H A R Y A N A

HSCFDC pay revision in limbo
Gurgaon, May 5
The Haryana Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (formerly called the Haryana Harijan Kalyan Nigam) has proved to be clever only by half. Its case for the revision of pay scales of its employees has met with a negative response from the state government.

BSNL plan to improve service
Hisar, May 5
The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has chalked out a comprehensive 100-day work plan to improve telephone services and raise the working capacity of its employees. Addressing mediapersons here today, Mr R.K.Tyagi said under this plan, the Nigam would raise its switching capacity to 10,000 lines in Hisar telecom division comprising Hisar, Sirsa and Fatehabad districts.

Plan to shift local courts back to cantt
Ambala, May 5
The state government is finalising the plan to bring the local courts, which were shifted to the Sessions Courts premises at Ambala city during the anti-Mandal agitation in 1990, back to Ambala Cantt.

• Plywood destroyed in fire
• Balbir Singh is Confed Chairman
• Bimla Sangwan

HSCFDC pay revision in limbo
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, May 5
The Haryana Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (formerly called the Haryana Harijan Kalyan Nigam) has proved to be clever only by half. Its case for the revision of pay scales of its employees has met with a negative response from the state government.

The nigam made out a case for the revision of pay scales to the government on the basis that it had earned profit. The operative portion in the case was “profit” as the organisation’s similar proposal for the revision of the pay scales in 1998 was shot down by the government on grounds that it was running in loss.

The government referred to 1998 as then it had also rejected the case of the corporation along with 16 enterprises which had been incurring losses for three years out of the preceding five years i.e from 1993-94 to 1997-98. The government had laid down that only such enterprises which has started making profits should revise the pay scales.

The ministers committee relating to disinvestment/privatisation of public sector undertakings and co-operative institutions in Haryana, which recently met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, studied the case of the revision of pay scales and took a contrary stand with regard to matters of facts presented by the corporation.

According to sources, the committee came to the conclusion that the profit earned by the corporation was due to the fact that the interest on grants received from the Centre had been added to its bottom line.

The Centre had given the grants to be distributed amongst the Scheduled Castes beneficiaries in Haryana and the amount should have been utilised for the purpose.

The committee underlined that the amount should not have been kept in the bank to earn interest.

The committee ruled that the corporation had not been able to achieve its objects successfully as was evident from the fact that in spite of a margin of 2 per cent given to it by the funding agency, it was not in a position to meet its administrative expenses and hence, the losses.

BSNL plan to improve service
Our Correspondent

Hisar, May 5
The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has chalked out a comprehensive 100-day work plan to improve telephone services and raise the working capacity of its employees.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Mr R.K.Tyagi said under this plan, the Nigam would raise its switching capacity to 10,000 lines in Hisar telecom division comprising Hisar, Sirsa and Fatehabad districts. He said the Nigam would issue 3,000 new connections in the next 100 days besides setting up two new telephone exchanges. As many as 31 village panchayats telephone (VPT) connections would be given through underground lines.

He said the local authorities had also decided to lay out 153.3 route km lines with optical fibre cable (OFC). The Nigam would also install interactive voice response system (IVRS) in Fatehabad main exchange in the next 100 days, besides a distribution point (DP) on every two connections at houses instead of telephone polls. He said the local officials would organise Telephone Adalat on May 15.

Plan to shift local courts back to cantt
Our Correspondent

Ambala, May 5
The state government is finalising the plan to bring the local courts, which were shifted to the Sessions Courts premises at Ambala city during the anti-Mandal agitation in 1990, back to Ambala Cantt.

According to information, the Registrar, Punjab and Haryana High Court, in a communique has informed the president of the Bar Association, Ambala Cantt, Mr Davender Bansal, that the government has approved the site for judicial complex near District Industry Office at Ambala Cantt. The letter states that Chief Architect, Haryana, has been asked to submit a plan in this regard.

Various political leaders, organisations and advocates have been demanding to bring back the local courts for the past several years.

Senior advocate and social activist, Mr Om Prakash Malik, had submitted numerous memoranda to senior political leaders and bureaucrats in this regard.

The people of Ambala Cantt had to travel around 10 km reach the local courts. Mr Davender Bansal, while welcoming the decision, said here today that it would provide relief to the residents of Ambala Cantt.

Plywood destroyed in fire
Our Correspondent

Yamunanagar, May 5
Property worth lakhs of rupees was destroyed as fire broke out at different places here yesterday, including a plywood factory.

According to information received yesterday, a fire broke out at Ganga Ply Wood Factory at the Khajuri road. No one was injured as all workers had gone out for lunch. Finished, unfinished goods and machinery worth lakhs of rupees destroyed in the fire which could be controlled by fire brigade by the evening. A fire also broke out in a factory in industrial area and Sudershan Plywood Factory on the Radaur road. In another incident, a buffalo was killed in a fire that broke out, in Bapoli village in Radaur block.

Balbir Singh is Confed Chairman
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 5
The Haryana Government has appointed Mr Balbir Singh of Bahadurgarh, Chairman of the Haryana State Federation of Consumers Cooperatives Whole Stores Limited (Confed) following the resignation of Mr Pradeep Chaudhary, who has become a member of the Haryana Public Service Commission.

Interestingly, the government has retrenched a large number of Confed employees on the plea of economy and on the other hand it is appointing politicians as chairmen of the sick corporation.

Bimla Sangwan
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 5
The Haryana Government has appointed Ms Bimla Sangwan, Chairperson of the Haryana Women Development Corporation in place of Ms Anita Dhankar, who has resigned on health grounds.