 |
| Saturday, July 28, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
|
How long
does it take to set up polytechnic? Electrocution:
driver, HVPN men booked Scribes
guardian of democracy, says Chautala Cong leader
demands white paper on CM’s foreign trips |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bail of
judge, wife extended Faridabad
MC fund-starved Board to
issue fitness certificate to vehicles Scheme to
develop slum areas Residents
protest against installation of new meters Shaalihotra
Tirth to open today Embankment
breach inundates fields St
George’s College wins debate contest Cong MCs
stage walkout MARKET PULSE Kisan
credit card launched Five hurt
in accident Five held
for killing man LPG
shortage over
|
|
How long does it take to set up polytechnic? Chandigarh, July 27 However, what is more intriguing is to see how long it takes for an educational institution to be set up in Haryana. In fact, one polytechnic, to be set up at Dabwali town of Sirsa district, was proposed when Mr Bhajan Lal was the Chief Minister. After Mr Chautala became the Chief Minister by “dethroning” Mr Bansi Lal, he announced the setting up of polytechnics at two places in Sirsa, taking the number of proposed polytechnics for Sirsa to three. A state government note on the status report of new polytechnics coming up in Haryana throws light on the enormous sluggishness shown by successive governments in Haryana in the completion of these projects. The proposed polytechnic at Dabwali received the approval of the state government in April, 1994 and that of the All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) in April, 1995. Subsequently, panchayat land measuring more than 21 acres was transferred for the establishment of the institutions. Amazingly, despite seven years having passed after the proposal was approved by the state government, construction work on the polytechnic could not be started. Importantly, there are at least two projects which have been in the pipeline for more than seven years. A proposed polytechnic in Rajpura village in Jind district received the state government’s clearance in October, 1992, and the approval of the AICTE in April, 1995. Twenty acres of panchyat land was made available for the polytechnic, which is yet to take shape. Similarly, another polytechnic, to be set up at Umari in Kurukshetra district, was approved by the state government in June, 1993. It received the approval of the AICTE in June, 1994, and subsequently more than 20 acres of panchyat land was transferred for this purpose. Nothing further has been done on that score. One polytechnic was proposed to be set up at Dhamlawas in Rewari district. It received the approval of the state government in July, 1995, and that of the AICTE in August the same year. More than 20 acres of land was transferred for the polytechnic and even the foundation stone was laid by a VVIP. However, till date construction work on the poytechnic has not started. Similarly, the foundation stone was laid and 20 acres of panchayat land was transferred for a polytechnic in Pabnawa village which received the state government’s clearance in November, 1995, and the approval of the AICTE in April, 1997. The construction of the polytechnic, however, is yet to start. The only polytechnic on which progress has been made is the one coming up at Loharu in Bhiwani district. Initiated by Mr Som Vir, local MLA and son-in-law of the then Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, the Loharu polytechnic received the approval of the state government in December, 1996, and that of the AICTE in May, 1997. Till January 31, 2001, more than Rs 3.5 crore was spent on this institution coming up on more 29 acres of land purchased at a cost of Rs 37.92 lakh. It is proposed to make admissions to this institution on its own campus during the 2001-2002 academic session. Apparently, Mr Ajay Chautala’s election from the Bhiwani parliamentary constituency, of which Loharu is a part, has ensured that work on the polytechnic does not slow down. Since Mr Om Prakash Chautala became the Chief Minister in July, 1999, five new polytechnics had been proposed for Haryana, including two in Sirsa district. The Deputy Commissioner of Sirsa has been asked to make land available for the polytechnic at Odhan, while in the case of the poytechnic at Panniwala, also in Sirsa, panchayat land is being transferred. The Chief Minister has also announced a polytechnic for Dudhola in Faridabad district and another one for Bapoli in Panipat district. The Deputy Commissioners of Faridabad and Panipat have been asked to arrange land for these two
institutions. The state government has also approved a polytechnic for Tohana in Fatehabad district (approval granted on January 27, 2000) and the Deputy Commissioner has been asked to arrange land for it. However, with proposals approved back in 1992 still waiting to materialise, when the recently announced polytechnics are going to take shape is anybody’s guess. |
|
Electrocution: driver, HVPN men booked Kurukshetra, July 27 The victims were going to participate in the Bhiwani rally to mark the completion of two years of the Chautala government. No arrests have been made so far. A private bus, carrying 35 persons from Diwana touched a high tension overhead wire while crossing a newly-constructed culvert on a water canal on the outskirts of the village. The tyres of the bus caught fire and many passengers had jumped out in panic from the bus. But when they touched the ground, the power circuit got completed and one by one nine persons died on the spot. The Chief Minister yesterday announced an ex gratia of Rs 1 lakh and government job to a dependent of the nine victims. Two persons were still in a serious condition at Civil Hospital here. The case was registered on the complaint of a survivor, Gurmail Singh.
UNI |
|
Scribes
guardian of democracy, says Chautala Panipat, July 27 While paying tributes to the martyrs on the second anniversary of the Kargil war, the Chief Minister said the people and the state government would never forget the sacrifices made by the Army jawans and officers in the war. The government had initiated a number of welfare schemes for the families of martyrs and disabled soldiers of Kargil war, including ex gratia and other benefits. Listing two years’ achievements of his government, the Chief Minister claimed that the state had witnessed progress in every field and reiterated his commitment to make the state the most developed one. On the occasion the Chief Minister distributed scholarships worth Rs 10 lakh sponsored by a Hindi daily. The function was also addressed by director of Heights Institute Arjun Kumar. The Speaker, Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Mr Satbeer Singh Kadian, Chairman, Haryana Housing Board Krishan Lal
Pawar, Deputy Commissioner M.R. Anand and other district officers were also present on the occasion. |
|
Cong leader
demands white paper on CM’s foreign trips Chandigarh, July 27 Captain Yadav alleged at a press conference here that a large amount of money was being spent recklessly on such tours, without any corresponding advantage to the state or its people. He said while the state government was imposing heavy taxes and other levies on the people, it was spending the hard-earned revenue of the state on meaningless foreign jaunts of the powers that be. He said the people had a right to know how much foreign investment and other benefits had accrued to the state by virtue of such visits. He said the Chief Minister’s proposed tour of Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Tunisia and Italy next month was untimely because it would not yield any fruits in terms of foreign investment at a time when the world economy had slowed down. Criticising the performance of the Chautala government in the past two years, Captain Yadav alleged that official machinery was grossly misused for a rally organised by the ruling INLD in Bhiwani to mark the completion of two years of the chief ministership of Mr Chautala. He alleged that hundreds of private vehicles were impounded to carry people to the rally, which, he said, proved frustrating to the people because Mr Chautala failed to make any announcement for the welfare of the state. Referring to the induction of the RLD leader, Mr Ajit Singh, in the Union Cabinet as the Agriculture Minister despite stiff opposition by Mr Chautala, Captain Yadav said this showed that the INLD leader was not at ease with the NDA. He said by dabbling in UP politics, Mr Chautala made Mr Ajit Singh “a hero from a zero”. He said if the INLD contested the UP Vidhan Sabha election, it would draw a blank. He alleged that to oblige the land mafia the Chautala government was planning to convert the Gurgaon Municipal Committee into a corporation so that the land of neighbouring villages could be sold to private colonisers for a song. |
|
|
Bail of judge, wife extended Hisar, July 27 The court extended the bail in view of the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, in which it directed the Civil Surgeon to conduct a DNA test of the child, Arshdeep, and a local couple — Balraj Singh and Sunita Devi — who claim to be the parents of the child. Mr Balraj Singh had complained to the police that a tantrik, Prem Dass, and his four associates had taken the custody of his one-month-old child six years ago, saying that he was a genie. After this, they had handed over the baby to the judge. After this, Mr Virdi had sought anticipatory bail. His wife Deependra Tur filed an application in the high court, seeking direction to the police not to take custody of the child. She also claimed that she had given birth to the child and was ready for the DNA test. The high court fixed August 6 for the test. The tantrik had been sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment in a similar case two months ago by a local court. He is lodged in the Central Jail, here. |
|
Faridabad
MC fund-starved Faridabad, July 27 The officiating Mayor of the corporation, Mr Shiv Charan Lal Sharma has tried to raise this issue since he took over the post on July 12, when his predecessor Devender Bhadana was voted out after a no-trust move. The corporation has an annual budget of about Rs 119 crore, but it is finding its normal functioning difficult. A major reason is the non-recovery of various taxes and charges levied by the MCF on services. It is learnt that the corporation is yet to recover over Rs 15 crore as house tax, development fees, water bills, fee for mining work in the district and other services. The corporation has to bear an expenditure of about Rs 5 crore per month towards the salary of its staff, telephone bills, power charges and maintenance work. The corporation is preparing to pay the pending power bill, amounting to over Rs 50 lakh for which the authorities concerned have already served a notice. According to MCF sources, a large number of residents, mostly of the NIT region had failed to submit their house tax and the pending amount could be around Rs 3 crore. It is learnt that residents of NIT are up in arms over hiking of the house tax rates and decided to pay the tax on old rates only, which is not acceptable to the corporation. The corporation also is due to get over Rs 3 crore from various mining agencies and companies. These companies have failed to submit the municipal tax on time and the payment has soared to a level, where they are finding it difficult to clear. Lack of proper and timely action on the part of MCF officials to recover all such dues is stated to have led to a deterioration of the situation. The officiating Mayor said that a delegation of the corporation would soon meet the Chief Minister to seek a special grant of around Rs 20 crore from the state government to tide over the crisis. |
|
Board to
issue fitness certificate to vehicles Chandigarh, July 27 A pressnote issued by the government said the board of inspection would carry out its function on every Monday and Friday near the State Bank of India, Ambala City, every Tuesday on the Shimla road, front of the Panchkula DC office, every Wednesday and Thursday at the Jagadhri court ground in Yamunanagar and on Monday and Friday near the Karnal mini secretariat. The press note said the work would similarly be carried out on every Tuesday near Punjabi Dhaba, Karnal bypass at Kaithal, every Wednesday and Thursday at the Kurukshetra mini-secretariat, every Monday, Tuesday and Friday in Sector 12 near E and T Building at Faridabad, every Wednesday near the Sonepat mini-secretariat, every Thursday near Singla Palace Cinema, Barsat Road, Panipat, every Monday and Friday in Sector 32 near the Sohna chowk in Gurgaon, every Tuesday opposite Committee Ground, Rewari, every Wednesday and Thursday at the back of the Mohindergarh, every Monday and Friday on the Hisar road, near Railway bridge at Rohtak, and every Tuesday at the Nehru stadium, near the Jhajjar bus stand. The works would also be carried out on every Wednesday opposite Anaz Mandi at Bhiwani, every Thursday near Sabji Mandi at Jind, every Monday and Friday at Azad Nagar in Hisar, every Tuesday at Anaz Mandi in Fatehabad and every Wednesday and Thursday near TV relay centre at Sirsa. The board of inspection of each district would inspect vehicles registered within the territorial jurisdiction of that district only and not of any other district. It would operate from the office of the District Transport Officer of each district where the fees for inspection would be required to be deposited The vehicles whose owners reside in the subdivision other than the headquarters sub-division of the district would be required to be brought for physical inspection. |
|
Scheme to develop slum areas Sonepat, July 27 According to official sources, the council has also prepared a separate project at a cost of Rs 232.11 lakh for the development of other areas of the city. For environmental improvement and pollution control, the council has also formulated another project for Rs 18.12 lakh. Under the revenue earning scheme, the council has undertaken the construction of 50 shops in the Model Town and other areas of the city. In order to ensure smooth and free traffic, the council has decided to construct two bridges on drain No. 6 passing through the city at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. These bridges will ensure the movement of traffic from Rathdhanna Road to the inter-state Sonepat-Meerut road. In order to increase its income, the council has demanded direct payment of the area development cess to it as well share in entertainment tax bring charged by the state government from the owners of cinema houses. It has also sought the increase in stamp duty from 3 per cent to 5 per cent and enhancement of show tax from Rs 8 to Rs 50. The council has also demanded 10 per cent share from the market fee being collected from the traders of foodgrains and vegetable and fruit markets by the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board. |
|
Residents
protest against installation of new meters Kurukshetra, July 27 Meanwhile, the authorities of the local Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam would organise a demonstration regarding working of electric meters at the premises of Jangra Dharamshala here at 4 p.m. tomorrow. The UHBVN authorities have claimed that this demonstration would alley the fears of the consumers that the new electric meters recorded more consumption by running faster than the mechanical meters. |
|
Shaalihotra Tirth to
open
today Kurukshetra, July 27 Stating this here today, the KDB Chief Executive Officer, Ms Sukirti Likhi, said the Shaalihotra Tirth was the place where Yaksha appeared and asked five questions from the Pandvas before quenching their thirst. She said on the occasion of the tenth birth anniversary of Shri Krishna Museum here, Babu Parmanand would unveil an eight-tonne beautifully crafted bronze statue of ‘Venugopal’ on the premises of the museum. He will also inaugurate an exhibition of rare and old statues. The exhibition will depict the rich and ancient cultural heritage of the Kurukshetra region. Talking about the KDB’s further plans, Mrs Likhi said the KDB had decided to translate its website on Kurukshetra into English and to beautify the city’s gardens covering about 90-acre area. She said the KDB had planned to organise a regular cultural and quiz programmes. Besides, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Abhilaksh Likhi, Haryana Urban Development Commissioner, Secretary Manik Sonawane, Haryana Governor Secretary and KDB member secretary S.P. Sharma are likely to attend the function tomorrow. |
|
Embankment breach
inundates fields Sonepat, July 27 According to a report, residents of the village assembled at the site immediately and succeeded in filling the gap with the help of officials of the Irrigation Department. Many residents alleged that some portions of the embankment of the distributary had become weak and the officials concerned had failed to strengthen these in spite of repeated complaints. They have demanded compensation to the farmers whose crops have been damaged. |
|
St George’s College wins debate contest Ambala, July 27 The teams from St George’s College, Mussoorie was the overall winner. While Yudhistir Rana of St George’s College,
Mussoorie, won the first prize, the second prize went to his team mate Sagar Malik. The third prize was bagged by Ms Anjanjot from St Joseph’s Convent, Jalandhar. Participants in the debate were from six schools in the region. Chaman
Vatika, Ambala City was represented by Shivendra Swaroop and Varun Jain. St Kabir Public School, Chandigarh, was represented by Sahil Wadhwa and Harkaran Virk. St George’s College,
Mussoorie, was represented by Yudhishthir Rana and Sagar Malik. St Joseph’s Convent, Jalandhar, was represented by Ms Anjanjot and Ms
Gunjan. Carmel Convent School, Nahan, was represented by Ms Prarthna and Ms Surya Saini. Brooklyn School, Dehradun, was represented by Himanshu Kuriyal and Ms Bhavana
Tiwari. The chief guest was Ms Rita Wilson, Deputy Secretary of Council of ICSE. The three judges for the debate competition were Ms Poonam Sodhi, Mr Samson F. Masih and Mr James Norman. The chairperson was Dr Sushil Kansal of S.D. College, Ambala Cantt. The topic for the debate was “In the opinion of the House greed was what defines the Indian society today”. The participants deftly handled the subject and the arguments for and against the motion were not only put across with conviction but also with aplomb. The rebuttal session including some difficult questions which were replied well by the participants. Speaking for the motion, Shivendra Swaroop of Chaman
Vatika, said the scams and scandals were due to the greed of the people. “There is corruption in politics and greed has become an integral part of our society”, he
said. Varun Jain of Chaman Vatika, Ambala, who was speaking against the motion, said that one who is greedy cope up with life. “It is necessary to give up greed. We have inherited the culture of our forefathers which is clear that we should not be greedy“, he said. Meanwhile, four schools from all over the region participated in the stage-II, category of the fifth annual Frank Anthony Memorial All India Inter School Debate Competition held at Yadavindra Public School, SAS Nagar, here today. The debate was conducted by the Indian Council of Secondary Education board. The topic on which the students debated was “In the opinion of the House — Education today has lost its real meaning and purpose.” Students debated for and against the motion. In the end there was a rebuttal round among the students for and against the topic. The exchange of notes among students was quite informative and intellectual. The four schools which participated in the debate included Mayo College Girls School, Ajmer, Auckland House School, Shimla, Yadavindra Public School, SAS Nagar, and Yadavindra Public School,
Patiala. YPS, SAS Nagar, won the finals of the Debate Competition. The team of the school would go for the national finals to be held at Doon School, Dehradun, on October 6. The judges for the debate included former Principal of Government College in Sector 11, Ms S.
Kalha, Vice-Principal, Vivek High School, Sector 38, Ms Daman Duggal and Director, Regional Institute of English, Ms Brinda Aulakh. The chairperson for the event was, Principal, St Stephens School, Sector 45, Mr Harold
Carver. Yadavindra Public School, Patiala got the second position and Mayo College Girls School, Ajmer the third position, Angad Singh Dhindsa
(YPS, Patiala ) got the first position, Simarpuneet Kaur (YPS, SAS Nagar) was placed second and Naveen Naqvi (Mayo College Girls School, Ajmer) was third. |
|
Cong MCs stage walkout Ambala, July 27 The meeting of Municipal Councillors from Ambala City, Ambala Cantonment, Pinjore, Naraingarh and Kalka was presided over by Haryana Minister Subhash Goyal. When Mr Goyal started speaking about house tax, the Congress Municipal Councillors from Ambala City objected and said that the new house tax policy was anti-people. The Congress Municipal Councillors claimed that the new house tax policy contained certain inherent flaws which were to the disadvantage of the common man. They stated that a large number of people would have to now pay excess house tax. After registering their protest, the Congress MCs walked out of the meeting. They raised slogans against the new house tax policy outside the meeting venue in Panchayat Bhavan, Ambala City. Later, they submitted a memorandum against the new house tax policy. During the meeting, when suggestions were called for, the Municipal Councillors from Ambala City as well as Ambala Cantonment opined that there were irregularities in the Municipal Councils which needed to be checked. They demanded that comprehensive investigation must be carried out in the functioning of Municipal Councils. The Municipal Councillors also spoke about various civic issues, including water-logging, strengthening of fire-brigade services, programmes to check stray cattle and regular cleaning-up operations. |
|
MARKET
PULSE Ambala, July 27 Speaking on the occasion, Mr Laxmi Sagar, an industrialist, various issues concerning exporters. He cited examples to show various difficulties being faced by exporters. The northern region chief of the corporation, Ms Geeta Murlidhar, said payment for goods shipped by an exporter was open to certain risks, unless the payment had been received in advance or was supported by an irrevocable letter of credit confirmed by a bank in India. “In any case, the existence of risks and the exporter’s knowledge of their existence, may make him adopt a very cautious attitude towards new business ventures. The corporation has designed a policy to protect exporters from losses that may arise due to a variety of commercial and political risks which are beyond his control. Backed by this assurance , an exporter can expand his business by taking on new buyers, entering new markets or by taking up new products,” she said. Ms Murlidhar said the corporation had designed several policies to suit every type of export transaction. For exporters with an annual turnover in excess of Rs 25 lakh, the Shipments (Comprehensive Risks) Policy was the one intended for covering shipments made on cash or short-term credit basis. Under this policy, the corporation covers, from the date of shipment, the risks including insolvency of the buyer, failure of the buyer to make payment within a specified period and buyer’s failure to accept the goods, subject to certain conditions. |
|
Kisan credit card launched Ambala, July 27 Under the kisan credit card scheme, out of 56,500 eligible farmers in the district, 42,500 farmers have already been provided with the credit card amount to Rs 54.64 crore and of the remaining 14,000 farmers, the target for the current year has been fixed for the coverage of 5650 farmers, Senior Regional Manager, Punjab National Bank, Mr V.J. Mattoo, said. He said that kisan credit cards are issued to progressive, literate as well as illiterate farmers who are owners, cultivators and tenants with recorded occupancy right or perpetual rights of cultivation. The amount of loan limit is worked out on the basis of the total income of the farmer. “The purpose of the loan is to meet the short-term working capital needs for agricultural activities as well as other domestic requirements such as education, medical expenses and consumption purposes. All the commercial banks, cooperative banks and regional rural banks would be providing the facility of kisan credit cards,” he said.  |
|
Five hurt in accident Kurukshetra, July 27 The injured, who were admitted to a private nursing home, were identified as Arvind, a resident of Naraingarh (Ambala), Subhash Bindra, his wife Rita and their daughter Vaishali, all residents of Dhoolkot (Ambala) and Raghubir Singh, a resident of Kalanaur (Rohtak). |
|
Five held for killing man Kurukshetra, July 27 Stating this here today, the district police chief, Mr Desraj Singh, said Raj Kumar and his brother Toti Ram, were going to their village on their tractor when five occupants of a Tata Sumo beat them up with stones and lathis, injuring both the brothers. Both the brothers were rushed to the hospital but Raj Kumar succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital, he added. He said Sheesh Pal, Prem Chand and Jaspal, all residents of Murtzapur village and Karan and Vikas, both residents of Ram Chander Colony, had been arrested. |
|
LPG shortage over Chandigarh, July 27 According to informed sources, the looming threat of cooking gas shortage at the hands of the Indane distributors in Haryana is now over. |
|
Rana made head of Sewa Dal unit Chandigarh, July 27 Mr Rana had won on the Congress (Tiwari) ticket from the Rajaund Assembly constituency in Kaithal district in 1996. Later the party had merged with the Congress. He lost the last election which he contested on the Congress ticket. Mr Rana, a law graduate, said here today that he would organise camps of Sewa Dal volunteers in each district to galvanise them. He also expressed the hope that he would soon be able to constitute his committee. He is considered to be close to a former Haryana Congress president, Mr Birender Singh. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
