Fatehabad, February 3
The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) has decided to give another chance to consumers who failed to avail the benefits of the electricity bill arrear waiver scheme. It will remain open till February 28.

A DHBVN spokesman said here today that the consumers, who could not avail themselves of the scheme, could get the benefits by paying their bills issued from June 2005 onwards.

No surcharge would be levied on the bills. But, the consumers would have to pay Rs 200 as the late entry fee. The scheme was meant for the domestic as well as farmers living in the villages, the spokesman said.

The spokesman, however, clarified that if a consumer failed to pay the bills after joining the scheme and subsequently opts for the scheme by paying the dues along with the arrears, from the date of default after opting for the scheme, he would be treated eligible for the scheme from the date of his first entry into the scheme.

The facility of reconnecting the permanently disconnected connections of the domestic and agricultural consumers would also be available till February 28, the spokesman added. Such consumers, who were defaulters as on June 16, 2005, could apply for reconnection by depositing advance consumption deposit, meter’s cost and reconnection fees.

They would not be charged minimum monthly charges for the period of disconnection prior to June 16, he added.

In case of tube well connection, Rs 1,000 would be charged from disconnected consumer for less than six months period and Rs 2,000 where the period of disconnection was more than six months.

Where the high tension/low tension (HT/LT) lines were required, the reconnection would be allowed by charging only 50 per cent of the cost of erecting the lines.

Rest 50 per cent of the cost would be borne by the DHBVN. The cost of augmentation of a transformer or installation of new transformer would be borne by the nigam.

The spokesman said such disconnected consumers would be allowed to seek waiver of their electricity bills’ arrears in case they come forward for reconnection.

Chandigarh, February 3
Private school owners of Haryana have objected to the new rules on private schools notified by the state government.

Talking to TNS here today, Mr Kulbhushan Sharma, president of the Federation of Unrecognised Schools Welfare Associations (Haryana), and Mr K. C. Dhiman, president of the Haryana United Schools Association, said while the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, was interested in giving relief to the private schools, senior officers of the Education Department managed to sabotage the process.

Mr Sharma and Mr Dhiman claimed the Congress had made a poll promise regarding reviewing of the minimum area requirement of private schools ordered by the INLD government. But the measures notified by the Hooda-led government following the review were harsh on the schools, they alleged.

The two organisations representing the private school owners issued identical statements on the issue on their respective letterheads.

The statement said 90 per cent of the private schools in the state would shut down if these had to abide by the specifications mentioned in the Haryana Government notification dated January 19. “The notification, instead of giving relief to private school owners, was rather in the nature of an assault on them”, the statement said. It said the closure of schools would not only jeopardise the future of thousands of students but also rob the teachers and other employees associated with the schools of their jobs.

The statement said the government had notified that the ratio between the covered area and the open space in a private school should be 35:65. It added it was earlier agreed at a meeting that the Education Minister of Haryana had with private school owners that the minimum area of a private school should match the criterion of 4 sq ft per student. The OSD to the Chief Minister, Mr M. S. Chopra, the Principal Secretary, Mr R. S. Gujral, and the then Director-General, Education, Mr K. K. Khandelwal, were also present at the meeting, the statement said and added that the latter decision must be accepted by the government.

The other demands raised by the two organisations included the exemption of private schools from obtaining the change of land use certificate from the Town and Country Planning Department, enhancement of the requirement of the minimum distance between a school and its playground, use of the nearest government playgrounds by private schools on the payment of rent and 30 per cent concession on the area requirement of schools having two floors.

The private school owners also demanded that they must be given three years’ time to meet the new specifications ordered by the state government. They added that government schools and aided schools should also be brought within the purview of the guidelines issued by the government.

Mr Sharma and Mr Dhiman were members of the review committee set up by the state government to modify the previous rules. However, suggestions made by the two representatives of private school owners had been ignored in the report submitted by the committee, the statement alleged.

Panchkula, February 3
The recently introduced EDUSAT programme for distant learning and semester system in Haryana are among a few steps initiated by the state government to make education more student-friendly and give shape to a brighter future keeping the needs of the industry in view.

This was stated by the Haryana Education Minister, Mr Phool Chand Maulana in his inaugural address at the conference of District Education Officer and Additional District Education Officer which was held at the Indradhanush Auditorium, here today.

"Education is a priority area with the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who has liberally allocated funds for providing basic infrastructure of schools. The EDUSAT programme is bound to attract parents to shift their wards to government schools from the private ones," he said.

Maintaining that plus two students preparing for competitive examinations like AIEEE had greatly benefited from the programme, he said that the coaching given for the same had particularly benefited the section which could not afford expensive tuitions for their wards.

Appealing to the officers to take all directions of the Education Department "seriously", Mr Mullana directed them to carry out surprise checks in schools from time to time and get a feedback on the problems of the school so that these could be addressed.

Stating that 40 "most brilliant students" of the state had been identified for a government-funded crash course, the Minister said that a model school called "sanskrit" would be opened in all districts and all 1232 schools would be connected with broad band facility.

The Secretary, Education, Mr RS Gujral, assured the delegates that their complaints would be taken up promptly and the Department would initiate steps for early redressal.

The Additional Director, Secondary Education, Mr Ashok Sanghwan, said that EDUSAT would bring about revolutionary changes in education. "We will cover everything from primary education to college syllabi, polytechnics to engineering colleges as the department gains more experience," he remarked. 

Ambala, February 3
The Inter-zonal youth programme culminated at Gandhi Memorial National College, Ambala Cantonment, yesterday. The college Principal, Dr R.R. Malik, said that the programme was organised by the youth and culture department of Kurukshetra University. Haryana Staff Selection Commission member Mr R S Virk was the chief guest.

Prof Y M Saini, convener, said that 160 students from 36 colleges participated in the programme.

In poster-making, Prem Chand of Government College, Panchkula, stood first and Bhavna of the Fine Art Department of Kurukshetra University second. In cartooning, Dinesh Kumar of Kurukshetra University was first while Suman Lata of Government College, Ambala Cantonment second.

In clay modelling, Vikas of Jat College, Hisar, was first while Mukesh of Fine Arts Department of Kurukshetra University second. In painting, Vikram Singh of Government College, Panchkula was first while Gunjan Tyagi of Kurukshetra University second.

In collage, Mahavir of RKSD College, Kaithal was first while Vidhu of FC College, Hisar, was second. In Rangoli, Ina Verma of Government College, Ambala Cantonment was first and Ranjit Kumar of MLN College, Yamuna Nagar second.

Kaithal, February 3
The Additional Sessions Judge, Dr Neelima Shangla, has sentenced Joginder and Surinder, alias Sinda, both residents of Serda village of this district, to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 61,000 in a rape case.

The incident took place on April 21, 2005, when one Joginder took the woman, who was going to the fields, to a kotha in his fields and also called his friend Surinder there. Both then raped the woman. The victim was threatened by the duo that if she raised any noise, her son would be thrown in pond.

Following this, Joginder called a vehicle on his mobile phone and took the woman to Gurgaon.

On a complaint lodged with the police, the accused were booked.

At Gurgaon, the victim was kept in a room owned by one Jai Bhagwan, who ran a transport company. After frantic search, the victim was located at Gurgaon and brought back to the village, but after some time she died under mysterious circumstances.

Interestingly, Mohinder, husband of the victim, appeared as defence witness in favour of the accused. There were allegations by the prosecution that he had been paid Rs 2.20 lakh by the accused.

After hearing lengthy arguments and perusal of the evidence on record, the court held the accused guilty of rape and other charges. The court observed that the accused deserved stringent punishment provided under the law and hence sentenced them to life imprisonment and ordered that the amount of fine be paid to the children of the rape victim.

Sirsa, February 3
As part of its ongoing anti-corruption campaign, a team of the district police today arrested a Punjab National Bank (PNB) Branch Manager and a cashier on the charge of accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000.

Mr Vikas Arora, SP, disclosed that Bhimsain, a farmer of Bahiya village in the district, had applied for a loan of Rs 1.50 lakh under the Kisan Credit scheme at Bani village branch of PNB.

According to the farmer, the Bank Manager and the cashier demanded a bribe of Rs 25,000, but he agreed to pay Rs 20,000. He stated that of the said amount, he gave them Rs 15,000 on January 24. The balance amount was to be paid after the loan was passed.

The SP constituted a team under Ellenabad Tehsildar Brahm Prakash and DSP Phool Chand. The team handed over powdered currency notes to the complainant, who passed those on to the Branch Manager, Mr Satpal Bansal.

On getting a signal, the police team arrested the Manager and the cashier, Mr Virender Singh. A case under the Anti-Corruption Act has been registered in this regard.

Hisar, February 3
To make the Total Sanitation Campaign a success, it is necessary to create awareness about the vital importance of hygiene in human life. The government-sponsored drive should be made a mass movement by creating awareness and ensuring active community participation.

This was stated by the Haryana Financial Commissioner-cum-Principal Secretary (Panchayat), Mr Raj Kumar, while addressing the gathering on the opening day of a two-day state-level seminar on the campaign, which concluded here yesterday.

Citing the example of Maharashtra, where the campaign is being successfully run with community participation, Mr Raj Kumar exhorted the panchayat representatives to motivate the residents of their villages for getting toilets constructed.

The seminar was attended by Hisar Deputy Commissioner Deepti Umashankar, besides the Additional Deputy Commissioners of all districts in the state, BDPOs, panchayat representatives, World Bank experts and officials of other departments concerned.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Soma Ghosh Moulik, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist with the Water and Sanitation Programme (South Asia) of the World Bank, observed that the sanitation campaign was directly linked to the self-respect of women.

Dr Kamalkant, an expert in sanitation and water management of the World Bank agency, made a multimedia presentation on the occasion.

Panipat, February 3
Fourteen persons, including five women, sustained multiple fractures when a maxi cab collided with a truck near Gudha village here today. The injured persons were admitted to a local Civil Hospital while Darshana, a resident of Gharaunda, was referred to the PGI, Rohtak.

According to a report, these persons left for Assandh from Kohand village in Karnal district at 10 am in the maxi cab. However, due to dense fog it collided head on with a truck loaded with LPG cylinders near the Indian Oil bottling plant. As a result all occupants of the maxi cab sustained multiple fractures.

Pammi and Randhir of Garh Sharnai village in Panipat district, Sushma and Amar of Bala village in Karnala district, Manish and Darshan from Gharaunda, Angoori, Surender, Rakhi from Baroli village of Panipat, Sewa Singh of Bal Pabana, Karnal, Manohar Lal, Simla Mulana, Panipat, and Rajender of Salwan village in Karnal district were among those injured in the accident.

Ambala, February 3
11 acres of land in village Bara has been earmarked for shifting out of dairies from Ambala Cantt.

Deputy Commissioner Ambala Mr RP Bharadwaj today said that 235 dairies of Ambala Cantt will be shifted to land earmarked in Bara village. He said that the district administration has sent the report to Haryana Government seeking permission for land acquisition.

Mr Bharadwaj said that Hudco had prepared a project for Rs 3.58 crore out of which a loan of Rs 1.58 crore had been given to the government. Thereafter, 11 acre land had been bought at village Ugada and nine acres of land had been bought in village Bada.

However, the land which had been bought for the dairies in village Ugada, Haryana Urban Development Authority had proposed to construct sector 28 in that area. Hence, more land will now be bought at village Bara for shifting out of dairies.

He said that the dairy owners will be granted plots in the area.

Ambala, February 3
Social Welfare Society organised a blood donation camp here today.

Social Welfare Society president Dr Harprakash Sharma today said that the society organised the camp at Hartron workstation on Bank Road, Ambala Cantt. He said that 46 units of blood was collected in the camp. He said that the camp was held to meet the requirements of the blood bank. Students from SD College, Ambala Cantt also participated in the camp.