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April 14, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Hippocratic oath is not for every doctor Faridabad, April 13 He said she could not be diagnosed properly. The police also failed to register a case or arrest the culprits till her death. In a similar incident, a truck driver of Daulatabad village near Sector-16 A here also suffered under similar circumstances. The driver who had been grievously injured in an accident was not admitted in the hospital for some reasons. As a result, the poor man died in the park outside the hospital. These are not isolated cases, such incidents keep trickling in when poor patients do not get proper treatment at Civil Hospital. In several cases, patients have to go to private hospitals and clinics, which have mushroomed in and around the town. The residents of Prem Nagar, Sector-17 here, had blocked the road recently in protest against the death of Pushpa, but no action has been taken so far against anyone, despite an assurance. Mr Krishan Lal Gera, a social activist, here has demanded an action against the doctors or the staff responsible for the death of Pushpa and the truck driver. He has also demanded the transfer of the doctors and nurses at Civil Hospital. |
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Grain dealers hazy about licences Rohtak, April 13 The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution had issued an order called the “Removal of (Licensing requirements, Stock Limits and Movement Restrictions) on Specified Foodstuffs order, 2002 on February 15. The Centre said that with the coming into effect of this order, any dealer might freely buy, stock, sell, transport, distribute, dispose, acquire, use or consume any quantity of wheat, paddy/rice/coarse grains, sugar, edible oilseeds and edible oils and shall not require a permit or licence thereof under any order issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. Overwhelmed by the Centre’s order about the removal of licensing restrictions, most of the grain dealers in Haryana did not apply for the renewal of their licences within the stipulated period that ended on March 31. The renewal fee at the rate of Rs 1,000 has to be deposited by February 28 and the paperwork completed by March 31. There are over 10,000 grain dealers in Haryana. The District Food and Supplies Controller, Rohtak has informed the president of the Foodgrain Dealers Association that the Haryana Government has not issued any notification on the removal of licensing requirements by the Centre. “Unless the state government decides otherwise, the licensing requirements will continue,” he said on April 11. Mr Narain Parsad Goyal, president of the association, told ‘NCR Tribune’ that a vast majority of dealers had not got their licences renewed and might not be able to buy or sell wheat, sarson crops etc that the farmers have started bringing in mandis for sale. |
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Panipat civic amenities in a mess Panipat, April 13 A visit to different areas of the city, including the so-called posh areas, can be a nightmare, official statements to the contrary notwithstanding. Perhaps, the most acute problem of the city is the lack of sanitation facilities. The concept of garbage bins seems to be alien to the city. The official apathy and lack of civic sense among the people is evident from the fact that any open space is good enough to be used as a garbage dumping area. With the stray cattle and pigs having a field day, the garbage is spilled over to roads inviting sundry diseases. To top it all, the menace of polythene bags compounds the problem. The condition of the parks is no better. In fact, most of the parks are the haunts of pigs and other stray cattle. Not to speak of the “less-privileged” areas, certain parks in the posh areas like Model Town and the Narain Singh Park are in a state of neglect. Despite the name, the Narain Singh Park, which houses the residences of the DC, the SDM, judges and certain other high officials, continues to be without a good park where the people could stroll in the morning and evening. The less said about the maintenance of Halli Park the better. Even as the parks in the city areas cry for attention, the district administration, in its own wisdom, had started construction on the 44-acre Tau Devi Lal Town Park at the cost of Rs 1.27 crore and, that too, about 6 km from the city. Moreover, what is distressing is that certain parks had been reduced to garbage dumping areas. With garbage, stray cattle and pollution ruling the roost, it is a virtual miracle that no major epidemic had broken out in the city so far. Perhaps, the administration is waiting for some such epidemic to break out to get its act together. If you are on the road, you are in for a bumpy ride all the way. There are no roads worth the name in some of the interior areas of the city. The same is true about the sewerage. Erratic power supply ensures that residents are forced to spend sleepless nights even as mosquitoes add to the misery. Shortage in power is not the immediate worry of affluent residents a majority of them have installed generator sets or invertors. The water supply seems to be normal now. The Public Health Department, however, would have a tough time in maintaining normalcy in peak summer when a major part of the state faces water crisis. |
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Rachna Govil’s house gutted New Delhi, April 13 The national record holder in air pistol senior women category was not at home when the incident occurred around 4.30 pm in which the entire house was reduced to ashes. Property, including her more than 200 awards and certificates, worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed in the fire which lasted for almost an hour before the personnel of the Delhi Fire Service doused it. The fire caused considerable panic in the area and residents thronged the house of the sportswoman to render whatever help they could. The police said that a case had been registered and efforts were being made to ascertain the exact cause of the fire and the damage incurred.
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Delhiites in their Baisakhi best throng gurdwaras
The harvest festival, Baisakhi, was celebrated in the Capital today with religious fervour and gaiety. Several functions were organised in different parts of the city in which a large number of people participated and an atmosphere of festivity prevailed. For the Sikh community, the day is of special significance as it was on this day that Guru Gobind Singh established the Khalsa. The community had recently celebrated the tercentenary of the birth of Khalsa. Several functions were organised in different gurdwaras in the Capital with noted ragis rendering Shabad Kirtan, which mesmerised the audience. Devotees dressed in new clothes thronged the gurdwaras since early morning to pay their obeisance and greet one another. The Thakur Dwara Trust organised cultural programmes in the Capital, which evoked keen interest amongst audiences. A number of children participated in different cultural shows in different locations and gurdwaras. The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee organised a function at Gurdwara Majnu Ka Tilla to celebrate the birth of Khalsa, where Sri Sukhmani Sahib and Nitnem were recited. Asa Di Var and Shabad Kirtan were rendered by raji jatha of Avtar Singh Gurcharan Singh and Giani Satnam Singh, head Granthi of Gurdwara Nanak Piao, completed his lecture about Shabad Vichar of Baisakhi.
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DLF murder solved Gurgaon The police arrested the duo, Prem Singh and Vinod Kumar, who confessed that they first distorted the television cable network of the house and then approached the woman to rectify the fault. An unsuspecting Ms Karolin allowed them inside. As pre-planned, the duo, finding her alone, attacked her. OC
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Six cops suspended
New Delhi
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Shortage of stations, personnel plagues DFS New Delhi, April 13 Due to the inadequate number of fire stations, fire fighters face difficulty to meet the average response time that is three to five minutes in the urban area and seven minutes in the rural area. Besides, traffic jams, congested localities and narrow by-lanes are the other factors that put a hurdle in the way of fire fighters to reach the spot on time. While addressing the newsmen on the eve of the Fire Service Week, the fire chief said that most of the fire incidents occurred in the jhuggi clusters. The reason was that materials used for construction of jhuggis were highly combustible and produced toxic gases when they catch fire. In 2000, a total of 5,409 jhuggis were burnt while 3,765 jhuggis were gutted in 2001. In 2001, the DFS received a total number of 13,685 calls. Of them, 700 were found fake calls. The fire chief said the annual fire losses and number of fire incidents in residential clusters and high-rise buildings increased whereas the total number of fire calls, number of fatalities and fire incidents in industrial units and JJ clusters had come down. Most of the deaths reported in the fires were on account of inhalation of toxic gases which are liberated when plastics get burnt. |
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SEARCH WITHIN I was in Gujarat along with a multi-religious peace mission comprising, among others, Swami Agnivesh, Admiral Ramdas, Nirmala Deshpande, Muslim and Christian leaders. We went there on April 1 and returned on April 5. The numerous reports in the media about the recent events in Gujarat present a challenge to the conscience of all right thinking people. A peace pilgrimage undertaken by religious leaders headed by Swami Agnivesh, Arya Samaj leader, recently ( April 1 to April 5) provided the 70-member team to have a first-hand experience of the tension that still prevails in the state, more than one month after the Godhra incident. After more than a month, thousands of riot victims are still in refugee camps in the state unable to return home. They feel insecure. Life in these camps is far from being comfortable. Visitors to these camps can hear the unending tales of human cruelty perpetrated by mobs. Looting, rape and arson had taken place with the police and even the administration allegedly playing a partisan role. At the Juhapura camp in Sankalit Nagar, near Ahmedabad, one could feel the tension in the air. Many have been without jobs for a month and desperation is written large on the faces of the humanity thronging the camp. It would seem pointless to preach peace to a people who have been badly hurt, are hungry and uncertain of the future. Unlike at the time of the earthquake, there are not many efforts to provide relief and rehabilitation. The immediate need is to provide succor to the affected. If the repeated lament that the Gujarat events had brought shame to the nation is to ring true, then steps must be taken to rush help and to rehabilitate those who had lost their homes and their everything. It will take a long time for the wounds to heal but not to take measures to bring the culprits to book is to send a wrong message both to victims and perpetrators of the heinous crimes. The partition bloodbath of 1947 has left a trail of hatred and both nations have reaped its bitter fruits in the past 53 years. Besides, the human tragedy, it has diverted huge funds from development efforts to the building up of armies and making of weapons of mass destruction. The Kashmir issue is again part of the legacy of hatred. Politicians and statesmen had not shown farsightedness in handling the issues and the result is continued poverty of large masses, illiteracy and slow growth of economies. The seeds of hatred sown now will yield a harvest of trouble, sooner or later, unless steps are taken to douse the flames of hatred. Sane voices in the country pleaded with the then Central government that it apologise for the demolition of Babri Masjid by communal elements and thereby restore credence in India’s secularism. The plea, if accepted, could have gone a long way in restoring the faith of the people in justice and righteousness. Then in the wake of Mrs Indira Gandhi’s assassination, communal hatred took a toll of nearly 3,000 lives — that of Sikhs. And then in Gujarat, UP and a few other places, the Christians became the target of fanatic elements. And now the carnage in Gujarat has brought a bad name to
the country. Who is responsible for all these? A large section in all communities is peace loving and tolerant; a lunatic fringe holds the country to ransom. In that we have all failed to defend the innocent against the outrageous elements, we are all guilty. When larger issues like poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and disease confront the nation, it is tragic that the nation’s energies are concentrated on disputes about mandirs and masjids so irrelevant to the masses, who remain poor and miserable. For them building a house is a lesser priority than having daily bread. All of us should hang our heads in shame for what had happened in Gujarat. If the speechless majority continues to remain uninvolved, it could prove disastrous. Six million Jews perished in genocide under Hitler because other sections of society chose to remain
silent. “Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a disgrace to any nation,” reads proverbs 14:34 (Bible). The “narrowing of vision” which has led to intolerance needs to be countered by all who love India and its people. The good people cannot remain silent. They must speak out. Otherwise, it will be too late. Martin Niemoler (1892—1984) observed, referring to times under the Nazis: “In Germany, the Nazis came first for the communists, and I did not speak because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak up because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I was a Protestant and so I did not speak up. Then they came for me and by that time there was no one left to speak for anyone.’’ India needs to be made safe for all Indians, regardless of their religion. “I do not expect the India of my dream to develop one religion, i.e. to be wholly Hindu, or wholly Christian, or wholly Mussalman, but I want it to be wholly tolerant, with its religions working side by side with one another,” wrote Gandhi who did not want any Indian to be judged by his colour, creed or religion.
M P K Kutty
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16 Sonepat councillors to keep off Sonepat, April 13 Many councillors said that the boycott of the meetings would continue until the Chairman, Mr Satpal Goel, was removed from the post. Twenty-four councillors had earlier revolted against Mr Goel and made an attempt to submit a memorandum along with their affidavits to the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, during his recent visit to the city but could not do so. The memorandum, which was finally submitted to independent MLA and close associate of Mr Chautala, Dev Raj Dewan and district president of the INLD Ranbir Dahiya, had also pointed out that all the 24 councillors had lost their faith in the Chairman and they wanted to replace him through a no-confidence motion. But the ruling party INLD was opposed to this move. Meanwhile, 16 members of the council boycotted the meeting convened by the Chairman here on Friday. As a result, Mr Goel postponed the meeting without taking up any proceedings. According to another report, the meeting of the panchayat samiti of Kharkhauda was also postponed on account of the boycott by the majority of the members on Friday. Hence, the annual budget of the samiti for 2002-2003 could not be adopted. |
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Excise revenue goes up by 24 pc Sonepat, April 13 He also disclosed that the highest collection was from the excise duty totalling Rs 30.01 crore from the sale of IMFL. The excise duty on country liquor, he said, brought Rs 5.65 crore during the period under review. Similarly, the collection of excise duty from the sale of beer also yielded Rs 4.35 crore in the district. Mr Sandhu also stated that the Excise Department had recovered Rs 29.09 lakh as penalty between June last year and March 31 this year from the liquor smugglers hauled up during the period. The officials of the department, he said, had also impounded 69 vehicles used for smuggling liquor and confiscated 527 bottles of IMFL, 3,315 bottles of country liquor, 150 bottles of illicit liquor and 132 bottles of beer during the period under review. Mr Sandhu claimed that the department had taken a series of measures to check the smuggling of liquor from other states. The officials of the department, he said, were patrolling round the clock along the border with Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Special mobile force had also been deployed along the embankments of the Yamuna and on the inter-state road to curb smuggling. He claimed that the incidence of liquor smuggling has decreased considerably and the income from the excise duty has gone up manifold. The officials of the department, he said, were rendering all-out assistance to the police in curbing the activities of the liquor mafia in the district. He said that a large number of youths were engaged in liquor smuggling as they wanted to become richer in one night. |
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GETTING AWAY The search for peace and the ultimate truth has always attracted people to this picturesque town of Uttarkashi in Uttaranchal. The town situated at a distance of 145 km from Rishikesh and at an elevation of 1158 mts. on the bank of the Bhagirathi river, acquires importance because of its significant pilgrimage-centres: Gangotri, Yamunotri. The devastating earthquake in Uttarkashi in the early hours of October 20, 1991, claimed several lives and wreaked havoc on the region and nearby areas. However, this has not deterred pilgrims from visiting the area. The temples and ghats of this beautiful small town have names almost identical to those in Varanasi, a historical city in the Indian plains. The most important temple dedicated to Shiva is known as Vishwanath Mandir.
Nachiketa Tal A drive through the terraced fields takes one to Chaurangi-Khal, a place 29 km from Uttarkashi. From there 3-km trek through the lush green forests takes one to Nachiketa Tal, a tranquil spot. There is greenery all around and a small temple at the bank of the lake gives it a serene look. Nachiketa, the devout son of sage Uddalak, is said to have created this lake, hence the name.
Maneri On the way to Gangotri, at a distance of about 13 km from Uttarkashi, Maneri has lately emerged as a place of tourist interest as a result of the construction of a dam across the Bhagirathi river, from where the water is fed to the turbines through an 8-km-long tunnel at Tiloth in Uttarkashi. The resultant lake at Maneri has added to the charm of the place.
Gangnani Further up on way to Gangotri about 26 km from Maneri, is the hot water spring at Gangnani, where one can have refreshing bath in the kund, Rishikund. There is a temple near the kund dedicated to the sage Parashar, believed to be the father of Ved Vyas.
Harsil The Bhagirathi valley is most enchanting and preserves many colourful spots in its lap. Situated at a distance of 73 km from Uttarkashi on way to Gangotri, at an elevation of 2620 mts, this sylvan hamlet is famous for its natural beauty and delicious apples.
Dodi Tal Dodi Tal is situated at an elevation of 3307 mts. north of Uttarkashi and is surrounded by dense forests of oak, deodar and rhododendrons. The crystal clear lake is full of rare fish like the Himalayan Golden Trouts. The trek to Dodi Tal begins from Uttarkashi to Kalyani and is approachable by motor.
Bhairon Ghati On way to Uttarkashi, Bhaironghati is a place where one can stay and enjoy the mountainous landscape. A temple of Bhairon Devta here is visited by scores of pilgrims. The awe-inspiring lofty peaks, deep gorge of Jahnavi and Bhagirathi rivers with a bridge at a considerable altitude from river level flowing below and the towering deodar trees provide a rare natural bonanza.
Dayara Bugyal Bugyal in the local language means, “high altitute meadow”. The road to Dayara Bugyal branches off near Bhatwari, a place on Uttarkashi-Gangotri Road about 28 km from Uttarkashi. Situated at an elevation of about 3048 mts., this vast meadow is second to none in natural beauty. During winter, it provides excellent ski slopes over an area of 28 sq. kms. The panoramic view of the Himalayas from here is breathtaking.
Sat-Tal Sat-Tal, meaning seven lakes, is situated just above Dharali, 2 km beyond Harsil. The trek of about 5 km is rewarding as this group of lakes is situated amid beautiful natural surroundings. It also provides lovely camp sites.
Kedartal This spectacular and enchanting lake is situated at a distance of about 18 km from Gangotri, negotiable through a rough and tough mountain trail. The trek is very tiring and there are testing moments even for a hardy trekker. There is no facility of any kind on the way and one has to make all arrangements in advance. A local guide is a must. The lake is crystal clear with the mighty Thalaysagar (Sphatikl-ing) peak forming a splendid backdrop.
The Gaumukh glacier is the source of Bhagirathi (Ganga) and is held in high esteem by the devouts who do not miss the opportunity to have a holy dip in the bone-chilling icy water. It is 18 km trek from Gangotri. The trek is easy and at times people come back to Gangotri the same day. Chamba Situated at an elevation of 1,524 mt, it is a picturesque place commanding a panoramic view of the Himalayas. Road from here bifurcates for Mussoorie, New Tehri and Rishikesh.
Goddess Yamuna The temple was built by Maharani Gularia of Jaipur in the 19th century. It was destroyed twice in the present century and rebuilt again. The temple remains closed from November to April/ May.
Nandan Van These two spots are situated opposite the Gangotri glacier further up from Gaumukh, at a distance of 6 km, from where visitors can have a superb view of the majestic Shivling peak. These are ideal spots for camping and also provide base camps for Bhagirathi, Shivling, Meru, Kadardom, Kharchakund, Satopanth, Kalindikhal and many other snow peaks.
Khush Kalyan About 16 km from Mala which is 28 km from Uttarkashi on Gangotri Road, the meadow of Kush-Kalyan is situated at an elevation of 3141 mts. The trek is steep through the dense forests and the meadow extends towards east for about 20 km up to Sahastra Tal (4371 mts.) and 30 km towards west to Belak Khal (92571 mts.) Further west, it extends up to Chaurangi-Khal. Trekking along this range is an enjoyable experience. During winter, all these places provide vast expanse of ski-slopes.
Gangotri-Kedarnath This trek is along the old pilgrim route from Gangotri to Kedarnath. From Gangotri one has to come down to Mala by motor. The actual trek starts from Mala, after crossing the river Bhagirathi. The trek is on level up to Sauri-Ki-Gad and from here then trek to Belak is gradual. From Belak to Buda Kedar, it is downhill through dense forest full of birds and wildlife. From Buda Kedar to Panwali, it is an uphill trek through terraced fields and picturesque villages.
Uttarkashi trek Uttarkashi is among the most beautiful of the Garhwal districts with a snowline that endures round the year and below a carpet of forests, superb Himalayan views and all the joys of trekking through God’s country. This is a district headquarters town Trekkers can stay in a tourist bungalow.
Magh Mela Magh Mela takes place on the occasion of Makar Sankranti ( January) in Uttarkashi every year. It is an important event of the district from religious, cultural and commercial point of view. A large number of local people and tourists participate in the mela, with many pouring in from different parts of Kumaon, Garhwal and other parts of Uttar Pradesh.
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NCR BRIEFS New Delhi, April 13 The Temple Management had made elaborate arrangements for devotees like provision for drinking water and parking of vehicles. A number of dignitaries visited the temple today to seek blessing of Maa Durga.
Robbers nabbed Rohtak Polio drops Faridabad Best youth club Panipat Convention The 19th national convention of the All-India Aggarwal Sammelan will be held at Kurukshetra on April 14. While Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala will be the special invitee, national president of the sammelan Pradeep Mittal will preside over the function, according to Mr Ajay Goel, convenor of the Aggarwal Seva Sangathan.
Doctor awarded Rewari |
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Traffic diversions for Khalsa Jatha
New Delhi, April 13 Due to another procession from Red Fort to Dr Ambedkar Bhawan on Rani Jhansi Road at 12 noon on April 14, the birth anniversary of Dr B. R. Ambedkar, the traffic police have asked commuters to avoid the procession route. The procession will start from Red Fort Ground and proceed along Kharibaoli, Qutab Road, Sadar Bazar, Chowk Bara Tooti, Pahari Dhiraj, Bara Hindu Rao, Filmistan Cinema, Manak Pura, Shidi Puram, East Park Road, Desh Bandhu Gupta Road, Dev Nagar, Hathi Wala Chowk, Ragar Pura, Arya Samaj Road and will end at Ambedkar Marg. TNS
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Reconstruction of Arya Samaj Mandir sought New Delhi, April 13 The President of the Parishad, Anil Arya, said the Ministry had given an assurance that the building would be reconstructed at government cost at the same site. In a memorandum to Union Urban Development Minister Anantha Kumar, the parishad sought its reconstruction so as to satisfy the sentiments of Hindu society.
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Proclaimed offender arrested
Rohtak, April 13
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Auto-lifter gang busted New Delhi, April 13 Acting on a tip-off that some auto-lifters would be assembling near Apna Dhaba on GT Road to loot a local jewellery shop, the police were able to nab the gang members. Those arrested included Ashok (25), resident of Narela, Raju (18), resident of Badli, Shyam Prasad (20), resident of Samaipur and Lal Mohammad alias Lalu (20). However, two other suspects, Sanjay, resident of Narela and Sunil, resident of Rohtak, abandoned their motorcycle and fled from the area. Police have launched a manhunt to arrest them. Truck recovered:
Moreover, the driver Rohtash and cleaner Mahesh, could not be traced. Based on the police investigation, it was revealed that the driver was in touch through telephone with a person in Itarsi in Madhya Pradesh. The phone number was traced to Ravinder Solanki, a godown owner, who was subsequently arrested. On sustained interrogation, he disclosed that he had kept the looted property in his godown. The police recovered the goods and are on the looking out for the driver and cleaner, who are still at large. Liquor seized:
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Gaumukh