Kaithal, February 7
A local court has issued summons to famous TV anchor and artiste Shekhar Suman and three others to appear in the court on April 17.

According to information, these summons were issued following the filing of a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act by Arun Jain, proprieter of Jain Boutique, Kaithal, against Messrs Growell Trade India Ltd, Mumbai, and its Chairman, Shekhar Suman , Akash Bhardwaj, MD, and Sukhwant Singh Kalsi, Director.

The complainant has alleged that he became a member of this company and promoted its business by getting a number of other persons enrolled as members.So he became entitled to receive commission.

The accused issued a cheque (No.35842) dated 20.5.2004 for Rs 1,00,000 and another cheque (No. 35843) dated 2.6.2004 for Rs 32,790, which were to be drawn from ICICI Bank, Meera Road branch,Thane, from their account (No. 001905000851). The complainants produced the cheques for collection in his account with the ICICI branch,Karnal. However, the cheques were dishonoured with the remarks “payment stopped by drawer”.

The complainant contacted the accused,but to no avail.Following this, notices were sent to all accused.In response to this, the advocate of the defendants sent a reply. However, the complainant, aggrieved from the non-payment of commission for which the cheques were issued and later dishonoured, filed a complaint in the local court and the court issued a notice for appearance by the respondents on April 17,2007.

Karnal, February 7
To maintain communal harmony at Panipat, a peace committee constituted by the district administration comprising delegates from two religious communities has proposed to maintain status quo at the disputed site.

The town remained under tension for the third consecutive day after members of a religious community raised objections to construction in the Quila Maidan locality on Sunday evening.

They alleged that members of another community, comprising certain influential persons, had attempted to demolish the place, claiming that the place was earlier used for worship and demanding its protection.

The town witnessed protests over the issue. No untoward incident was reported.

Panipat DC Rajeev Ranjan said certain persons of a community intended to construct a complex at the place, known for its historical significance.

The administration had formed an independent committee comprising delegates from both communities with no official involvement. He said the objections regarding the disputed site required investigation.

Chandigarh, February 7
The Haryana Chief Secretary, Mr Prem Prashant, has convened a meeting of various departments, boards and corporations here on Friday to finalise the issue of the re-recruitment of Group A and Group B employees retrenched by the previous Om Prakash Chautala-led regime.

The Chief Secretary had earlier written to them seeking information on the scope of absorption of employees of these two categories. While the government has already given jobs to the retrenched Group C and Group D employees, retrenched Group A and Group B employees were getting restless in the absence of any concrete move by the government on their re-employment.

It is learnt that a list of 74 eligible retrenched employees from these two categories has been drawn up for the purpose of giving them jobs.

A notification regarding the “adjustment” of Group A and Group B employees was also published in the state government Gazette today.

The notification said the retrenched employees of Groups A and B who were 55 years of age or above would not be considered eligible for adjustment. The retrenched employees who were above 55 years but less than 58 years of age on May 18, 2006, would get Rs 1 lakh as compensation from the government.

The families of the retrenched employees who had expired since their retrenchment but otherwise would have been eligible for adjustment, would get Rs 2.5 lakh as compensation.

The compensation package offered to Groups A and B was the same as those offered to Group C and Group D employees.

Today’s notification said Group A and Group B posts in government departments, boards and corporations, against which the retrenched employees were to be adjusted, should be excluded from the purview of the Haryana Public Service Commission and the Haryana Staff Selection Commission, as the case might be.

The adjustment of all retrenched employees would be the fulfilment of a major poll promise made by the ruling Congress.

Fatehabad, February 7
The police today claimed to have solved the mystery surrounding the murderous attack on Bhattu Kalan-based journalist Ran Singh Machra.

The police has arrested two persons, including a police constable, presently under suspension from Gurgaon, in this connection.

The cop, Rajbir Singh, is Machra’s relative, but they are involved in a family dispute.

The other accused is Rajbir’s brother Subhash, a taxi driver.

The police has also recovered the pistol and the car used for the crime.

The police, working on the mobile phone record of the journalist, had found that he had talked to the accused for 243 seconds on the day of the crime.

When quizzed about his movements on that day, his replies did not correspond with the mobile tower records of his telephone.

Yamunanagar, February 7
To promote energy conservation the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) has announced a rebate on monthly electricity bills to the users of solar water heaters. A rebate of Rs 100, Rs 200 and Rs 300 will be given to the users of solar water heaters of 100 litres, 200 litres and 300 litres per day (LPD) capacities, respectively.

According to a nigam press note, the rebate will be given from the subsequent month of installation for a period of three years. To avail the benefit of rebate an applicant will have to submit a joint commissioning report signed by the user, supplier and project officer/assistant project officer of the Integrated Rural Energy Programme of the district.

The rebate will be applicable to the users of solar water heating systems of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) approved flat rate collectors or the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES) approved systems.

Meanwhile, the nigam has offered a new scheme to the consumers getting power through low tension (LT) lines under which essential feeder status would be granted in urban and rural areas to the consumers willing to adopt the scheme. 

Chandigarh, February 7
The Haryana Renewable Energy Development Authority (HAREDA) has some figures to brag about solar water heating, but admits that the heavy “upfront” cost of the machine is a big handicap for its spread among the salaried classes.

The machines for domestic use are priced at Rs 23,000 apiece that makes them about four times costlier than geysers. The person who instals one will be a gainer in terms of the money saved on the electricity cost that includes a direct rebate offered by the power distribution companies of Haryana on electricity bills.

Since the salaried classes are likely to cling to their favourite electric geysers for some more time, the HAREDA had focused on institutions for promoting the solar heating of water. The effort has resulted in 139 per cent growth in the use of solar water heating systems during the past two years. Two years before the total installed capacity of the machines was 35,000 litres per day (LPD). The latest figures show 84,000 LPD as the total installed capacity. The figures are derived from government offices, residential schools, government hospitals, etc, in which the department has been instrumental in the installation of solar heating systems.

The government initiative in this field now has been stretched to offering subsidy on the cost of the machines to private and official residences of government employees located at the district headquarters, Chandigarh and Delhi.

Ms Sumita Misra, Director, HAREDA, for the past 18 months, is closely involved in this rather quaint revolution unfolding in the state. Her stint in the agency has taken her to countries like Finland and Japan and to Harvard University where her perseverance won her a place in the journal published by the premier US university.

The use of solar heating reduces the pressure on the use of conventional power and gives relief to the over-stretched power distribution companies.

An impressive number of institutions have been brought within the ambit of the mandatory use of the solar heating system by the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led state government. These include factories needing warm water for processing their products, nursing homes, hotels, hospitals, group housing societies and residential buildings on a plot measuring 500 sq yd or more.

The HAREDA may be sometimes thrusting the solar heating system on financially sound institutions, but it has not abandoned its social sector responsibilities. All child delivery huts run by the Health Department are being provided the machines by the HAREDA.

Hisar, February 7
Former Union minister and People For Animals (PFA) chief Maneka Gandhi has held the BJP as well as the Congress responsible for the slaughter of cattle in the country.

She has called for the constitution of an organised force to protect cattle and castigated the police for allowing the free passage for vehicles carrying cattle for money.

Hisar, February 7
A two-day state-level workshop on animal husbandry organised on the premises of Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) here concluded yesterday with a clarion call for the adoption of integrated farming system to make agriculture a profitable proposition.

The workshop was organised by the Directorate of Extension Education of the university in collaboration with the state Department of Animal Husbandry.More than 300 Animal Husbandry officials of the Haryana Government and scientists of the university attended the workshop.

Addressing the participants after inaugurating the workshop, the HAU Vice-Chancellor,Dr J.C.Katyal, stated that an integrated farming system included dairying, horticulture, floriculture, bee-keeping and fish-farming along with the major field crops.

"This approach will not only increase the monetary returns of the farmers, but also boost the agriculture growth rate of the country," he maintained.

Focusing his address on the Haryana farmers, Dr Katyal maintained that stagnation in the profitability of the existing cropping systems was the biggest problem faced by the state farmers.

He pointed out that Haryana had the advantage of being located near the national Capital, where fruits, vegetables, milk and other dairying products were in great demand.

The Commissioner-Secretary,Animal Husbandry,Mr Sarban Singh,in his presidential address said animal husbandry had the potential to be the mainstay of the village people.

Presenting an overview of animal husbandry in Haryana, the Director-General of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, disclosed that all semen banks in the state had been upgraded and got ISO certification.

Chandigarh, February 7
The media in northern India is reaping a rich harvest these days, thanks to the political publicity blitz sweeping the region.

First, with the stakes high in the Punjab Assembly elections, the main contenders for power, the Congress and the Akalis, have launched their publicity campaigns in a big way. Both parties are daily issuing advertisements in newspapers, of course eulogising themselves and running down their opponents.

Besides the print media, the two parties have also sponsored radio jingles this time.

To add to the booty of the media, the Congress government in Haryana is celebrating its two years in power.

Started on January 26, the Hooda government's publicity campaign, which is described as a "communication campaign" by its publicity managers, will continue till March 15.

Unlike the past, advertisements of the Haryana Government have been designed this year by professional agencies. The visual is colourful and pleasing to the eye. The copy is terse and no longer consists of an unreadable, large chunk of black text.

The Haryana Government has also sponsored radio jingles and visuals on the electronic media, particularly Doordarshan centres catering to the state.

It is also making use of the folk media. In addition to folk artistes of its Public Relations Department, private artistes have also been engaged.

The total budget for the "communication campaign" is estimated to be about Rs 3 crore.

The government has also fielded its Ministers to "communicate" its achievements to the media. Every week a Minister holds a press conference to brief the media on what the government had done in a particular sector. If the Agriculture Minister, Mr H.S. Chatha, highlighted the progress made by the state in agriculture and related fields last week, Health Minister Kartar Devi spoke on the government's policies for the social sector today.

The media has, however, one problem with these press conferences. Since no new schemes are announced, which are perhaps being held over for the February 25 Sirsa rally to be organised to mark the completion of two years of the Hooda government, newsmen are at their wit's end what to report.