Bhiwani, June 25
The state government is giving priority to providing adequate and clean drinking water in those areas of southern Haryana that have been facing acute shortage for years. This was stated by the Haryana Transport and Public Health Minister,

Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, here yesterday. He was addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone of canal-based water distribution scheme at Jhojhu Kalan village in Badhra Assembly constituency.

Speaking on the occasion he said a sum of Rs 300 crore had been earmarked for providing drinking water in the state, out of which Rs 211 crore would be spent on improving the supply of drinking water in rural areas of the state. He further added that this sum would be increased to Rs 450 crore next year and to Rs 500 crore thereafter.

Mr Surjewala said NABARD had decided to complete 518 schemes worth Rs 297 crore in as many as 1,219 villages to provide 70 litre water per person this year while the aim would be achieve the target of improving drinking water facility in 350 villages in the next year. Under a special scheme, prepared to make drinking water available in bastis of persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes, as many as 514 bastis had been covered at a cost of Rs 6 crore. Likewise, target had been fixed to provide clean drinking water in 2000 schools in the state, he said adding that Rs 86 crore had been provided for sewerage drainage schemes in various towns.

The Public Health Minister said the Badhra area of the Bhiwani district had been facing acute drinking water shortage but now the government would not let money be a hinderance in solving this problem.

Speaking about the project of which he laid the foundation stone today, he said it would cost Rs 124 lakh and each person would start getting 50 litres of water per day after the completion of the project. The area has a population of 8600.

He also said the persons who had sacrificed their lives during the agitation launched to get the demands of electricity and water supply fulfilled, had been given the status of martyrs and one dependent of those killed in Gulkani, Kandela, Kadma and Mandhiali would be given a government job within the next three months.

Haryana’s Chief Parliamentary Secretary and MLA from Badhra Dharmbir Singh said the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda had accomplished a long standing demand of the area by implementing the decision of equal distribution of canal water. He said after the construction of Hansi-Butana link canal adequate water would be given to the minors of the area and it would help increasing water level in wells.

He distributed bicycles, sewing machines and rehris to 32 families living below poverty line under the Swarn Gramin Rozgar Yojna at Kadma village. He said efforts were on to get sanction from the state government to establish an Industrial Training Institute in the village.

Dadri Block Committee Chairman Pritam Singh, Badhra Block Committee chairperson’s representative Sunil Sharma, District Grievances Committee member Balwan Singh Arya, Jagat Singh Badhra, Bhupender Faugat and others were also present on the occasion.

Samalkha (Panipat), June 25
Haryana will become self reliant in electricity by generating 5,000 MW in addition to the present generation of 4,000 MW in the state within next three and a half years. The Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, claimed this here today.

There was a demand of 9,000 MW in the state against the generation of 4,000 MW and the rest was met by purchasing electricity from other states, Mr Hooda said, adding that the government was finding it difficult to procure power as all states in northern India were facing power shortage.

However, the state government would procure electricity at any cost to save the crops of farmers in the state, said the Chief Minister.

He assured the gathering to make the state number one in all spheres of progress within next five years. Mr Hooda announced the setting up of a sugar mill in the region. He also announced the starting of construction of a mini secretariat at Samalkha within next two months as was demanded by local MLA Bharat Singh Chhoker.

Criticising his predecessors for not giving attention to the problems of masses, Mr Hooda claimed he was the only Chief Minister in the country who gave the relief of Rs 1,600 crore to the farmers by waiving their dues of electricity bills.

Reiterating his oft-repeated promise of giving a corruption and crime free society to the people of state, the Chief Minister said officials found indulging in corrupt practices would be dealt with sternly.

Earlier, Mr Hooda laid the foundation stone of a raw water treatment plant for dyeing units at Panipat.

In addition to local MLAs, Mr Balbir Pal Shah, Mrs Prasanni Devi, prominent among others who addressed the rally included Dr Arvind Sharma, MP, Karnal, Ms Kartar Devi, Health Minister, and Mr Phool Chand Mullana, Education Minister.

Rewari, June 25
Senior BJP leader Randhir Singh Kapriwas has said that the objections raised by Mr Anil Ambani, Chairman of the Reliance Energy Ltd. ( REL) in his letter to the Haryana Government had cast serious aspersions on the feasibility of the memorandun of understanding signed between Reliance Ventures, a subsidiary of RIL, and the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) in Chandigarh on Monday.

Addressing a press conference here on Frisday, he said Mr Anil Ambani’s objections regarding the provisions for a cargo airport and a 2000 mw power plant had jeopardised the very existence of the pact.

Alleging that the memorandum, which had been signed in haste and without perusal of its various aspects, was a betrayal of the people’s mandate, Mr Kapriwas demanded that the Chief Minister, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, should resign.

Former state BJP chief Om Prakash Grover and several other party leaders were also present on the occasion.

Yamunanagar, June 25
The District Consumer Disputes Forum has held three local doctors negligent in operating upon a woman, who later died at a hospital in Chandigarh, and asked them to pay Rs 9.25 lakh compensation besides Rs 1 lakh as expenses to the husband of the woman.

Mr Chander Parkash Sharma of Professor Colony here complained to the forum that his wife Pushpa Rani was examined and operated upon by Dr Raj Kumar Garg at Raj Hospital on June 2, 2003, to remove here uterus. The doctor told Mr Sharma that the operation was a success.

However, after 4-5 days Pushpa’s condition worsened. She was again examined by Dr Garg, who performed another operation on June 13, 2003. The following day she was referred to Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, where she died on June 23, 2003.

The cause of the death as per the death report was “post op hsytrectomy anastomosis leak septicaemia renal failure”.

The doctors maintained that the deceased was suffering from ischemic heart disease and the information was concealed from them at the time of the first operation.

The forum after hearing both parties observed that the surgeon did not carry any tests to assess the renal functioning of the patient before resorting to surgery when there was no urgency. It also observed that as the hospital did not have facilities for heart ailments, the conduct of second operation itself was amounted to deficiency in service and the complainant was entitled to compensation.

Pushpa was a government employee and was drawing Rs 10,408 as salary. The forum asked Dr Raj Garg, Dr P.K. Garg and Dr Harsh Sharma to pay Rs 9,25,448 along with 12 per cent interest (from the date of death) as per the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal Schedule and also pay Rs 1 lakh as amount spent on medicines, payment to the doctors, conveyance charges and other expenditure. The forum ordered that 70 per cent of the amount had to be paid by Dr Raj Garg and 15 per cent each by Dr P.K. Garg and Dr Harsh Sharma. 

Yamunanagar, June 24
The water table in Ratanpur and Rampur Majra villages where the Deenbandhu Chottu Ram thermal power plant is being set up has gone down. Several handpumps, the only source of drinking water in the villages, have dried up. Tubewells have also been affected severely.

The authorities concerned have admitted that water level had been affected due to de-watering work being done at the plant site for construction works.

Several pumps have been set up at the site to remove ground water so that heavy foundations could be laid. Large and deep pits are being dug as per the requirements of the drawing design.

On the other hand, the authorities in Reliance Energy Limited and Haryana Power Generation Corporation said de-watering at the thermal plant site was being done as per the design drawing and the water table would be recharged as soon as the monsoons lash the area.

Reliance Energy Limited is setting up the plant which would produce 600 mw of power in two phases.

Villagers of Ratanpur and Rampur Majra said water level had fallen by 20 to 25 feet in the past few days and several handpumps had gone dry.

Several villagers have started re-digging the hand pumps. Villagers Mr Pala Ram and Mr Roshan Lal said their hand pumps had dried up.

Another villager, Pawan Kumar, said the water capacity of his tubewell had gone down significantly.

The Sarpanch of Ratanpura claimed that earlier the water was available at the depth of 15 to 20 feet but now one had to dig 40 to 45 feet for water.

Major Surinder Singh Saron (retd.), Administrative Head, Reliance Energy Limited, when contacted informed that de-watering was being done for laying foundations and construction of wagon tipplers (for coal).

Mr Darbara Singh, Superintending Engineer (Civil) of the HPGC said major de-watering work had been done and the de-watering process would eventually come to end in a month. He said their was nothing to panic as the forthcoming monsoon would replenish the water table.

Ambala, June 25
Three persons were held by the police in Agrofed scam today. A special police team managed to nab Sihota, Sarfareen and Anil Kumar, who are allegedly involved in the multi-crore Agrofed scam. They were nabbed in Amritsar and brought to Ambala late this evening.

The police managed to arrest them following a tip-off. The police had been on the look out for the three persons eversince the Agrofed scam came to light. The kingpin of Agrofed scam, Sandhu, is yet to be arrested.

An official said that they were hopeful of nabbing Sandhu soon. He said that they are working on certain leads.

An FIR was registered against fake Agrofed chairman B.S. Sandhu yesterday.

The Superintendent of Police, Ambala, Mr Amitabh Dhillon, said the FIR had been registered at the Parao police station. “Some persons had stated that they were duped of Rs 16 lakh in the Agrofed case,” he said.

According to the complainant, Mr Sudhir Kumar, his relative, Mr Ramesh Kumar, was given a job in the fake organisation, Agrofed, which was claimed to be a Government of India undertaking.

A sum of Rs 1 lakh was handed over to fake Agrofed chairman B.S. Sandhu. Thereafter, Mr Ramesh Kumar was asked to undergo a medical examination by the CMO, Ferozepore. After the medical examination, he was told to join duty at Ludhiana. Thereafter, a sum of Rs 1.5 lakh was paid.

He said they were misled into understanding that Agrofed was a government undertaking and it was a government job. He said some other people were also duped by B.S. Sandhu.

The complaint said Rs 16 lakh had been lost by victims known to him. 

Sirsa, June 25
The Haryana Government will spend Rs 115 crore on strengthening medical services in the state during the current financial year. It has also been decided to establish 300 delivery huts in rural areas. Of these, at least 24 delivery huts will be set up in the district.

Dr K.V. Singh, OSD to the Chief Minister, said this while inaugurating an intensive care unit and emergency ward at the local Civil Hospital today. This hospital has become the second in the state after Panchkula Civil Hospital to have the latest facilities and equipment.

Dr K.V. Singh disclosed that the state government would soon recruit around 600 staff nurses. He said 150 doctors had been appointed recently. He maintained that the doctors would be posted in rural areas and their posting would be finalised on merit.

The OSD asserted that the government had given a relaxation of two years to the serving doctors for admission to postgraduate courses. The prior condition of five years’ service had now been reduced to three years. Specialist doctors would also be appointed in government hospitals, he added.

He said work on a trauma centre at the local Civil Hospital was also in progress and Rs 2 crore was being spent on it. The trauma centre would benefit the residents of the areas located in a radius of 100 km from the city.

The Civil Surgeon, Dr P.R. Kayasth, and other senior officials and prominent figures were also present on the occasion.