Bhiwani, February 10
The district administration will act against copying in the examinations of the Board of School Education Haryana starting from February 15.

At a meeting here today of the board, Deputy Commissioner Mohinder Kumar urged those supervising examination should perform their responsibility sincerely at examination centres in their areas. The district will be divided in 16 sectors which will be inspected by administrative officers. Orders under Section 144 of the Cr-PC would be promulgated around 200 metres of the centres to check outside interference in examinations.

Board secretary Vikas Gupta stressed copying must be curbed. He said examination of second semester of middle standard would commence from February 15 and secondary examination from February 17 between 11.00 am and 1.30 pm.

Mr Gupta said 4,70,000 students in middle standard and 3,21,491 students would appear in secondary examination at 1,813 centres.

He added that 39,176 students for middle standard and 24,327 for secondary examination would appear in Bhiwani district.

The board secretary of school education said 443 flying squads had been set up to check copying.

Chandigarh, February 10
The Haryana Government has directed the managements of all private unaided schools in the state to reserve 25 per cent of the seats for meritorious students belonging to poor families. The Haryana Education Minister, Mr Phool Chand Mullana, said the step had become necessary on account of various representations made by associations of privately managed recognised and unrecognised schools.

Under the amendment to the rules carried out recently, the staff of over 200 senior secondary, secondary and middle schools and 160 aided primary schools would also benefit, he said. The Minister said under the amended rules, the system of admission and charging of fee and other funds had also been revised.

Ambala, February 10
A prisoner of Ambala Central Jail put the jail authorities and Health Department in dilemma on Thursday when his mother levelled an allegation that a doctor of Ambala City Civil Hospital had removed one of the kidneys of her son during an operation a few days back.

Later, a board of three doctors, after conducing ultrasound and other tests, confirmed that there was no merit in the allegation and both the kidneys of the prisoner were intact.

According to reports, Vinod, an undertrial lodged in Ambala Central Jail, had undergone a minor operation in Civil Hospital in Ambala City last week. Two days back his mother filed an application with the District and Sessions Judge and Superintendent, Jail, alleging that one of the kidneys of her son had been removed.

The matter was also discussed in the jail monitoring committee’s meeting on Wednesday where the District and Sessions Judge, Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police and Civil Surgeon were also present. The Civil Surgeon, Dr V.K Sharma, confirmed that he had received a complaint in this regard and he had constituted a board of three doctors under the supervision of the PMO to find out the fact.

Meanwhile, the Superintendent of Ambala Jail, Mr S.P.S Chauhan, said he had received the report of the board of the doctors, in which the allegation was found to be baseless.

He said he had submitted a report to District and Sessions Judge in this regard yesterday. He also informed that Vinod had filed a fresh application yesterday, maintaining that his mother had levelled the allegation due to some confusion.

Panipat, February 10
Reports of rain from all 20 districts of the state has proved a boon for farmers and given respite to officials of the Agriculture Department, who are confident of achieving the wheat yield target this year.

The continuous rise in day temperature during the last couple of weeks had started causing worry to the officials concerned as it could prove detrimental to the crop.

The yield could be reduced by 2 quintals per acre as the temperature rose to 26 degree Celsius, but now the worry was over.

The crop had been sown on 84,000 hectares, as against 75,000 hectares last year, out of the total one lakh hectares of agricultural land in the district.

Eighty per cent farmers of the state used to sow wheat after November 15, leaving less time for the crop to mature, which needed between 140 and 145 days.

Ambala, February 10
The Chairman of the All-India Anti Terrorist Front, Mr Maninderjit Singh Bitta, today stated that he was receiving threats as he was campaigning for the hanging of the dreaded terrorist Afzal Guru who was involved in the Parliament terrorist attack case.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Bitta said he had received threat calls from Dubai, Muscat and Saudi Arabia. He said he had been threatened with dire consequences for leading the campaign against the terrorist.

He said he received the first call on January 2 from Dubai while the second call was received on January 9. "The caller introduced himself as Afzal Guru's close friend and threatened me. From that day onwards, I have received numerous calls from Dubai and Saudi Arabia," he said. "I have a list of phone numbers from which such threatening calls or messages have been received. I will continue to provide any subsequent information or details of phone numbers for proper investigation," he said.

In a letter addressed to the Union Home Minister, Mr Shivraj Patil, Mr Bitta has sought that his security arrangements be enhanced following the threats from the terrorist’s supporters.

To a query, Mr Bitta said the Congress had fielded two candidates in the Assembly elections who were related to persons involved in the terrorist activities.

While one candidate was from Patti, the other was from Chamkaur Sahib.

He said Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was solely responsible for the development which would have grave implications.

Ambala, February 10
The Deputy Excise & Taxation Commissioner, Ambala, Mr K.K. Sharma, today said the excise policy for the year 2007-2008 had a number of salient features.

While the department officials had been barred from applying for the allotment of vends, the list of eligible applicants would be put on the official website. A detailed brochure indicating license fee and location would be given to the applicants, a press note said.

Mr Sharma stated that the duty on denatured spirit for automobile use and permit fee had also been reduced from Rs 3 per bulk litre to Re 1 per bulk litre. He said sub-vends system had been introduced to curb illicit distillation and smuggling of liquor, beer or country liquor. Vends in rural areas had been introduced and wines were allowed at the shopping malls in the city. New wholesale licence for imported liquor had been introduced and new licence for non-distiller brands with the condition of reasonability of rates had also been imposed. L-13 would be run by distilleries themselves and not by agents. The possession limit had also been increased. The possession limit of the country liquor had been increased from four to six bottles and that of the IMFL from six to 12 bottles. The limit for beer was 12 bottles, Indian foreign liquor (IFL) six bottles, rum six bottles, wine 12 bottles and gin six bottles. Relief had been given to individuals for house function for which no licence was required, he added.

Kurukshetra, February 10
Professionals from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), (ONGC), the Oil and Natural Gas Commission and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have urged the state government to work collectively on Saraswati, “a lost river’’, project to tap possibilities of deep digging for fresh water in the region.

Citing examples in India and Pakistan where deep wells were dug along the course where Saraswati used to flow, experts emphasised the need to explore possibilities of sweet water in the region too.

Experts at different fields gathered here today for a convention organised by NGO —the Saraswati Nadi Shodh Sansthan (Saraswati river research organisation).

Experts said there were sufficient proof based on research which confirm the flowing of Saraswati from Haryana.

They said there were possibilities of underground fresh water at Bhor Saidan village, near here and other places from where Saraswati, considered a mythological river, used to flow centuries ago.

The Tribune on December 14, last reported about the discovery of the site by the archaeologists Mr Rajesh Purohit and Mr Rajender Singh Rana.

Regional Director of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Jodhpur, Dr J. R. Sharma offered technical expertise on the project. Showing satellite imageries, Dr Sharma favoured investigations of sediments at the site for future project.

Showing the map of the Haryana government, chairman of the NGO, Darshan Lal Jain said the official survey demarcated flow of the fossil riverbed flowing from Adi Badri in Yamuna Nagar onwards. He also demanded removal of encroachments.

He rued orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court passed in 1996 directing the authorities to demarcate and upkeep the Saraswati river area were not complied with.

General Manager of ONGC, Dr M. R. Rao also confirmed there was possibility of underground water along the river course now not flowing.

He revealed the ONGC had agreed to drill deep bores to tap underground fresh water at Bhor Saidan village.

Former senior Director of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), V. M. K. Puri, who has been studying glaciers for the past 35 years, said rocks and other sediments available along the Saraswati riverbed confirmed its glacial origin.

Ambala, February 10
A function was held at DAV Senior Secondary School, Ambala Cantt, on Wednesday to mark the return of NCC cadet Avinash Tiwari who participated in the Republic Day parade at New Delhi.

The associated NCC officer, Mr Lakhvinder Singh, said Avinash, a student of Class IX, was the only cadet from the junior division of the second Hr Bn to participate in the parade. He was also the first cadet from the school to go to New Delhi for the R-Day parade, a press note said.

Fatehabad, February 10
The District Consumer Forum yesterday directed a local tractor dealer to pay Rs 50,000 as compensation to a farmer for supplying him an old tractor and also overcharging him.

The farmer, Ved Pal, a resident of Chanot, had purchased a Swaraj tractor from a local dealer, Balaji Enterprises, on November 11, 2005.

The dealer charged Rs 3.4 lakh from the farmer and said he would give the bill after getting the registration done.

The dealer later issued a bill for Rs 3.10 lakh to the farmer.

Later, the farmer discovered that he had been supplied a 2001 model tractor in place of a 2005 model.

Rewari, February 10
The police has arrested Sarwan Singh on the charge of attempting to kill his newly wedded wife Sanju at Suthana village, 8 km from here. He made this attempt last week on February 2.

Sarwan Singh, who reportedly went into hiding after committing the offence, was produced in a local court today, which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.

Meanwhile, Sanju has left Suthana and again started living at Ghaziabad (UP) where she previously worked in a factory.

It is stated that Sarwan Singh, a resident of Suthana village and a young widower, had married a divorcee Sanju, a resident of Mainpuri district of UP, in a court at Jhajjar some months ago.

Initially Sarwan Singh loved Sanju but started ill-treating her later.

Last week an altercation reportedly erupted between them over a trifle following which Sarwan Singh allegedly beat up Sanju and then drenched her in kerosene in a bid to set her ablaze. However, she raised an alarm following which some neighbours rescued her.

Subsequently, she lodged a complaint with the police following which the Kasauala police registered a case of attempt to murder, subjection to cruelty and criminal intimidation under Sections 498-A, 307, 506 of the IPC against Sarwan Singh, who reportedly absconded after the offence.