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Vote count in evening risk-prone: parties
Haryana gears up for I-card project
Tough fight ahead in MC poll
Decomposed body is that of truck driver
Kidnapped boy released
Arrested, not kidnapped
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New turn to Himanshi case
The unauthorised Sabzi Mandi on Hill Road in Ambala Sadar.
— Photo by Neeraj Chopra
Lions Club to set up blood banks
Science park inaugurated at school
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Vote count in evening risk-prone: parties
Chandigarh, February 20 This was stated by the Chief Electoral Officer of Haryana, Ms Urvashi Gulati, here today. The EC’s decision to begin counting of votes in Haryana from 4 pm on February 23, has been opposed by the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as the Bahujan Samaj Party. These parties expressed their apprehension saying that the counting of votes in the evening was fraught with risk as it could be interrupted by power failure. It would also be difficult to control law and order situation at night. Ms Gulati’s statement issued here today was apparently an attempt to silence those who were unhappy with the counting of votes being held in the evening and going on till late at night. The press note quoting Ms Gulati said the counting would start in 90 counting centres on February 23 at 4 pm sharp. The observers of the Election Commission would be present in the counting halls during the course of counting. They will undertake detailed inspection of counting centres on February 22. The counting agents appointed by the candidates shall display the identity cards in person on the day of counting for their easy identification. She said the DEOs and the ROs must ensure adequate security ring around each counting centre. If necessary, there could be an outer as well as an inner security ring. Depending on the exigencies, entry of persons and vehicles into the security ring area would be regulated. For infusing confidence among the candidates and the political parties, available Central police forces would be used around the counting centres. For immediate assistance and prompt attention suitable arrangements would be made for quick transmission of request to the police. She also directed the observers to make necessary police arrangements to control traffic on all roads leading to the counting halls to check assembly of crowd outside the counting halls. All persons entering the counting halls, including officials on counting duty, would be subject to security check at the entrance of the counting halls. No person would be allowed to carry match box, cigarette, lighter, blades, knife or any kind of liquid in any form inside the counting halls. They are directed to ensure that nobody carries any pager, mobile, cordless telephone, wireless sets or walki-talki at the centres except officers-in-charge of law and order and security personnel put on duty as well as observers deputed by the Election Commission and Officers-in-charge of counting centres. She said services of fire tenders should be kept in readiness outside the counting halls to meet any eventuality. Necessary staff of Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam should be present to ensure continuous supply of power in the counting halls. The power department has been requested to ensure uninterrupted supply of power in the state and counting halls in particular during the course of counting. At the same time, effective alternative arrangements for light be made in and around the counting halls by providing standby generators, invertors, petromax lamps and emergency lights to provide instant light in the event of failure of regular electricity supply. She also directed them to ensure the use of high voltage bulbs inside the counting halls. |
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Haryana gears up for I-card project
Sirsa, February 20 Talking to The Tribune, the Director of Census, Haryana and Joint Registrar General (birth and death), Mr Sunil Gulati, said with an attempt to encourage the rural population of Haryana to get births and deaths registered, the authority had distributed over 36 lakh forms free of cost in the past one-and-a-half months. Under a new plan initiated by the Government of India and the Haryana Government, the old practice of registering the details of deaths and births at the local police station has been done away with, he said. According to Mr Gulati, of the 260 million births during the past 10 years 143 million were registered all over India but interestingly even 100 million children do not have any valid proof of their existence. In Haryana too, in the past 10 years, 36 lakh children were registered in the census exercise out of which only 5.4 lakh have a birth certificate, he said. Now village-level workers, including aanganwadi workers, village watchmen etc had been entrusted with the registration in the rural areas, said Mr Gulati. He said the identity card project could only be materialised if registration work was done effectively. He stressed upon the need of public awareness at the village level to improve the situation as 76 per cent births were registered in Haryana but only in 14 per cent cases the certificates are delivered. |
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Tough fight ahead in MC poll
Ambala, February 20 Even as the two major political parties, the Congress and the BJP, are gearing up for the poll, local groups like the Vikas Parishad and the Sangharsh Vahini will be a political force to reckon with. While the Vikas Parishad is led by Ambala Cantt MLA Anil Vij, the Sangharsh Vahini is headed by rebel Congress candidate Hira Lal Yadav. There is a strong possibility that either of the two groups can play a crucial role in deciding the MC president. Ambala Cantonment District Congress Committee president Ashok Jain said: “The mandate of the people is in favour of the Congress. We have done well in the Lok Sabha elections and we are going to gain a significant victory in the Assembly elections well.” Mr Jain said: “Although, the formal process will start after the notification is issued, we are reaching out to the voters. This is expected to pick up tempo after the Assembly election results are out on February 23,” Anil Vij on the other hand said they were going to contest all 31 wards in the Municipal Council Ambala Sadar. He categorically stated that they were not going to enter an electoral alliance. “We have had a bad experience with alliances. This time we are going to go it alone,” he said. He stated that the people had seen the poor tenure of the BJP-led Municipal Council. Mr
K.D. Sharma of the BJP said: “We are confident that the BJP will get absolute majority in the MC Ambala Sadar. We have worked hard in the past five years and people are aware of the tremendous effort put in by us.” Mr Yadav felt the Sangharsh Vahini was keeping its options open. “We have a significant presence in a number of wards and we are receiving a number of proposals. We will take a final decision in this regard after the results of the Assembly elections are declared on February 23,” he said. |
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Decomposed body is that of truck driver
Rewari, February 20 ASI Om Prakash, Station House Officer of Kasaula police station in this district, identified the picture of Rajender Singh, son of Jagat Singh, a resident of Kagna village of Nawanshahr district of Punjab, from a pamphlet he had received recently. He gave a call on the telephone given in the pamphlet which brought family members of the deceased here. They identified the body immediately. Consequently, the Kasaula police registered a case of murder and disappearance of evidence of offence under Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC. Investigations revealed that after loading his truck (RJ-20-G-3625) with PVC powder of a factory in Rajasthan on February 5, Rajender Singh, alongwith his son, Amrik Singh ( 22), who served as cleaner, proceeded towards Ludhiana (Punjab) to deliver the goods on February 7. However, some miscreants allegedly take away the loaded truck somewhere near Kotputli on the Jaipur-Delhi highway. They killed Rajender Singh and threw his body into the JLN canal, near Rewari. It could not be ascertained what happened to Amrik Singh. |
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Kidnapped boy released
Panipat, February 20 Pankaj received multiple injuries as his captors had tortured him during his captivity to know his father’s mobile number to make ransom call. His parents took him to Bhim Sen Sachar hospital for his treatment soon after he reached his house in Dawar Colony. Apparently very scared, Pankaj told The Tribune that he had been administered some intoxicated substance by the kidnappers before taking him with them. When he gained conscious, he found himself in a trolley, he added. Later he was taken to a single-room house situated in sugarcane fields, he said adding that he was locked in the room. “The kidnappers, four in number, inquired from me the mobile number of my father but when I told them that my father has no mobile phone, they beat me up.” he said. Fourteen-year-old Pankaj said that all this continued for a week but when they learnt that his father was not a rich man, they bundled him in a truck throw him from the truck near Asandh fly-over. While his parents suspected that Pankaj had been kidnapped on February 13, the police claimed that he had not been kidnapped and did not register an FIR despite repeated requests from his father. A few hours before his release, Ms Suman Manjri, SP, Panipat, claimed that Pankaj had not been kidnapped. |
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Arrested, not kidnapped
Kurukshetra, February 20 Stating this to The Tribune over the telephone, Mr Varinder Vij, officiating SP, said the local police lodged the FIR on a complaint by parents of the missing person. “The Punjab police informed us about the arrest within the stipulated period but we will also conduct a probe into the conduct and nature of the person,” he said. Earlier, according to Mr Mukhtiar Singh, his son was going on his motor cycle when a few persons in two cars interrupted him on the way and kidnapped him. They had also brutally beaten up Tej Pratap. In reply to a question, Mr Vij said the case under NDPS Act had been registered by the Samana police. |
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New turn to Himanshi case
Hisar, February 20 The mediator, Dr D.K. Sharma, today told this correspondent in presence of Himanshi and her father, Dr G.C. Chaturvedi, that he had provided “every bit of information he had” to the girl’s family before the marriage was finalised. Endorsing his statement, Dr Chaturvedi stated that he had no grouse against Dr Sharma as he had always stood by him in his hour of need. Significantly, Dr Sharma’s son is married with Vineet’s sister and this episode has strained their mutual relations. “When I came to know about the alleged inhuman treatment of Vineet and his family with Himanshi, I even submitted an affidavit in favour of Dr Chaturvedi and his daughter. I supported them without caring for the reaction of my son’s in-laws in this regard,” said Dr Sharma. Dr Sharma, who has retired as Director (Clinics) from Veterinary College of Haryana Agricultural University here, maintains that proper investigation should be carried out in this regard and the guilty punished. Meanwhile, a Lok Adalat in Chandigarh heard the case yesterday and told both parties to reconsider their stance and explore the possibility of reconciliation. |
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Sabzi Mandi a bane for residents
Ambala, February 20 Residents are facing numerous problems due to the vegetable market. The vegetable market causes lack of cleanliness as vegetable vendors dump the spoiled vegetables either on the road or in the drain. Although, a number of pleas have been made to the authorities about the vegetable market, nothing seems to have been done to solve this issue. Ironically the vegetable market is not an authorised one. The authorised vegetable market is located adjacent to the main bus stand. The vegetable market on Hill Road has come up over the years. Old people recall that the vegetable market earlier used to be located near the police station. But, in the last couple of years, the vegetable vendors have begun to sit on the Hill Road. Gradually, most of the Hill Road was occupied by the vegetable vendors. The Hill Road stretches from Civil Hospital up to the 12 Cross Road. Vegetable “rehris” occupy spots in front of shops. A local resident claimed that some of the shopkeepers have worked out an arrangement with the vegetable vendors under which a vendor is allowed to stand in front of the shop for a certain amount of money. The problem is further compounded by stray animals. Cows roaming in the market pose a risk to motorists. The vehicular traffic slows down to a crawl in the Hill Road. While two-wheeler drivers can manage but for car drivers, it is a nightmare. A local resident said rehris were not supposed to be stationed at one place. Rehris are supposed to go from one place to the other. However, the Municipal Council, Ambala Sadar, authorities, have failed to check this and now, all rehris are stationed at one place on the Hill Road,” he said. |
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Lions Club to set up blood banks
Ambala, February 20 Talking to mediapersons here after a Lions Club regional conference, Lions district governor J.P. Singh said a blood bank at the cost of Rs 4 crore was being set up at Delhi. He said it would be a state-of-the-art blood bank which would be funded by the Lions International and contributions would also be made by Lion members and other corporate houses. Mr J.P. Singh said 90 Lion members had contributed Rs 50,000 each for the project. He said the blood bank at Delhi would monitor the blood banks in Haryana. He said the Lion members responded immediately after the tsunami disaster and contributed Rs 4.70 lakh to the Prime Ministers’ National Relief Fund. He said during 2006, the club would launch a children’s immunisation programme in association with the government for measles. |
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Science park inaugurated at school
Panchkula, February 20 The park has a model of the DNA structure proposed by JD Watson and Crick, which depicts the arrangement of nitrogenous bases on the polynucleotide chain. The park has a camera which shows the formation of images though a convex lens, musical pipes of a model “circus of energy” which shows the transformation of energy from kinetic to potential and concept of centrifugal force. The concept of Archimedes principle travelling of sound shown through circular pipes, a colour pillar and a filter showing conservation of energy has been shown through a series of balls hanging with a string.. A work wheel model shows how a 20 kg weight can be lifted by simple rotation of handle. “Sundial” —a time measuring device used in ancient times is also a part of the science park. The “world time” model which helps to see time across the world, a windmill which helps in drawing water from well and works on the concept of “renewable resources” also stands in one corner of the park. |
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