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Power arrear waiver scheme ends
Dalit conference on December 6
Colony not put to use, crores go waste
Rs 3,000 per acre relief for sugarcane damage
Sharp decline in number of fish species
Functions mark AIDS Day
celebrations
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‘Kidnapped’ woman escapes
Armed youths kill man
Plea against separate high court for Haryana
Campus interviews
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Power arrear waiver scheme ends
Chandigarh, December 1 The scheme, whose blueprint was prepared by a Cabinet committee headed by the Finance Minister, Mr Birender Singh, was announced by the Chief Minister after a Cabinet meeting on June 17. Initially, the scheme was announced for a two-month period. Gradually, it was extended till November 30. Official sources said while the scheme saw a large number of consumers settling their pending agricultural bills, the response was not so impressive as far as the pending dues for domestic consumption of electricity were concerned. The exact number of defaulters, who have remained outside the ambit of the scheme, was not readily available. The scheme, aimed at putting an end to the problem of non-payment of power bills by rural consumers, had laid down that 10 per cent of the arrears of the defaulters would be written off with the payment of each of the next 10 bills on a two-month-cycle basis. Thus, if a consumer pays regularly and uninterruptedly his power bills for the next 20 months, his entire arrears would be written off. With the scheme coming to an end, no defaulter will be able to benefit from the measure any more. Those who had responded to the scheme during the June-November period will continue to pay their current bills and get their old arrears written off. The government’s strategy to deal with those who did not respond to the scheme is likely to be drawn up after the Chief Minister returns from his foreign trip. Attempts made by successive governments earlier to arm-twist the defaulting farmers into submission never yielded the desired results and ended in violence. The total arrears waived through the scheme amounted to a whopping Rs 1,600 crore. The government today made provision for the Rs 1,100 crore it was supposed to give to the power distribution corporations to relieve the burden thrust on these by the government by announcing the waiver scheme. A communication from the Finance Department, addressed to the power utilities, said the Rs 1,100 crore would be paid by the government in equal monthly instalments over a period of five years. The remaining arrears of Rs 500 crore comprised surcharge imposed on the defaulters for late payment. No compensation is being paid by the government on this count.
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Dalit conference on December 6
Chandigarh, December 1 The day is called parinirvan divas and normally small functions are held in government offices to mark the occasion. This time the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has decided to infuse purpose into the ritual and involve the masses in the event. Besides Mr Hooda, central ministers, Ms Meera Kumar and Ms Selja, will participate in the programme. The programme, expected to be attended by 20,000 persons, is in reality going to be a big public meeting rather than a conference. One reason for organising the conference is believed to be Mr Hooda’s desire to reiterate the government’s concern for the uplift of the members of the Scheduled Castes and backward castes in the state. The state government was rattled by the violence against Dalits breaking out at Gohana on the eve of the crucial byelection in Rohtak. The Panipat programme is expected to reassure the Dalits and backward castes about the government’s focus on their welfare. An exhibition, slated to be organised at the venue of the conference, will include details of the relief given to the affected families of Gohana. The state government had spent a total of Rs 1.40 crore to help the victims. The expenses incurred included Rs 54 lakh spent for giving Rs 1 lakh as cash compensation to each of the 54 affected families of Gohana. Besides, Rs 49 lakh was spent on reconstructing the houses belonging to Dalits which were damaged by the mob on the fateful day. Compensation for damaged household goods was also provided and this accounted for Rs 33.46 lakh. More than Rs 2 lakh was spent on providing free food, medicines, textbooks, etc, to the victims. Also, Rs 5,000 each was provided to the 54 families immediately after the incident under a contingency plan. Giving a burial to the Gohana incident is not the only agenda of the December 6 programme. The idea is to apprise the participants of the implementation of the existing schemes aimed at the welfare of the Dalits and also inform the assembly about the new schemes unfolding in the state. All deputy commissioners and divisional commissioners besides legislators have been asked to mobilise people for the event. |
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Colony not put to use, crores go waste
Yamunanagar, December 1 A senior official of the department admitted that there should had been better planning before construction of the colony began. The department spent more than Rs 4 crore on the colony. Mr R.K. Garg, Chief Engineer, Irrigation Department, said that the colony was never inhabited by officials or staff of the department. Sources said initially the Irrigation Department was to construct a barrage funded by the World Bank and officials and employees of the Department were to stay in the colony. However, plans changed later and a contractor on turnkey basis constructed the barrage. “By the time the colony came up, the barrage was also commissioned”, informed sources and hence there was no requirement station the staff at the barrage. A division of the department was to be stationed at the colony but this plan too never materialised as officials were hesitant to live in a colony, which was 50 km from the twin-towns of Jagadhri and Yamunanagar, said sources. On the proposal of the Police Department, Mr Garg said the department was considering the request and chances were that the colony would be handed over to the police. Earlier, Navodya Vidyalaya had approached the Irrigation Department for the colony spread on 26 acres. But things did not move forward as the department demanded Rs 4.25 crore for the colony, informed a senior official. Meanwhile, capacity of the Western Yamuna Canal (WYC) is being increased to 20,000 cusecs, which will benefit southern parts of the state. The canal, which is more than 100 years old, was designed to carry 9,000 cusecs of water but it carried more than 15,000 cusecs during last monsoon. Sources said no land would be acquired for capacity extension of the canal but only old structures like bridges and falls are being remodeled. At some places the banks are being raised or widened. Belas (islands) formation in the canal is also being removed. A part of the project has been completed under the Water Resources Consolidation (WRC) project and work was on so that capacity could be increased to 19,860 cusecs at the earliest, claimed the official. The Chief Engineer did not spell out any timeframe for the completion of the project but said that by next monsoon, the canal would carry more of Yamuna water. |
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Rs 3,000 per acre relief for sugarcane damage
Yamunanagar, December 1 A survey of the flood-affected areas revealed that damage was caused on about 2,500 acres, said sources. On the other hand, farmers and villagers claimed that the floods had affected more than 5,000 acres. Villagers also claimed that the swelling Yamuna had washed away hundreds of acres of crop. As per sources in the Revenue Department, villagers whose pacca houses were totally damaged by the rains (and subsequent floods) would get Rs 10,000, while those whose houses were partially damaged would get only Rs 5,000. The relief for the totally damaged kachha houses had been fixed at Rs 5,000 and the partially damaged kachha houses Rs 2,500 only. It is worth mentioning here that the market price of bricks is about Rs 2,400 per thousand pieces. The cost to be paid for compensation towards houses had been worked at Rs 5.93 lakh and the government had already allocated Rs 1 lakh, said the sources. The sources said during a survey conducted in the flood affected villages it was found that as many 410 tubewells had been damaged. The compensation for tubewells had been fixed between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000. The compensation amount in case of tubewells had been worked out at Rs 5,33,400. Relief to the farmers for crop damage (per acre) had also been decided. A farmer whose sugarcane crop was 26 per cent to 50 per cent damaged would be given Rs 1,500 per acre, while for other corps the relief had been fixed at Rs 1,250 per acre. For damage between 51 per cent and 75 per cent, the government would give compensation of Rs 2,250 and Rs 1,875 per acre for sugarcane and other crops, respectively. The relief for farmers, who lost more than 75 per cent of their cane crop, had been fixed at Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,500 for other crops. The sources informed that the government would be paying Rs 61.09 lakh for crop damage. The residents of Bhelpura, Mehar Majra, Alipur, Nawajpur, Kanewala, Belgarh, Haldri Gujrana, Damopura Kalana, Lakarmaye Pratapur, Mandoli Gagar and Rampur Khadar would get the compensation. Mr Shamsher Tyagi, president of the local unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, when informed about the compensation rates said amounts were too meager. According to him, a farmer spends about Rs 15,000 per acre on sugarcane and then reaps a profit of Rs 10,000.
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Sharp decline in number of fish species
Chandigarh, December 1 In the past 15 years, the number of fresh water fish species has come down from 77 to 55. Experts, who participated in a three-day conference on the “development of fisheries in the Yamuna, its tributaries and distributaries”, which concluded here yesterday, felt that the fish species had declined due to siltation, pollution and the reduced flow of water in rivers and canals. The resultant fall in fish production from the natural water bodies is threatening the livelihood of over 10,000 families engaged in fishing, transportation and marketing in Haryana. The conference was organised by the Haryana Fisheries Department to find out ways to deal with this problem. The experts came out with a number of recommendations after undertaking field visits. It has been decided that the depleted species of fish should be bred at the Government Fish Seed Farm, Dadupur. Conservation measures should be strengthened and steps taken to stop the use of dynamite or poison in fishing. The conference also decided that some area near the Hathni Kund barrage should be reserved as a fish park to maintain fish diversity. Panjab University, Chandigarh, also agreed to undertake basic research on fish development in the Yamuna. Among those who participated in the conference were Dr G. Prasanna Kumar, Financial Commissioner, Fisheries, Haryana; Prof M.S. Johl of Panjab University; Dr K.K. Vass, Director of the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore; Dr Madan Mohan, Director of the National Research Centre on Cold Water Fisheries, Bhimtal; Dr W.S. Lakra of the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Research, Lucknow; and Dr S.C. Agarwal, Director, Fisheries, Haryana. |
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Functions mark AIDS Day
celebrations
Ambala, December 1 A function was held at the Air Force Station, Ambala. An AIDS awareness rally was flagged off by Group Capt Sudhir Verma. Students of Air Force School and Kendriya Vidyalaya No.2 participated in the rally. Wg Cdr V.K. Sharma delivered a talk on AIDS while Group Capt Vipan Chandar highlighted the importance of creating AIDS awareness. The Principal of Government College, Ambala Cantonment, Dr S.S. Phulia, addressed students at a programme organised in the college. The programme was organised by the NSS, the NCC and the women’s cell. Dr Phulia spoke about high and low risk factors. He advised that prevention was better than cure. Among others, Mr S.P. Saini, Ms Alka Chaudhary and Mr Ajit Singh interacted with the students. An exhibition concerning AIDS was put up in the college. A programme was also organised by NSS volunteers at Arya Girls College. The college Principal, Dr Neena Bedi, said information booklets regarding AIDS were distributed among students. Dr Neena Bedi asked the students to reach out to the people so that awareness was generated about AIDS.
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‘Kidnapped’ woman escapes
Ambala, December 1 Babita, 25, who used to reside in Pilkhuwa in Uttar Pradesh, alleged that she had been kidnapped from Pilkhuwa when she had gone to make a call from an STD/PCO. She said she had gone to make a call to her parents when somebody drugged her. Later on, she found herself in a one-room house in the Mahesh Nagar area. She has told the police that she was `kidnapped’ from Pilkhuwa on November 17 and was drugged for all these days. Babita managed to escape this evening and she met some shopkeepers. The shopkeepers contacted the police and they helped her in getting in touch with her parents. The Superintendent of Police, Ambala, Mr Rajbir Deswal, said parents of Babita had stated that a case had been registered in Pilkhuwa in this regard. He said the woman has been taken to the Mahesh Nagar area for identifying the house where she was kept in captivity but she has not been able to pinpoint the house. “We are handing over the woman to her parents and other relatives who have come here,” he informed.
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Armed youths kill man
Sonepat, December 1 According to police sources, Hari Ram died on the spot. When the alleged assailants saw the people coming towards them they snatched a motor cycle from Randhir of Machhraula village, who happened to pass through the road, and fled. Passers-by informed the police and the parents of the deceased about the incident. The parents arrived on the scene. Mr Shiv Dayal, DSP, Ganaur, and Mr Rajinder Kumar, SHO, Murthal, set up a naka and sealed the border. The police has registered a case and launched a hunt to apprehend the culprits. The body of the deceased was sent for a post-mortem examination. |
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Plea against separate high court for Haryana
Ambala, December 1 Mr Malik, who is also the president of the Bar Association, Ambala Cantonment said in case the territorial jurisdiction of the Haryana High Court was for existing Haryana, the claim of Haryana over Chandigarh and other Hindi-speaking areas of Punjab, including Kharar tehsil, would be weakened.
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Ambala, December 1 The regional manager of Apex Laboratories Limited, Mr Subash Kaul, conducted the interview. Dr K.K. Khurana and Dr Ravi Gulati, Prof-in-charge of the centre, said many final year students of BA, B.Sc. and B.Com were selected to be placed in the job after their graduation. — OC
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3 motorcycles stolen
Rewari, December 1 A motorcycle (HR 36D 5724) belonging to Dharmender of Shadipur village was stolen while another motorcycle (HR 36C-9076), owned by Rakesh Kumar of Phideri village disappeared from the parking place of a banquet hall. A third motorcycle (HR 14D 5467) parked by Man Singh of Patauda village in Jhajjar district outside a private hospital here, was stolen.
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New state guesthouse in Delhi
Chandigarh, December 1 The Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, will inaugurate the guesthouse at Chanakyapuri on December 5. He said the guesthouse had been constructed at a cost of Rs 3.69 crore and was spread over 1,650 sqm. |
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Unscheduled power cuts irk residents
Sonepat, December 1 |
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50 donate blood
Kurukshetra, December 1
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