Sonepat, October 11
Six persons, including the driver of a canter, were killed and six others injured, two of them seriously, when three vehicles collided with each other in an accident near the Bahalgarh Chowk on the GT road here today.

The two seriously injured, including driver of Punjab Roadways bus, have been referred to the PGIMS, Rohtak.

The deceased have been identified as Sushil, Vinod, canter driver Rampal, Banwari, Banarsi and Mann Singh.

The injured have been identified as Madan Lal, Roshan Lal, Dharampal, Somdutt, Mani Ram and Krishan.

The accident took place when the victims were returning to Karnal in a canter after selling vegetables in Azadpur Sabji Mandi, Delhi.

The canter collided with a truck, which was later hit by a Punjab Roadways bus. The police has seized the vehicles and registered a case in this regard.

Karnal, October 11
Tragedy normally arouses humanitarian feelings and people rush to help the victims. But this was not the case at the trauma centre in the civil hospital here today where the persons injured in a road mishap near Bahalgarh between Rai and Murthal were brought.

A seriously injured person - Madan Lal- did not get medical aid for nearly one hour and kept crying with pain. His brother-in-law Vijay Singh said Madan sustained serious chest and leg injuries but staff of the hospital did not care to attend to him.

He even fell unconscious but doctors asked him to wait for an X-ray of the chest. Another injured -Roshan Lal-with multiple injuries was also irked over the attitude of doctors and said the patients were not treated properly even in the emergency.

Dharampal, who was critically injured was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, while three others - Somdutt, Mani Ram and Krishan - were undergoing treatment at the civil hospital.

The driver of another vehicle, Baldev Singh, who brought the injured here, said the police asked us to take the injured to Karnal even though Panipat was nearer.

Three persons- Banarsi , Banwari Lal and Mann Singh-succumbed to injuries on way to Karnal, he said, adding they might had survived if taken to Panipat.

Strangely, the police rushed injured from Rindal village to Panipat, but referred the patients from the adjoining village of Badagaon to Karnal.

This inadvertent mistake also kicked up jurisdictional row over the postmortem of dead bodies as doctors argued that it should had been conducted at Sonepat.

Meanwhile, the doctors on duty denied any laxity and said all injured persons were given prompt medical aid.

Karnal, October 11
Rakesh (20) of Gharonda lost his life as he was allegedly not provided timely medical aid. Rakesh sustained serious injuries after he fell down from a train near Gharonda.

He was rushed to the Gharonda Civil Hospital. To his misfortune, the doctor on duty was reportedly missing. The doctor had left before the duty hours.

The patient was rushed to Karnal, but as his condition had deteriorated, doctors referred him to the PGI, Chandigarh.

He succumbed to his injuries near Kurukshetra and died without proper medical aid, sources said. Rakesh was a student of Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Karnal.

The enraged relatives of the deceased along with the local municipal councillor raised slogans against doctors’ apathy and gheraoed senior medical officer (SMO) Pawan Chaudhary.

Chaudhary admitted that the doctor had left before time and assured that the matter would be reported to the chief medical officer and necessary action would be taken against him.

He said the doctor concerned was supposed to be on duty till 9 pm but he left about one and a half hours early.

The doctor on duty, Rajesh Chaudhary, said he had come for the duty last night an hour before the schedule and it was his off today.

He said he had to take his son to Patiala for check-up and had informed the other doctor, who was to take over the duty, who agreed to come early.

He further said he had instructed the nurse to give medical aid to the patient when informed about it and rushed to the hospital. However, they had left before he reached the hospital.

Karnal, October 11
The procurement target for the central reserve pool will not be affected in spite of lesser arrival of PR variety of paddy in Haryana markets.

Punjab is all set to exceed the target and compensate for the deficient procurement in the neighbouring state.

The procurement was expected to be around 13.5 lakh MT this year as against 16 lakh MT of levy rice last year.

The shortfall in the arrival of levy rice in the market can be judged from the fact that last year, HAFED purchased rice twice a week and procurement was 8 lakh MT, but this time it is only 10 lakh.

Sources in the agriculture department attributed it to the tendency of farmers to grow 1121 variety of rice, which was comparable to “basmati” in quality and fetched higher returns.

This high quality rice, which was being sold in the market at the rate of Rs 2,000 per quintal could not be substituted with levy rice, which costed Rs 950 per quintal and as a result procurement was affected, they observed.

J.P. Sharma, executive director, Food Corporation of India (FCI), admitted that purchase had been affected in Haryana, but added that Punjab was all set to procure about 90 lakh MT of rice against last year’s procurement of 70 lakh MT.

Higher procurement was expected from Uttar Pradesh also, he revealed. The ban on export of rice and reluctance on the part of the union government to declare 1121 variety as “basmati” was also discouraging farmers to bring their higher quality produce to market.

A farmer from Gharaunda, who had sown 1121 variety in 10 acres, said he had diversified to this variety, but it had proved to be a curse as rice millers were not keen to purchase this variety, which was “non-basmati” and non-exportable.

Rohtak, October 11
In a case of gross negligence and callousness on part of certain staff members of the PGIMS, a woman was forced to deliver a baby on the floor near the labour room.

The baby died soon after taking birth. The woman was then taken to the labour room, where she delivered another baby, but the second baby also died. The woman is now undergoing treatment.

Taking a serious view of the matter, PGIMS director Prof S.S.Sangwan said a thorough probe would be conducted into the entire episode and strict action taken against the guilty.

The woman, Kajli Khatoon, who was in labour pain, came to the PGIMS this morning.

However, despite the critical condition of the woman, she was not admitted promptly and her husband was told to complete the formalities.

The hapless husband, Zia-ur-Haq, kept on running from one wing to another to get the paper work done. However, in the meanwhile, the woman delivered a baby on the floor near the labour room.

Following this, she was taken to the labour room, where she delivered another baby. However, the twins did not survive.

The couple belongs to Assam and were working as a brick-kiln in Jhajjar.

The incident has exposed the callous and apathetic attitude of the PGIMS staff members yet again.

It is being said the babies were born premature and were underweight.

However, the medical as well as paramedical officials concerned are not able to explain what prevented them from providing prompt service to a pregnant woman in labour pain.

Gohana (Sonepat), October 11
The threat to blow up a passenger train at Gohana railway station and bus stand created panic in the town and kept the police and administration on high alert for around five hours here today.

However, later it proved to be a hoax call. The police has registered a case against an unidentified person, who used mobile phone no 09454825721 to make the call.

According to information, an anonymous caller, claiming to be the commander of jaish-e-Mohammad, called up in Gohana fire station.

Fireman Vijay Kumar, who had attended the call, immediately informed the GRP, Ambala, Gohana DSP Ramniwas and CID unit.

On getting information, SSP Navdeep Singh Virk reached at the spot and the police immediately swung into action and carried out extensive searches at the railway station and bus stand.

As a precautionary measure, the bus stand remained closed for the entry of buses and other vehicles.

The passenger train -5 JPR- was also thoroughly checked at Rohtak railway station. The train when reached Gohana was again checked at Gohana railway station. The SSP said the caller switched off the phone.

ROHTAK: A thorough screening operation was launched by the district police at the railway station, following a bomb hoax on the Panipat-bound 5JPR passenger train.

Rohtak SSP Alok Mittal said somebody calling from a mobile telephone number of western Uttar Pradesh had threatened to blow up the train on Saturday.

The phone call was attended by a fireman posted at Gohana, who informed the Sonepat police authorities, who in turn sounded the Rohtak police.

Following this, an anti-sabotage team, a bomb-disposal squad and a dog squad were rushed to the local railway station to search the train and the platform. the passengers and other persons accompanying them were also frisked.

Panipat, October 11
Two persons were crushed to death under their own truck after their vehicle was hit by a mini truck near the Panipat refinery late last night.

The victims were identified as Narinder (21), son of Kanak Lal and resident of Bihar, and Inderjit (25), son of Jamna Das and resident of Uttar Pradesh.

According to a witness, the accident took place when their truck was hit by the mini truck from behind.

Owing to the impact, the two were thrown out of the truck, which eventually fell on them after overturning.

Soon, a number of passersby assembled there and initiated rescue steps. The two were pulled out from under the truck and taken to a local private hospital. However, they died while under treatment today.

It is learnt that both deceased worked with one of the companies engaged in the naphtha cracker project at the IOC's Panipat refinery.

Fatehabad: A brick-kiln owner was killed when his Santro car collided with a Haryana Roadways bus near Dariyapur in this district on Saturday.

The deceased, Vipin Chug, resident of the local Jagjivan Pura, was going towards Ding when the bus, which was coming from the opposite direction, hit his car. Chug died on the spot.

Kurukshetra, October 11
Teaching work on the campus of Kurukshetra University remained suspended for the fourth consecutive day here today.

The agitation has been launched by the Kurukshetra University Teachers Association (KUTA) in protest against the assault on a lecturer of University College, Vineet Kumar, on October 6.

Kurukshetra University teachers, students and non-teaching employees, who in response to a call given by KUTA president O.P. Gahlawat yesterday, assembled in front of the office of the vice-chancellor here today.

Raising slogans in support of their demands, the protesters sat in dharna.

Executive council member of Kurukshetra University Anil Vashisht, reader in the mathematics department, KUTA president O.P. Gahlawat and Kurukshetra University Non-Teaching Employees Association (KUNTEA) president Karan Singh addressed the agitating gathering.

All speakers demanded immediate arrest of those responsible for attacking Kumar.

They stressed that the agitation should focus on the demand of provision of security on the campus and asked the agitators to maintain restraint.

Addressing the protesters, vice-chancellor R.P. Bajpai said: “We are equally concerned about the feelings of the teachers on the law and order situation on the campus and we are sincerely trying to nab the culprits with the help of police officials. We hope to succeed within a couple of days.”

He urged the teachers to cooperate by starting classes. He said talks with the government and other security agencies, which provide security at an advanced level in GJU, Hisar, are in progress.

“We will be able to engage 50 to 60 security men from these approved agencies.”

The Executive Council, KUTA, in its meeting held under the chairmanship of Gahlawat here today unanimously resolved that the teaching work on the campus would remain suspended till Monday.

Gahlawat said the KUTA had convened its general body meeting in the assembly hall of University College on the campus here at 10 am on October 15 to chalk out the further line of action.

Meanwhile, secretary of the Student Organisation for Social Democracy (SOSD) Kavita Kumari in a signed statement has strongly condemned the attack on Kumar.

She has demanded immediate arrest of the accused and severe punishment for the culprits as prescribed under law.

Besides, the SOSD has demanded that certain concrete steps should be initiated by the university administration to stop day-to-day such incidents on the campus so that teachers, students and non-teaching employees might do their jobs fearlessly.

Chandigarh, October 11
Incredible, but true! Haryana appointed technical constables against non-sanctioned posts and promoted them to the general duty posts of head constables only to revert them later.

The ground taken was that there were no posts of technical head constables.

Taking a serious view of the matter, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has quashed a memo issued on February 5, 2007, by the state Director-General of Police stating that technical constables were not entitled to promotion against the general duty posts of head constables.

Allowing a petition filed by an aggrieved head constable, a Division Bench also quashed the order passed by a superintendent of police on September 15, last year, reverting the petitioner to constable’s post.

In his petition, Sandeep Mehta had earlier contended he was appointed constable-computer operator in Haryana Armed Police on March 1994.

In July, he was promoted as officiating head constable, but was issued a show cause notice on February 22, 2007, by the Panchkula superintendent of police, asking him why he should not be reverted.

A reference was made in the notice to the police chief’s memo, stating that “there was no sanctioned post of technical head constables.

Therefore, the constables working on the post of computer operators, draftsmen, motor mechanics etc were not entitled to promotion against the general duty post of head constables”.

After going through the contentions, the Bench of Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Justice Augustine George Masih ruled: Unless a separate cardre is carved out for each separate category and necessary amendments brought about in the service rules, the respondents cannot justifiably be allowed to take a stand that there is no sanctioned post for technical head constables, whereas in fact there is no sanctioned post of technical constables as well.

Speaking for the Bench, Justice Masih questioned: Once the petitioner has been appointed against the post of constable as there is no sanctioned post of technical constable, how, under the statutory rules, can he be deprived of his right to be considered for promotion to the post of head constable?

Justice Masih concluded: We are of the considered view that unless the rules are amended and a separate cadre created for the petitioner and similarly situated persons, the persons belonging to the categories mentioned in the February 5, 2007, memo cannot be treated differently from other constables, as they are governed by the same set of rules, which provide for a single cadre of constables with common seniority and other statutory benefits.

In this view of the matter, the order dated September 15, 2007, and the memo cannot be sustained and deserve to be quashed.

Chandigarh, October 11
The Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory at Uchani in Karnal has developed a high- quality plant of banana by using tissue culture technology.

With this, banana production in Haryana will begin by next year. Giving this information, a spokesman of the Horticulture Department said today that in this laboratory, successful research had been conducted on Kufri Badshah and Pukhraj varieties of potato which were brought from the Central Research Centre in Shimla.

He said that in 2007-08, after doing research, the laboratory developed about 30,000 plants of banana in March-April. These were sold to farmers for plantation.

The state government had fixed a target of producing one lakh plants of banana for farmers during January-Febuary, 2009, he added.

He said the main objective of the laboratory was to conduct research on plants like potato and banana and improve the quality of the plants.

Last year farmers of Kurukshetra, Karnal, Yamunanagar, Rohtak and Rewari districts had shown interest in buying banana plants on a large scale.

Banana production would be started in Haryana also, as in other states. — PTI

Rewari, October 11
A teenaged girl (14) was repeatedly raped for months together allegedly by a youth of Zenabad village here.

The incident came to light when the girl, a student of class X, complained of abdominal pain and started skipping the school. Her parents took serious notice of it, following which the girl revealed everything.

Consequently, the parents yesterday made a complaint after which the police registered a case of rape, criminal trespass and criminal intimidation under Sections 376, 452 and 506 of the IPC against the accused identified as Ajit Yadav (27).

The girl was medically examined at the Civil Hospital here and the police got her statement recorded under section 164 of the CrPC in the court of Judicial Magistrate Saurabh Gosain here today.

Sources said the girl frequently went to the house of the accused to fetch milk.

When the girl’s father took his ailing wife to some remote place for treatment, the accused allegedly strayed into the house and raped the girl there.

The accused had been allegedly raping the girl for the past several months.