly. The average difference between wholesale prices and the prices for institutional sales through stockists is stated to be about 20 per cent. The sources said the budget for the purchase of drugs by various government departments for the current fiscal year is about Rs 40 crore. The state Health and the Animal Husbandry departments alone account for purchases worth about Rs 30 crore. As per rules, government departments are supposed to buy their requirements from companies which are declared as approved sources from time to time. Thus, the major share of government orders is bagged by the public sector undertakings manufacturing drugs which are among the approved sources for drug procurement. As per the procedure laid down in the Punjab Financial Rules Volume II (Haryana Third Amendment) 1975, the heads of the approved sources (PSUs) are supposed to supply their rate lists to all government departments concerned every year in January. The Industries Department is supposed to get these rate lists annually. Based on these rate lists, indenting officers of different departments are supposed to place their orders with the approved sources directly and not through their dealers. This means that since it is a direct government to government sale and no intermediaries are permitted by the rules, the PSUs are supposed to charge wholesale rates from the government. However, in practice none of these procedures is being followed resulting in huge losses to the government because of the difference in wholesale prices and the prices for sales through stockists. The Industries Department has never ensured procurement of rate lists in January every year as specified in the rules. The heads of PSUs too do not send their rate lists as per rules. Thus, whenever a government department wants to purchase drugs, it writes to the Director-General of Supplies and Disposal to enter into a rate contract with the approved sources. The PSUs then quote their prices for non-government sales and bag orders at considerably higher rates. However, to justify this PSUs execute the order through their authorised dealers who also collect the payment from government departments. The government ends up paying on an average 20 per cent more for the drugs. It is learnt that this procedure is being followed in contravention of the rules for the past several years as every party involved benefits from it from under the table deals. The sources said the procedure of appointing approved sources has been devised to ensure that purchases were made without delay and without involvement of middlemen who earn huge profits at the expense of the public. According to rules, indenting officers are also supposed to buy the drug from the approved source which quotes a lower rate. Nevertheless, documents in possession of The Tribune show that orders were placed with an approved source which had quoted more than 200 per cent higher rates. The documents show that in 1996 the Animal Husbandry Department bought Gentamycin injections (30ml) at Rs 44.72 per vial from Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (a PSU and an approved source) although another PSU and approved source Hindustan Antibiotics Ltd had quoted a rate of Rs 17.75 per vial. The order was executed through the firm’s stockist in violation of rules. The documents also show that the department continues to buy drugs on these lines even now. The last such orders were placed in June last. Likewise, the Health Department too continues to purchase drugs in this manner the last orders having been placed in November last year. The Animal Husbandry Department has, however, made one change in the procedure. It is now asking approved sources to submit the bills directly instead of authorising their stockists to execute the orders and submit the relevant bills. This followed audit objections and probes by the State Vigilance Department and the Chief Minister’s Flying Squad after the scandal was brought to their notice. The PSUs have, nevertheless devised a way to submit these bills directly even while continuing to charge retail rates instead of wholesale prices from the government. Such bills in possession of The Tribune show an entry “Party code No” which sources claim is the code number for the stockist who continues to earn a huge margin and keeps government officials in good humour. According to the sources, the matter was brought to the notice of the Chief Minister on July 4 and he directed that all the facts be put up before him in a week. However, the sources said, the bureaucracy had managed to wriggle out of the situation. Interestingly, the state Vigilance Bureau has enquired into these issues and has in its report clearly stated that drugs were purchased at higher prices in contravention of the rules. It underlined the need for devising a definite procedure for purchase of drugs to prevent losses to the government. It is learnt that other states too are following the same procedure resulting in losses to their exchequers. |
Bridge ready, awaits VIP YAMUNANAGAR: The Kalanaur bridge, on the Yamuna which connects Uttar Pradesh and Haryana is all set to be inaugurated. But due to the non-availability of a VIP it is being delayed resulting in inconvenience to the general public. This bridge not only connects Uttar Pradesh and Haryana but is the lifeline of the region because any vehicle, heading towards Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan, has to cross this bridge. The bridge has cost Rs 1480.70 lakh and its length and width is 480 metres and 10 metres. Mr S.K. Vashisht, Executive Engineer, Public Works Department (Building & Roads), said here recently that the administrative approval for the construction of the high-level bridge was accorded by the Ministry of Shipping and Surface Transport (Road Wing), New Delhi, against memo no. CRWN 17014/2/89 U.P.O.R. He said against this approval Rs 466 lakh was borne by the Centre and the remaining cost of Rs 1014.70 lakh was shared by the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana on a 50-50 basis. He said the bridge had been executed by the Uttar Pradesh Government. The Haryana side approach road was constructed by the Haryana PWD (B&R) Department. The approval for the construction of the main bridge along with the Haryana side approach road of Rs 621.48 lakh had been accorded by the Haryana Government and work had been completed at the site. The old bridge is in bad shape. It was damaged in the heavy rain on July 9 this year resulting in traffic hold-up. The old bridge was constructed in 1858 by the Canal Foundry and Engineering Works, Roorkee. It sank 5 feet in width and 2 feet in length during to heavy rain on July 9. The railing of the old bridge has also broken. The new Kalanaur bridge on the Yamuna, near Yamunanagar, is ready but waiting for a VIP for its inauguration. |
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14 pc fall in crime
rate CHANDIGARH, Sept 3 — The overall rate of crime in Haryana has shown a marked decline of 14 per cent from August, 1999, to July this year as compared to the corresponding period last year. While claiming this here today, the Home Secretary, Mr B.D. Dhalia, said 335 gangs of criminals, including those involved in inter-State crimes, had been arrested during this period, and stolen property worth over Rs 112 crore was recovered from them. He claimed that this fall in the rate of crime had been made possible as a result of the confidence infused amongst the law-enforcing agencies and the common man by the progressive policies of the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala. He said although the rate of crime had been increasing by 3.5 per cent per year at the national level according to the National Crime Record Bureau, the crime rate in Haryana declined by 9.48 per cent during the same period. This included cases registered under Indian Penal Code and local and special Acts. He said that 38,040 cases were registered under the IPC, and 21,530 under local and special Acts from August 1, 1998, to July 31, 1999, as against 36,385 and 17,536, respectively, from August, 1999, to July, 2000, showing a total decline of 5649 cases. He said that 96.56 per cent cases of crime against human beings and all seven cases of kidnapping for ransom had also been solved during the same period. Similarly, 90.37 per cent cases of murder and 99.19 per cent cases of assault had been solved. He pointed out that while the overall average for recovery of looted and stolen property at the national level had been 26 per cent, the Haryana police recovered 78.34 per cent such property. |
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Interview for lecturer posts not held KURUKSHETRA, Sept 3 — Due to non-cooperation movement launched by Regional Engineering College, Kurukshetra Teachers’ Association (RECKTA) from June 7, 2000, in support of its demands, the interviews for the posts of lecturer in various desciplines could not be held at the offices of respective chairman of the departments here yesterday. Over 100 candidates who reached the college campus here for their interviews yesterday, had to go back disappointed. However, the interviews were conducted by the humanities department of the college. Almost all RECK teachers, in pursuance to the RECKTA resolution unanimously passed in its meeting held here on June 7 last as well as in support of their long pending demands, submitted resignations from performing various duties, other than teaching work assigned to them. A teachers’ deputation had already called upon Mr R. S. Chaudhry, Vice-Chancellor, Kurukshetra University and apprised him of their long pending demands while the RECKTA had been holding its meetings with the college Principal, Dr N. P. Mehta too, but in vain. Their long pending demands include implementation of revised pay package as recommended by All-India Council for Technical Education, removal of anomalies of pay fixation, revised pay scales for Librarian and Deputy Librarian and implementation of pension scheme. Meanwhile, the RECKTA General Secretary, Mr Baldev Setia gave an ultimatum to the authorities concerned to fulfil their demands within three weeks otherwise they would be compelled to intensify the agitation. |
No posts
under Pak occupation: Swami SONEPAT, Sept 3 — Union Minister of State for Home I.D. Swami has refuted the statements of some Opposition leaders that some military posts in the Kargil sector were under the occupation of Pakistan and said that none of the Indian posts were in the possession of Pakistan. Talking to mediapersons at Gohana town, 35 km from here yesterday, he also said that the Central Government was determined to maintain the unity and integrity of the country at all costs and ensure the safety of the people in the border areas. Referring to the reported alienation of Muslims from the
BJP, the minister said that the Muslims formed 12 per cent of the population of the country and all efforts by the Congress to keep them away from the
BJP had failed. Referring to the Veerappan’s episode, Mr Swami said that it was for the states concerned to take necessary steps in the matter. Mr Rattan Lal Kataria, mp and President of the Haryana unit of the
BJP, declared that his party would continue to extend its support to the
INLD Government, headed by Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Chief Minister in the interest of the state. He, however, said that his party would like to contest the future Lok Sabha as well as Vidhan Sabha elections on its own. |
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Dalit Sena to expand base in region CHANDIGARH, Sept 3 — With an eye on filling the vacuum created by the decline of the BSP in northern states like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Chandigarh, the Union Communication Minister, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan, has decided to activate his socio-political organisation, the Dalit Sena, in the region in a big way. According to sources in the Sena, to give a boost to his
fledgling organisation, which has so far been active in his home state, Bihar, Mr Paswan has planned three visits to the region in September alone. While he will address a rally in Jalandhar on September 10, another rally will be held on September 17 in Jaipur. Mr Paswan plans to visit Chandigarh on September 30 to address Sena workers. The sources say the Union Communication Minister is yet to finalise the date of his visit to Haryana. But his brother, Mr Ram Chander Paswan, who is an MP from Bihar, visited Rohtak last week and held a meeting with Sena workers. The Haryana unit of the Sena has already been constituted with Dr Lal Singh of Faridabad as its President. Mr Paswan has deputed the national General Secretary of the Sena, Mrs Latika Sharma, to look after the organisation in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. The Sena may put up its candidates in all the 117 Assembly constituencies of Punjab where the elections are due next year. The Sena leadership, the sources say, is still undecided about its stand in the Sunam Assembly byelection. Mr Paswan may announce the Sena’s stand at the Jalandhar rally. Mr Paswan in also keen to expand his organisation in southern states, for which he may seek the support of those leaders and regional parties which had remained associated with the Janata Dal, to which Mr Paswan once belonged. Meanwhile, Mrs Sharma is concentrating on recruitment to the Sena in various colonies of Chandigarh and Panchkula. Claiming a good response from former BSP, Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal workers from these areas, she said the membership to the Sena was open to all sections of society. Their organisation, she said, interpreted the term “Dalit” to broadly include all oppressed classes, irrespective of the caste and religion. Apart from political empowerment, she said, the main agenda of the Dalit Sena was social uplift of the oppressed by educating them about small family norms, and making them free of superstition and exploitation of every type and eradication of dowry system. |
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Dalits shortlisted for GJU VC post CHANDIGARH, Sept 3 — The three-member search committee appointed by the Haryana Government to shortlist the names of possible candidates for appointment as Vice-Chancellor of Guru Jambeshwar University, Hisar, submitted a panel of three names to the Chancellor, Babu Parmanand, through the state government today. According to informed sources, the panel includes the names of Dr Tarsem Lal, a retired Commissioner-rank IAS officer of Haryana; and Mr R.K. Chauhan, a former Joint Secretary of the University Grants Commission. The third name is not known. The sources say all three persons included in the panel are believed to be members of the Scheduled Castes because the Chancellor and the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, are keen to appoint a Dalit as the Vice-Chancellor of Guru Jambeshwar University. At present no member of the community is heading any university in the state. The Chancellor, Babu Parmanand, is likely to make the appointment before he leaves for Mumbai on September 7 to attend the first meeting of the Committee of Governors constituted by the President of India to study the implementation of various schemes framed by the Centre for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes. |
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‘Change policy on quota’ CHANDIGARH, Sept 3 — Mr Hari Singh, President of the newly formed Janmat Party, has demanded a change in the reservation policy so that its fruits can percolate to the “really deserving” persons. Talking to newsmen here today, Mr Hari Singh, who had been the Political Secretary to both Mr Om Prakash Chautala of the INLD and Mr Bansi Lal of the HVP, said the time had come when the policy should be amended to bar the wards of those who had already been given its benefits from getting further benefits must be introduced in the policy so that its benefits could spread not horizontally but vertically. To determine the eligibility of a beneficiary it must be seen that he or she had studied throughout in government schools up to matriculation. Those who could afford to teach their children in public or private schools obviously belonged to affluent sections of society and thus should be excluded from the ambit of the reservation policy. Mr Hari Singh, who also released his book, “Vyavastha Parivartan — Kyon or Kaise (change of system — why and how”, said a national judicial commission should be set up for the appointment of High Court and Supreme Court judges to insulate such appointments from political interference. Similarly, appointments to public service commissions and other recruitment agencies should be made by a presidium of eminent public men to exclude the personal whims of chief ministers. To bring economic parity in society, a celling should be imposed on an individual’s moveable and immovable property. Education should be nationalised and public schools should be banned so that even influential people were forced to send their wards to government schools. Only then the standard of teaching in government schools would improve. He also suggested that Indian Administrative Service and other civil services should be abolished as they had ‘outlived’ their utility. |
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Lawyer threatens another judge KAITHAL, Sept 3 — The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr R.C. Bansal, has allegedly been threatened by an advocate, Mr Ishwar Singh Mehta, on the telephone for insulting him. This advocate was booked by the police for assault on a judge, Ms Shalini Singh yesterday. According to an FIR lodged with the police by Mr R.C. Bansal at about 7 p.m. yesterday he received a telephone call and the caller identified himself as Ishwar Singh Mehta, advocate, and told him (the ADJ) that he had insulted him in the courtroom on September 1. When the judge asked him
about the insult, he said that he was standing in the court with his back towards the judge, when the judge asked him to stand properly with his back towards the court. The caller added that he was on way to the courtroom of Judicial Magistrate Shalini Singh, who had also insulted him earlier. Thereafter, he entered her courtroom and attacked her. He further said that he cared little for his practice. The ADJ in his complaint added that Ishwar Singh warned him that to stop movements and that he would eliminate the families of Judicial Magistrates who had insulted him The police has registered a case under Sections 504/50B, IPC. The SP, Mr Parbhat Ranjan Dea, said that the Judge had been provided with security and police was making all efforts to arrest the culprit. |
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Assault victim’s eyes donated FARIDABAD, Sept 3 — Eyes of an old employee of a local public school who lost his life in quarrel between two groups of students have been donated by his family members to an eye bank here. The deceased identified as Hukamchand (70) had been working as a peon in Holy Angles Pubic School here in the New Industrial township. He had been assaulted by some youths in the school campus when he tried to stop some of the students from quarreling. The peon died soon after he was allegedly hit on his chest. It is reported that the youths who assaulted him were outsiders who had come to help a student of the school involved in the quarrel. His family members decided to donate his eyes and called an eye surgeon of the Shakti Eye Bank before cremating the deceased. The donated eyes were later sent to the Eye Bank of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. |
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Class IV hospital
staff on strike FARIDABAD, Sept 3 — The functioning of the local B.K Hospital was completely paralysed due to a strike by Class IV employees . The trouble started when a Gardner who is living in the hospital was seriously beaten up by two miscreants during the night. A spokesman of the Class IV union in a statement said today that they would not allow the normal functioning in the hospital till the arrest of the accused. The patients admitted in the hospital are accusing the police and hospital authorities for the delay in meeting of the demands of employees. They said the strike could have been averted, had the police taken action in time. |
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HAU teachers’ stir on Sept 5 HISAR, Sept 3 — Members of the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University Teachers Association (HAUTA) will stage a dharna in front of the administrative block here on “Teachers’ Day” in protest against the delay in the grant of new pay scales recommended by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the University Grants Commission (UGC). In a statement issued here today the HAUTA President, Dr H.K. Verma, said this longstanding demand of the HAU faculty had been pending for a long time now. He accused the University authorities of deliberately delaying the implementation of the new pay scales. He said the issue was discussed at an emergency meeting of the HAUTA executive last evening and it was decided to organise a dharna on September 5 to highlight the demand. There was great resentment among teachers of the university against the non-implementation of the new pay scales. Dr Verma appealed to the authorities to resolve the issue at the earliest. |
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Two children
die of diphtheria HISAR, Sept 3 — At least two children have died of diphtheria in the nearby Shikarpur village. Several other children were also suffering from the disease in the village. According to delayed information received here a three year-old-boy died on August 24 and after five days a four-year-old girl Bilu too succumbed to this dreaded disease. These children were admitted into a private hospital here but the doctors could not save them due to availability of proper medicines in the town. Another child from the same village Rekha was admitted into the hospital but due to lack of medicines her condition was critical. Her father Baru Ram said that he had sent a person to Delhi to bring medicines. The sarpanch of the village, Mr Raj Kumar Sheoran said that many other
children in the village were also suffering from diphtheria but the health officials had not taken any step despite his repeated pleas in this regard. He said that this disease could spread to neighbouring villages if it was not controlled immediately. He demanded that the Health Department should make available the medicines at the
earliest. |
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One
dead, two hurt in mishap HISAR, Sept 3 — The driver of a four-wheeler was killed and two persons were seriously injured when their vehicle hit a truck parked on the roadside near a BSF camp on the Sirsa road here last evening. According to the police, a truck loaded with onions, which had earlier hit another vehicle, was parked near the BSF camp. A Tata mini truck, coming from Delhi on high speed, hit the truck from the rear. The driver of the mini truck, Atma Ram, a resident of Neja Khera village, died on the spot. His brother, Mahender Singh and cleaner Satbir were injured seriously. They were admitted to the local Civil Hospital.
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Chief
Parliamentary Secy hurt KAITHAL, Sept 3 — The Haryana Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Rampal Mazra, was injured in a road accident, near here this afternoon. His official car was hit by a vehicle coming from opposite direction near the Amin drain bridge on the Kaithal-Jind road. Mr Mazra was admitted to the civil hospital here. The secretary was coming from Jakholi village of his constituency when a Tata 407 driven at a very high speed collided head-on with the official car, damaging it badly at about 1 p.m. The driver of the car Dal Bahadur and another occupant Satbir also received minor injuries. The driver of the Tata 407 fled from the accident site along with the vehicle’s papers. However, they are reported to have left Rs 20,000 in their
vehicle. |
Two killed in
mishaps FARIDABAD, Sept 3 — Three persons have been killed in various incidents in the past 24 hours. According to information, Dharambir of Vishwakarma Colony at Ballabgarh town was killed when his two-wheeler was hit by a vehicle on the national highway last evening. He succumbed to his injuries in a hospital. In another incident
Naresh, a tubewell operator of the municipal corporation, was killed when his
bicycle was hit by a vehicle on the national highway near Sector 37. He was reportedly coming back from his duty. The police has recovered the body of an unidentified person from Sector 28. |
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Bitta for panel to correct political
system AMBALA Talking to newspersons
here today, Mr Bitta, said that the President had already
voiced his concern on the current political scenario.
“We demand that a high-powered non-political
committee should be set up consisting of the Chief
Justice of India, retired Chief Justice and retired
Generals having an impeccable record,” he
said. “The high-powered committee for example can
look into the failure of the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
state governments to nab sandalwood smuggler, Veerappan
which will in turn expose any alleged links between him
and politicians,” he said. “If the
high-powered committee identifies a nexus between
politicians and criminals, the politician must be forced
to step down from any public office he may be holding and
should also be removed from MLA or MP seat,” Mr Bitta, added. Mr Bitta said a signature campaign would
be started soon to declare Pakistan a terrorist state.
“Soon, the front is going to organise Bharat jodo
andolan in which a rath yatra will be taken from Kashmir
to Kanyakumari. We will have photographs of martyrs and
the photos of the cache of arms seized by the security
forces from militants. We will go to schools, colleges
and universities to show the students the supreme
sacrifice made by our soldiers to defend the
nation’s territorial integrity,” he said. |
Water supply
suspended SONEPAT, Sept 3 — The entire old section of the city remained without water last evening following a disruption in the drinking water supply system. However, no reason has been given by officials of the Public Health Department in this regard. People, particularly women, were seen carrying pitchers on heads and fetching water from distant places. Many people alleged that the water supply was still erratic and the pressure was low. |
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