Rohtak, February 27
Union Law Minister Hans Raj Bhardwaj today assured Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda that his ministry was studying a proposal for the setting up of a separate high court for Haryana and the interests of the state would be kept in mind.

He gave this assurance while speaking at a function to mark the foundation stone laying ceremony of a Bar complex, judicial record room and judicial malkhana buildings. Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Vijender Jain laid the stone of the buildings which would cost Rs 1.77 crore. The Chief Minister was also present on the occasion.

The minister said that a strong and effective judiciary was necessary to sustain democracy in a country. The Centre was making all efforts to modernise infrastructure for the judiciary to make it more effective and to ensure quick justice. He lauded efforts of Chief Justice Jain to establish legal aid societies and improve infrastructure.

Chief Justice Jain said all judicial officers of Haryana appreciated the government’s efforts to improve infrastructure in the districts. Describing Haryana as a progressive state, the Chief Justice said all judicial complexes had been equipped with modern facilities which had enabled lower courts to deliver justice speedily. He directed judicial officers to dispose of cases pending for five years or more in six months.

He said the process of criminal trials should be completed in two years. He also appealed to the legal fraternity to organise mobile courts in the backward areas of the state and make all-out efforts to settle cases brought in these courts on the spot.

The Chief Minister directed officers concerned to ensure that all buildings of which the stone had been laid today be completed in a year. He informed the state government had sanctioned Rs 63 crore for the development of judicial complexes in the state. He said the government would spend Rs 162 crore for the development of different judicial complexes in Haryana in next 10 years.

BHIWANI: Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Vijender Jain said efforts were on to provide speedy justice by the judiciary to the people.

He was addressing the lawyers after laying the foundation stone of the extension of Judicial complex which would be constructed at a cost of Rs. 5.46 crore, here today.

Expressing concern on the rising of case of foeticide in society, Chief Justice Jain urged people to eradicate this social evil.

He said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had directed the authorities concerned work on the newly constructed extension of judicial complex be completed in one and half years. The Chief Mininster presented a shawl, a memento and a turban to the Chief Justice.

The Chief Minister said the Haryana government had forwarded a scheme costing Rs 162.24 crore to the Government of India for the modernisation of Judicial complexes in the state in 10 years besides Rs 63 crore had been approved for the construction and extension of judicial complexes in the state.

Haryana was making efforts to provide better facilities to the judiciary and 17 modern judicial complexes had been constructed at the district level while remaining judicial complexes also constructed.

The Chief Minister said the government had decided to construct modern judicial complexes at sub division level also. He said the Haryana government had decided that plots earmarked for lawyers in the sectors to be developed by the Haryana Urban Development Authority.

Karnal, February 27
In a new twist to the Samjhauta blast analysis, the investigators have found “convincing” evidences about the use of high-intensity explosive material like RDX or TNT in the blast.

Highly placed sources associated with the terror-in-train investigation revealed to The Tribune that the recent investigations had certainly “shocked” the investigating agencies.

Though the top officials are tightlipped over the ongoing investigations, reliable sources said that the in-depth investigations were indicating about the use of certain high explosives.

Earlier, forensic experts, police and civil authorities had termed the explosives as that of low intensity.

The sources said while examining the burnt coaches experts were shocked to notice the intensity of the “shock wave” that emanated from the spot.

Ruling out use of foreign splinters in the blasts, they confirmed that the lives lost were due to the fire caused by the explosives. 

Panipat, February 27
The happiness of a Pakistani national who arrived here in search of his missing brother-in-law knew no bounds when he found him safe at Kairana town in UP bordering Panipat district.

According to Mohammad Ali, resident of Jung district in Pakistan, his brother in law Salamatulla (70) had come to India to meet relatives in November last year. Salamatulla was scheduled to return by the Attari Express on February 18. He informed his family in Pakistan by telephone from Delhi that he was at the railway station and scheduled to reach by next morning.

However, the septuagenarian was gripped by fever that day and at the last minute he decided to stay back, said Mohammad Ali. The train was targeted and 68 passengers killed.

“Since, neither my brother-in-law nor other relatives informed us in Pakistan about their changed plans, we feared he could also be among the victims,” said Ali, who was sitting at the GRP post at Panipat.

He said he arrived in India on February 24 along with three other Pakistani nationals in search of their relatives. But when he did not find the name of his relative among the victims, he looked out for a common relative at Ashok Colony in Panipat, who knew their relatives at Kairana. “Finally, I was informed that Salamatulla is safe and staying with our relatives at Kairana itself,” said Ali.

“Now we have decided to leave together for Pakistan tomorrow,” added Ali.

Fatehabad/Hisar, February 27
Hundreds of CPM workers, including a large number of women, today held a demonstration and courted arrest against inflation and unprecedented hike in the prices of essential commodities. Led by Inderjit Singh, state secretary of the party, the workers reached the local mini-secretariat, raising slogans against inflation.

The activists staged a dharna inside the mini-secretariat. The police took them into custody. They were taken to the Police Lines in five buses.

Earlier, addressing agitating workers, Inderjit Singh said the prices of essential commodities had sky rocketed during the past two years. He regretted that nothing had been done in this regard in Haryana.

He said the CPM demanded a complete ban on the futuristic sales of essential commodities, which was largely responsible for the hike in prices, change in the taxation system of oils, strengthening of public distribution system and control on the prices of medicines.

Led by veteran Communist leader Prithvi Singh Gorakhpuri, activists of the CPM staged a demonstration and courted arrest at the mini-secretariat in Hisar today. They were protesting against the rising prices of essential commodities.

The police authorities first refused to arrest the protesters, among whom were a considerable number of women activists. However, when the protesters entered the Deputy Commissioner's office, the police detained them.

Rohtak, February 27
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former minister Krishan Murti Hooda has accused the nine Congress members of the Lok Sabha from Haryana of failing to secure any major railway project for the state.

In a statement issued here today, he said the Railways Ministry had ignored all Haryana districts except Bhiwani. This showed that none of the nine Congress MPs had lobbied effectively with the Railways Ministry despite the fact that most parts of Haryana were without adequate rail services.

He said the local railway station lacked a sufficient number of platforms because of which trains had to be halted outside the station leading to traffic jams and late running of trains. The town badly needed another train to Delhi in view of the high number of daily passengers to the Capital.

Terming the rail budget as “very disappointing”, Hooda said instead of making false and misleading claims, the Congress MPs should do something concrete for the welfare of the state.

Panchkula, February 27
The Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industries (HCCI) today filed objections regarding raising of electricity tarrif at a public hearing by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission held at Red Bishop here today.

Maintaining that Haryana already had higher tarrif than the neighbouring states, the members led by HCCI chairman Satish Gupta and General Secretary, Vishnu Goyal, said that any further increase would make it impossible for the industry to compete with the neighbouring states.

The Chamber stated that the funds were needed by the Board to modernise while the main emphasis is to reduce line losses. "The line losses are at 41 per cent at the moment and the Board wants to bring this down to 20 per cent in three years to earn a profit. So, the Board does not need a tarrif hike but a recoverable loan," the chairman said. A copy of their representation was submitted to the Chairman HERC Bhaskar Chatterji. 

Hisar, February 27
If power saved is considered as power generated, the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) plans to "add" 900 MW of power by the end of this year. The nigam authorities plan to achieve this feat by getting 50 lakh conventional incandescent bulbs replaced with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL).

A spokesman for the nigam said here yesterday that the DHBVN would launch a massive campaign to convert its consumers from energy-wasting incandescent bulbs to energy-saving and long-lasting compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). DHBVN plans to replace at least average three conventional bulbs per consumer with CFLs by December.

According to a study conducted by the DHBVN, replacement of one conventional bulb with CFL by each of the 18 lakh DHBVN consumers would translate into saving of 300 MW of power. Thus, the replacement of targeted three conventional bulbs with CFLs, the saving works out to be 900 MW. Construction of a thermal power plant of this much capacity costs Rs 4,000 crore approximately.

"The CFLs, which are an excellent example of energy-efficient technology, can save as much as 80 per cent of electricity used for lighting," the spokesman said. About 25 per cent of the total power is being used for lighting in Haryana, which rises to over 40 per cent during evening and morning hours. By using CFLs, the consumption can be reduced by about 70 per cent.

As a part of the campaign, the DHBVN has decided to provide its consumers with CFL bulbs at low rates from the DHBVN's customer care centres. Under the scheme, customers are being offered 11-watt, 15-watt and 20-watt CFL bulbs at the rate of Rs 67.50, Rs 75 and Rs 100 per piece, respectively.

T-8-36 watt tubes would be offered for Rs 32 per piece. 

Ambala, February 27
The demand for withdrawal of no-objection certificate (NOC) for property matters in Ambala Sadar got a major boost today when Ambala Cantonment MLA Devender Bansal pitched in for its withdrawal.

He said he went to Chandigarh this afternoon to meet Haryana chief secretary Prem Prashant in this connection.

“I apprised him of the entire issue and the inconvenience being caused to the common man”, he said.

He said the NOC implementation in Ambala Sadar was an illegal act since there was no clause in the municipal act for an NOC.

He added, “There has not been any NOC in Ambala Sadar since Independence except for a brief period, during the previous tenure of Om Prakash Chautala”.

Bansal said about 40,000 families in the area had been facing hardship since they could not carry out property transaction even during dire financial need.

“This is a serious matter and suitable steps must be taken immediately so that the common man does not face any hardship”, he said.

The Nagrik Kalyan Manch had recently held a demonstration in front of the tehsil office in Ambala Cantonment to protest against the ban of registry outside municipal limits.

Bhoom Singh Rana, president of the manch, said orders for stopping of registry must be withdrawn immediately as the poor and the middle class were adversely affected.

“Municipal limits have not been increased in the last couple of years, which should be done so that more colonies can benefit”, he said.

He said residents of the area should be given ownership rights of the land and not just of the building.

“Ambala Sadar is perhaps the only place in the country where an NOC has been enforced and the order should be withdrawn and registry allowed without problems”, he said.

Karnal, February 27
Haryana Governor A.R. Kidwai honoured widows of 22 soldiers at a school function near Madhuban this afternoon.

Speaking at the annual function of Rising Sun Public School, Dr Kidwai emphasised upon the need of quality education. Lauding the role of the school management, he said the institution had made commendable contribution by setting up a school in the rural belt of the district.

He said in the changing world of commercialisation there was a need of such schools capable of imparting quality education.

A cultural programme was also organised on the occasion.

Hisar, February 27
A wide range of psychological tests, behaviour-assessment techniques and stress-management sessions today fascinated visitors at “Psycho-Spectrum”, organised by the Department of Applied Psychology at Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology (GJUST) here today.

The annual event, the brainchild of the department in charge, Dr Jyotsana, was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor, Dr R.P. Bajpai. Faculty members and students of the host department displayed and explained various concepts and techniques to the visitors.

Psycho-therapeutic sessions, concept display, creativity and intelligence tests, anxiety-assessment tests and psycho-theatre remained the major attractions for the visitors to this psychological exhibition.

Addressing the gathering the Vice-Chancellor said one could keep the stress-related diseases in check by making optimum use of psychological techniques. “Modern-day disorders like heart ailments, diabetes, hypertension and high blood pressure originate from anxiety and can be tackled with the help of psychology,” he asserted.

The In charge of the host department, Dr Jyotsana, observed the most youngsters choose wrong role models, which leads to depression. She objective behind organising the exhibition was to create awareness about the applied aspect of psychology.

“The department organises psychological clinics for the common people on every Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m.,” she informed.

The Registrar, Dr R.S. Jaglan, the Dean, Faculty of Management Studies, Prof Harbhajan Bansal, Applied Psychology faculty members Dr Sandeep Rana and Dr Rakesh Behmani and a number of students of the host department as well as other streams were present. 

Chandigarh, February 27
The Haryana Health Department is combating anaemia in children through de-worming and iron supplementation. Giving this information at the launch of statewide intensive de-worming campaign at Panchkula yesterday, financial commissioner (Health), Haryana,Urvashi Gulati, disclosed that in the first phase of the campaign, about 8.4 lakh children from government primary schools in 13 districts were covered.

Children from 5,826 government primary schools were also administered a single tablet of Albendazole. This would be followed by administering iron and folic acid tablets every week for the next six months during mid-day meals, she stated. Children left out due to absenteeism would be administered the de-worming tablet in the next two days.

Statistics showed that a majority of the primary schoolchildren were suffering from anaemia and worm infestation, leading to lethargy, tiredness, forgetfulness, lack of concentration and other ailments, she pointed out. De-worming would go a long way in promoting positive health and supplementation by iron and folic acid tablets would help in combating anaemia. She said the campaign was being undertaken as a part of the department's School Health Programme

The 13 districts that were covered in the campaign were Panchkula, Yamunanagar, Gurgaon, Hisar, Jind, Karnal, Kaithal, Mewat, Narnaul, Rewari, Panipat, Jhajjar and Ambala. Seven districts would be covered in the second phase of the de-worming campaign scheduled for March 5, she added.

Chandigarh, February 27
The Haryana Sanskrit Akademi has announced the names of the scholars who will be honoured for their contribution to the Sanskrit language for the 2006-07 period.

A spokesman of the Akademi said Ram Dutt Sharma of Bhiwani would be honoured with Mahrishi Valmiki Puraskar, which carried Rs 1 lakh in cash.

Jagdish Chander Shastri of Sirsa had been selected for Mahrishi Ved Vyas Puraskar, which carried Rs 51,000.

Head of the Sanskrit Department in Kurukshetra University Bhim Singh would get Mahakavi Baan Bhatt Puraskar, which carried Rs 21,000 in cash.

He said the awards would be presented at a special function to be organised by the Akademi shortly.Each of these award winners would also get a commendation certificate and a memento. — TNS

Yamunanagar, February 27
As many as 26 employees of the local depot of the Haryana Roadways today sat on a 24-hour fast to press for their demands. On a call by a joint action committee of the two roadways employees unions similar fasts were observed at all depots of the
roadways.

The unions were alleging that the state government had transferred 45 union leaders to far-flung areas of the state with an aim to weaken their strength. The demands of the union include inclusion of 4,000 new buses in the fleet and hike in various allowances.

State president of the Haryana Roadways Workers Union Hari Naryana Sharma claimed that chief minister Bhoopinder Singh Hooda had gone back on his promises which he had made before union leaders in January. He said that the unions would not tolerate any move of the government to de-regularise any employee who had been made permanent on completion of three years. 

Yamunanagar, February 27
The paperwork has been completed for the setting up of a solid-waste management project at Jagadhri. To be set up at a cost of Rs 24 crore, it will be the third such project in the state.

As per sources in the municipal committees of Jagadhri and Yamunanagar, the project will be set by the National Building Construction Company (NBCC) owned by the Union Government, which will bear 80 per cent of the cost. Ten per cent of the cost will be paid by the state government and rest by the two MCs.

The project was expected to be okayed by the commissioner of the Ambala range in the coming days, sources said. The NBCC would manage the plant for the first three years and then it would be handed over to the MCs, he added.

Both committees have jointly purchased 10 acres of land in the Khera area of Jagadhri. Garbage would be collected from each house (house owners would have to pay Rs 10-15 a month to the garbage collector) and same would be sent to the plant. Machines would segregate the recyclable material and the rest would be converted into vermicompost.

As per sources, the plant has been designed keeping in mind the population of the twin towns of Yamunanagar and Jagadhri in 2021. Initially, the plant would be able to process 105 tonnes of garbage a day. Such plants are functional in Sirsa and Fatehabad districts of the state.