Chandigarh, April 27
The Haryana government has decided to set up a film and television institute in the state on the pattern of the Film and Television Institute, Pune.

At a meeting held here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, it was also decided to set up a state institute of fine arts, a state institute design and fashion technology and a state institute of professional studies for women.

All four institutes would be set up at Rohtak. The Haryana urban development authority has already earmarked 22 acres at Rohtak for the institutes and the building cost of the institutes would come to about Rs 60 crore.

The state government has decided to set up these institutes in view of the huge employment opportunities in these fields.

The institutes would function as autonomous institutes and be under the all- India council for technical education. The institutes would be competent to award degrees or diplomas.

Twenty per cent of the seats in these institutes would be reserved for Haryana domicile students belonging to weaker sections, 30 per cent for any category of candidates of Haryana domicile, 35 per cent for the all- India category and 15 per cent for NRI or NRI-sponsored candidates.

The courses identified for the institute of design and fashion technology would include textile design, fashion design, product design, animation and graphic design, fashion and lifestyle, interior design, product design, animation and film design, fashion management, fashion communication and jewellery design. At the institute of fine arts, the courses would include bachelor courses in fine art, applied art, painting, graphics, print making and sculpture.

At the film and TV institute, the courses would include direction, cinematography, audiography, editing, acting and art direction. The institute of professional studies for women would have courses like tours and travels management, air hostess and cabin crew training, event management, retail management, sales and marketing, catering and hospitality, health and fitness courses, beauty culture and hair dressing and insurance, banking and accounting.

It was also decided at the meeting to give the status of autonomous institute to the YMCA Institute of Engineering, Faridabad, and also affiliate Panniwala Mota Engineering College, Sirsa, to Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa.

Jagadhri, April 27
For the first time in the history of the Indian Railways, engineers at the Coach and Wagon Workshop, Jagadhri, have developed a fire fighting system for the moving as well as stationary trains. Following the blasts and subsequent fire in the Samjautha Express in Panipat recently the need for having such type of safety system arose. The engineers at the workshop designed the system and fitted it in three sleeper coaches. The coaches are ready for trials and would be shunted to Delhi anytime now. The coaches, most likely, would be fitted in the Samjautha Express. Once the trial runs pass the norms laid down by the Railways the system would be fitted in all coaches, including general bogies.

The idea was a brainchild of chief mechanical engineer (Northern Railway) R.K Upadhya and the system was developed in just one month under the supervision of the outgoing chief works manager of the workshop Atul Aggarwal, claimed railway sources.

Railway engineers carried out modifications and two tanks with a capacity of 200 litres each and one air pressure tank of 200 litres have been fitted in the underside. Water would be carried inside the coach through galvanized pipe. Hose reels (similar to those used in fire tenders) of 15 meters have been attached with the pipes. One hose reel has been fitted below seat no. 7 and the other under seat no. 63. In case of fire one would have to break the glass panels and use the hose reel to douse the fire. Water through the hose reels would come out a great pressure due to the air pressure tank, which release air at a pressure of 6 kg per sq. The air pressure tank is in addition to the existing air pressure tank used in the breaking system. There were several different types of coaches and to deal with this problem the hose along seat no. 63 would be fitted along the lavatory.

The coaches were being shunted to Delhi via Saharanpur. A railway official informed that the project was cleared by the CME and had now been sent to the research design and standard organisation (RDSO), Lucknow. The initial cost of the system was Rs 1 lakh for a single coach but it would fall significantly when the mass production starts.

New Delhi, April 27
In a major relief to nearly 400 nurses appointed by the previous Chautala government in Haryana, the Supreme Court today rejected the Hooda government’s appeal challenging their appointments.

The appointments made at the fag end of the Chautala regime’s five-year tenure were challenged by the Congress government on the ground that even the Election Commission had questioned these appointments for violating the election code of conduct.

The Hooda government’s move of processing the appointments afresh and issuing advertisements accordingly had been stayed by the High Court.

It simultaneously had sought the apex court’s permission to go ahead with the fresh appointments in their places.

After refusal to intervene in the matter, when the government counsel made a request that the state still be permitted to go ahead with the appointment according to the new advertised posts because hundreds of vacancies still existed in various hospitals, the Bench said for this relief the government should approach the High Court.

Rohtak, April 27
Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) here has been declared as competent authority by the Haryana government to conduct the state-level pre-medical test (PMT) for admission to MBBS/ BDS/ BAMS courses. The test will be held on June 10. A university spokesperson said MDU had issued the admission notice for entrance to MBBS/ BDS/ BAMS courses in government/government-aided colleges of Haryana for the session 2007-08.

MDU prospectus and application forms for MBBS/ BDS/ BAMS courses will be available from MDU publications cell from April 30 on payment of the requisite fee.

Further, the prospectus and application forms can be obtained through registered post on the payment of the requisite fee. Moreover, these forms are available on the university website www.mdurohtak.com <http://www.mdurohtak.com>. The last date for submission of the forms in this regard is May 21.

Arts exhibition: The annual arts exhibition of the Department of Fine Arts of MDU commenced here yesterday. MDU Registrar Dr S.P.Vats inaugurated the two-day exhibition. He went round the exhibition and appreciated the creative works of the department students.

The HOD of Fine Arts, faculty members and students were present on the occasion. Beautiful landscapes, portraits, abstract and experimental art work, sketches, still life portrayal, nature painting, etc formed part of the artistic work of the students displayed in the exhibition.

Karnal/Kurukshetra, April 27
State health authorities plan to immunise 90 per cent children living in these two district against the fatal Japanese encephalitis (Japanese fever) under the 16-day-long immunisation drive that ends on April 30.

Only one injection gives a lifetime immunity to a child against the otherwise considered deadly disease.In Karnal more than 3.45 lakh children between 0 to 15 years have been immunised under it. Similarly, in Kurukshetra, health authorities have immunised 2.18 lakh children against the targeted figure of 2.90 lakh.

Karnal CMO D. P. Lochan has urged parents to ensure that their wards get vaccinated against the fatal disease. It was mandatory for the wards to get their children vaccinated before the start of the paddy harvesting season. It is considered as a peak time for spreading such a deadly disease, he said.

Kurukshtera CMO J. S. Randhawa said health authorities had successfully covered more than 80 per cent of the children so far. The department had set the target to vaccinate about seven lakh children.

The immunisation drive sponsored by the Centre was launched in the state from April 15. 

Yamunanagar, April 27
The Haryana government has decided to waive the surcharge and fines imposed on potable water and sewerage consumers provided they pay their bills by July 11. The consumers could pay their dues either by making one time payment or in three installments to avail the benefit. This option could also be availed by those who had not paid their bills for the past several years.

Deputy commissioner Nitin Yadav informed that per capita availability of water in the town had been increased from 100 litres to 115 litres. Residents of Jagahdri, Radaur, Chhachhrouli and Buria were now getting 60 litres per head.

A committee has been formed to check water pipelines in Yamunanagar and Jagadhri towns. Its members, including a member of the health department, would submit a report by May 7. This exercise was being carried out to plug the leakage or breakage, if any, in the pipes before the onset of the monsoon.

The administration has also urged people to report if any pipeline in their areas were more than 15 years old so that the same could be repaired or changed.

Ambala, April 27
Municipal councillors from Ambala Sadar today criticised the lack of cleanliness in Sadar and Mahesh Nagar area. Councillors under the leadership of Narendra Bangali met the executive officer and asked him to ensure cleanliness.

They noted that garbage dumps could be spotted at various places and garbage was not being picked up. DDT or phenyl was not being sprayed and there was an urgent need to start fogging. Also, the main drains have to be cleaned on a priority basis.

Municipal councillor from Bimla Nagar said that the number of MC employees on duty for cleaning in the area was less and their number should be increased. Also, public toilets were in a bad shape.

Narendra Bangali said that the infighting between the MC president and Congress MCs is directly affecting the functioning of the Municipal Council and common people were getting affected.

Ambala, April 27
MES Worker’s Union, area committee, Ambala, today submitted a memorandum containing a list of their demands to the Deputy Commander Works Engineer.

O.P. Vashisht, general secretary of the union, said their genuine demands must be met at the earliest.

The memorandum has stated that it is against the move of the professor P. Rama Rao committee to privatise the activities of the DRDO, against the proposal to corporatise the Army base workshops under EME, to exempt defence establishments from the purview of ADRP, to ensure sufficient workload in all the ordnance factories and to protest against the arbitrary implementation of JAFA committee recommendations on DGQA, MES, and also against the arbitrary abolition of 649 posts.

The memorandum has further demanded withdrawal of the new defined contributory pension scheme, implementation of the pending arbitration awards, restoration of payment of departmental overtime wages to the workers of ordnance factories and liberalisation of the compassionate appointment scheme and ensuring of compassionate appointment to dependents of the deceased and medically boarded out employees.

Ambala, April 27
Roshan Lal, a resident of village Ugala, has alleged that his minor daughter was kidnapped and molested by three youths on April 3 but the police has not taken proper action against the accused.

While giving details of the incident, Roshan said here today that three youths had kidnapped his daughter when she was on her way to the market to buy clothes. He said he had met the SHO Barara and had requested him to register a case against the accused. The SHO then asked him to come the next day.

Roshan said the next day he took his daughter to the police station and on her statement, the police registered a case against the three youths, who were later released.

He said he has met the SP Ambala and the DGP in this regard but did not get justice.

Roshan demanded that the police not be lenient on the accused.

On the other hand, the police said the girl had given contrary statements, adding that it is investigating the case and action will be taken against any one found guilty.

Ambala, April 27
Following have been appointed office-bearers of the Oriental Insurance Company Officers Association, Ambala unit: president — Dr S.P. Madan, vice-president — Radha Mehta, general secretary — Ajay Kumar Sood, additional general secretary — C.M. Kotnala, joint secretary — Dinesh Kumar Jain and treasurer — J.J. Kalra. 12 executive members, four vice-presidents and six coordinators were also elected.