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December 7, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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GURUDWARA POLITICS New Delhi, December 6 The reiteration of allegations has caused considerable consternation among the community at large which has repeatedly indicated its disenchantment with politics dominating the affairs of the religious places and important issues of ‘Maryada’ and propagation of the faith having been given the go by. Both the groups have, in the short span of a week, convened special press conferences where allegations of corruption and mismanagement were reiterated and copies of letters written to the Deputy Prime Minister and Union Home Minister, Mr L. K. Advani, demanding a CBI inquiry released. The present president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna, and some other office-bearers belonging to the Tohra Group convened a special press conference on December 3 where they alleged that the secretary-general of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) had misappropriated Rs 52 lakh while he was the Chairman of Guru Harikrishan Hospital, Bala Sahib, a charge which Mr Kuldeep Singh Bhogal had vehemently denied even before the DSGMC elections held in June. At that time, SAD (Badal) led by Mr Avtar Singh Hit was at the helm of the DSGMC affairs. Mr Sarna also alleged that the then management had drained out more than a crore of rupees on the pretext of computerising the records of the gurdwaras under its control. The present President of the DSGMC claimed that soon after taking over he had ordered an inquiry by a technical firm which reported that the entire computerisation should have been completed within Rs 51, 15,318 while the previous management had reportedly spent Rs 1,61,66,832 on the project. In order to respond to the allegations, the Badal group called an urgent press conference today where Mr Hit and Mr Bhogal reiterated their allegation of misappropriation of over Rs 25 lakhs by the present committee under Mr Sarna during the October “Amrit Sanchar” ceremony. Both of them dismissed the claims of the DSGMC that more than 15,000 members had participated in the ceremony and alleged that only 4,000-5,000 members had participated. They said that the rest of the amount was siphoned off by the present committee which had wrested control of the DSGMC on the issue of corruption in the June elections. Challenging the present DSGMC to call a general body meeting to discuss these issues, the SAD (Badal) leaders claimed that the present management had bypassed all rules and regulations by granting the contract of construction of an auditorium in Khalsa College to a contractor without inviting tenders. |
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Fever fear: Admn cancels leave of health
staff Noida, December 6 The Chief Medical Officer, Dr M. A. Haq, has advised the public to take the patients without any delay to the doctor on seeing symptoms of brain fever. While the leave of all Health Department staff has been cancelled, control rooms have also been set up at all health centres. Dr Haq said this fever spreads through mosquitoes. Those hit by it start shivering suddenly. If immediate and proper treatment is not provided patient can get an attack of paralysis, which can prove fatal. Patients should be immediately rushed to the hospital or a doctor summoned. Plus, he went on to elaborate, all precautions should be taken against mosquito bite. The fever grips the patients within five to 15 days of being bitten by a mosquito. If the patient does not get well within seven days, it could be a case of brain fever. High fever, unconsciousness, change in behaviour, jerks or attacks, involuntary passing of urine and stool are the main symptoms of brain fever, Dr Haq said. Dr Haq has also advised people to remain away from cattle and other animals. “Don’t give food or drink to the patients without consulting the physicians. In case of high temperature cold compresses should be used to bring down the temperature”, the CMO advises. |
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HEALTH WATCH New Delhi, December 6 Issues like weight gain, height problems, skin problems like acne or identity crisis, which are associated with adolescence, can acquire alarming dimensions, resulting even in suicide in extreme cases, claim doctors. “We are trying to draw attention towards the health needs of the adolescents. They can have serious disorders unless medical intervention is sought,” said Dr Swati Bharve, Chair, Indian Academy of Paediatrician’s (IAP) Adolescent Chapter. The IAP has initiated a training programme for paediatricians to help them provide medical attention to the group, which is considered highly vulnerable. These doctors are being trained to provide adolescents with information and care for problems like obesity, facial hair and late puberty. “Most people feel that adolescent care is just about sex education. However, there are more important aspects which need more attention than the sexuality of the teenagers,” explains Dr Bharve. She adds, “Most of the girls in India are anaemic. Since their mothers have also been anaemic at their age, not much attention is being paid to it. There are serious repercussions of obesity like diabetes, high blood pressure and even heart attacks. These things are not highlighted and this is what we are trying to focus on”. The pediatricians are now being equipped to handle these adolescents because both psychological and physical upheavals mark the age and since their problems are not similar to those in adults or children they require specialised and more sensitive approach and treatment. It was also pointed out that, “There is a need to handle the teenagers effectively. Even in the adolescent clinics that are set up, one needs to pay attention to details starting with the ambience to winning the confidence of the patients.” “We are now looking at working with the schools, where we can create awareness about the health issues related to the adolescents and thereby provide help. The workshop was attended by over 180 medicos from across the country and this will be followed by regional training camps,” said Dr Bharve. The IAP has organised a five-day international training programme on adolescent education in the Capital from December 2 to 7. |
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Man kills wife, himself after quarrel Rohtak, December 6 Following a quarrel, the man identified as Ram Kumar Balmiki allegedly murdered his wife Geeta while she was asleep. Later, he committed suicide at village Sunderpur on Thursday night. The police have taken the bodies of both the husband and wife and sent them for postmortem examination. According to the police, Geeta was employed with Manav Sewa Sangh here while her husband used to earn livelihood by doing casual job in his village. On December 5, Geeta reportedly got delayed at Rohtak and went to her in-laws house with her brother Ravinder alias Bobby. The late arrival of Geeta allegedly annoyed her husband who reportedly picked up a quarrel with his wife. After heated arguments, both retired to their bedroom, while Ravinder slept in the adjoining room. When both failed to get up in the morning, Ravinder and other members of the family opened the door of the bedroom of Ram Kumar and Geeta. Geeta was found dead on her bed and Ram Kumar was found hanging in the room. He had reportedly committed suicide with a plastic rope after murdering his wife. Family members of Ram Kumar told the police that he used to often lose his temper while quarrelling with his wife. |
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WOMAN POWER AT WORK New Delhi, December 6 Thanks to their campaign and efforts, the area around the lake can now be used by the residents and children for their extra curricular activities. After several years of struggle they have finally managed to rid the area, a beauty spot developed as lungs for the sprawling residential colony in North Delhi, of hordes of streetwalkers, call girls and anti-social elements who had made it their playground for nefarious activities. And all this has been achieved without any help from the authorities even as the area MLA, Kunwar Karan Singh, and the area municipal councillor, Ms Madhu Arya, were actively involved in the clean-up campaign. Now, a high-mast lamp brightens up the area in the evening, the bushes and trees are properly pruned and the shores cleaned up. Ms Madhu Nagpal, president of the Women’s Wing of LARA, recalled how the area had become out of bounds for the residents and their children as anti-social elements took over the scenic area. Eve-teasing and prostitution abounded with the police turning a blind eye to the activities. Residents complained that things had come to such a pass that some of these people even took advantage of places like the back stairs of the houses. A resident, Ms Shivani Gupta, was aghast when she found a couple in a compromising position on her back stairs one day. When she tried to shoo the couple away, she was abused and threatened. It was then that she decided to pitch in with the Women’s Wing. Others, mostly women, joined in and the campaign was launched. The local MLA and the councillor were impressed with the confidence of the residents to clean up their environment and they readily agreed to help. “The ugly sight of couples in a compromising position was having a bad effect on the children who felt they were living in an unclean area when we had invested lakhs of hard earned rupees in building our homes”, said another resident, Ms Seema Aggarwal. A meeting was convened and it was generally felt that there was no need for the authorities to act. They will have to fight their own battle. The campaign began. Volunteers went around cleaning up the area, planting trees and shrubs, trimming hedges and bushes, which normally provided cover for nefarious activities. The benches which were initially installed for weary citizens to rest for a while had now become a nuisance as these were being used by anti-social elements. They have now been removed. “The idea was to make things as uncomfortable as possible for them to carry on their illegal trade,” a resident confessed. Now things are different, the residents throng the area in the evening and their presence in numbers has had its salutary effect. The number of streetwalkers and anti-social elements is fast dwindling. The police too has now decided to have a regular patrol visiting the area and efforts are now being made to prevent the anti-social elements from returning to the area. |
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‘Respect women to reduce crime against them’ Bhiwani, December 6 Mr Malik said that common men kept themselves away from the police, as the police had a bad image. This was despite the fact that the police provided security and saved the society from evil doers, he said, adding that the police administration controlled the incidents of crime by appearing in the picture at the right time. Expressing concern over the increasing incidents of female foeticides, Mr Malik said that the intelligentsia and social workers, especially women social workers, should come forward to check this menace and pre-natal sex determination tests. He said that changing their thinking, women should socially boycott such couples who attempted to go for pre-natal sex determination tests. The SP, Mr Rajender Singh, said that efforts were on to maintain cordial relations between the public and police. People should contact the police with a positive attitude. He called upon the people to give a good ‘samskar’ (culture) to their children and create positive image of the police so that they did not feel hesitant to contact the police when needed. The former chairman of the local municipal council, Ms Poonam Sangwan, said that despite awareness programmes, people still showed discrimination between boys and girls. Even today, if a woman gave birth to a girl, she had to face lots of harassment from her in-laws. And if the issue was a boy, crackers were burst in joy, she said, adding that this tendency had increased foeticide cases in the country. Among others who were present at the seminar were Additional Deputy Commissioner R. P. Gupta, Additional Superintendent of Police Sukdev Singh, DSP Samunder Singh, Improvement Trust chairman Verender Bhoruka, Vice-Chairman of the Board of School Education Haryana Dilbag Singh, municipal council chairman Manju Rani, Chief Medical Officer R. C. Gupta, District Malaria Officer Ram Chander, Dr Ravinder Punia, journalists, educationists and representatives of political parties. |
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HPCL terminates pump
dealership Faridabad, December 6 The outlet, which was running under the name M/S Auto Centre by its proprietor Joshi Lal, had downed its shutters for several months following a dispute over ownership. According to company officials, the outlet was started in 1995, but it failed to adhere to the provisions under the clauses of the dealership. It is reported that a sample was drawn at the outlet on 18.1.98, which had failed to meet the specifications of RON and benzene content .This sample failure was the second instance of irregularity or malpractice as per MDG2001. The Regional Director of the Northern Regional Office was informed through letter No. RDNR (AAC/INV-339, Dt 20.3.2002) of the benami operation of the outlet. The company issued show-cause notices to the outlet, but the reply was absolutely unsatisfactory, it is stated in the letter. It is learnt that following complaints of adulteration of the petroleum products by some outlets, the company has increased its vigilance. Provisions have been made to terminate dealership if an outlet is found selling adulterated products for the second time. This is perhaps the first case of termination of dealership on the charges of adulteration and benami, by a petroleum company in the district in the last few years. |
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Industrialisation has adversely affected the lifestyle of residents Jhajjar December 6 The pollution, which has risen to an alarming extent, has severely affected the residents of this bordering town of Haryana. The main sources of the pollution here are around 500 industrial units operating in the Modern Industrial Estate (MIE). Besides, various government departments, including the Public Health Department and the Housing and Urban Development Authority (HUDA) are also contributing to this problem in big way by discharging untreated sewage in the open. The effluents from the industrial units of the MIE were released into the sewers laid by the HUDA mostly without any treatment. Later, a disposal plant set up in the Industrial Estate discharged these effluents in the drain running across the MIE. Industry sources disclose that hardly ten per cent of the total units have installed their own treatment plant. Sources also alleged that a few units were polluting the ground water in a big way by disposing of poisonous effluents to the ground. Agriculture land near the MIE in Bahadurgarh has been worst affected by the poisonous ground water. The productivity of the land in the neighbouring area has been severely affected. As a result, ground water in the MIE and adjoining areas has become contaminated and brackish, which is unfit for drinking. The Central Ground Water Board has also tested the ground water of this town by taking samples from the field in this area. As per the report of these tests, ground water of Bahadurgarh is one of the most polluted along with Faridabad, Panipat, Gurgaon and Sonepat. The report has cautioned against the massive industrialisation in the state. It has disclosed that chemical and other florid laced poisonous substance had percolated to the ground and polluted the water, which had led to the spread of water borne diseases. Apart from the water pollution, the resident of the adjoining localities are forced to inhale poisonous fumes emitted by the factories situated in and around the residential colonies. However, Mr Ashok Redhu, president of the Bahadurgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BCCI) maintained that all the units releasing the poisonous effluents have installed treatment plants as per the directions of the pollution control board. He informed that the chamber had sent the detailed report about the installation of the main Effluent Treatment Plant (EIP) in the MIE, which is likely to get the government’s nod in a few months. Subsequently, he said the ETP would be commissioned in about one- and-half-years time. Mr Redhu said that there was a couple of dyeing units in the MIE about a decade ago, which had now been closed. These units had reportedly bored into the ground and released poisonous wastes into the ground. He said that the report of the CGWB might have taken samples from the polluted ground water. However, he complained about the air pollution caused due to emission of chlorinated fumes from CPW producing units. |
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Noida gets a 220 KV power line Noida, December 6 The Sahibabad-Ghazipur bypass-Noida line was opened on Thursday. Mr Upadhya said that it was a historic occasion, which signalled the end of the era of power cuts and darkness. Noida, he said, was like a crown for UP and the state government was particularly aware of the importance of law and order and supply of power to the industrial hub of the state. The present government had, therefore, accorded the highest priority to self-sufficiency in power to Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad belt. The 220 KV line was the first addition of its type in the area. Work on a 400 KV line, which was started recently, will be completed within two years. Work on a 132 KV station will be taken up within 15 days of Noida authority allotting the land for it, he said. Mr Upadhya said apart from increasing power generation, a revenue collection drive from April 1, 2002, had netted Rs 250 crore. Owing to the accumulation of Rs 6,085 crore as UP's power debt, the NTPC had stopped supplying power to the UP Power Corporation on loan basis. "We are now buying power on cash basis from the
NTPC", he said. For 13 long years, no power projects had been planned. |
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Govt wants to speed up development works:
Chautala Sonepat, December 6 Mr Chautala disclosed that the state government is contemplating to appoint an officer in every village, who will coordinate with the gram panchayats and rural development committees for the distribution of old-age pension, electricity meter reading and supervising other rural projects for their execution. The state government wanted to decentralise the powers. And for this purpose, it had already set up rural development committees in the villages, he added. Mr Chautala further divulged that a state-level convention of the Panchayati Raj institutions would be convened at Jind after the completion of the by-elections to the gram panchayats. For the gram panchayats, he said, the state government has already increased the amount from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh for the execution of development works in their villages. Similarly, it has increased the amount from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for the block samitis and from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for the Zila Parishad for the execution of the development works in the villages falling under their jurisdiction. He also announced that if the land of any gram panchayat is acquired by the state government, the amount of this land would be deposited in the same panchayat funds. This, he said, would boost the income of the gram panchayats and they would be able to execute more development works in their villages. Referring to the ‘Sarkar Aap Ke Dwar’, Mr Chautala disclosed that more than 33,000 development works had been executed in the second phase of this programme and similar works are being executed in all the districts during the third phase of the programme. These works include the construction of pucca hirnis, pavement of kutcha paths towards the cremation grounds, repairs of village chaupals and construction of homes for the aged persons. Regarding the development of industries, the Chief Minister said that as many as 128 big industries, 500 medium and small-scale industries had been set up in different parts of the state. This is the record in the history of Haryana during the last three years, he added. Describing about the construction of the SYL canal in the Punjab territory, Mr Chautala hoped that it would be completed within the stipulated period fixed by the Apex Court. The state government, he said, has undertaken a series of power projects in different parts of the state and 792 MW additional power had been generated during the past three years. Mr Chautala disclosed that the state government had spent Rs 404.89 crore on the development of Sonepat district during the past three years. Out of it, Rs 60 crore had been spent on the construction of Chaudhary Devi Lal Cooperative Sugar Mills at Ahulana village and another Rs 3.50 crore on the construction of the vegetable market at Gohana town. The government also had spent another Rs 2.50 crore on the canal-based drinking water supply scheme in Sector 23, a residential colony of the HUDA at Sonepat. The Central Government has already decided to set up Chaudhary Devilal Sports Academy at Joshi Chauhan village in the district at a cost of Rs 824.1 lakh. Mr Krishan Mohan, Commissioner-cum-Secretary Public Relations, Haryana, also gave the details of the development works executed by the Panchayati Raj institutions in the state. Later, Mr Chautala addressed a meeting of party workers and called upon them to face the challenge posed by Opposition parties, which are out to grab power once again in Haryana. |
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NCR BRIEFS Panipat, December 6 He alleged today that the economic condition of the state was going from bad to worse on account of the lop-sided policies followed by the government. Addressing a press conference here today, Prof Chhattarpal said every section of the society, be it the youth, the farmers or the trading community had been adversely affected by the wrong policies pursued by the Chautala government. Launching a scathing attack on the INLD government for its “failure” on all fronts, Professor Chhattarpal said on account of the shrinking employment avenues and lack of technical training, the youths today were a dissatisfied lot. The government had failed to give a “proper direction” to the youths, which portended ill for the nation. Accusing the Haryana Government of totally neglecting technical education in the state, he alleged that the rural technical education centres, which were started in the state by the Congress Government to provide inexpensive professional training to the youths, had been dumped by the present government. Making a strong plea to the electorate to elect “morally strong” representatives, he said the youths should get maximum representation in the elected bodies to stem the rot that had set in the present political system. Criticising the government for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, he said the daylight killing of a Sirsa-based journalist, Mr Ram Chander Chhattarpati allegedly by members of the ‘Dera Sachha Sauda’, demonstrated that the law and order had collapsed in the state. journalists’ protest Local journalists today decided to take out a procession from Civil Hospital to the office of the Deputy Commissioner on December 10 to press for a CBI probe into the killing of a Sirsa-based journalist, Ram Chander Chhattarpati, allegedly by members of the ‘Dera Sachha Sauda’ recently. Representatives of various social and political organisations will join the scribes in the protest march. Later, a memorandum seeking a CBI probe into the activities of the ‘Dera Sachha Sauda’ will be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner. 3 persons killed Three deaths, including a murder, have been reported in the district since last night. In the first instance, a chowkidar, identified as Param Ram, of a textile unit in the Mahavir Colony, was found murdered on the factory premises this morning. Two persons identified as Ram Pal and Mam Chand, resident of Nawada Aar were killed in road accident when the driver of the bus, which was on its way from Shamli (UP) to Panipat, apparently did not notice the truck on account of dense fog. Youth
arrested Sonepat It is stated that Parveen along with Manjeet had made an attempt to loot a Head Constable of the GRP, Mr Ved Parkash, on the Kami road about eight months ago. 4 killed in accidents Noida The driver had tried to overtake the bus in a rash manner. |
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SPEAKING OUT
In tune with the tremendous strides made by Faridabad and Ballabgarh in the development of industries during the last 50 years, the population in these areas has also increased manifold. At present, the population is about 20 lakh, consisting mostly of workers, middle class and upper middle class people. It is, however, noted with regret that the medical facilities here have not kept pace with the phenomenal growth of the population. The state government has failed to set up civil hospitals and dispensaries in the various residential and industrial sectors developed by the HUDA. B K Hospital in NIT, Faridabad and Civil Hospital in Ballabgarh set up long back, together with ESI hospitals in NIT and Sector 8, Faridabad, set up much later, are hopelessly inadequate to serve such a large population. Privately managed hospitals/nursing homes have been mushrooming in the complex. Some of the well-known hospitals/nursing homes have devised numerous ways of fleecing the patients, particularly those in serious condition and admitted in CCU/Intensive Care Unit, where the daily bed charges are about Rs 3,750, which include medical supervision and nursing care. The cost of medicines and tests – whether they are needed or not - carried out in their own laboratory, and the charges for special treatment/operation, if required, are extra. On an average, a patient has to shell out daily (while in CCU/ICU) about Rs 13,000 on charges for bed, tests, special treatment such as dialysis and medicines. To substantiate this, I wish to point out that I had to spend a whooping Rs 67,089 - Rs 18,750 as CCU charges, Rs 4,200 as dialysis charges, Rs 31,623 on tests and Rs 12,516 on medicines - on the treatment of my wife aged 75 suffering from malfunctioning of kidneys. She had remained in the CCU of a leading hospital and research centre of NIT for five days in the first week of November. My wife passed away at home the day she was got discharged from the hospital on persistent requests when her condition deteriorated. It may be noted that the percentage of charges on tests (blood, urine, ECG, X-ray, CT scan, HIV tests etc) conducted by the hospital in their own laboratory works out to 58 per cent of the total charges billed by the hospital. In the above context, I strongly feel that a stage has reached when the Haryana Government should go into the working of all the privately managed hospitals/nursing homes and fix reasonable charges for CCUs, ICUs, clinical tests, dialysis and various types of operations etc to save the workers and middle class residents of the area from financial exploitation. What patients want from doctors/hospitals is a little attention from them as human beings. O. P. Sharma, Faridabad Late promotion I am grateful to ‘NCR Tribune’ for publishing my letter on November 30 on the late promotion given to me. It is further added that as per the letters written to me by the office of DHBVN, Hisar with numbers Ch-211/CEN-47 dated 20-12-2000 and soon along with SE (Administration) DHBVN, Hisar Memo number Ch-3/NGE/T-30 dated 13-6-2000, Ch 12/NGET- 30 dated 30-3-2002 and memo number Ch-11 and NGE-T-30 dated 30-4-2001. It was brought to their kind notice that the original diploma or attested copy may be easily made available from my personal file Vol-I of January 1956, but the same was not traced for reasons best known to them. The HSEB/D/U. HBVN spent thousands of rupees by claiming TA/DA etc without any purpose. I request the authority concerned to look into the matter soon so that the case is settled once and for all. Pannalal Gupta, Sonepat UGC’s hire and fire plans The placid Indian system of education is in convulsions, even if it is a knee-jerk reaction, in Prof Nigavekar’s words. It is heartening to note that we Indians have at last admitted that there is something drastically wrong with our education system, which is churning out substandard/mediocre alumni session after session. Be it the Ambani-Birla Report or an offshoot of the all-pervasive globalisation, this realisation has forced us to sit up and take cognition of the fact. The proposal of the UGC on contractual appointments is possibly an answer to the low quality of education and absence of accountability on the part of decision-makers. But, is the present system mature enough for contractual appointments to be translated as a quality control measure giving academicians opportunity to vie with each other honestly and in a healthy and competitive spirit? Certainly not, given the rampant unemployment. The clamour for jobs would result in sheer exploitation if the institutions were given a free hand in the name of autonomy. If one looks at what ails our higher education institutions, one thing that stands out is the quality in the top rungs. Vice-chancellors of universities are handpicked from the remotest possible streams of life, having probably no academic inclinations - what to say of credentials. Former generals, politicians, bureaucrats etc decorate these chairs for a term of three years. Quite possibly, by the time they get the hang of the situation, they are replaced. Attempts like NAAC (need to assess and accredit education) to assess individuals and institutions with reference to impending globalisation to gauge whether they/these can find a place in the now wider horizon is relevant and desirable but the sanity of the tenure track appointments is to be doubted. The dubious distinction of the inception of such appointments goes to Bharatiar University, Coimbatore, eagerly lapped up by the UGC as an instant recipe for all shortfalls. It can easily be foreseen that it would ignite a vicious circle of exploitation and further fall of standards. Agreed, Indian education system is in the doldrums but is it advisable that the academicians be made so insecure that their constant endeavour would be survival at all costs, thus jeopardising academic standards further? Here, an observation of management guru Arindam Chaudhury is most pertinent: "I believe the levels of job security in the Indian context can affect productivity levels. Indians with high job security tend to become complacent while too much job insecurity can throw an average creative brain into a spin... the choice is between (a) giving endless job security to your people and turning them into sleepy cows; (b) giving total insecurity to your people and turn them into scared asses; or (c) putting some efforts and fine-tuning the ideal level of job security with a human touch and turning your people into galloping horses." Now it is for the UGC to ponder whether it would exchange sleepy cows for scared asses or galloping horses. Dr Susheela Beniwal, Sonepat Hooliganism at trade fair The 22nd India International Trade Fair witnessed a large crowd. However, genuine visitors had to suffer at the hands of Haryanavi hooligans who created a nuisance both inside and outside the fair premises. The delinquent commuters, especially from urban-rural village youths who came to the fair for eve-teasing and shoplifting, have brought disgrace to Haryana. The widespread nuisance compelled the Delhi Police to take seven students of Kurukshetra University in custody. Twelve others were remanded. What a shame to Haryana whose cultural traits are nice and robust! A handful of deranged and misguided youth have cast a slur on the society. I personally visited the fair on Sunday (November 24) with family. The worst victims of the hooliganism were budding girls or young women. The new culture portends a dangerous message. The ITPO, the organisers of the IITF, must think of the aims and objectives of the fair. Is it merely a picnic place? Is it a place where some misguided youths could carry out their hedonist pastimes? Can’t the police and authorities rein in such people? Such degenerated behaviour must be improved to project the image of Haryana and Delhi as progressive states. Secondly, the prices of eatables at the stalls were so exorbitant that it literally proved the proverb ‘make hay while the sun shines’. To make the IITF a more meaningful event, such malefactions should be replaced with good deeds. Ramutar Yadav, (HCS Allied), Nilokheri, Karnal What a jam in Delhi? Indeed, it is a matter of grave concern that one cannot reach one’s destination in time, as he/she has to waste so much time in traffic jams in the national Capital. In the last fortnight, I visited Delhi four times. Our vehicle/bus had been stranded for hours on the way as it had no place to move. The jam, which should have been cleared in half-an-hour, took more than one hour to clear. To waste time in such a way is really shocking. The Delhi Government should use the services of the traffic police effectively so that jams don’t occur so frequently. Subhash C. Taneja, Rohtak Guru changed world Birth of Guru Nanak marked a new age of knowledge. At the time of his birth, a considerable number of orthodox practices/evils were rampant. Their roots were so deep that they needed a man of extraordinary wisdom to uproot them and a man of exceptional courage to dissipate the darkness of ignorance from among the people and to enlighten them. Hence an eminent scholar on Sikhism notes: With Nanak’s appearance on the horizon, the prevailing pall of invisible frost vanished from the scene and instead luminous light ruled the universe. In his zeal to reform the people, he left his home and set out on long journeys in and out of Bharat Varsha. He went everywhere - to villages, cities and centres of pilgrimages. People thronged to listen to his original precepts. Of the countless confusions bedevilling both the Hindus and Muslims, one is where the Almighty resides. The God’s abode is everywhere, said Guru Nanak. To stress this truth, he went on a journey to Mecca. One day while relaxing in a mosque in Mecca, he lay his feet to the west. The ‘qazi’ (priest) got enraged with Nanak, asking him to get his feet away from the west. Nanak very innocently retorted that he could move his feet where his God did not reside. The simple qazi tried to move Nanak’s feet but he found to his great consternation that the mosque moved along with Nanak’s feet. In fact, in Japuji Sahib (a prayer sung in the morning by Sikhs), he emphasises the fact that the God resides in nature and it is difficult for him to describe him. Nanak was an unusual reformer. He considered both the Hindus and Muslims as two eyes of a man. Both the communities loved him. For Hindus, he was their ‘Guru’ and for Muslims, he was their `Pir’. It is said of his final journey from the earth that his mortal frame disappeared and instead flowers were seen on his funeral pyre. They were equally distributed between the devotees of the two sects. The Hindus cremated them while Muslims buried them. In the pilgrimage to Hardwar, he sought to enlighten the conservative Hindus. While standing in the holy water of the Ganga at Har ke Pauri facing the sun, they were seen offering the water to their ancestors. Guruji stressed that it was not by uttering prayers in a mechanical manner while their minds were busy in useless thoughts that they could attract the almighty. He hammered in the hard truth that prayer made with undivided attention, noble deeds and service to the needy were worthy. Crimes against women were an anathema to Guru Nanak. He pointedly asked the society why it condemned women. And why men pined for other women if they were fed up by the earlier ones? In fact, women keep men in restraint. Why then we deplore them who give birth to kings? He was a champion of equality. One does not get means by getting birth in a low caste, neither does one become noble by being born in a high caste. A man of sterling deeds even born in a low caste is high in His court. The earnings of the poor earned with their hard labour and honesty are purer than the earnings of the rich who secure riches through the exploitation of the poor. He made this harsh truth clear to the wealthy Bhai Bhago who was drunk with his riches. He made the truth public when he publicly displayed blood oozing from Bhago’s lavish recipes and milk trickling from poor and carpenter Lalo’s simple loaves. He changed the arrogant heart of Bhai Bhago and turned him into a simple and dedicated follower at the service of humanity. Guru Nanak’s words are relevant even in the prevailing time. He lives in his words and deeds. Ujjal pal Singh, Dina Nath Public School, NIT, Faridabad
A true martyr who fought for freedom of worship Guru Tegh Bahadur was the prophet of the age of crisis during the Mughal rule. His life and teachings have great relevance in our present age. This Unique Saviour of the oppressed humanity laid down his life not for his own faith and principles, but for the fundamental rights of Brahmins, the custodians of Hindu religion, to worship the deity according to their own tradition, culture and formal rites. Guru Tegh Bahadur firmly believed that the foremost duty and true test of a "saviour" was to fight for the human rights and freedom of the oppressed people, irrespective of their creed, beliefs and ideology. During Aurangzeb’s rule, a large number of low caste Hindus needed very little pressure to induce them to embrace Islam, the state religion. Persecution of Hindus was the momentous feature of Aurangzeb’s rule. Such was his policy of intolerance and religious persecution that thousands of Hindus were forced to embrace Islam for fear of oppression. Guru Tegh Bahadur’s passion in life was to fight for the human rights and freedom of the oppressed people. His teachings demonstrate his deep faith in God. His father, Guru Hargobind Sahib, had predicted that his son would be the bravest of the brave, absolutely fearless. The Sikh history is full of martyrs. The Martyr (Shaheed) upholds the righteousness of his cause with the sacrifice of his own life. Guru Arjan Dev was the first Sikh martyr to offer his life for the principles of the Sikh faith. Guru Tegh Bahadur was the other guru, who sacrificed his life for upholding the right of the Hindus to practise their own religion. The Sikh martyr suffered torture and subsequently embraced death for upholding moral values and integrity of faith. Guru Tegh Bahadur did not seek martyrdom. Martyrdom came to him. Famous historians, while paying homage to Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, have written that "the aftermath of event gave a new turn to India’s freedom movement". His martyrdom gave birth to creation of the Order of the Khalsa by Sahib Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1699. Dr Komal Avtar Singh, Honorary Press Advisor,
DSGMC
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Two get NGO
scholarship New Delhi, December 6 The recipients of the scholarship instituted by OSICA International in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Council are Kirti Rawat of Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Motibagh and Deepa Joshi of Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, Shalimar Bagh. Education Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan on Friday said the first and second batches of scholars were selected from Kerala. This was the first time students from Delhi had been selected for this scholarship.
New constables As many as 2,359 persons were selected for the post of constable in the Delhi Police after clearing physical endurance test, written test and an interview conducted by the Centre for Policy Research. The selected candidates are from various categories like General-1040, OBC-556, SC-334, ST-241, EXM-General-116, EXM-OBC-62, EXM-SC-09 and EXM-ST-01. In another test conducted by the Delhi Police, 72 constables have been selected for the Dog Squad. Out of 17,229 candidates finally 72 were selected after passing physical endurance test, written test and an interview.
MCD gets flak Mr Subhash Arya, Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, on Thursday strongly criticised the functioning of the ruling Congress party in the MCD. He alleged that during various meetings of the corporation held in the past three months 43 proposals had been postponed. Of these, six were of urgent business while 37 were of ordinary business. The 37 proposals of ordinary business which were postponed could only be approved by the corporation. Mr Arya said that some of these proposals related to providing security services; creation of two posts of doctors; setting up of adolescent clinics at Swami Dayanand Hospitgal, Shahdara and reorganisation of Veterinary department which were meant for welfare of people. He also informed that some of these proposals were placed for approval to vacate properties taken on rent by MCD as well as acquisition of land for two primary school buildings. Mr Arya alleged that if these proposals were not approved within the prescribed time then there was danger of misappropriation of land required for schools. The Congress party was deliberately delaying these proposal in connivance with land mafia, Mr Arya alleged. |
3 Bangladeshis held for
dacoity New Delhi, December 6 The dacoits attacked Piyush Aggarwal (35) and Shishir (25), along with their wives and intimidated their parents, Shyam Sunder Aggarwal (65) and Saroj Aggarwal (60), to hand over other valuables in their house. The dacoits reportedly took away two Nokia mobile phones along with some Mauritian silver coins and escaped after crossing the railway track behind Preet Vihar colony. Acting on a tip-off that the suspects were hiding in the Trilok Puri area, the police nabbed one Rokon Talukdar after a raid. Based on Rokon’s information, the East district police in a joint effort with the North-East district police nabbed two more persons, identified as Dulal alias Baba Dulal and his wife Salma. The police arrested Dulal while he was on his way to meet his brother-in-law Mumum staying in Gokulpuri. Dulal confessed to the police that his wife Salma was waiting in Maujpur with three bags of jewellery, silver coins, utensils and clothes to leave for Bangladesh. Subsequently, the police party reached the spot and apprehended Salma and recovered the stolen valuables from her. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), Mr Nuzhat Hassan, said that the police have identified the other suspects in the case and efforts were on to apprehend them. |
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Two arrested for
raping Dalit woman Noida When the woman raised an alarm, they let her free. Again, they grabbed her in a mustard field and both of them reportedly raped her. The victim’s brother had filed a report in the Dinkaur police station against the youths.
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Woman files dowry harassment case against
husband Jhajjar, December 6 According to the police sources, Meena was married to
Bijender, son of Ranjeet Singh at Nangloi in Delhi in 1995. However, her husband and his family members started harassing her after the marriage and demanded a scooter and a colour TV in dowry. When she was unable to fulfil their demands, she was forced out of the house. Subsequently, Meena started living at her parental house in
Asaudha. However, a member of the village panchayat went to her husband’s house on October 19 to sort out their differences. Later, though Meena moved in with her husband for some time, she was once again forced to leave the house by her husband and her in-laws. Subsequently, based on her complaint, the Bahadurgarh police registered a case of dowry harassment against her husband
Bijender, his father Ranjeet, mother Prem Devi and sister in-law Kavita and started investigation into the case. |
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Police arrest cashier who was robbed of Rs 2 lakh Ghaziabad The cashier, Laxman, was sent by trader Arun to deposit Rs 2 lakh in Union Bank of India. Laxman put the money in a leather bag and went on Arun’s scooter to deposit the amount. When he did not return for quite sometime, Arun went out to look for him and found him lying unconscious behind a temple, near the bank. The moneybag was missing.
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Youth stabbed to death by
friends Jhajjar, December 6 According to the police, Joginder, the brother of the deceased, reported to the police that his brother and another youth, Pawan, had left the village Bohar in Rohtak district on a scooter on November 27. After two days, however, Pawan returned to his village alone and expressed his ignorance on the whereabouts of his brother. When the police interrogated him, he confessed that he along with another friend, Sandeep of Gochchhi village, had stabbed Joginder’s brother to death and thrown his body into the canal. The police have registered a case of murder and arrested the accused. However, the cause of the murder was not yet clear. |
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Burglar’s arrest solves 70
cases New Delhi, December 6 The accused Mukesh Kumar (23), resident of Paschim Vihar, was apprehended by the police after they received a tip-off that Mukesh would be going to Dabri in a Hero Honda motorcycle to execute a planned crime. The police party overpowered him and recovered a country-made pistol with one cartridge and two iron chisels, used to break locks, from his possession. The police said that Mukesh has been involved in 23 cases in Prashant Vihar, seven cases in Vikaspuri, seven cases in Rohini, 12 cases in Dwarka, nine cases in Dabri, four cases in Janakpuri and three cases in Pashchim Vihar.
Auto-lifters arrested The anti-auto lifting squad of the West district have apprehended three auto-lifters, identified as Raj Kumar alias Raju, Nassir Hussain and Harish, all in their late twenties and residents of Uttam Nagar while they were trying to dispose off a stolen motorcycle in Vikas Puri area. Their associate Omi, resident of Jodhpur, has been absconding.
Two held for murder The police today claimed to have arrested two persons in connection with the murder of a woman last night in Sultan Puri area in North-West Delhi. According to the police, the victim Babli (30), resident of Sultanpuri was alone in her house when the two suspects, Rajesh and Sachin, both in their twenties, gained entry into the house and made advances towards her. When the victim, wife of Hanif, running a welding shop in the area, resisted them, the youths stabbed the woman and fled from the spot. Babli was immediately rushed to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital where she was declared brought dead. The suspects were later nabbed by the police and recovered the weapon which was used in the offence.
Counterfeit goods The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police has conducted raids in Central and North Delhi and seized more than 900 counterfeit SKF bearings from Shree Shakti Bearings at G.B Road and Jyoti Sales Corporation at Kashmere Gate. The police arrested two persons along with the owners of the company.
2 persons killed A depressed 45-year-old woman committed suicide in Dakshinpuri area in Ambedkar Nagar. The woman, identified as Sarojini, is survived by her five children. A youth Rakesh (26), a resident of Sector-6, R. K. Puram, was electrocuted today while he was engaged in some electrical work. |
Seven schools take part in music
competition Sonepat, December 6 According to a report, teams from seven schools took part in the competition. The programme was for the middle school students, who do not usually get enough opportunity and exposure. The main competition was in devotional singing, which began with the chief guest lighting the lamp, followed by the Saraswati Vandana. The function was presided over by tabla maestro Shaffat Ahmad Khan. CRPF School with their melodious rendering of Kabir’s Bhajans were the winners of the event. The highlight of their presentation was that students handled the stage and musical accompaniment. Trained under the guidance of their music teachers Anupama and Indu Mudgil, their presentation was a marvel. Navyug School, Sarojani Nagar, was the runners-up with their bhajan composed by their music teacher, Mrs Sharma. It was a pleasant experience. The third place was shared by Apollo International and Motilal Nehru School of Sports. The music composed by their respective teachers, Mr Sunil Sharma and Mr Chanann, had a mesmerising effect on the audience. |
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