Hisar, July 26
The members of the Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) staged a dharna and protest demonstration against the yesterday’s police lathi-charge on the workers in Gurgaon at the mini-secretariat here today.

Addressing the protesters, Mr Prabhat Singh, president of the Haryana chapter of CITU, blamed the Hooda Government in the state for the incident. He said the workers of Honda Motors and some other industrial units were agitating in favour of their just demands for the past one month, but the state government failed to take timely action in this regard.

The union leader demanded that the Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police be suspended, failing which a statewide agitation would be launched.

The local units of the BJP as well as the INLD even demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in this connection. BJP spokesperson Sarvadanand Arya demanded that criminal cases be registered against the owner of the company and the district and police officials who were responsible for the incident.

INLD spokesperson Rajmal Kajal said the party workers would stage a protest demonstration and submit a memorandum to the President in this regard through the local Deputy Commissioner tomorrow.

The Sarv Karmchari Sangh, Haryana Karmchari Mahasangh, Democratic Youth Federation of India, Northern Zone Insurance Employees Association, Janvadi Mahila Samiti, Roadways Workers Union and Students Federation of India have also condemned the incident.

ROHTAK: The Haryana BJP has sought the resignation of the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in the wake of the police lathi-charge on agitating workers of Honda Motors at Gurgaon yesterday.

In a statement issued here today, the Haryana BJP chief, Mr Ganeshi Lal, said the Chief Minister had no moral right to stay in the office and he should also apologise to the people for the police “brutality”.

Mr Ganeshi said the police action had reminded the people of Haryana of the British Raj when Indians were treated in the same manner. He also objected to a minister’s statement saying that the labourers should not have entered the area where prohibitory orders were in force.

The BJP leader said the Congress governments were behaving autocratically in all states where the party was in power. He demanded that adequate compensation should be given to the injured.

Meanwhile, the party has appointed a five-member panel to visit Gurgaon and assess the situation. The members of the panel are: Mr Ram Chander Bainda, Mr Krishan Pal Gujjar, Mr Anand Sharma, Ms Sudha Yadav and Mr Sita Ram Singla. The panel will visit Gurgaon tomorrow.

YAMUNANAGAR: The Northern Railway Mazdoor (NRM) Union today held a massive rally from the Jagadhri workshop to Jagadhri Railway Station to protest against the yesterday’s police lathi-charge on workers in Gurgaon. The activists of Roadways Union also held a protest dharna and submitted a memorandum condemning the cane-charge.

More than 4,000 members of the NRM union raised slogans against the government and the police and demanded a thorough inquiry into the matter and action against the police officials involved in the incident.

The Roadways Union later submitted a memorandum to the DDPO seeking action against guilty cops.

Meanwhile, the BJP leader and former minister, Ms Kamla Verma condemned the lathi-charge and said whatever happened in Gurgaon was undemocratic. The district president and the INLD and an MLA from Sadhaura, Mr Balwant Singh, said the INLD workers would hold a dharna outside Deputy Commissioner’s office tomorrow.

Panipat, July 26
While several workers’ organisations held demonstrations here today in protest against the police “atrocity” on the workers of a company in Gurgaon yesterday, some other organisations issued statements condemning the ‘barbaric’ act of the police.

The members of CITU, AITUC, Kisan Sabha and Janwadi Mahila Samiti took out a procession in the city and submitted a memorandum in this regard to Deputy Commissioner in the name of the Chief Minister. They demanded registration of an FIR for attempt to murder under Section 307 of the IPC against the Gurgaon DC, SP and other ‘erring’ officials for the incident.

Besides, the district unit of Sarv Karamchari Sangh held a gate meeting in front of roadways depot to protest against the incident. The district president of the Sangh, Mr Suresh Kumar, and its secretary, Ram Bhaj, strongly condemned the incident.

Similarly, All-Haryana Power Corporation Workers’ Union held demonstrations in Panipat, Samalkha and Israna against yesterday’s incident.

Chandigarh, July 26
The Haryana Government has notified the Kurukshetra Shrine Act, 2004, paving the way for the taking over of 75 famous temples of Kurukshetra, Pehowa and Thanesar by the state government.

The previous Om Prakash Chautala-led government had passed the Bill in the Assembly session held in September last year. The Bill was then referred to the President of India for his assent as the subject matter of the legislation fell under the Concurrent List of the Constitution. The President gave his assent to the Bill on June 9. Subsequently, the state government issued a notification on July 19 bringing the Act into force.

The most sensitive aspect of the Act is regarding the priests who used to control the temples, their property and funds.

The Act lays down that “all rights of the pujaris shall stand extinguished from the date of commencement of the Act”.

The priests of the temples had protested when the Chautala-led government had proposed the takeover of the temples by a government controlled board. The BJP as well as Hindu radical outfits also tried to exploit the resentment of the priests and supported their cause.

Religious organisations opposed to government control of the temples saw a flicker of hope when the INLD regime was replaced by the Congress at a time when the Bill was still awaiting the assent of the President. Even after the Bill was approved by the President, representations were made to the government to repeal it. The state government, however, remained unmoved by these representations and notified the Act for its implementation.

The Act lays down that the state government will appoint a tribunal to recommend compensation to be paid by the board to the priests in lieu of the extinction of their rights. It adds that if a priest surrenders his right to compensation and offers himself for employment to the board, it will consider his offer.

In that case the priest in question will have to give an undertaking to abide by the administrative and disciplinary control of the board.

The Act says that all such employees engaged in any function at any of the 75 temples located within a radius of 48 km of Kurukshetra will be deemed to have become employees of the board on the commencement of the Act.

Bhiwani, July 26
A man allegedly committed suicide at Imlota village under Charkhi Dadri subdivision today. The deceased was under stress following the imposition of fine by the village panchayat. The post-mortem examination was conducted at the Civil Hospital, Charkhi Dadri, and the police has registered a case against the members of the panchayat for abetting the victim to end his life.

Mr Anil, son of the deceased Ram Kishan, said his cousin Sunita had solemnised court marriage in 1998 with a youth of Majra village. The villagers had opposed this marriage and convened a panchayat which pronounced a social boycott of Mr Balwant, father of Sunita and elder brother of the deceased Ram Kishan and his family.

He alleged that after a gap of eight years, Ram Kishan was having speaking terms with his brother Balwant. A panchayat was held four days ago, wherein the deceased was fined for Rs 1,100 due to this.

He said his father while accepting the fine said those who were still having relations with Balwant should also be fined but the panchayat ordered his social boycott too. He was reportedly upset since then and consumed some poisonous substance.

Chandigarh, July 26
A community based study conducted in rural Haryana has yielded shocking results with respect to the weight of newborns.

After a year long research in 10 villages of Naraingarh block, experts from PGIMER’s Community Medicine Department have shown that 25 out of every 100 newborns in rural Haryana are low on birth weight, which means they weigh less than 2500 gm at the time of birth. The World Health Organisation defines Low Birth Weight (LBW) as “birth weight less than 2500 gm”.

Ironically, the prevalence of low birth weight babies in rural Haryana has remained nearly constant for the past 20 years, exposing deficiencies in the existing rural health and maternal care interventions. In the latest study, researchers have also found 5.2 per cent newborns to be in a “very low birth weight category” (less than even 2000 gm). Only 28 per cent weighed more than 3000 gm.

Conducted by Dr B.T. Rao under the guidance of Head, Community Medicine, PGI, Dr Rajesh Kumar and Dr Arun Aggarwal, the study further establishes links between low birth weight of babies and low calorie intake by their mothers during the last three months of pregnancy. Dr Rao tells, “There is 82.7 per cent prevalence of babies with low birth weight among women who had less than 1500 K Cal during pregnancy”.

Against the required intake of 3300 K Cal (for “heavily working” pregnant women) and 2500 K Cal (for moderately working pregnant women), only 7.7 per cent women in Naraingarh had consumed 2000 K Cal during pregnancy. About 12.1 per cent had less than 1400 K Cal.

Dr Rao also found that whereas pregnant women must have 65 gm of protein every day, only 4 per cent of those in the study area had this intake during pregnancy. About 47 per cent had 40 to 50 gm — much less than required protein level.

Analysing factors behind the rot, Dr Rao said most village women had no idea about nutritional programmes. “Dietary intake of 53.6 per cent mothers was found to be the same as that during non pregnant state. Only 9 per cent had taken more diet than they would in normal days. About 62 per cent thought there did not need to eat more during pregnancy.”

Low awareness levels of pregnant women can easily be attributed to the inefficiency of primary healthcare system in rural Haryana. Dr Rao, who conducted the study in two health sub-centres (each centre caters to five villages), told The Tribune that both centers were ill equipped to handle antenatal (pregnant) mother care.

The study, which is about to be published in the Indian Journal of Pediatrics, calls for new healthcare interventions in rural Haryana, lest high prevalence of newborns with low birth weight continues.

Bhiwani, July 26
The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) has completed construction work of its two new 33 KV substations at Chang villages in Bhiwani district and Dhani Kahan Singh in Sirsa at a cost of over Rs 2.50 crore.

Stating this here today, a spokesman of the Nigam said in the beginning, one transformer of 8 MVA capacity had been set up and commissioned at each substation. Provision for setting up another transformer had been kept which could be installed as and when required. He said the transformer at 33 KV substation, at Chang would get power from 132 KV substation, Bhiwani, through a 14 km transmission line while the transformer at 33 KV substation, Dhani Kahan Singh, had been connected to the 220 KV substation, Sirsa, by erecting a 33 KV line for getting power.

He said with the commissioning of the 33 KV substations at Chang and Dhani Kahan Singh, 11000 consumers of different categories of 21 villages surrounding Chang and Dhani Kahan Singh would get benefit of improved voltage and regular power supply. Earlier, villages, to be fed from Chang substation, were getting power from 132 substation, Bhiwani through 25 to 65 long 11 KV lines emanating from Bhiwani substation and the villages to be fed from Dhani Kahan Singh were getting power from Madhosinghana. Due to length and overloading of lines and overloading of 132 KV substations at Bhiwani and Madhosinghana, the villages were facing problem of erratic power supply. With the commissioning of new substations, the load had been relaxed from the feeding 132 KV substations giving indirect benefit to 8000 consumers of 18 other villages.

The spokesman said the new substations would enable the DHBVN to release additional power connections in the area. The substations would not only meet the present increased demand of power, but its transmission capacity would be sufficient to meet the future demand also.

Hisar, July 26
Members of the Guru Jambheshwar University Teachers Association decided to intensify their ongoing agitation against the acting Vice-Chancellor, Mr R.R. Fuliya, after their talks ended on a bitter note today.

The GJU faculty members have been protesting against the alleged undemocratic and dictatorial attitude of the acting Vice-Chancellor. Their main demand was the withdrawal of show-cause notices and charge sheets issued to several university teachers. They were also opposing the move to promote certain non-teaching employees after giving them a clean chit despite serious charges against them.

The teachers first wore black badges to register their protest against Mr Fuliya’s functioning style and gave a three-day ultimatum to withdraw the notices and charge sheets. But this was not done. Following this, they staged a protest demonstration yesterday and began a relay fast in support of their demands.

Dr Narsi Bishnoi, president of the teachers’ association, told The Tribune here today that after being invited by the Vice-Chancellor, they went to talk to him.

“However, Mr Fuliya was not agreeable to our demands. He categorically told us that promoting the non-teaching employees was within his power and plainly refused to withdraw the notices and charge sheets issued to the faculty members,” he maintained.

After the meeting ended on a bitter note, the teachers’ body decided to intensify its agitation against the Vice-Chancellor.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the GJU faculty members has also met the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and apprised him of their grievances.

A joint meeting of the teachers’ associations of all five universities in the state has been convened on July 29.

Bhiwani, July 26
The Board of School Education, Haryana, has decided to use modern technology to maintain full secrecy of answerbooks. On an experimental basis, the new answerbooks having security features will be introduced for examinations of Haryana Open School (HOS) to be held in September this year.

Disclosing this today, a spokesperson of the board said that the Maharashtra board had been using the new system of answerbooks with security features for the past so many years. She said that after the HOS examination in September, new answerbooks would be introduced in one major paper during annual board examinations of 2006.

She said the secrecy of answerbooks would be maintained at examination centre as well as marking centre. She said bar-coding would be used on answerbooks which the candidates himself/herself would have to put on the answerbook. After the paper time is over, all answerbooks would be mixed up making it difficult to identify an answerbook.

At the marking centres also the secrecy would be maintained through bar-coding. Likewise, the award lists would also incorporate similar security features making it impossible to identify the award list of a candidate.

Sonepat, July 26
A group of policemen forcibly entered a house in Sector 14, a residential colony of HUDA , here today and allegedly beaten up a youth and a Class XII girl present there.

The policemen brought both youth and the girl outside the house and took them to the police post where they were maltreated and detained for about eight hours. In the meantime, the parents of the youth and the girl arrived at the police post and told the police that they were innocent and they had no illicit relation. They said that both of them used to visit each others house for studies.

Hisar, July 26
To mark the anniversary of Kargil Vijay Divas, the local chapter of the BJP honoured the parents of a Kargil martyrs and a soldier injured during the Kargil conflict. Earlier, a rally was organised in which BJP activists, led by district BJP president Jaivir Godara, reached the mini-secretariat in a cavalcade of vehicles.

Ms Sujani Devi of Milakpur, mother of Kargil martyr Pavittar Kumar; Mr Bhajan Singh Boora of Ghirai, father of martyr Mahabir Singh; and Shakti Singh of Bhagana village, who was injured in the Kargil conflict, were honoured on this occasion.

The Rajasthan Industry Minister, Mr Narpat Singh, was the chief guest.