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November 18, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Haryana suspends 14 strikers Action against sex test clinics difficult Two-pronged drive to make highways safe State-level workshop for NGOs Plea to set up tourism board Chautala
holds durbar at Palwal |
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CM promises more water, power Science decade:
resource persons get training Plan to set up sports academy in Rohtak Better educational facilities assured Anti-encroachment drive ‘partial’ Hari Singh’s team
wins KUTA poll Polytechnics asked to ready calendars Plea to implement pension scheme Five computers stolen
from college 2 killed in car-truck
collision 
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Haryana suspends 14 strikers CHANDIGARH, Nov 17 — The Haryana Government today cracked down on striking employees and placed under suspension 14 of them, including Mr Desh Raj
Lamba, president of the General and Backward Classes Employees Welfare
Organisation. The organisation suffered another blow as backward class employees decided to distance themselves from the general category staff and constituted a separate Backward Classes Employees Welfare Organisation at a meeting held at the State Library here today. Mr Kanta Ram Sokhal was chosen the president of the organisation and it was decided to hold another meeting at Panchkula on Sunday to draw up a plan of action for safeguarding the interest of the backward classes. In another development, which has a bearing on the pen-down strike, Mr Karamvir Singh, a functionary of the All-India SC-ST Confederation, who is also a Haryana Government employee, is stated to have filed a petition in the high court challenging the state government’s interpretation of the Supreme Court’s order on October 16, 1999. The Haryana Government had issued reversion order in respect of the promotion of seven employees on the basis of the court order. The reversion order was , however, not implemented allegedly in view of a contempt petition filed in the apex court by two employees of the reserved categories from Haryana. The court, while dismissing the contempt petition, observed that the petitioners could seek “such other remedy in such forum as may be available to them in law”. Meanwhile, an official press note issued here said that five employees from the Chief Sectretary’s establishment — namely, Mr Desh Raj
Lamba, Mr Sube Singh Yadav, Mr Vinod Jain, Mr Jagdish Joon and Mr Ramgopal Nagpal — four from the Financial Commissioner’s establishment — Mr
M.K. Swami, Mr Rishal Singh, Mr Balbir Singh and Mr Prem Chand Chillar — as well as Mr Partap Singh Sangwan and Mr Prithvi Singh Layal from the Education Department and Mr Parvinder Kumar and
S.N. Sharma from the PWD (B&R) had been placed under suspension for resorting to the pen-down strike despite a stern warning issued by the government. Quoting an official spokesman, the press note warned that if any section of the employees continued the pen-down strike, the state government would invoke the provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against them. Talking to
TNS, Mr Desh Raj Lamba, however, said that he was pleasantly surprised by the government order placing him and 13 other active workers and functionaries of the employees’ organisation under suspension. “I was expecting a service termination order”, Mr Lamba said and added that the pen-down strike would resume again from Monday. Mr Sube Singh Yadav, chairman of the Civil Secretariat Class III Employees Association, said the agitation would continue till the government abided by its earlier order reverting seven under secretaries, who were promoted on the basis of accelerated promotion because they belonged to the reserved categories, to superintendents. Earlier in the day work came to a virtual standstill in various state government offices in Chandigarh and Panchkula as employees belonging to the general and backward class categories observed a pen-down
strike. A protest meeting was held near 30-Bays Building in Sector 17, where various state government offices are located. Speakers decried the “violation” by the government of the November 13 agreement reached with the employees. A similar meeting was held on the second floor of the Civil Secretariat between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The meeting was addressed by Mr Desh Raj Lamba, who had come to the Civil Secretariat from 30 Bays Building, Mr Sube Singh Yadav, Mr Jagdish Joon, a former president of the Haryana General and Backward Classes Employees Welfare Organisation, and others. A meeting in this connection was also organised at the Sector 19 office of the PWD (B & R). It was decided by the employees to exclude boards and corporations from the strike. |
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Action against
sex test clinics difficult CHANDIGARH, Nov 17 — Even though the Haryana Government is concerned about the sex ratio in the state, it has virtually given up attempts to take legal action against clinics indulging in sex determination tests. Sources said that recently a meeting was called by the Health Minister, Mr
M.L. Ranga, to discuss the decline in the number of females which is believed to be a fallout of the increase in the incidence of female
foeticide. When the minister was told that so far no one could be booked by the civil surgeons for conducting sex determination tests, Mr Ranga reportedly suggested various steps, including the organising of street plays in villages, to “create awareness among the masses” against female
foeticide. Haryana has a sex ratio of 871 females per 1,000 males which is much lower than the national average of 927 females per 1,000 males. The state also has the dubious distinction of
having four out of 10 districts of the country with the lowest sex ratio. These districts are Kaithal (854 females per 1,000 males), Jind (858 females per 1,000 males), Kurukshetra (867 females per 1,000 males) and Hisar (867 females per 1,000 males). Sources said in February, 1996, civil surgeons were asked by the state government to conduct surveys of various private ultrasonography centres in their districts and book the defaulters for violation of the Prenatal Diagnostic Technique (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act. However, no one has been booked under the Act so far despite more than four years having passed since the order was issued. Reports regarding female foeticide were received from Jakhal (Fatehabad) and Mahendragarh, following which enquiries were conducted but the charges reportedly could not be substantiated for want of evidence against the violators. “The main problem in booking anybody under the PNDT Act is that a complainant is not found as the sex determination tests and abortions are carried out with the consent of the party”, explained an official. Since the use of ultrasonography for diagnostic purposes was a legally approved medical practice, it was not possible to start a crackdown on such
centres, the official said and added that even the Supreme Court had appreciated the flaws and in the law and advised the state governments to educate the masses against female
foeticide. Sex determination tests are, however, allowed in
certain cases, such as when the previous child of the mother was physically deformed or mentally retarded or there was a history of psychiatric ailments in a family. The Haryana Government had also issued advertisements seeking applications from clinics for conducting sex determination tests within the parameters of the law. However, even though thousands of ultrasonography centres have come up all over the state, only two clinics had applied for authorisation from the government. “Haryana and Punjab have traditional methods of sex determination. These include
palmistry and babas who can foretell the foetal sex by holding the hand of a pregnant woman. Some medicines are also taken by women believing that these will help them have a child of the desired sex”, the sources said and added that during the last decade or so clinics or laboratories for sex determination have come up in all cities and even in small towns in this region. Some of the ultrasonography clinics in towns reportedly periodically set up their machines in the rural areas in the neighbourhood to enable the prosperous among the villagers to bring their pregnant women for sex determination tests. Sometimes the persons manning the machine might not have the requisite expertise to correctly diagnose the sex of the foetus and in such cases the practice is to call it a “female foetus” and advise abortion, a doctor said. Officials here admitted that at times staff nurses of government hospitals were also found to be working on a part-time basis in ultrasonography clinics where sex determination tests were carried out clandestinely. |
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Two-pronged
drive to make highways safe KARNAL: Mr V. Kamraj, the new SSP (Traffic) of Haryana, has set a stiff target for himself. He wants to bring down the accident rate on the roads by half in the next one year. “With about 1600 people dying in road accidents on the four main highways (GT Road, Delhi-Mathura road, Delhi-Jaipur road and Delhi-Hisar road) of Haryana every year, the social and economic ramifications of deaths or serious disability resulting from accidents are also enormous”, said the police officer. The SSP’s (Traffic) post was abolished in Haryana in 1996. It was revived by the INLD regime in February to fulfil the Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala’s vision of ensuring free flow of traffic on the road and reduction in the number of accidents which are considered prerequisites for industrial development. Mr Kamraj, who had joined in the post in March after completion of his stint with the CBI, said he was given a free hand by the Chief Minister to set up a traffic management establishment. There was absolutely no interference from any quarter in his work, he said. More than 300 staff in the establishment were being selected from the various wings of the police on deputation. The officer said that as SSP (Traffic) he had two main objectives: first, to regulate the traffic and second, to provide timely service in case of accidents. Mr Kamraj said traffic aid posts would be set up for every 30 km on all the four main highways of Haryana. Each post would monitor traffic for 15 km on either side of the post. A total of 19 such posts would be set up, of which six will be on the GT Road (NH 1), three on the Delhi-Mathura road (NH 2), three on the Delhi-Jaipur road (NH 8), while seven would be on the Delhi-Hisar road (NH 10). Each post would have one ambulance, a recovery van, a gypsy and a motor cycle. The gypsy and the motor cycle (Bullet) will be used for giving round-the-clock patrolling in over a 30 km area marked for each post. There would be 18 to 20 personnel for each post, including a photographer. Mr Kamraj said the staff posted at traffic aid posts would be having speed-checking as well as alcohol-checking devices. The post as well as its vehicles would have the latest communication systems such as walkie-talkie sets, wireless, etc. Mr Kamraj said he had already acquired 19 brand new gypsies which would first put to use on the GT Road for traffic management on an experimental basis. “These vehicles will hit the roads in next 10 days or so”, he said. While stating that the plan would be implemented in phases, the SSP said once the traffic aid posts were set up and operationalised, it would be possible to cut down the number of accidents and regulate traffic on the road. While the first priority of the department would be to reduce the number of accidents by regulating traffic, adequate attention would also be given to providing timely services to accident victims. Each ambulance attached to the posts would have two paramedics and would be equipped with oxygen cylinders, stretchers, first aid boxes, intravenous equipment, suction apparatus, transfusion facilities, emergency drugs, bandages, etc, he said. |
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State-level
workshop for NGOs GURGAON, Nov 17 — A state- level workshop for NGOs was organised by the Gramin Vikas and Shiksha Samiti (GVSS) Nakanpur, under the aegis of the Regional Committee, CAPART, Chandigarh, at HIPA here today. The emphasis was to apprise NGOs of the new policy changes in CAPARAT schemes. The chief guest for the workshop was Mr Gopi Chand Gehlot, Deputy Speaker, Vidhan Sabha. Dr Arun Sud, member convener, addressing the workshop said the Regional Committee, CAPART, Chandigarh, since its inception in April 1998, had made financial grants of nearly 10 crores to organisations in Haryana, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. He stated that a special drive had been launched to enlist the participation of grass-root organisations of Haryana during the current financial year. He advised the NGOs to enhance their professional capabilities. Elaborating on the theme, he informed that a sizeable percentage of CAPART funds went to a few states in the South. Prof R.D.
Garg, Chairman, Regional Committee, Chandigarh, said Udyog Bharti had chalked out a nine-point programme tackling the problems of rural poverty. These were character, soil fertility, improvement of cattle, marketing of rural products, value addition, strengthening the
panchayats, education training, health hygiene and sanitation and rural infrastructure. Mr Gehlot said CAPART and its programmes should be popularised at various levels within the state. He advised CAPART to send its literature and other publicity materials of the Panchayati Raj institutions. He asked voluntary agencies to gear up and undertake projects to address the problems of poverty in backward regions of the state. |
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Plea to set up tourism board KARNAL, Nov 17 — The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Haryana here today urged the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to set up a tourism board in order to promote tourism industry in the state. Col. Manbeer Choudhary, president, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Haryana, told mediapersons that such a step would also help the state government in setting up a joint venture with Haryana tourism complexes. He said during the past five years, especially in the 31-month-long phase of prohibition, the hotel industry had passed through a critical phase. He said in a small state like Haryana, tourism had generated employment for more than 32,000 persons, adding that as per the figures released by the Union Ministry of Tourism, the labour ratio was the highest in the department. Tourism industry was also the second-highest foreign exchange earner. In India, it earned Rs 13,500 crore as foreign exchange last year. He urged the government to take steps to promote tourism in Haryana as was being done in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. He praised the concept of tourism complexes on national highways. He said there were 32 hotels as member of the restaurant association, out of which 18 were classified as three star and one is five star. |
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Chautala holds durbar at Palwal FARIDABAD, Nov 17 — The Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has announced that all sugar mills in the state had been directed to release the payments of the sugarcane growers in time. He said arrangements were being made to ensure the release of an amount of about Rs 85 crore in the current cane crushing season for payment of cane received by the mills. He said this while addressing farmers on the premises of the Cooperative Sugar Mill at Palwal in the district yesterday. Later, Mr Chautala listened to the problems of as many as 64 gram panchayats of the Palwal Assembly constituency at Panchayat Samiti Bhavan, Palwal. He announced financial help to several gram panchayats and in redressing several community problems, including upgradation of schools, construction of oldage homes, chaupals, retaining walls of ponds. However, no complaint about the law and order situation was entertained. |
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CM promises more water, power FATEHABAD, Nov 17 — The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, today said that the state government would not allow the shortage of power or irrigation water to come in the way of farmers during the rabi season. Mr Chautala was addressing a gathering in the Bhattu Kalan Grain Market in this district during his “Sarkar Aap Ke Dawar” programme. The Haryana Finance Minister, Mr Sampat Singh, the INLD MP from Sirsa, Dr Sushil Indora, the INLD MLA, Mr Nishan Singh, Mr Leela Krishan and Mrs Vidhya Beniwal, besides senior officers of Fatehabad and Hisar districts were present on the occasion. Speaking in chaste Bagri dialect, the Chief Minister spoke in a very informal way with the villagers of the Bhattu Kalan assembly constituency, who have been traditional supporters of the INLD. He inquired about the well-being of the villagers and their families. He asked them whether the canals and distributaries in their area were running well and whether irrigation water reached the tail-ends of the distributaries. He also inquired about the power situation. Mr Chautala said his government had laid 25 new roads in this area. Four new minors for irrigation had been constructed. He said the state government had resolved to raise the water supply to all villages in Haryana from 40 litres per capita per day to 70 litres per capita per day. He said the government would construct new waterworks and install boosting stations, besides raising the capacity of the present waterworks. |
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Science decade:
resource persons get training CHANDIGARH, Nov 17 — The Haryana State Council for Science and Technology today organised a training programme for various resource persons of the state to celebrate the “Golden Decade of Science” (1895-1905). The Director of Science and Technology, Mr V.S. Kundu, while inaugurating the programme, revealed that these resource persons would help the district administration in organising functions pertaining to the “Golden Decade”. He also highlighted the significance of several discoveries made between 1895 and 1905 which helped lay the foundation of modern science. During the one-day programme, Dr M.P. Khanna, Professor Emeritis and former Head of the Physics Department, Panjab University, highlighted the work and life of Albert Einstein. Dr Ramesh Kapoor, Professor in the Chemistry Department of Panjab University, apprised the participants of the work and life of Dimetri Mandelveev, a Russian scientist. Among the other speakers were Dr R.K. Kohli and Dr H.S. Banyal. The council released a set of five posters on the life and work of famous scientists. |
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Plan to set up sports academy in Rohtak ROHTAK, Nov 17 — Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) has proposed to set up a sports academy on the pattern of the NIS in Patiala. The Pro Vice-Chancellor, Mr Jai Kishan Sharma, told The Tribune here today that nearly 300 acres of land owned by the university along the Kanheli road had been earmarked for the academy. The project would cost about Rs 4 crore and would be shared by the Centre. The proposal, he said, was discussed with Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala and the then Union Minister of Sports Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa when they visited Rohtak on October 21 to inaugurate a state-level sports festival. The project was awaiting approval from the Centre, he said. The university, had leased out 4.60 acres to the Rajya Sainik Board for setting up war heroes and freedom fighters memorials. The land would be divided equally for the memorials, he said. The proposal for setting up these memorials was initiated six years ago but were held up as the successive Vice-Chancellors had refused to lease the land. |
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Better educational facilities assured SIRSA, Nov 17 — The Haryana Government will provide the youth with educational facilities which will enable them to make India “vishwa guru once again”, the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala said here today. He was speaking after inaugurating a three-day youth festival of the Hisar zone of Kurukshetra
University at Government P.G. National College there. Mr Chautala said such festivals would help preserve the rich cultural values and art of the state. He said the Haryana Government was committed to provide education that would equip students to make a mark in the modern hi-tech world. It was for this reason that the Government had introduced English from Class-1, he added. Expressing satisfaction over the outcome of his recent foreign trip, Mr Chautala said during his visit he had highlighted the opportunities for promotion of information technology in India and the potential of Gurgaon to be the cyber capital of Haryana. Mr Chautala said his government was committed to the development of sports, for which several steps had been taken. The award of Rs 25 lakh to Ms Maleshwari for winning a bronze in the Sydney Olympics was a step in that direction, he said. To promote sports among women, a three-day sports festival was scheduled from November 24. |
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Anti-encroachment drive ‘partial’ JHAJJAR, Nov 17 — The anti-encroachment drive initiated by the local authorities has achieved partial success in Bahadurgarh subdivision of the districts amid allegations of partiality and a minor protest by offenders. The drive was started by the local administration and the Municipal Committee with the help of the police. The authorities, however, claimed to have succeeded in getting encroachments on government land removed along the Old Najafgarh road, Jhajjar road and Railway road. A municipal bulldozer was used to demolish some podiums constructed along the Najafgarh road today. A few walls and kutcha sheds were also demolished on the Jhajjar road. On the Railway road, encroachments by hawkers were removed. |
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Hari Singh’s team
wins KUTA poll KURUKSHETRA, Nov 17 — All office-bearers and the executive members of the Kurukshetra University Teachers’ Association (KUTA) were elected unanimously here yesterday. While Prof Hari Singh of the Department of Biochemistry was elected president. The other elected office-bearers were: vice-president — Dr Ajmer Singh Malik; secretary — Dr S.S. Teotia; joint secretary — Dr Manoj Kumar Joshi; and treasurer — Dr Ravinder Singh. |
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Polytechnics asked to ready calendars CHANDIGARH, Nov 17—The Haryana Government has decided to take a number of steps to improve the standard of education in polytechnics so as to enhance the employment potential of students. The Commissioner and Secretary, Technical Education, Mr H.C. Disodia, said all polytechnics had been asked to prepare academic calendars and follow these strictly. They had also been directed to ensure that all classes strictly followed the timetable for theory and practicals. They had also been directed to complete the syllabus well in time and conduct practicals as per the syllabus. |
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Plea to
implement pension scheme CHANDIGARH, Nov 17 — The President of the Haryana Private Colleges Non-teaching Employees Union, Mr Jai Kumar, has urged the Haryana Government to expedite implementation of the pension scheme for employees of government-aided private colleges announced on May 31, 1999. He has also demanded that the employees working in private colleges should be given service benefit after completion of 10 years and 20 years of service. He also demanded that the employees should be given their salaries regularly. |
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Five computers stolen
from college KARNAL, Nov 17 — Five computers were stolen from DAV College, Pehowa, on the night of November 15. However, the management has not lodged an FIR with the police about the theft. Although a police party visited the college after knowing about the theft. Although a police party visited the college after knowing about the theft, nothing was brought on record. The computers were installed by a private dealer, who runs a computer centre in the college. The dealer is reported to have struck a deal with the college authorities that he would provide computers to the college while the college would arrange for the training of the students. The college and the dealer both shared the proceeds on fifty-fifty basis. Now neither the college authorities nor the dealer is coming forward to lodge a complaint about the theft. |
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2 killed
in car-truck
collision ROHTAK, Nov 17 — Two persons died on the spot and two were injured when their car collided with a truck near the Parle biscuit factory at Bahadurgarh, 40 km from here, last night. The deceased have been identified as Rishi Prakash and Ramesh of Sunarian Kalan village. The injured, Om Prakash of Sunarian Kalan and Vijay Pal of Beri village have been admitted to the medical college hospital here. According to police sources, the occupants of the car were on their way from Rohna in Sonepat district to Sankhol near Bahadurgarh. The police has registered a case under Sections 279, 304A and 337 of the IPC. In another incident, Shyam of Chulkana village died at the medical college hospital here today. He was admitted to the hospital after he got injured in an accident about four days ago. |
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Body found ROHTAK, Nov 17 — A body bearing multiple knife injuries was found near Pahrawar village, 10 km from here, on Thursday. The police suspects it to be a case of murder. A case has been registered and the body sent for a post-mortem examination. |
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