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DHBVN to review use of digital cameras
Enhanced DA for DHBVN staff
No pollution control in Yamunanagar
Samiti chairman poll put off
INLD lashes out at Congress
Haryana shifts two IAS officers
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Irate villagers block traffic
Youth arrested with poppy husk
4 arrested for harassment
for dowry
CM to meet police chiefs
Selja inaugurates waiting halls
Demand to fill backlog of
reserve posts
School’s poor show irks villagers
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DHBVN to review use of digital cameras
Hisar, May 18 According to informed sources, the plan to use digital cameras for meter-reading and on-the-spot bill collection had been adopted on an experimental basis. Earlier, employees of the Electricity Department used to go for meter-reading. There were complaints that the meter-readers did not actually go and check the meters for themselves. Instead, they employed their own men for the purpose or reported fake readings to the department on the basis of average pattern. Following these complaints, the task of meter-reading was given to private contractors. However, it was alleged that the employees of the contractors, in connivance with power consumers, indulged in corrupt practices causing losses to the government. Meanwhile, a proposal regarding the use of digital cameras for meter-reading and on-the-spot payment of bills came up for consideration. The DHBVN authorities decided to adopt the plan in a few subdivisions on an experimental basis. Under this plan, the meter-reader was supposed to go to a consumer’s place, click the meter-reading by his digital camera, produce a bill on its basis and accept payment on-the-spot. However, some lapses were found after the scheme was implemented. A major flaw among these was double posting. In the bill, amount charged from the customer was shown twice, giving undue and excess credit to the customer. This resulted in a loss of revenue to the department. Besides, there were numerous instances in which no surcharge was levied on the consumer, again causing financial losses. This happened mainly in those cases where the premises of a customer was found locked. Due to this, an average bill on the basis of minimum monthly charges was sent to the customer. If the bill was not paid by the due date, the customer was required to pay a certain amount as surcharge. But it was found that if the bill was not paid in time and the meter-reader reached the customer’s premises for the next reading, no surcharge on the previous bill was levied on the customer. These points came up during the auditing of the department. Now, the DHBVN authorities are studying the matter. If required, a thorough audit would be conducted. Then, the authorities will review the plan and decide its fate. |
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Enhanced DA for DHBVN staff
Hisar, May 18 An official spokesperson said here today that 17 per cent DA would be given to the DHBVN employees with effect from January 1, 2005, in place of the existing 14 per cent. The amount payable to the employees from January to April would be deposited in their general provident fund account, while they will get cash payment from May 1. Nearly 12,000 staff members of the
DHBVN, including the work-charged employees, will be benefited by the decision. On the other hand, this would put a financial burden of around Rs 3.5 crore on the exchequer. Meanwhile, a vigilance team of the DHBVN detected six cases of power theft during raids at
Hansi, Narnaund and Ravatkhera. According to official sources, theft of power worth Rs 7.60 lakh was detected during the raids. Fine was imposed on the owners of a bakery, a wood-cutting unit, two sweet shops, a small industrial unit and a flour mill who were found indulged in power theft. |
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No pollution control in Yamunanagar crusher zone
Chandigarh, May 18 A visit to the crusher zone, situated along the banks of the Yamuna, reveals that no anti-pollution measures are operative in the area spread over about 80 acres. Set up in 1992, the zone has about 100 crushers within the revenue limits of Ballewala and Doiwala villages. Labourers have to work in a highly polluted atmosphere. The stone dust is just killing. The problems has been compounded by the fact that the crusher zone and the stone quarries are adjacent. The quarries too have not adopted any anti-pollution measures. Highly over-loaded trucks plying on kutcha roads within the zone only
aggravates the air pollution. They not only raise dust, their exhaust is also highly toxic because of extreme burden on their engines and driving in low gear for a long distance. Usually a truck having an approved capacity of nine tonne, carries 20 tonnes, and a truck of 14 tonne capacity, takes over 40 tonnes of stones. No wonder roads in the area are badly damaged. It is mandatory for stone crushers to have an enclosure around the crushing machines so that the dust can be contained. Similarly, it is also mandatory for them to install sprinklers, which would sprinkle water at regular intervals to settle the dust. However, in the Yamunanagar crusher zone either the sprinklers do not work or they are operated only when it is time to obtain no-objection
certificates (known as “consent” in offices) from the Pollution Control Board every year. Informed sources say the hopper (into which the stones are fed for crushing), conveyer belts, screens and the loader should all be covered along with the sprinkling of water, so that dust can be contained. However, no such arrangement exists at most of the crushers. Why crusher owners do not take steps to contain dust? Of course, the obvious reason is to cut the cost. However, trade sources say stone dust, a byproduct of stone crushing, the primary object of which is to make grit, is a quality product. The stone dust is used where quality plaster work is required. It fetches about 50 per cent higher price in the market than the grit. The sources say 15 to 25 per cent stone dust is produced during the crushing, depending upon the softness of stones. Most of the stone dust goes in the air when the grit is screened for different sizes. The crusher owners avoid sprinkling water at this crucial stage because it results in the loss of the stone dust, which sticks to the grit if water is poured on it. No regard is paid to the safety and health of the labourers. According to Mr Ramesh Arya, Organising Secretary of the Bandhua Mukti Morcha, an organisation headed by Swami Agnivesh and active in several quarries of the state, says the Haryana State Industrial Safety and Health Rules are violated with impunity in the crusher zone. Labourers must wear masks, goggles and safety belts while working in the crushers. Mr Arya says there should be a provision of clean drinking water and toilets. A dispensary should be there with ambulance facility so that in case of an accident, victims can be rushed to a referral hospital. |
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Samiti chairman poll put off
Nissing (Karnal), May 18 It has been alleged that the group of members which tried to play the mischief in order to grab power was backed by the local Congress MLA, Ms Meena Mandal. The woman MLA was also present on the occasion. Interestingly, she had to face tough time for playing such a political gimmick as a few people got irked over her approach. They not only raised slogans against her but also damaged her personal car. Two newly elected members of the
samiti, Mr Narinder Kumar and Mr Ramesh Kumar, raised the objection before the Returning Officer-cum-Subdivisional Magistrate, Mr Girish Arora, that a fake member was brought to the meeting in place of Dharmo Devi to complete the quorum. Another member, Mr Yash Karan Rana, alleged that the woman MLA was trying to enforce her decision forcibly on the elected body, keeping all the legal provisions at bay. Meanwhile, the crowd standing outside the block samiti office where the election process was being conducted got enraged and raised slogans against the MLA. Mr Arora, on realising that the situation was grave, announced the postponement of the elections. Meanwhile, Ms Mandal has lodged a complaint with the district administration that her personal car was damaged by the irate crowd. |
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INLD lashes out at Congress
Chandigarh, May 18 Mr Arora said today that at the Jind rally neither Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda nor his ministers or any other leader raised the issue of the SYL canal. By sidestepping that important issue, the Congress leaders had made it amply clear that for their party the SYL canal and the share of Haryana in the river waters was an issue to be exploited only at the time of elections. He said while organising the Jind rally last week, the Congress had told the people that Mrs Sonia Gandhi would be bringing a bouquet of gifts. The SYL canal being the lifeline of Haryana the people expected from Mrs Gandhi an assurance to the effect that the Act passed by the Punjab Assembly repealing all inter-state water agreements would be scrapped soon. However, Mr Arora regretted, the Congress leaders not only failed to exert any pressure on Mrs Gandhi in this regard, but also the SYL canal issue was not taken up in talks with her. |
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Haryana shifts two IAS officers
Chandigarh, May 18 Mr G. Madhavan, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Revenue, Consolidation and Rehabilitation, Development and Panchayats, Secretary, Boundary Area Committee, Commissioner,
Gurdwara Elections and Inquiry Officer-I has been relieved of the post of Inquiry officer-I. Similarly, Mr S.P. Sharma, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development Department and Inquiry Officer-III has also been relieved of the charge of Inquiry officer-III. Mr P.D. Verma, HCS, has been posted as Joint Director (Admn), Pt Bhagwat Dayal Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak against a vacant post. Mr G.L. Yadav, HCS, has been posted as Sub Divisional
Officer (C), Meham, against a vacant post. Mr Parvesh Kumar, HCS, has been posted as City Magistrate, Bhiwani, while Mr Anurag Dhali, has been posted as City Magistrate, Hisar, against vacant posts. |
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Irate villagers block traffic
Rewari, May 18 It is stated that Vikram had gone on his motor cycle to Surheli village to bring his wife on Sunday. It is further stated that he had an altercation with his in-laws following which he went away. However, when he did not return home, his family members got a complaint lodged at the police post at Dahina fearing that something untoward had happened to Vikram. Later the police recovered his motor cycle from Vikram’s in-laws’ residence at Surheli village but the police failed to get any clue about him. The blockade, which lasted about four hours, was lifted in the afternoon after the district police chief, Dr C.S. Rao, assured the villagers that tracing of the missing Vikram would be expedited. Meanwhile, the police has detained Brahm Prakash, father-in-law of Vikram, as well as his son for interrogation. |
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Youth arrested with poppy husk
Sonepat, May 18 Giving this information, Mr Sukhdev Singh, Superintendent of Police, told mediapersons here today that a case under the NDPS Act has been registered against him. He also disclosed that the Kharkhauda police has arrested a youth, Sandeep, of Saidpur village in connection with the dowry death case registered against him. His wife, Rekha, was found hanging with a rope in her house after she failed to meet the demand of her in-laws for more dowry. The SP disclosed that the Sadar police has arrested a youth, Manjeet, of Tharu Uldepur village on the charge of beating up his father. The police, he said, arrested Bijender Saini of Kirpal Nagar and Parveen Tyagi of Malikpur village in the cases registered against them. |
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4 arrested for harassment
for dowry
Rewari, May 18 It is alleged that Babli, who was pregnant, was subjected to cruelty by her in-laws to get more dowry following which she suffered a miscarriage in February last. When things came to such a pass, her family members brought her from Nautana to Bawwa. Consequently she made a complaint to the district police chief following which a case of harassment for dowry under Sections 498-A, 34 of the IPC was registered against the accused. |
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CM to meet police chiefs
Chandigarh, May 18 The meeting has been convened amidst reports of deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Earlier, previous Chief Ministers used to address joint meetings of the DCs and the SPs to review various development projects as well as to discuss law and order situation in the state. However, Mr Hooda has started holding separate meetings of police officers to express his concern over the law and order situation. |
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Selja inaugurates waiting halls
Ambala, May 18 Haryana Excise and Taxation minister Venod Sharma, MLAs Nirmal Singh, D.K. Bansal and Ram Kishen and senior railway officers, including DRM Rakesh Tandon, ADRM Dayal Dogra and Senior DCM Aneet Dullat, were present, among others. Mr Tandon said the construction of the waiting halls was part of the modernisation process of the railway station. He said that a second-class waiting hall and a first-class waiting hall had been constructed at a cost of Rs 25 lakh. He said around 16,500 passengers pass through this station everyday. As many as 54 pairs of express trains, 24 pairs of passenger trains, four pairs of Shatabadi and one Jan Shatabadi train pass through this station. Also 80 goods trains pass through the station. |
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Demand to fill backlog of
reserve posts
Ambala , May 18 The president of the association, Mr Kewaljit Singh, in a memorandum sent to Chief Minister , Haryana has urged him to grant full fee concession to the students of reserve category in government, private and aided institutions, including engineering and medical colleges in the state. The memorandum said that out of five universities in the state at least one post of Vice-Chancellor and Registrar should be given to the candidate of reserve category . The association demanded construction of Ambedkar Bhawan along with a hostel for SC/BC students in Ambala and installation of a statue of Baba Ambedkar at Polytechnic chowk at Ambala City. The association in the memorandum, further demanded the setting up of a high powered special cell to check the atrocities on dalit, especially on dalit women. |
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School’s poor show irks villagers
Sonepat, May 18 The teachers of the school apologised before the panchayat at which the irate villagers lifted the lockout and allowed the teachers to enter the school. There were 16 teachers employed in this school and the students were studying in it up to 10 plus 2 level. The residents, along with the sarpanch, visited the school around 8 am today but as many as 11 teachers were found absent from duty. Three more teachers also arrived late in the school and went straight to their classrooms. The residents alleged that all the teachers of the school were shown present in the attendance register. When they inquired from the incharge of the school, he failed to give any satisfactory reply. Thereupon, the residents and the members of the gram panchayat locked the gate of the school and did not allow the teachers to enter the school premises. |
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Satish Yadav is Zila Parishad chief
Rewari, May 18 As many as 11 councillors out of a total of 16 participated in the election. — OC
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Blood donation camp organised
Ambala, May 18 School principal S.K. Virk said 100 units of blood were collected on the occasion. The camp was organised by Sri Guru Hargobind Saheb Sewa Society’s branch Council of Blood Donors and Medical Services, Gurdwara Manji Sahib, Ambala City. A team from the blood bank of Mission Hospital and a mobile dental van, headed by Philadelphia hospital director, Dr Sunil Sadiq, collected blood. Dr Kuldeep Singh, convener of the council, and president Manmohan Singh were also present.
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Holiday on June 2 in 3 constituencies
Chandigarh, May 18 The holiday shall also be observed under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 in these constituencies to enable the employees of various factories and commercial establishments to cast their votes. |
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