H A R Y A N A

Appoint only ‘renowned persons as VCs’
Hisar, March 30
Leaders of various organisations of university and college teachers of Haryana at a meeting here today demanded that only reputed academicians and scientists should be appointed as Vice-Chancellors.

2 held for murder of ex-IG’s widow
Hisar, March 30
The police has arrested two suspects allegedly involved in the murder of Mrs Sheela Devi, the widow of a former Inspector-General of Haryana Police, Dharam Singh, from Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal.

VAT: Haryana bandh today
Chandigarh, March 30
Haryana will observe a bandh tomorrow in protest against the state government’s move to implement VAT from April 1. The call for the bandh has been given by the Haryana Pradesh Beopar Mandal (Bajrang group).

Woman alleges misbehaviour by doctor
Naraingarh (Ambala), March 30
A woman of Naraingarh, Ms Jaswinder Kaur, along with members of her family and a number of local residents, has been sitting in a dharna, in front of the Civil Hospital here for the past three days in protest against the alleged misbehaviour by a doctor of the hospital. She has demanded his arrest.

Polio drives on April 6, June 1
Ambala, March 30
Despite intensive efforts made by government and non-government organisations, paralytic poliomyelitis is endemic in Haryana. Following a sudden increase in polio cases in Haryana during the past year, the Health Department has decided to launch two special drives on April 6 and June 1 in the state.

Red Cross aid for the poor
Kurukshetra, March 30
The Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand, and his wife, Ms Sudesh Kumari, distributed 1,000 blankets and 500 sewing machines among the destitute poor and the needy at a function organised by the Kurukshetra Red Cross Society in the university auditorium here today.

Stories from Haryana towns falling in the National Capital Region are put in NCR Tribune.

YOUR TOWN

Ambala Chandigarh Hisar Kaithal Kurukshetra Sirsa Yamunanagar

	Abhay’s announcement forces Cong to rethink March 30, 2003
	Police harassing my son: Partap Singh March 29, 2003
	Storm brews in Haryana Cong March 28, 2003
	Warrants issued to 5 in murder case March 27, 2003
	Haryana MLAs impose themselves on Rajasthan March 26, 2003
	Ex IG’s widow ‘strangled’ March 25, 2003
	Resist economic terrorism: Medha Patkar March 24, 2003
	Bhajan Lal’s terms for reinstating PCC chiefs March 23, 2003
	VAT will ruin small traders: Hooda March 22, 2003
	CAT orders refixation on seniority March 21, 2003
	Gurjar ‘responsible’ for Faridabad drive March 19, 2003

Schoolteachers seek retainership
Yamunanagar, March 30
Government schoolteachers who are deputed by the Board of School Education, Haryana, to conduct examination by the Board of Middle, Matric and Higher Secondary have not yet been paid their retainership for the last year.

Lok Adalat settles 356 cases
Sirsa, March 30
A Lok Adalat was held in the district courts compound yesterday under the chairmanship of Additional District and Sessions Judge M.P. Mahandiratta, in which 774 cases were taken up. Out of this 356 cases were settled on the spot.

25 tolas of gold stolen
Ambala, March 30
Around 25 tolas of gold and other valuables worth Rs 3 lakh have been stolen from the residence of Ms Sawara Kaur, a widow, near Badshahi Bagh at Ambala City. She has been residing with her daughter. 

• Poll not held

Appoint only ‘renowned persons as VCs’
Our Correspondent

Hisar, March 30
Leaders of various organisations of university and college teachers of Haryana at a meeting here today demanded that only reputed academicians and scientists should be appointed as Vice-Chancellors.

In a resolution passed unanimously, they said search panels comprising well known academicians should be constituted to recommend names for appointment as Vice-Chancellors. These panels should be afforded complete freedom and their selection process should be transparent and above board.

Dr Nar Singh Bishnoi, president of the Guru Jambheshwar University Teachers Association (GJUTA) said it was felt that instead of “foisting undeserving favourites” on universities, intellectuals and scientists who were known for their lifetime achievements in their fields should be handed over reins of universities in the state.

Through another resolution, the meeting demanded an immediate end to political interference, corruption and indiscipline in all universities and colleges. It also demanded the restoration of autonomy in universities.

The teacher leaders demanded that GJU teachers be given a greater role in the academic council, executive council and the court. All members of these bodies should be elected.

They also sought the immediate implementation of the UGC and ICAR pay scales in universities without any modifications.

Other demands voiced at the meeting included the withdrawal of the compulsory retirement scheme for HAU teachers, scrapping of self-assessment reports and curbs on irregularities in enrolment for Ph.D. degrees.

The meeting was attended by leaders of GJUTA, the Haryana Agricultural University Teachers Association, the Mahrishi Dayanand University Teachers Association, the Kurukshetra University Teachers Association, the Haryana College Teachers Association and the Haryana Government College Teachers Organisation.

2 held for murder of ex-IG’s widow
Our Correspondent

Hisar, March 30
The police has arrested two suspects allegedly involved in the murder of Mrs Sheela Devi, the widow of a former Inspector-General of Haryana Police, Dharam Singh, from Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal.

The Superintendent of Police, Mr Om Parkash Kadian, told The Tribune here today that the police party, which had been sent to Jalpaiguri district late last week, conducted raids in different villages there and arrested Parmod and Madan Kumar from Kurchi village in Nagarkota block. He said the team had also recovered Rs 57,000 and a gold bangle from them. He said according to preliminary investigations, the accused had distributed the booty among themselves including cash and jewellery, which they had stolen after strangulating the deceased.

Mr Kadian said the team would produce Parmod and Madan in the court at Jalpaiguri to obtain the transit remand. The team would return here after two days.

Mrs Sheela Devi was strangulated to death by her servant Laxman and his friends at her residence at Urban Estate II here on March 23. According to the complaint lodged by her son Mr Ajayvir Singh, the servant also looted Rs 1.5 lakh in cash and jewellery from the house.

VAT: Haryana bandh today
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 30
Haryana will observe a bandh tomorrow in protest against the state government’s move to implement VAT from April 1.

The call for the bandh has been given by the Haryana Pradesh Beopar Mandal (Bajrang group). The President of the Mandal, Mr Bajrang Dass Garg, said in a statement issued here today that all preparations for the bandh had been completed.

He said a small trader making an average daily sale of Rs 270 and earning a profit of Rs 27 (at 10 per cent margin) was expected by the government to pay a tax of Rs 30 per day.

The Akhil Bharatiya Beopar Mandal has also given a call for a nation-wide bandh on April 1 in protest against VAT. The Haryana Pradesh Beopar Mandal (Lakshmi Chand group) is supporting the April 1 call. However, in many districts, as Mr Ramesh Verma, president of the Bajrang group in Ambala, said the two organisations had decided to cooperate with each other “to fight the anti-trader policies” of the Chautala Government.

Mr Garg said a rally of traders would be organised in Delhi on April 8.

Woman alleges misbehaviour by doctor
Our Correspondent

Naraingarh (Ambala), March 30
A woman of Naraingarh, Ms Jaswinder Kaur, along with members of her family and a number of local residents, has been sitting in a dharna, in front of the Civil Hospital here for the past three days in protest against the alleged misbehaviour by a doctor of the hospital. She has demanded his arrest.

Ms Jaswinder Kaur, in a fax to the Deputy Commissioner, stated that she was five months pregnant.

On March 27, when she was alone in her house, five persons entered her house.

They molested her and took away Rs 12,000. She alleged that when she went to the hospital for a medical examination and treatment the doctor on duty did not attend her and misbehave with her.

The person sitting in the dharna have been demanding action against the doctor and immediate arrest of the persons involved in the molestation.

However the doctor refuted the charges.

Meanwhile, the SP, Mr Harden Singh Doon, said the police immediately came in to action as soon as it received the information and registered a case under Sections 323, 452, 380 and 506, IPC, against five persons. He said Rajender Kumar, Nathi Ram and Ramesh Kumar had been arrested in this regard.

Polio drives on April 6, June 1
Our Correspondent

Ambala, March 30
Despite intensive efforts made by government and non-government organisations, paralytic poliomyelitis is endemic in Haryana. Following a sudden increase in polio cases in Haryana during the past year, the Health Department has decided to launch two special drives on April 6 and June 1 in the state.

The Project Officer of Pulse Polio Programme, Mrs M Bhasin, during a meeting in Ambala recently said that during 2002 as many as 37 cases of polio were detected in the state whereas one case was found in Ambala district.

The Health Department and the NGOs are worried over the increase in the number of polio cases in the state. A former president of the Haryana unit of the Indian Medical Association.

Dr D S Jaspal, said there could be three reasons for the increase of polio cases in the state. He said it could be that during the polio immunisation drive, all children were not covered in the state. Secondly the polio vaccine might not have been stored properly.

Thirdly the laps in maintaining the cold chain of vaccine could be one of the reasons. The quality of the vaccine used during the drive could be inferior.

Mr Jaspal said in 1998 as many as 38 cases of polio were reported in the state whereas in 1999, they increased to 19. In 2000 several cases in Gurgaon, Panipat and Faridabad were reported. Following the identification of poliovirus at Gurgaon and Panipat, two rounds of ‘mopping up’ immunisation were conducted.

The Civil Surgeon Ambala, Dr S L Kaushik said this time 600 pulse polio centres had been established in the district so that all children could be administered polio drops. He said besides posters and banners, other methods of publicity would be adopted to inform the people about drive to be launched from April. He said social organisations would also be involved in the campaign.

Red Cross aid for the poor
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, March 30
The Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand, and his wife, Ms Sudesh Kumari, distributed 1,000 blankets and 500 sewing machines among the destitute poor and the needy at a function organised by the Kurukshetra Red Cross Society in the university auditorium here today.

Over 5,000 persons from the nearby villages attended the function.

The chief guest, Babu Parmanand, who is also the president of the Haryana State Red Cross Society, praised the society for providing the villagers with relief.

The Governor also said a scheme of distributing rickshaws among the youth would soon be launched from Kurukshetra.

The Governor told the society, district officials and the village sarpanches to ensure that reached the help reached the right persons.

Mr Abhilaksh Likhi, Deputy Commissioner and president of the District Red Cross Society, said, in the past one year, the society had organised 12 relief camps and distributed over 1,000 artificial limbs among the disabled physically challenged.

On this occasion, the Superintendent of police Mr Desh Raj Singh; the Registrar of Kurukshetra University Dr Hawa Singh; the SDM of Thanesar, Dr N.S. Bangar; CEO of the KDB, Ms Hema Sharma; the District Development and Panchayat Officer, Mr Amrit Lal Bathala, and other district officials were also present. 

Schoolteachers seek retainership
Our Correspondent

Yamunanagar, March 30
Government schoolteachers who are deputed by the Board of School Education, Haryana, to conduct examination by the Board of Middle, Matric and Higher Secondary have not yet been paid their retainership for the last year. Ironically the examination of senior secondary for the current academic year is already over for this year whereas the examinations of eighth and 10th class are to begin soon.

In a press note issued yesterday, Mr Pradeep Sareen, District President of the Haryana Adhyapak Sangh, appealed to the Secretary of the board to disburse their dues. He said if their demand was not accepted they would be forced to adopt agitational measure.

The district Unit President of the Sangh, Mr Jai Dev Arya, said the board had also not taken care while fixing dates and the examination for sixth, seventh, ninth and 11th classes. Interestingly, the board has deputed 80 per cent of the school staff to conduct the board examination. He said the staff deputed to conduct the board examination would not be able to take examination of their school. 

Lok Adalat settles 356 cases
Our Correspondent

Sirsa, March 30
A Lok Adalat was held in the district courts compound yesterday under the chairmanship of Additional District and Sessions Judge M.P. Mahandiratta, in which 774 cases were taken up. Out of this 356 cases were settled on the spot.

Giving this information here yesterday Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary, the District Legal Services Authority, said out of 356 cases, 27 cases of the Motor Vehicle Act were settled, in which about Rs 22 lakh compensation was awarded. In additional to this, one case of matrimonial dispute, 217 cases of civil, 93 cases of criminal nature and 18 miscellaneous cases were settled.

25 tolas of gold stolen
Our Correspondent

Ambala, March 30
Around 25 tolas of gold and other valuables worth Rs 3 lakh have been stolen from the residence of Ms Sawara Kaur, a widow, near Badshahi Bagh at Ambala City. She has been residing with her daughter. According to the information, Ms Sawara Kaur had gone to Delhi along with her daughter to get her eye operated there. When they came back this noon, they found that the lock of the main gate was intact, but the lock of kitchen was broken. The thieves, along with the gold, took away a TV set, around 40 kg of rice, sugar and a gas cylinder.

The police has rounded up a few persons in this regard.

Poll not held

Kaithal, March 30
The election for the post of Kalayat Municipal Committee President and other office-bearers could not take place on Saturday due to the non-arrival of the SDM, Kaithal, who was the Election Officer. The newly elected members of the municipal committee reached the committee premises and waited for hours for the officer but he was unable to come due to health problems. OC