Karnal, April 3
Wheat procurement by government agencies on the GT Road belt and adjoining areas may start next week.

A visit to parts of Karnal, Kurukshetra and Kaithal districts today revealed crop in most parts was standing 
in fields.

Procurement officials confirmed the operation would start next week.

“There is no point of procuring wheat when there are few farmers in the market with produce and that too with high-level of humidity’’, said an official.

He said most of the wheat which reached mandis had humidity more than 16 per cent against the FCI norm of 12 per cent.

On the “delayed” arrival, officials said due to dip in temperature farmers had stopped harvesting.

It may take another four-five days to restart harvesting and by next week government agencies may start procurement, he added.

Arhtiyas in grain markets of the area said arrival of wheat was negligible.

Inderjeet Anand, an Arhtiya at Karnal said the mandi had witnessed first arrival on March 22 and till date only few farmers were arriving with produce.

He said so far only private parties were coming for the procurement.

Against the government price, Karnal’s new grain market witnessed the highest price of Rs 921 per quintal, he informed.

Traders and government officials are hopeful of 
good crop.

Farmers reached Kaithal mandi said they faced problem in selling produce.

“High moisture in wheat grains due to unseasonal rains had damaged the produce. Now we are calculating losses, said a Kaithal farmer.

Sources said so far only local mill owners were purchasing the produce from mandis. Due to demand in Saharanpur district, small-time traders were also purchasing the produce in the market.

YAMUNANAGAR: Wheat did not a arrive in any of the 12 grain markets of the district for the third consecutive day. The government started procurement of wheat from April 1. Sources in Confed, Hafed, Haryana Warehouse Corporation and Food Corporation of India said arrangements for procurement were in place but no farmer had turned up in the mandis (grain market). Government agencies and traders kept waiting for the wheat for the whole day. It is being said that wheat has yet to be harvested and the delay was due to inclement weather last month. There are reports local traders have approached farmers to lift wheat directly from fields. Local traders were buying wheat at higher price than MSP of Rs 850.

Official sources said wheat would start arriving in the mandis in a couple of days. Secretary of the market committee of Radaur claimed arrangements for farmers were in place at Radaur mandi. Mange Ram Gundiyana, president of the Arhtiya Association, Mustafabad said wheat would start arriving in the mandi in the next three – four days. He also said delay was due to rain in the last month. There were similar reports from the mandis in Chhachhrauli, Jagadhri, Sadhoura, Jathlana, Khizrabad grain markets.

Fatehabad, April 3
Furious at the death of a pregnant woman during delivery allegedly due to negligence of doctors, relatives ransacked a nursing home and beat up the 
doctor here in the wee hours today.

The police has booked the doctor couple and a nurse for causing death by negligence.

The doctor couple has denied negligence on their part and accused the relatives of beating them up after their patient suddenly died before the delivery had actually happened.

According to reports, Suman (24), wife of Navneet, a resident of nearby Bhuna town, was admitted to Patiala Children and Maternity Hospital owned by Dr Ravi Kant Dawra and his wife Dr Anjana Dawra at about 6 pm yesterday.

Suman's relatives allege that the doctors did not attend her till 12.30 in the night. Suddenly they informed that they will have to conduct an emergency operation. The doctors allegedly asked the relatives to deposit Rs 20,000 with the hospital for operation.

At 2.30 at night, the doctors informed the kin that the child in the womb had died and the woman will have to be referred to Hisar for an operation.

Within a few minutes, some other doctors of the also arrived. A police party also reached there. Relatives allege that the police party informed them about Suman's death at about 3 am.

Irate relatives caught hold of the doctor and beat him up mercilessly.

The doctor couple saved their lives by running away from the back door of the nursing home. The relatives then went on a rampage and damaged whatever came their way in the hospital.

Though the police immediately swung in to action and registered a case under section 304-A of the IPC against the doctor couple and their nurse Sushma and deployed police force in front of the nursing home, the relatives again attacked the hospital at 9.30 am today, this time with reinforced strength.

The mob went berserk and damaged the windowpanes, television and some other equipment of the hospital.

The post-mortem examination of the deceased was done by a panel of doctors. The viscera has been sent for further examination.

Meanwhile, the local chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has condemned the incident. The doctors maintained that the woman probably died due to pulmonary embolism, which was a known complication, though, a rare one.

Rohtak, April 3
India is poised to become a world economic power, but radical changes in the education sector are must to achieve this aim. Even the economic reforms will be incomplete without reforms in education. If India wants to maintain the momentum of its economic miracle and ensure that the benefits of it go to all Indians, not simply to the elite, then change and reform throughout the education system is essential.

This clarion call for pressing educational reforms was given today by Lord Swraj Paul,noted NRI industrialist, philanthropist and member of the House of Lords, UK, while delivering the convocation address as the chief guest at the 14th convocation of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU)here today.

The Haryana Governor and MDU chancellor, Dr A.R. Kidwai, conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) in management sciences on Lord Paul and the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) on Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for their outstanding achievements, inspirational leadership and excellence in their respective spheres.

In his address, Lord Paul said reforms in education had to recognise the reality of globalisation.

Lord Paul, who is also the Chancellor of two UK-based universities, asserted that change was overdue and must happen if the challenges of the 21st century are to be met. Expressing pride, the industrialist-legislator said he was happy to get this degree from an institution named after an inspirational leader Swami Dayanand.

Congratulating the students on the occasion, he said the spirit of Maharshi Dayanand would provide inspiration and strength to them to face the challenges of life.

Earlier, in his welcome address,MDU vice-chancellor R.S. Dhankar highlighted the progress made by the university, including the introduction of new job-oriented courses,forging collaborative programmes with leading educational and research institutions in India and abroad and academic initiatives to develop a vibrant academic culture in the university.

Governor-Chancellor Kidwai awarded Ph.D degrees to 93 students. The Chief Minister presented gold medals and certificates to 108 meritorious students, while the vice-chancellor awarded postgraduate and other degrees to 482 students during the convocation.

Delivering acceptance speech on the occasion, Hooda expressed happiness on receiving the award.He congratulated the MDU authorities on introduction of job-oriented professional courses.The Chief Minister asserted that the Haryana Government had accorded top priority to promote the cause of quality education in the state.

In his presidential address, Dr Kidwai observed that producing such skilled manpower that could excel in the industrial or service sector anywhere in the world was the real challenge for education institutions.

Haryana education minister Phool Chand Mullana,member of the Constituent Assembly and freedom fighter Ch Ranbir Singh Hooda, HSAMB chairman Shadi Lal Batra,Congress MLA Anand Singh Dangi, MDU registrar, Dr S.P. Vats and the dean, Academic Affairs, Prof Ishwar Singh,were also present.

Hisar, April 3
Haryana Agricultural University and Germany-based Centre for Development Research of the University of Bonn will soon sign a memorandum of understanding for collaboration in research and academic activities, it was officially stated here yesterday.

A university press release said the centre’s Director Dr Paul L. G. Viek told vice-chancellor J. C. Katyal at a meeting that his organisation had set up a unit in Uzbekistan for developing agriculture in that country.

Since the conditions in Haryana were similar to those in Uzbekistan, HAU could play an important role in developing agriculture in Central Asian countries.

Ambala, April 3
The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) is attempting to make inroads into the Ambala cantt assembly segment.

Two leaders of Ambala cantt are being wooed by the INLD. While former BJP leader K.D. Sharma is expected to join the party tomorrow, Sangharsh Vahini president Hira Lal Yadav is yet to give his assent to an invitation to join the party. The INLD has a marginal base in the Ambala cantt area.

Chief of the INLD and former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala interacted with Yadav last evening. Chautala had invited Yadav to join the party and the latter is to discuss the offer with his supporters.

Yadav said Om Prakash Chautala had extended an invitation to him to join the party. “I will discuss the offer with my supporters and only then a final decision in this regard will be taken,” he said.

He said he was not going to join the INLD tomorrow. “Right now, we are preparing for our demonstration against the Haryana Government for its failure on various fronts. The demonstration will be held on April 15. Thereafter, we will convene a meeting to look into the INLD offer,” he said.

Yadav quit the Congress after he was denied the party ticket in the last Assembly elections. He had contested the election as an Independent and was polled 13,500 votes in the Ambala cantt seat.

It is understood that Yadav may also receive an offer to join the new outfit of Bhajan Lal. This could change the political equations in Ambala cantt.

With regard to Dr K.D. Sharma, he had recently quit the BJP. He had twice contested the Assembly elections but lost both times to Independent candidate Anil Vij.

Dr K.D. Sharma said he would be joining the INLD tomorrow. “I will be joining the INLD along with a couple of BJP activists at a function in Ambala cantt," he said.

Chandigarh, April 3
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today dismissed a petition challenging the election of president and vice-president of Municipal Council, Pinjore, on August 8, 2005 at a specially convened meeting.

The petitioners - Suman and some other members of the MC - had prayed for directions to annul the elections on the grounds that the meeting in which the two were elected was illegal.

In February, 2006, a Division Bench comprising Justice H.S. Bedi and Justice Ajai Kumar Mittal, while admitting the petition, had directed that the same be heard in March, 2006.

The petitioners had stated that the MC had a total of 17 members - 15 elected, with Kalka MLA and local MP as ex officio members.

They had stated that the meeting held on August 8, 2005 was attended by only eight councillors whereas the quorum under the rules pertaining to such special meetings was to have the attendance of at least 50 per cent of the total members.

They had alleged that the Section 27 of the Haryana Municipal Act had been violated.

However, the counsel for the respondents had asserted that the meeting was not illegal and that the writ filed by the petitioners was not maintainable.

Today, Justice Vinod Kumar Sharma, while dismissing the petition, held that the meeting electing the president and vice-president was not a business meeting but a meeting to start the proceedings of the house.

Ambala, April 3
The police could not get any definite clue in the Model Town murder case so far. Widow Rajinder Kaur was murdered at her residence yesterday.

Amitabh Dhillon, SP, said a meeting of senior police officers of the district was summoned in the morning. They were directed to launch a special drive against the unsocial elements in their respective areas.

It has been revealed that the miscreants murdered the woman with a motive to rob her. He hoped that the case would be solved soon.

Meanwhile, Rajinder Kaur’s body was handed over to her relatives after the post-mortem.