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November 24, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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CGHS patients
suffer as Sinha makes himself scarce New Delhi, November 23 “We had to resort to the extreme step of a strike
after our efforts to find a solution failed,” an association member said, adding that they had been put to terrible financial hardship as a sum of over Rs 8.9 crore was pending with the ministry. The association had similarly suspended supplies for 12 days in April this year but resumed functioning after a promise by the then Health Minister, Mr C P Thakur, that he would get their problems solved within 45 days. But then Mr Thakur went out of the Council of Ministers and Mr Shatrughan Sinha became the Health Minister who in his first meeting said, “Our demands were justified and genuine but then nothing happened and we continued to reel under financial burden,” an office-bearer pointed out. The member said that Mr Sinha had been refusing to meet them despite their efforts. Additional Director in the Ministry of Health Dr A C Hazarika had met them twice and conveyed that the ministry had referred the issue of 10 per cent deduction to the Comptroller and Auditor General, added the member. “We are at a loss to understand as to why the ministry is deducting the amount from our payments waiting for a CAG reply when it could be done any time,” the member said, adding that at any given time, a few crores of our payment was always due on the ministry. “It is correct that the CGHS dispensaries are asking the patients to buy the medicine on their own, the reimbursement of which would be done later,” a retired government employee Satnam Singh said. Pinpointing the bureaucratic problems, Mr Singh observed that it was quite cumbersome to get reimbursement from the government. |
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MAMC rape
victim’s mobile recovered from prime suspect New Delhi, November 23 Rahul, who was arrested by the Delhi police yesterday, a week after the sensational incident, was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Bharat Parashar at Tis Hazari courts who remanded him in police custody for a day. The court also remanded another accused, Amit, to judicial custody till December 7. The two other accused are being produced before a juvenile court. The fourth year medical student was allegedly raped at knife point on the terrace of the “Khooni Darwaza” monument on the busy Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, sparking off widespread protests from students and women’s groups over the increasing insecurity. The incident took place in a broad daylight. It was rape-cum-robbery case. The mobile phone of the victim, robbed by the suspects, has been recovered from the possession of the suspects, the police said. Rahul, who had his name tattooed on his forearm, is already facing trial in two cases of burglary, in which two of the alleged accused were his accomplices, the police said. The court directed that Rahul should be medically examined
before and after he was remanded to police custody at the Lady Hardinge Hospital. The police told the court that police remand was needed to recover the jeans that he was wearing at the time of the alleged crime. Though defence counsel Ajay Digpaul claimed that Rahul is a minor, he could not produce any documentary proof, leading to the court placing Rahul in a day’s police remand. At the request of the defence counsel, who apprehended that the police might tamper with the case diary, the court signed it. The court allowed Rahul’s counsel to meet the accused for ten minutes today in the judicial lockup at Tis Hazari courts and again tomorrow for ten minutes. Rahul would be produced before the magistrate tomorrow again. |
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Mouth-watering
news for MCD schools, New Delhi, November 23 The water drawn from the underground segment of Metro Rail in the 4-km
stretch between Delhi University and the Old Secretariat along Alipur Road
is being pumped into Chandrawal by the DMRC sub-contractor, the Japanese-Swedish utilities joint venture KSIH, where it is mixed with raw water drawn from the Yamuna, purified, and supplied to 11 reservoirs for distribution in various parts of he National Capital Territory. In this stretch, the DMRC is involved in cut-and-cover method of construction
of the underground line. For this it needs to drain out the underground water from a watertable that is as high as three metres from the surface in
this portion of the NCT. The water so extracted is distributed between the
Chandrawal waterworks and the recharging of two dried lakes on the northern
ridge. Chandrawal, which has a capacity to purify 43 million gallons per day
(mgd), draws raw water from Haryana and during the dry season when there is shortage in Delhi, there is an element of acrimony over water sharing between the two riparian states. In the next dry season, thanks to the gift from the DMRC, there is potential for less drawal from Haryana, thus creating a benign ‘ripple effect’ in this increasingly scarce resource which is already the cause of a ‘water war’ between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in southern India. It is expected that the DMRC will increase the extraction of underground water to approximately 17,000 kilolitres per day at the peak of its operations in this segment which will be nearly a fourfold increase in availability in the months to come. It is debatable, therefore, whether Delhi should allow the ‘ripple effect’ to extend to Haryana or utilise this bonanza to alleviate shortages within the NCR like the 42 municipal schools, the problems of which are intended to be tackled through deep borewells and submersible pumps and south-west Delhi where water shortage has become endemic. Meanwhile, DMRC is dividing the extracted water between Chandrawal and the dried lakes on the Ridge. One of these lakes is now overflowing and the next will also follow suit. Sources within KSIH say that they are prepared to meet the entire requirement for horticulture on the Ridge in the forthcoming dry season. Quite clearly what the DMRC has done is an imaginative utilisation of a scare resource (the alternative would have been letting it flow down the storm water drains). But it must be remembered that such rampant extraction of groundwater runs contrary to the guidelines laid by the Central Ground Water Board. It is a one-time reprieve for the greater good of the travelling public of Delhi. But groundwater is a finite resource. It cannot be overexploited. The DMRC has recognised this factor as being crucial and that it why it is replenishing a portion of it back into the groundwater acquifer by pumping it into the dry lakes on the ridge. |
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Cong will
hammer on fate of Metro in Winter session New Delhi, November 23 Besides discussions on pressing issues of public concern, the session will witness a slugfest between the Treasury and the Opposition Benches over who – Union Government or Government of NCT of Delhi – gets to control how much of the operation and maintenance of Delhi Metro. If the mood in the Congress camp is any indicator, the fight between the Congress-administered Government of NCT of Delhi and the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre is likely to intensify ahead of the formal inauguration of the Metro sometime next month. Since the ‘fate’ of the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Bill 2002 – that has been introduced in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament – is only of academic interest, the Congress would like to extract political dividend out of the issue in the Assembly. An indication of which was had when the Council of Ministers recommended to the Speaker that the Winter Session of the Assembly be summoned in November and not December, as is the usual practice, so that it coincided with the Winter Session of Parliament. According to the Speaker, among the motions listed will be one on transferring operation of Metro Railways to the Government of NCT of Delhi. He said the matter would also figure among the short duration discussions to be taken up by the House. The other motions listed for the session would take up subjects such as the situation arising due to spread of HIV/AIDS, declaration of assets by ministers, legislators and presiding officers of the Assembly and allotment of land to housing societies. Also, enforcement of Delhi Education Act in public schools, implementation of new syllabus with immediate effect in schools, distribution of Gram Sabha land to the landless and the Scheduled Castes, and use of Panchayat money for development of villages. Besides the issue of control over Delhi Metro, the Delhi Nursing Home Registration (Amendment) Bill 2002 will be moved during the session. Among the private members’ resolution, the one on making available electricity to DMRC directly from Transco, the government-owned electricity transmission company, would also be debated. |
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Charges
framed in Nitish case New Delhi: A Delhi court today framed charges against Rajya Sabha MP D P Yadav’s son and nephew Vikas and Vishal Yadav, respectively, in the sensational murder case of business executive Nitish Katara earlier this year. “I find prima facie sufficient evidence to frame charges against both the accused persons under Sections 302 (murder), 364 (kidnapping) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the IPC read with Section 34 (common intention to commit a crime),” Additional Sessions Judge S N Dhingra said reading out the charges to them. The accused pleaded not guilty and the court has fixed January 20 for hearing the case on a day-to-day basis. Directing the prosecution to submit the schedule for examining the witnesses within a week, the court said it would be the responsibility of Uttar Pradesh police to serve summons on witnesses they intend to examine.
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Old autos out. But what is the alternative? Faridabad, November 23 The town whose population has already swelled to over 13 lakh and which is the biggest urban settlement in the state has no good transport system. As a result, the residents here have to depend on the old, rusty and diesel-operated three-wheelers or private vehicles to move locally. The town is spread over 30 km in length along the National Highway No 2, popularly known as Mathura Road, from the Badarpur border to Ballabgarh town. While a large section of the population is settled on the west side of the road known as NIT, a majority of residential sectors — old Faridabad and Ballabgarh town — lie in the eastern area. A person residing in Sector 37, near the border, will have to travel about 20 to 30 km if he or she wants to reach Sectors 23, 24 or Dabua colony lying in the far west. A resident of Ballabgarh town will have to travel over 10 km if one wants to visit a place in the NH-III or NH-V located in NIT. The distance could be about 20 km to 25 km if one wants to have a work done in the offices of the district administration located in Sector 21-C. “Given the distances in the town, the authorities here have so far failed to provide a suitable transport for the benefit of residents here,” says Rajender
Singh Gaur, a resident of Ajronda village near Sector 15-A here. He said: “If one does not have his or her own vehicle, then reaching the other side of the town could be quite tiresome.” He claimed that due to lack of proper planning and overlooking the needs of local people by the authorities, private autorickshaws had mushroomed like “tadpoles during monsoon”. There has been hardly any check or control on such vehicles and anybody was free to operate a three-wheeler even without proper documents or with fake registration. It is reported that about 13,000 three-wheelers are registered with the transport department but still a large number of others had no registration and had been plying illegally. Several of these had been converted from petrol to diesel engine illegally. “Due to a large numbers of such vehicles on the main roads like the national highway, the traffic had not only become congested but several of the accidents reported daily had been due to such vehicles,” says Kailash Sharma of Sector 10. He said if there had an official transport system, the problem might not have arisen at all. The district administration, it seems, has at last awakened and recently invoked Section 144 to put the `noose’ around the neck of erring three-wheelers. The authorities have banned plying of vehicles older than 15 years and have asked the operators to get their papers in place. The authorities have also directed these to operate on odd and even dates, alternatively depending on their registration numbers. While the issue has made the three-wheeler operators to go up in arms against the new directives, a meeting between the two parties yesterday ended without a result, as both sides stuck to their stand. As the issue has become a topic of discussion among the residents, what is missing is the plan to deal with the situation on a long-term basis. It is learnt that the authorities still have to discuss any way out and the visit of the Transport Commissioner of Haryana yesterday had no such agenda. Some residents welfare association and citizens are of the view that a comprehensive “local transport network” consisting of mainly CNG-operated mini-buses should be started on all major roads and areas to deal with the growing problem. They feel that such a plan would be able to phase out polluting three-wheelers automatically. |
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Murder of Haj panel chief’s daughter New Delhi, November 23 Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) P. Kamraj said that four special teams were raiding various places where the three suspects could be hiding. “We have identified the culprits and are making efforts to nab them. We are hopeful that a breakthrough would be made in the case soon,” he said. Mr Kamaraj said two of the suspects were said to be cloth vendors who used to put up stalls in weekly markets in the Madangir area of South Delhi. Ruksana (17) was killed yesterday evening after she was hit by an iron rod while trying to intervene in the altercation between her 21-year-old brother, Shakeel, and two cloth vendors at a washer man’s shop near her house. The police are said to have also named the washer man as a suspect in the case. The DCP said clues were available about the whereabouts of the suspects and efforts were on to nab them. The official denied that there was any tension in the area. The body of the victim was buried last night after a post-mortem examination. The police said two youths, Aslam and Akram, staying in a rented accommodation in the Madangir area of Ambedkar Nagar had gone to the washer man when an altercation started with Shakeel, who was already there, over who would get the clothes ironed first. Two other youths joined Aslam and Akram in the ensuing fight during which Ruksana was hit on the head. Later, Shakeel along with some other youths attacked the house of Haji Hasan at whose house Aslam and Akram were staying and burned some of the clothes.
Fires at bus driver A cargo agent was arrested by the South district police from the Lado Sarai area on the charge of attempt to murder a bus driver last evening. The suspect, Rakesh Sharma, who is a resident of Malviya Nagar, was going to Mahrauli in his car. When he reached near Lado Sarai, a Blue Line bus (route number 539) hit his vehicle from behind. Rakesh stopped his vehicle and had an argument with the driver of the bus. The suspect took out his service revolver and fired at the driver. Nobody was injured.
4 bus robbers nabbed The North-West district police arrested four youths who used to rob passengers in buses plying between Sultanpuri and Punjabi Bagh. They were identified as Vinod alias Lambu, gang leader, his accomplices, Ram Kumar, Avadh and Naresh Kumar. They were arrested from Jalebi Chowk in Sultanpuri where they snatched a valet of a man who was trying to board a Blue Line bus for Punjabi Bagh. He raised an alarm. The suspects were caught by people who were waiting for the bus at the bus stand and handed them over to the police. |
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GETTING AWAY
Made famous by the war that was fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas during the Mahabharata, Kurukshetra is also known as the land where Manu wrote his ‘Manusmriti’ and where rishis compiled the Rigveda and Samveda. Kurukshetra was named after the great sage king, Kuru. The city attracts pilgrims each year. Of the places to see are:
Brahma Sarovar Legend has it that Lord Brahma created the universe from the land of Kurukshetra after a huge yajna. The Brahma Sarovar here is believed to be the cradle of civilisation. The sarovar also finds mention in the memoirs of Al Beruni, called ‘Kitab-ul-Hind’. A sacred shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva stands within the sarovar, accessible by a small bridge. According to scriptures, a dip in this sarovar packs the sanctity of performing the ‘ashvamedh yajna’. The tank offers a breath-taking sight during the Gita Jayanti celebrations held in the last week of November and early December every year when there will be ‘deep daan’ and ‘aarti’. This also happens to be the time when migratory birds from distant places wing it to the sarovar. The Birla Gita Mandir and Baba Nath’s haveli and temple are the neighbouring attractions.
Sannihit Sarovar Believed to be the meeting point of seven sacred Saraswatis, the sarovar, according to popular belief, contains sacred water. Bathing in the waters of the tank on the days of Amavasyas (nights of complete darkness) or on the days of eclipse bestows blessings equivalent to performing the ‘ashvamedh yajna’. It is believed to offer peace to the wandering and unhappy souls. Prayers and ‘pind daan’, a memorial service for the dead, is performed here. Alongside the sarovar are small shrines dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Dhruv Narayan, Laxmi Narayan, Dhruv Bhagat, Hanuman and Goddess Durga. The Sannihit tank is believed to be the abode of Lord Vishnu.
Shri Krishna
Museum The museum has put together exhibits that depict varied facets of Lord Krishna’s life and times. Patta Chitra, Kangra, Madhubani and Pichhvai paintings and bronze collections dating to the Pallava, Chola and Nayaka periods are some of the highlights of the museum. This is the only centre of its kind in all of India.
Gurdwaras Gurdwara Sidhbati is where Guru Nanak stayed during his halt at Kurukshetra. Among the many gurdwaras dotting the region is one dedicated to Guru Hargobindji, located near the Sannihit tank, and Gurdwara Rajghat built in the memory of Guru Gobind Singh’s visit to Kurukshetra.
Gita Jayanti Gita Jayanti is the celebration of the birth of Srimad Bhagwad Gita. The event celebrates the divine moment wherein Lord Krishna, playing charioteer to Arjun, delivers the Gita Updesh. The Gita Jayanti presents Bhagwad Gita recitals, ‘aarti’ and ‘deep daan’ at Brahma Sarovar, shloka recitals, shobha yatras and seminars on the significance of the Gita today. Free medical camps, book exhibitions and bhajan recitals are also part of the celebrations.
Sthanesvara Mahadev Temple The ancient Sthanesvara Mahadev Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva or Mahadev, lies in Thanesar. It was here that the Pandavas prayed to Lord Shiva and received His blessings for victory in the great battle of Mahabharata. According to the legend, the waters of the tank next to the shrine are holy, a few drops of which cured King Ban of leprosy. Thanesar town derives its name from the temple. Adjacent to Thanesar lies the temple of Kamal Nabhi. According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Brahma was born out of a lotus that grew from the navel of Lord Vishnu. The temple houses the images of Lord Vishnu and Brahma. Around one-and-a-half miles from Thanesar on Kurukshetra-Pehowa Road lies the Narkatari tank. The place is where Bhishma Pitamah lay on a bed of arrows drawn by Arjun.
Sheikh Chehli
Mausoleum Towards the north of Thanesar and overlooking the sarai built by Sher Shah Suri stands the marble tomb of Sheikh Chehli. Sheikh Chehli was an Iranian Sufi saint, who came to Thanesar to meet Hazrat Qutub Jalaludin in the 16th century.
Falgu Falgu lies 53 km from Kurukshetra. Legend has it that on the request of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu himself appeared here. A dip in the waters of the tank here is said to bring one wealth and prosperity.
Pehowa Twenty-seven kilometre west of Thanesar lies Pehowa. The town has been mentioned in the Vaman Puran and the epic, Mahabharata. In ancient India, the town was known as ‘Prithudaka’ after King Prithu. Legend has it that when King Rashtangu, father of King Prithu, lay dying, he made a last wish, asking his son to take him to the site on the banks of the holy river, Saraswati, where he could die peacefully. On his father’s demise, King Prithu sat for days on the riverbank offering shradh, the religious ceremony performed for the dead.
Kalayat Kalayat lies 70 km from Kurukshetra on the Kaithal-Narwana road. The town has been named after Kapil Muni, the tenth son of Kardam Rishi, the son of Brahma. To Kapil Muni goes the credit of penning the ‘Shankhya Shastra’. Kalyat also boasts of a sacred tank, where a great number of devotees gather on the occasion of Karthika Purnima. A shrine near the water tank is dedicated to Katyayani Devi.
Jyotisara One of the most sacred sites of Kurukshetra is Jyotisara, the birthplace of the holy Bhagwad Gita. According to legend, a Banyan tree that stands here is where Lord Krishna delivered the doctrine of Karma to a reluctant Arjun. This is the spot where He displayed his image as that of the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer. Jyotisara lies 5 km from the Kurukshetra Railway Station. A marble chariot depicting Lord Krishna delivering the ‘Shrimad Bhagwad Gita’ to Arjun marks the spot. |
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SEARCH
WITHIN GOD — this is one of the names which we give to that eternal infinite, and incomprehensible being, the creator of all things, who preserves and governs all things by His almighty power and wisdom and who is the only object of our worship. But when people speak of God they always do not mean the same thing. Guru Nanak, whose birth anniversary was celebrated last week, had a concept of God, which he elaborated for the benefit of mankind. The life of faith depends so much on one’s view of God. It is said that a man becomes what he worships. The Sikh guru was keen to rescue people from their wrong notions of God, which had marred the practice of faith in his times. God, according to him, is the formless One, uncreated, unborn, never incarnated. He cannot be present in an idol, He cannot be revealed by an avatar and He cannot be described in terms appropriate to human condition. How then can He be apprehended? The answer he provides is that God is ultimately incomprehensible. God in His fullness is far beyond the bounds of man’s understanding. The intellect of man is strictly limited and any effort to define the Creator must be an effort to circumscribe the infinite, to bring within narrow bounds one who is boundless. St. Augustine (354—430) was once trying to understand God. He studied great volumes, but the more he read the more puzzled he became. Once he was walking along seashore while still engrossed in thoughts about the Almighty. There he saw a small boy busy at work; he had dug a hole in the sand, and was getting water from the sea and pouring it into the hole. “What are you doing, my son?’’ asked Augustine. “I am pouring the sea into my hole’ said the child. “You silly little boy!” said Augustine. “How can you put the whole mighty ocean into your little hole?” And then he realised that he himself was equally foolish in trying to understand whole of God’s infinite wisdom with his human mind. Nanak emphasised that man’s proper and inevitable response to any authentic glimpse of the being of God can only be that of awe, of fear and wonder before Him who is beyond comprehending. This, however, does not mean that He is wholly unknowable and beyond the range of human perception. For saints like him, there is certainly a revelation of God, however, partial. They find in the visible world enough evidence to believe. Saint Basil (329-79
B.C) Bishop of Caesarea, called the world a school wherein reasonable souls are taught the knowledge of God. In a musical instrument, when we observe divers strings meet in harmony, we conclude that some skillful musician tuned them. In a watch when we take notice of great and small wheels all so fitted as to concur to an orderly motion, we acknowledge the skill of an artificer. When we come into a printing house, and see a great number of different letters so ordered as to make a book, it becomes evident that there is a composer by whose art they were brought into such a frame. When we see a gigantic building, we conclude it had an architect. Likewise, there are numerous other objects, seeing which we can not but conclude that there is a master craftsman behind them all. One evening when Napoleon Bonaparte was on his voyage from Egypt, a group of officers were conversing together on the quarter deck, respecting the existence of God. Many of them were unbelievers. It was a calm, cloudless, brilliant night. The moon and the stars beamed down upon them with serene
lustre. As they were flippantly giving utterance to the arguments of atheism, Napoleon paced to and fro upon the deck, taking no part in the conversation. Apparently, absorbed in his own thoughts. Suddenly he stopped before them and said in those tones of authority which ever overawed: “Gentlemen, your arguments are fine; but who made all those worlds beaming so gloriously above us? Can you tell me that?’’ No one answered. “Wherever I look…’’
wrote Guru Nanak, “Wherever one looks there He is to be seen, for He manifests Himself in His own creation.
"Do not regard the Lord as far off for He is near, He the One, pervading creation. He is the only one; there is no other. He the One pervades all. He goes on further to conclude that the
Nirankar, who is immanent in all creation is specifically immanent in one particular part of creation. God who dwells in all creation has His particular abode within the human heart. “The One
Omkar, wholly apart, immortal unborn, without caste, wholly free, ineffable, without form or visible sign, but searching I perceived Him in every heart.’’ The Mul Mantra, the basic theological statement with which the Adi Granth opens, reads as follows: ``This being (God) is One. He is eternal. He is immanent in all things. He is the Creator of all things. He is immanent in His creation. He is without fear and without enmity. This being is not subject to time. He is beyond birth and death…’’ For Nanak religion is a wholly inward experience. He denounces those who trust in pride of birth and outward ceremonies. ``If the man (meaning mind) is unclean how can it be purified by worshipping stones, visiting places of pilgrimage, living in jungles, wandering around as an ascetic?,’’ he asks. He who is united with the True One, he it is who acquires eternal honour. His prescription: “Make mercy your mosque, faith your prayer mat, and righteousness your Koran. Make humility your circumcision, uprightness your fasting, and so you will be a true Muslim. Make good works your
Kabah, Truth your pir, and compassion your creed and prayer. Make the performance of what pleases (God) your rosary and…He will uphold your honour.’’ M P K Kutty |
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Mohar Singh
- the grand old man of
Ahirwal Rewari, November 23 Besides being the first legislator of Ahirwal in independent India (he was a member of the Punjab Assembly for full one decade), Mohar Singh also made pivotal contribution towards the establishment of Ahir College (Rewari), Dronacharya College, Gurgaon and Shri Krishan High School,
Kanwali, which are now prestigious educational institutions in the region. Taking a cue from his political mentor, Sir Chhotu Ram, he also set up the first co-operative bank (which was later handed over to the government) in the 1940s in Gurgaon, which became instrumental in the emancipation of hapless farmers from the tyrannical clutches of private bankers. He also valiantly championed the farmers’ causes in and outside the assembly throughout his political career. Born in a well-placed family of the Raos at Budhpur village near Rewari in 1903, Mohar Singh acquired his schooling in Rewari; graduated from Hindu College, Delhi and then obtained his LLB from Government Law College, Lahore. But the legal profession did not hold much interest for him. At the behest of Sir Chhotu Ram, he joined his Unionist Party in the 1930s after which he was elected twice to the Punjab Assembly - first in a by-election in 1942 and secondly in 1946. Then came the Partition in 1947 and he became a legislator in the newly constituted assembly of East Punjab. Later in 1954, he was elected MLC (Member of Punjab Legislative Council) and was made Chief Parliamentary Secretary, which post he held till his demise in 1957. A decade later, his elder son, Rao Mahabir Singh, contested and won the assembly poll in 1968 and became minister in the Bansi Lal government and continued till 1972. After his demise, the mantle fell on his son, Rao Narbir Singh who, after successfully contesting the assembly poll, became minister twice, first in the Devi Lal government in 1987 and then in the Bansi Lal government in 1996. Now Rao Narbir Singh, along with his associates, is organising a “Shradhanjali
Samaroh” tomorrow at Budhpur to commemorate the 45th death anniversary of his grandfather, Rao Mohar Singh, who was a champion of Ahir politics in Punjab (now Haryana). To all intent and purpose, it is going to be a big event, which will be a befitting precursor to the thrilling act of the electoral politics of Rao Narbir Singh, who has already made his intentions clear about re-entering the poll arena of
Jatusana, considered to be one of the hottest seats in Ahirwal, in the next assembly elections. |
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Haat at Australian
High Commission New Delhi, November 23 “Oz Haat” is an exhibition and sale of the work of Indian community organisations supported by the Australian High Commission. On display were stalls of patchwork and embroideries from SEWA, Gujarat and Haryana, brass and wood items, carpets, cards etc. There were also cultural performances, displays of patchwork and demonstrations of embroidery, mehendi, manicures and padicures. Food lovers had an
opportunity to sample both Indian and Australian treats. The Australian High Commissioner, Ms Penny Wensley, said, “The day has been a great success for the High Commission and for the community groups. We plan to make this an annual event.” The organisations, which took part in the exhibition, received assistance under the High Commission’s Direct Aid Program (DAP), which funds grassroot development programmes on education, health, income generation and environment. The South Asia Community Assistance Scheme (SACAS), one of the mechanisms of Australia’s bilateral development cooperation programme with India, also supported the haat. |
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Foundation
stone laid for flyover New Delhi, November 23 This flyover is one of the 50 flyovers constructed or being built on the Outer and Inner Ring Roads to render them signal-free. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who laid the stone, said the 470-metre-long and nine-metre-wide flyover would be the first flyover of its kind in the country to have no bearings or intermediate expansion joints and meet the seismic performance standards. Mrs Dikshit said two Y-shaped subways would be constructed under the flyover to facilitate devotees travelling to the Kalkaji Temple. The flyover that is estimated to cost several crores of rupees would be constructed in 11 months. The Chief Minister said the flyovers being built at Mayapuri, Dhaula Kuan, Safdarjung Hospital and Punjabi Bagh would be thrown open to traffic by June. Her Cabinet colleague and Urban Development Minister A. K. Walia said the infrastructure projects were in keeping with the Government of NCT of Delhi’s dream of making the Capital a city of flyovers. |
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Glad tidings
for senior citizens Gurgaon, November 23 ‘Navtika’ is a magazine, having main office here. The magazine is brought out exclusively for the senior citizens. This was the second consecutive year when the magazine organised a carnival for the senior citizens. Sponsored by the Apollo Hospital and other corporate houses, volunteer services were offered by the students of ICFAI-A local Business Management Institute. Several organisations whose services are related to the core issues of modern life like telephone, health and banking, set up their stalls at the carnival to provide help to the participants. According to the chief on Navtika, Mr Abhay Chawla, more than 200 of the participants got their blood pressure and ECG conducted. All the services were provided by the Apollo and Escorts. Mrs Kulwant Kaur, who came all the way from Delhi to
take part in the carnival, said that such events should be organised more often. A senior citizen said that such occasions allow retired persons like him to come out of their family and household and mix around with their age group. According to him, the younger generation, especially the present one, was on a different cultural, ethical and social wavelength. Hence, it was difficult for persons like him to commune with the members of the present generation. |
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Vidrohi flays
parties for SYL gimmicks Sonepat, November 23 In a signed press statement issued here, he said that the Punjab government is required to get the construction completed in its territory by January 15 next but it has so far failed to start the work. Instead it is contemplating to file a revision petition against the apex court orders. He urged the AICC president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to ask the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr
Amarinder Singh, to immediately take steps for the construction of the SYL canal in Punjab, otherwise he would face the contempt charge like the Karnataka Chief Minister in the past for defying the apex court orders. Mr Vidrohi said that the construction of the SYL canal in the Punjab territory and the release of water in it for Haryana would improve the relations between the people of both the states, otherwise the present confrontation would result in angry protests from the people of Haryana. He alleged that both the BJP and the RSS have failed to prevent the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders from encouraging communal tension in the country, particularly in Gujarat. |
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NCR BRIEFS Rohtak, November 23 Mr Rattan Lal Kataria, MP and president of the Haryana BJP, described the assault on Mr Chhatarpati as an attack on the freedom of press. Ms Kanta Alaria, president, state unit of the Samajwadi Party, has demanded a CBI inquiry also into the activities of the Dera Sachha Sauda to unravel its alleged involvement in the crime. Mr Kultaz Singh and Mr Lalit Mohan Saini, state youth wing general secretary and member of the state executive committee, respectively, of the Haryana Vikas Party condoled the death of the scribe and demanded stringent punishment to those responsible for the crime. The HVP leader also sought immediate and adequate financial relief and government job to a kin of the deceased.
Death condoled Sonepat: The general secretary of the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP), Mr Rajiv Jain, today demanded an inquiry into the working of the Dera Sacha Sauda and stern action against the followers who were “indulging in anti-social activities and attacking the scribes” in various parts of the state. In a signed press statement issued here, he also urged the state government to grant a compensation of Rs 10 lakh and government service to the next of kin of the deceased journalist, Mr Chhatrapati. He also demanded that the government should bear the expenditure incurred on the scribe’s treatment at Apollo Hospital, Delhi. Condoling the death of Mr Chhatrapati, the HVP leader expressed his solidarity with the agitating journalists who are fighting for a probe into the murder and affairs of the dera. Meanwhile, the Accredited Press Reporters Union, the Press Club of Sonepat, various political parties, social and voluntary organisations have condoled the death of Mr Chhatrapati and demanded a CBI inquiry into the affairs of the dera. A two-minute silence was also observed by the members of the above-mentioned organisations.
Demolition at market The demolition squad of the Sonepat Municipal Council swung into action in the wee hours of today and demolished numerous unauthorised structures, concrete platforms and `tharas’ built in front of the shops in Ashok Nagar here. According to a report, the operation was carried out peacefully despite the fact that the officials of the demolition squad came with a strong contingent of the police. This step has been taken to widen the main bazars of the area. This bazar is congested and had witnessed a wild fire on the eve of Divali three years ago in which as many as 49 persons, mostly women and children, were burnt alive and property worth several crores of rupees was reduced to ashes. |
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DELHI DIGEST New Delhi, November 23 The ballet contrasts the ills, which afflict the world today, with the life of the 16th century Rajput Princess,
Meerabai, and how she won the hearts of people around her with her message of love. A former Chief Justice of India, Justice B. N. Kirpal, will be the chief guest at the function. Explaining the choice of the ballet, the principal, Mrs Lata
Vaidyanathan, said: “In today’s conflict-ravaged world, the example set by Meerabai’s life is particularly relevant since she signifies the triumph of love over violence.” The North Delhi Power Limited
(NDPL) has announced a rotational power cut in some parts of Badli Industrial Area, Shamipur and Shahbad tomorrow from 10 am to 4 pm. The load shedding is initiated by the NDPL to conduct maintenance work of 22 MVA power transformer No 1 relay testing, 66KV Badli grid station. Traders flay parking tax The Sadar Bazar Traders Welfare Association president, Brij Mohan Wig, general secretaries
K.C. Kapoor, Banarasi Lal Taneja, Rakesh Jain and office-bearers Manohar Lal Anand and Ratan Lal Bhalla opposed the proposal to impose parking tax moved by Municipal Commissioner Rakesh Mehta. This was a direct burden on the residents of the Capital, they said and termed the proposal as a ‘Nadirshahi’ proposal, a press release said. |
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Seven workers sustain burn injuries Sonepat, November 23 According to a report, the fire broke out owing to a short circuit while the workers were asleep. On seeing the fire, there was a scramble to get out of the quarters. In the melee, they received burn injuries. They were identified as Balwant Singh,
Nrinder, Shankar, Diwan Ra, Rajan, Ram Bahadur and Man Bahadur. All the injured workers were rushed to the local civil hospital from where three of them, namely, Narinder, Shankar and Balwant Singh, were referred to Lok Nayak Jaiparkash Narain Hospital at Delhi for further treatment. The other four were admitted to a private nursing home. |
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Train mishap averted Rohtak: A major train mishap was averted by the timely location of breakage of a rail track near Dobh village at two points today. The breakage was detected during a routine checking. It was immediately reported to the Sirsa railway authorities.
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‘Supply chain management key to competitiveness’ New Delhi, November 23 Lt-Gen Kalra said that supply chain was a corporate-level cross-functional board-level activity. If a company did not design its supply chain properly, its ability to put together its finest of partnership shall be put to test. The ultimate core competency was to build a sound supply chain. The best practices were to forge partnerships with suppliers and have world class supply chain management systems. By working together across the supply chain, the companies were able to pool talents and resources, yielding substantial gains in cost, quality, flexibility, system responsiveness and overall performance. Mr Anil K. Virmani, director, Institute of Supply Chain Management, said that supply chain was important because people needed to keep pace and cope up with the rapid technological changes taking place. Healthcare organisations were able to reduce the supply costs by two to six per cent, shorten requisition to fulfilment cycles by 70-80 per cent, lower administrative costs by 73 per cent and reduce inventory costs by an average of 25 to 50 per cent by adopting the concepts of supply chain. Dr B. P. Dhaka, secretary general, PHDCCI, in his welcome address stated that the major components of manufacturing cost were material, labour and the overheads. The cost of material could not be reduced without compromising on quality; the labour cost could be contained by outsourcing some of the manufacturing activity and components. Similarly, it was the overheads cost where the industry could gain an edge by looking at various heads of expenses. In this context, supply chain management had the most crucial role to play. Prof Vivek Kumar, Ford School of Management, said that the complex relationships between suppliers and customers extending from the immediate channel partners to the extended supply chain links provided umpteen opportunities to the companies for identifying links, which could be profitably outsourced. Each link in the supply chain provided the organisation with an opportunity to evaluate the possibility of being outsourced, subject to it not being technologically or economically unfeasible. |
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