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Monday,
December 23, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Sirsa to have full-fledged varsity Give more relief to farmers, Centre urged Bansi Lal rules out alliance with BJP HVPN yet to submit FSA application |
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LIC office gutted ‘Swasthya Apke Dwar’ programme launched Councillor booked
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Sirsa to have full-fledged varsity Kurukshetra, December 22 The announcement regarding the opening of a new university at Sirsa to commemorate the memory of Devi Lal, former Deputy Prime Minister of India, is a matter to time only. When opened, it will be the fifth university in state. The main idea behind opening another university is in consonance with the Union Government’s planning for the 10th Plan period to raise the intake of higher education up to 15 per cent. At present it is only 5 to 7 per cent. The state government is expecting to get hefty monetary aid to develop this university during the 10th Plan. Mr R.S. Chaudhary, Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, told this correspondent that the new university when inaugurated, would open floodgates of opportunities for higher education in an otherwise educationally backward area. Not only that, it would benefit the youth of the adjoining Punjab districts of Bathinda, Ferozepore, Faridkot and towns like Rama Mandi, Guniana Mandi, Rampura Phool, Kot Kapura etc for getting higher education at cheap rates. It will also serve the people of Rajasthan. Mr Chaudhary explained that the background and the dire need for such a university was that there was no university for study of general postgraduate courses in a radius of at least 100 km from Sirsa. The town’s contiguity to Rajasthan made it more imperative for Haryana to open such a university. Furthermore,, hardly 2 per cent of the population of the area has received higher education. It is because of lack of awakening and availability of opportunities only at long distances. The people of this otherwise affluent area are suffering because of this. Talking about the backwardness of the area in the field of education, the Vice-Chancellor said it was in 1956 when the first college in a 100 km radius i.e. National College, Sirsa, was started. Of course, a large number of colleges have of late come up in the area but even till today it is without any engineering and medical college. It was with this background that Kurukshetra University started work on war footing to develop this regional centre. In the beginning, the centre started functioning at Phoolkian village, about 8 km from Sirsa. But about three years ago, the present Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University persuaded the Chief Minister, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, to shift the centre on the campus of the Regional Cotton Institute of the CCSHAU which is contiguous to Sirsa town. Mr Chaudhary stated that the centre at Phoolkian could not function because it was away from the town and the girl students of the area were not in a position to avail of the facilities there. Mr Chaudhary took up the challenge to develop the campus at a faster pace buoyed with the idea that two regional centres of Kurukshetra University at Rohtak and Hisar had already been developed into full-fledged universities. During the past over two years, a teaching block, girls’ hostel, boys’ hostel and houses of the teaching as well as non-teaching staff have come up. The three-storeyed teaching block whose foundation was laid by the Chief Minister on November 1,200, has 54 classrooms. Besides, there are teachers’ rooms, a library, a computer room and a seminar room. The approximate cost of this block built over an area of 8,000 square feet is over Rs 4.23 crore. The three-storeyed girls hostel called the Harki Devi Bhavan, named after the mother of the Chief Minister, has the capacity to accommodate 236 girl students. It construction was started in August 2001 over an area of 4,000 square feet. All modern living facilities for girls have been provided in this building. The university had taken up the construction of a boys’ hostel in September this year. The two-storeyed building for accommodating 100 students would cost over Rs 85 lakh. In addition to this, the university has already taken up the construction of three E-type houses, eight D-type houses, 12 C-type houses and 12 H-type houses for the teaching and non-teaching staff. It is being planned to construct more houses so that staff members get proper and adequate accommodation the moment the full-fledged university starts functioning. The university has already spent Rs 20 lakh each on the construction of a boundary wall and provisions of water supply, electricity and approach roads. Mr Chaudhary said an administrative block costing Rs 2 crore approximately would come up at the campus of the centre shortly. Besides, there was a proposal to construct a Director’s house which would ultimately be the Vice-Chancellor’s residence of the new university, a rest house at a cost of Rs 1 crore and more accommodation for students’ hostels. It is expected that the way the hectic construction activity is going on, the new university will come in to being in the beginning of the new year. |
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Give more relief to farmers, Centre urged Sonepat, December 22 In a press statement issued here, he attached the Central Government for what he called meagre relief announced by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, for farmers in the drought-hit states. The waiving of interest for one year on Kharif loans taken by the farmers was an eyewash. He urged the Central Government to announce more relief for the drought-hit farmers. The Congress leader also lashed out at the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) government, headed by Mr Om Prakash Chautala. He accused the Chief Minister of betraying the farmers during his three-year regime and alleged that Mr Chautala had backed out of all promises he had made to them during the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. He also alleged that the Chautala government had not increased the support price of sugarcane during the past two years and this had caused widespread resentment among sugarcane growers. Referring to the arson and violent incidents at Ahulana village, Mr Hooda blamed the state government for indulging in malpractices in recruitment of employees and later on resorting to police lathi charge and firing on the people who were protesting against the injustice done to them. He alleged that the state government had used force in crushing the voice of the farmers at Jind and Rohtak and putting them behind the bars. He said Mr Chautala had announced that the state government would grant compensation to drought-hit farmers at the rate of Rs 3,000 per acre but it had failed to seek the Central assistance for this purpose. The Congress leader also alleged that the special girdwari carried out in the drought-hit areas of the state had proved to be a hoax as the farmers had so far not received any relief from the farmers. Mr Hooda claimed that the Congress had already gained its ground in the state as the people of the state were fed up with the Chautala government and they were rallying behind Mr Bhajan Lal, President of the HPCC. He denied that there was a rift in the Congress which, he said, had been strengthened under the leadership of Mr Bhajan Lal. |
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Cane growers: Chautala playing politics Chandigarh, December 22 In a statement issued here today, Mr Sat Pal
Kaushik, a Secretary of the Haryana Congress, alleged that Mr Chautala’s statement that he would close the sugar mills if the farmers agitated was meant to pressure the latter into accepting the price being paid by the private mills, which was lower than that fixed by the state government. Claiming that the Congress would not tolerate the browbeating of the farmers, Mr Kaushik said if the private mills were not in a position to pay the price fixed by the state, the farmers should be compensated by the government which was duty bound to honour its commitment made with the growers. He alleged that the mills owners were exploiting the farmers in connivance with the Chautala Government. |
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Bansi Lal rules out alliance with BJP Kaithal, December 22 Mr Bansi Lal said the Chautala government was a non-performing government and the Chief Minister could not claim any achievement during his term, except that he had made a number of foreign trips burdening the exchequer and was leaving no stone unturned to set up casinos which was against the culture of the country . He said that if Mr Chautala succeeded in setting up casinos and the HVP came to power in next Assembly elections, such gambling dens would be closed down immediately and the statues of Devi Lal installed at the initiative of Mr Chautala at public places would be dismantled. He said he would not support a government formed by Mr Bhajan Lal with defections from the Opposition .He lamented that the prohibition introduced in the state had to be withdrawn in view of the public opinion. He took credit for the Ravi-Beas accord for bringing more water to Haryana, but criticised later governments for their failure to pursue the matter seriously. The former Chief Minister promised to provide unemployment allowance to the uneducated youth , cheaper power, improvement in the law and order situation reduction in house tax and other taxes, withdrawal of ST 38 forms besides an efficient and corruption-free government in Haryana and development in all parts of the state after coming to power. |
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HVPN yet to submit FSA application Chandigarh, December 22 Knowledgeable sources said that the revision of tariff was sought in the case of a deficit existing between revenue and expenditure. “The tariff is increased to cover the deficit. Similarly, if there is a surplus in revenue, the tariff may be lowered”, the sources said. In the ARR submitted last year, which was not accompanied by any tariff application, the HVPN showed only a minor deficit and urged the HERC for not insisting on any increase in tariff at that juncture. After reviewing the ARR the HERC, in fact, found a surplus in the projected earnings of the HVPN. However, since the surplus was also minor, it did not insist for the lowering of tariff. The HVPN, however, is due to submit an application for the fuel surcharge allowance (FSA) to the HERC. The FSA application for seven quarters from December, 2000, was returned by the HERC, saying that the application should be updated till August, 2000. Despite reminders sent by the HERC, the HVPN is yet to send the FSA application. A source in the HVPN, however, claimed that the state government had already made a commitment about paying the HVPN the expenses incurred on account of FSA so that consumers were not burdened with fresh charges. The
FSA, charged on non-maintenance by the HVPN of the projected cost of power purchase, was passed on to the consumers in 2000 by an HERC order. The consumers had to pay up for Rs 129 crore on account of the
FSA. |
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LIC office gutted Karnal, December 22 It is reported that the fire was the result of some papers being burnt by the thieves who had entered the building by breaking open the rear window of the office. The thieves when leaving left the burning papers which spread fire to other areas. The computers and fans in the building were damaged. |
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‘Swasthya Apke Dwar’ programme launched Chandigarh, December 22 An official press note said here today that health melas were being organised all over the state under the programme. The press note claimed that facilities like a complete physical checkup as well as ENT, eye, dental and abdomen treatment were being provided in these melas. Urine, sugar, blood sugar, HB, ECG and sputum tests were also being conducted. Ultrasound, pathological tests, cataract operations were also being carried out, the press note claimed. Six such camps were being organised in each district. Wheelchairs, tricycles and artificial limbs were also distributed among the disabled at a camp organised at Bubain village in Kurukshetra district. |
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Councillor booked Sirsa, December 22 According to the information received today a team of officers lead by the City Magistrate and police officers went to supervise the anti-encroachment drive, in which about half a dozen encroachments were said to be demolished. The Municipal Councillor Rajinder Gujjar protested against this drive and he reportedly laid down in front of the JPC machine to stop the demolition drive. At this the police arrested the MC. After the arrest of the MC other people of the ward started their protest complaining of demolishing their establishments without any notice. The police resorted to lathi charge to suppress this protest. As a result, tension prevails in the area and heavy police force has been deployed in that area. |
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