Kurukshetra, August 21
The Ambala-Hisar highway was blocked for four hours by a mob protesting the death of a motorcyclist in a bus accident.

A motorcyclist was crushed under the wheels of a state roadways bus, which was allegedly trying to overtake him, sparking angry reactions from people who set the vehicle on fire and beat up its driver.

Ved Prakash, a commission agent, was on a motorcycle when a bus coming from Shahbad tried to overtake him on a bridge.

Prakash came under its wheels and died on the spot, the police said.

Bystanders, who witnessed the accident, dragged the driver out of the bus, thrashed him and set the vehicle on fire.

They also damaged a fire tender, which was called in to douse the burning bus.

The roadblock was lifted following the intervention of deputy commissioner Pankaj Aggarwal and other district administration officials. The police has registered a case against the bus driver. — PTI

Sirsa, August 21
The detection of cases of dengue in some new areas of the state has become a cause of concern for the health authorities.

Dengue, which is spread by the bite of aedes mosquitoes, was common in the national capital region of the state till recent years.

However, this year several other districts of the state like Fatehabad, Sirsa, Bhiwani and Hisar have come under its grip.

Tohana town in Fatehabad district has been the worst hit where as many as 87 cases of suspected dengue have been detected this year.

The figure is of cases reported at government-run hospitals. The actual figure is believed to be much higher.

Larvae of aedes mosquitoes have been found in water samples at many places in the town.

More than 15 persons have so far died of fever in Tohana alone.

The new trend has forced the health department to rethink its strategy with regard to vector-borne diseases.

Dr A.P. Sodhi, deputy director (malaria), Haryana, confirmed that the detection of dengue cases in four districts of Haryana outside the NCR was a new trend and a cause of concern.

However, he said, fogging was being conducted in the affected areas to check the outbreak of the disease.

Meanwhile, the health authorities have declared seven districts in Haryana as high-risk areas for the outbreak of malaria.

The districts are Bhiwani, Fatehabad, Hisar, Mewat, Sirsa, Kaithal and Yamunanagar.

The health authorities, according to sources, follow the trends of the spread of malaria during this season and they declare a particular district as a high-risk area if the number of cases of malaria is much more than the corresponding figures of the last year.

The health authorities have written to civil surgeons of these districts that their districts have been identified as high-risk areas for malaria.

The authorities have sounded an alert in these districts and have decided to spray insecticide there.

Dr Sodhi said work on fogging of affected areas was already in progress while spray of insecticide, which was a more effective process, would be started from September 1.

The spray would be in focus areas and not throughout these districts, he added.

Gurgaon, August 21
Even as a majority of the dengue patients here have so far preferred treatment at private hospitals, the district administration today started a helpline for suspected cases at the civil hospital here.

Sources said the move to start the helpline was indeed laudable, but the patients’ preference for private hospitals and nursing homes reflected adversely on the image of government hospitals. Apart from local private hospitals, some patients are known to have gone to Delhi hospitals for the purpose.

“Probably, it is the public perception that treatment at private hospitals is more effective,” conceded district malaria officer Krishan Kumar.

Interestingly, the patients looked the other way despite the facility of a separate ward for them in the civil hospital that has a proper testing facility as well.

The hospital also provides mosquito nets to them. Cost-effective treatment here, too, failed to attract patients. Since the disease reared its head in this season, only around 10-odd patients came to the civil hospital, added Krishan Kumar.

Officially, the move started in view of increasing incidence of the deadly disease in the district which reported 278 suspected patients.

Of these, around 150 were found positive while the rest suffered from viral fever. Most of the cases were reported from Gurgaon city and the adjoining areas.

The situation warranted official attention as two deaths due to dengue were reported this month from the posh Sector 15 and South City 1 areas.

Sirsa, August 21
The Haryana government will soon introduce 100 mobile clinics in the state to provide health care facilities in urban slum areas.

K.V. Singh, officer on special duty in the office of the Chief Minister, Haryana, said this while talking to mediapersons here today.

He said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had approved the proposal.

The government, he said, had taken a decision for rationalisation of health services under which all community health centres (CHC) of the state would have doctors of at least five specialties, including medicine, surgery, gynaecology, paediatrics and anaesthesia.

He said under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), all CHCs and general hospitals would be developed into first referral units, having all necessary facilities.

The government had provided several incentives to doctors to encourage them to work in rural and backward areas of Mewat and the Morni Hills.

The ceiling on non-practising allowance paid to the doctors had also been removed, he added.

Kurukshetra, August 21
The Congress that kickstarted its campaign by holding a training camp for party workers in Panipat last month seems to be in no mood of any let-up in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

The party today organised the second training camp for party workers from the Kurukshetra and Ambala constituencies here.

The camp, that was well attended by the party rank and file, was presided over by AICC general secretary and in charge of party affairs in Haryana Margaret Alva and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Addressing the gathering, Alva highlighted the achievements of the Congress government. She said it was only the Congress that could lead the country into the next era of development. She said farsightedness of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in signing the nuclear deal had ensured that power demands of the country were met in the future.

Hooda said the state government was making all- out efforts for the prosperity of the state.

He said the government wanted that the benefits of welfare schemes started by the state should reach every individual.

He exhorted party leaders and workers to consolidate the party’s standing among the electorate.

Haryana power minister Randeep Singh Surjewala gave details of various projects being completed in the state.

Working president of HPCC Kuldeep Sharma said the main purpose of holding the training camps was to make the workers aware of the achievements of the Congress government in the state and at the Centre so that they could reach out to a larger section of the electorate to convince them to support the Congress.

He said the party had plans to make the signing of the N-deal as one of core election issues.

Faridabad, August 21
In view of the next Lok Sabha elections, the Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) has intensified its political activities in Faridabad, Palwal, Mewat and Gurgaon.

The coordination committees constituted by the HJC to integrate efforts and acts of various layers of the organisation as well as the functioning of its frontal organisations in the districts launched its exercise in South Haryana from today.

The party has divided the state into various zones and each of them has been placed under a coordination committee headed by senior leaders.

The committee covering Faridabad, Palwal, Gurgaon and Mewat zones is being headed by the former home minister of Haryana and general-secretary of the HJC, Subhash Batra.

Batra in a series of meetings of office-bearers of the district units and frontal organisations urged party men to intensify their efforts in strengthening the organisation.

After addressing party functionaries in Faridabad, Batra said the coordination committees in the state had been assigned various tasks. They included expansion of party base, making aware of the ideology of the party to common man, to highlight the alleged failures of the Congress government and to ensure coordinated efforts of various layers of the party.

In response to a question on the possibility of the HJC forging an electoral alliance with other political parties for the coming parliamentary elections, Batra said no one was untouchable in politics. However, he said as of today the HJC had not thought to truck with any other party.

He said the party was strong in Haryana and was preparing to put up a great fight and win all 10 Lok Sabha seats. He was evasive to other questions relating to the possibility of his party forging an alliance.

To a question on his party losing two of the three Assembly seats in byelections in Haryana, he said the outcome was positive though results could have been better had not the Congress used the government machinery.

He said the message from the election was loud and clear that the HJC was the only alternative to the Congress and had almost caught up with the ruling party.

He said the Congress government had failed on all fronts, including the law and order situation, power and water supply and to control the rising prices.

Yamunanagar, August 21
Over 100 activists of the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti and the BJP today courted arrest over the Amarnath land row in front of the mini-secretariat here.

The activists, led by Yashpal Mahajan of the samiti, said: “We have gathered here to show our solidarity with thousands of people of Jammu and Kashmir who have been protesting against the government’s decision over the land issue. We want the government to revoke its controversial order and give back the land to the Amarnath Shrine Board.”

AMBALA: Around 300 workers of the BJP and the VHP, including two former MLAs Veena Chhibber and Faquir Chand Aggarwal, courted arrested in front of the deputy commissioner’s office at Ambala City on Thursday on a call of the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti.

The protesters gathered on the Court road in the morning and reached the deputy commissioner’s office. They raised slogans against the Congress and the union government.

Addressing the protesters, Faquir Chand alleged that the UPA government was biased against the the Hindu community. He said the land should be given back to the Amarnath Shrine Board.

The police took the protesters into custody and later they were let off.

SONEPAT: Hundreds of activists of the VHP and the BJP were on Thursday taken into police custody while they were protesting in front of the deputy commissioner’s office here in support of their demand for the restoration of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board.

They were taken to the Police Lines and released later.

Speakers blamed the UPA government and the Jammu and Kashmir administration for adopting policies of appeasement at the cost of the unity and integrity of the nation.

SIRSA: Hundreds of representatives of social, religious and political organisations on Thursday courted arrest here under the aegis of the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti.

Activists of the Samiti from Dabwali, Ellenabad, Rania, Kalanwali and Sirsa first assembled at the local Nehru Park and held a demonstration against the revocation of orders for the issue of land to the shrine board.

They alleged that a number of persons had died during the agitation but the central government had been adopting an insensitive attitude on the issue.

The agitators were arrested symbolically and then let off.

FATEHABAD: Hundreds of Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti activists on Thursday marched towards the local city police station and courted arrest.

The activists assembled in the local Ambedkar Park in the morning and raised slogans.

The activists then marched towards the city police station and courted arrest.

REWARI: Activists of the BJP, the VHP, the RSS, the ABVP, the Bajrang Dal, the Shiv Sena, the Rashtriya Nav Chetna and other Hindu organisations held a protest march in the main markets of the town here on Thursday.

They raised slogans against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and in support of the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti. Later, they courted arrest at Maharana Pratap Chowk.

As many as 48 prominent activists of the above organisations, who were taken into custody by the police, were later let off.

GURGAON: Workers of the BJP and other Saffron organisations on Thursday organised a demonstration on the Amarnath land row outside the mini-secretariat here.

The police detained around 150 protesters, who were later let off. They were led by former minister Sant Ram Singla, former MP Sudha Yadav and state BJP Yuva Morcha vice-president Kulbhushan Bhardwaj. 

Chandigarh, August 21
Less than three months after the dismissal of a member of the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC) on grounds of misuse of authority, a member of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Ambala, has been removed from his post.

Principal secretary, food and supplies, L.S.M Salins issued the orders on the recommendation of the president of the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission maintaining that his continued absence from the district fora was prejudicial to the public interest.

The president of the commission had earlier informed the authorities that after assuming the charge of the member of the district fora, Ambala, in September 2006, Amar Partap Kackaria remained absent from duty from the very next day till December 2007.

The president added that Kackaria never performed the duties of the member of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Ambala, till July 23 this year right from his joining date. As per the terms and conditions of his appointment and in terms of Rule 3 (iii) of the Haryana Consumer Protection Rules, 2004, Kackaria was not entitled to any kind of leave while working as a member.

It has been expressly provided in the rules that a member of the district fora incurs removal from the office if he remains absent in three consecutive sittings except for reasons beyond his control. It was mentioned that he had intentionally and willfully remained absent for the period mentioned above for no valid reasons.

Kackaria was served with a show-cause notice by the president of the state commission to explain his position as to why he should not be removed from the post. His reply in this regard was duly considered and the same was found unsatisfactory by the president.

After an inquiry, the president of the state commission recommended his removal from the post of member. Then, this inquiry report was communicated to him with another show-cause notice in July this year, giving him an opportunity for a hearing.

Since he did not turn up nor did he submit any representation despite the notice, it was presumed that he had nothing to say or represent before the competent authority. On the basis of this inquiry, it was decided to remove Kackaria for continued absence.

Sources said with this order as also the order for dismissal of a member recently, the Haryana government had made it clear that indiscipline would not be tolerated and members were expected to perform their job with dedication.

They said performance-based transfers of members of the consumer could be affected.

Rohtak, August 21
The Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana will hold an emergency meeting in Chandigarh tomorrow to take suitable action regarding former state additional advocate-general Sanjeev Bansal.

This was stated by Dr Vijender Singh Ahlawat,vice-chairman of the council, in a statement issued here today.

Bansal is currently in the custody of the Chandigarh police in connection with the alleged delivery of Rs 15 lakh at the house of a high court judge by his clerk recently.

Dr Ahlawat said the council would issue a show-cause notice to Bansal, asking him to explain why his licence for right to practice be not suspended.

The council vice-chairman demanded a CBI probe into the matter, adding that all accused in the case should be subjected to a narco test.

“Bansal’s resignation from the post of additional advocate-general and his arrest would not suffice,” Dr Ahlawat observed, adding that the council would urge the Chief Justice of the high court to withdraw work from the judge concerned if his/her name figured during the investigations in the case.

Karnal, August 21
A major fire that could have caused serious damage in and around a petrol station in Sector 12 here was averted late last evening following relentless efforts put in by employees of the petrol station and some passersby to douse the flames.

The incident occurred at around 7.30 pm at the Kalyan filling station. According to fire brigade officials, the fire was caused due a short circuit in one of the electronic machines installed at the station.

Some passersby showed extraordinary courage as they joined the station employees in combating the fire. Fire engines also reached the site promptly and initiated measures to check any further spread of the fire.

The fire had engulfed one of the petrol pumps which raised apprehension of a major fire among the firefighters. Even as the fire was brought under control shortly, the pump, worth Rs 15 lakh, was completely destroyed in the flames.

According to eyewitnesses, at the time the fire broke out at the station, two employees raised the alarm following which other employees of the station reached there. They used the firefighting equipment available at the station to douse the flames, but could not succeed much.

They then started throwing sand on the fire. Fire engines reached the station in less than 15 minutes, but by that time the employees had managed to curtail the flames to a large extent. 

Chandigarh, August 21
Nine police personnel of the Haryana police were awarded the President’s Police Medal for gallantry, distinguished and meritorious services on the occasion of the Independence Day. One of them was awarded posthumously.

Stating this here today, a spokesman for the Haryana police said those who had been awarded included S.N. Vashisht (distinguished service), Sheel Madhur (meritorious services), Om Parkash Singh (meritorious services), Ajay Singhal (meritorious services), all IPS officers of the Haryana cadre.

The others were DSP Arun Singh (gallantry and meritorious services), inspector Surinder Kumar (distinguished service), inspector Jai Pal Singh (meritorious services), Parao SHO Mohinder Singh (meritorious services). Jind ASI Narender Singh (gallantry) was awarded posthumously.