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Tie-up with INLD upsets BJP men
Rohtak, October 13 Nonetheless, the decision has left many local as well as state-level leaders of the BJP red-faced. The leaders who were against having any truck with the INLD and had been singing the tune of going it alone in the state till recently, have been reduced to an embarrassed lot. As far as the INLD is concerned, it may gain a bit of electoral mileage, especially in the urban areas, by virtue of the tie-up. Its move to enter into a pre-poll arrangement is also being seen as a reflection of its political compulsion. Apart from going against the wishes of several BJP leaders, the alliance has also come as a setback to the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC), which is still in its infancy. The famous saying "...duvidha mein dono gaye...Maya mili na Ram" aptly describes the situation of HJC president Kuldeep Bishnoi in the given political scenario. Kuldeep, who had recently annoyed the BSP cadres by reportedly making an irresponsible remark about Mayawati, has not joined hands
with the BJP either, as was being speculated. Though he has tried to put up a brave face by inviting the disgruntled BJP leaders to his fold, but going it solo in the tough battlefield is not going to be a cakewalk for his party. In fact, the state's political circles are already rife with rumours of Bishnoi going back to the Congress. Former Chief Minister and INLD commander Om Prakash Chautala has stated that Bishnoi might return to his parent party. Meanwhile, the BSP has also condemned the tie-up between the BJP and the INLD and described it as an epitome of opportunism. In a statement issued here today, Haryana BSP general secretary Raj Sharma asserted that the people of the state had no faith in the policies of the BJP or the INLD. Ruling out the possibility of a tie-up between the BSP and HJC, Sharma maintained that their party would contest the elections in the state
on its own.
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How long will it last?
Chandigarh , October 13 Though the BJP and the INLD are described as "natural allies", their alliances have never lasted the full term, unlike Punjab where the BJP and the Akali Dal have never parted company ever since they came together in 1977. The BJP and the Akalis are described as natural allies because the BJP represents the trading communities and urbanites and the Akalis stand for the farming communities and the ruralites. Together they act as force multipliers. The same argument goes for the BJP and the INLD. But why the arrangement, which has succeeded in Punjab, ends in bitterness in Haryana? The key to the success of the alliance is the attitude of the leadership of the Akalis. The Akalis and the INLD are considered to be the major partners in the alliances with the
In Punjab, the Akalis contest a majority of the Lok Sabha seats also. However, in Haryana, the situation is different. Initially, the INLD had been contesting a majority of the Lok Sabha seats. But in 2004, it left half of the Lok Sabha seats in Haryana for the BJP. Though officially no details of the terms of the alliance have been disclosed so far, it is believed that the BJP will contest six of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state this time. So the BJP has acquired the status of the major partner in the alliance as far as the Lok Sabha elections are concerned. There are reasons to believe that in the assembly elections the INLD will be the major partner, if the alliance lasts till then. Akali supremo Prakash Singh Badal has always taken the Punjab BJP leaders along with him. Whenever there have been any irritants between the two parties, Badal has been quick to defuse the tension before it assumes alarming proportions. In Haryana, the BJP leaders have never been comfortable with INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, while they did not have any major problem with his father, former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal. In 1987, the alliance between the Janata Dal (earlier incarnation of the INLD) and the BJP worked fairly well till the time Devi Lal anointed Chautala as the state’s Chief Minister. The BJP walked out of the government. The two parties came together again in 1999. They made a clean sweep in the Lok Sabha elections and together won 53 of the 90 assembly seats. Since the INLD did not join the NDA government at the centre, the BJP did not join the INLD government in the state. Both supported each other’s government from outside. However, the relations between the INLD and the Haryana BJP soon turned sour when many leaders of the latter found them as “targets of vendetta” by the former. Chautala, too, never made any attempt to resolve the differences with the state leaders, while he left no stone unturned to glorify the leadership of Atal Behari Vajpayee till the time the BJP withdrew support to the INLD government in February 2004. The relationship between BJP Prime Minister-designate L.K. Advani and Chautala were not as cordial as the latter’s relations with Vajpayee. When Advani, who today sees merit in regional parties, had come to Faridabad for an election rally in 2004, had openly appealed to the electorate to vote only for a national party and not to a regional party. The INLD had criticised Advani at that time for seeking votes for the Congress and not for anti-Congress regional parties. Initial reports from the field suggest that while INLD workers are enthusiastic about the alliance, BJP workers are crestfallen. If the BJP leaders fail to enthuse their supporters, the alliance may not be as effective as it can be.
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Rs 84.46 crore to be spent on agriculture
Fatehabad, October 13 The final draft of the CDAP notes that the approach paper to the 11th plan emphasised to restore the growth of agriculture and allied sector with conjunction of knowledge and technology oriented to individual stakeholders, particularly landless and small farmers. The draft says a sustained growth of agriculture is central to the welfare of 68 per cent of the population. “Potentially, the attained level of growth of agriculture growth is the need of the country to meet the demand of food, fodder and fuel and to achieve animal health, human health and energy needs in consolation of the import burden and enhanced exports,” the draft says. It says that in the light of decelerated growth of agriculture, the National Development Council (NDC) in its meeting on May 29, 2007, resolved that a special additional central assistance scheme i.e. the national agriculture development programme (NADP) be launched and ensure that agriculture plans for the states/districts were prepared on the basis of climatic conditions, availability of technology and natural resources. “We have prepared the plan after sample survey of three different areas corresponding to three different climatic conditions and natural resources,” says Dr Ravi Poonia, deputy director, agriculture,
Fatehabad. “We took Nikuana village from the clay soil areas, Khabra Khera village from the sand soil areas and Daulatpur village from the loam type of soil areas,” he adds. Providing the break-up of the proposed expenditure of Rs 8,446.01 lakh, Poonia informs that the plan visualises an expenditure of Rs 2,887.35 lakh on extension activities like staff training, farm field schools, demonstration plots etc. Out of this, Rs 2,313.95 lakh are to be spent on agriculture and Rs 573.13 lakhs on allied fields. He says besides, Rs 3,017.20 lakh are to be utilised on special projects in the agriculture fields, while Rs 2,541.74 lakh will be used for special projects in the allied sectors. The special projects include production of better quality seeds, producing supplement mineral mixture for animals, de-worming operations for animals setting up of diagnostic labs and integrated murrah development plan.
Emphasis will also be laid on bee keeping, agro forestry and other allied fields, Poonia adds.
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Stench of biomedical waste stalks Sirsa, Fatehabad
Sirsa/Fatehabad, October 13 The enforcement of the laws by the pollution control board has at the best helped in increasing corruption in many cases. Those who are responsible for the disposal of the biomedical waste have been found dumping it at vacant plots or unkempt parks of various towns of these districts. Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling), Rules 1998, were implemented with a view to control the indiscriminate disposal of the hospital/biomedical wastes. The rules are applicable for hospitals, nursing homes, veterinary hospital, animal houses, pathology labs and blood banks that usually generate biomedical wastes. The rules prescribe, "It shall be the duty of every occupier of an institution generating biomedical wastes, including a hospital, nursing home, clinic, dispensary, veterinary institutions, animal house pathological labs, blood bank, by whatever name called, to take all steps to ensure that such waste is handled without any adverse affect to human health and the environment". The generators of biomedical wastes are required under the law to set up their own facilities for its management or have a common facility for its disposal. The generators of biomedical waste and operators of facilities for its management are liable to penalties under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986, and other pollution control Acts. But the fact of the matter is that the laws are being flouted with impunity in Sirsa and Fatehabad districts. Several doctors in these districts allege that rules have become eyewash due to the manner in which these are being implemented. They allege that they have to cough up monthly charges as demanded by Synergy Waste Management, a company appointed by the pollution control board for the management of biomedical waste. But the company's officials, the doctors allege sometimes dump the waste at any secluded place after collecting from their hospitals instead of disposing it in the manner prescribed under the rules. That precisely is the reason why biomedical waste is found lying in heaps of garbage despite the fact that all nursing homes and doctors of the area are registered with the company, the doctors claim. They also allege that even the vehicles of the company are irregular in their visits. Niranjan Sharma, plant officer of Synergy Waste Management, however, denied the allegations and said waste was collected by their vehicles after weighing and was destroyed in incinerators installed by them. He alleged that despite registration with them, some doctors were in the habit of selling biomedical wastes through their staff and that resulted in dumping of the unsold waste in public places.
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Indo-Pak theatre fest leaves mark
Rohtak, October 13 The festival concluded with the beautiful presentation of Saptak Cultural Society's play "Gadhe ki Baraat". It was the 194th show of this play, which has been staged across the country. The play was also staged in Lahore, Pakistan, during the International Theatre Festival, 2004. Eminent Indian theatre artistes Nadira Zaheer Babbar, Neena Gupta and Lillete Dubey had also performed in the event. The theatre festival was organised by noted theatre activist Vishav Deepak Trikha, who is also the director of "Gadhe ki Baraat", along with the director and programme officer of the Haryana Kala Parishad, Panchkula. The theatre festival opened with a soulful presentation of "Waris Shah" by Dr Fouzia Tabassum, Agha Sahid Khan and other team members of the Sufi Tabassum Academy, Lahore. On the second day, the open-air theatre at Shri Ram Rangshala, the venue of the festival, was reverberated with energetic dialogues among a small group of children. The play was "Rani Aur Pintoo" by a Yamunanagar-based group Dharohar and was directed by NSD product Geeta Aggarwal Sharma. All three plays staged during the theatre festival were based on themes as diverse as cultural shock received by great Punjabi Sufi poet Waris Shah on revisiting his province nearly two centuries after his death (Waris Shah); underlining the need for parents to understand their children's psychology (Rani Aur Pintoo); and the never-ending divide between the rich and the poor (Gadhe Ki Baraat). Rohtak deputy commissioner R.S. Doon, HUDA administrator Suprabha Dahiya, Pt B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences Registrar T.K. Sharma presided over the
presentations. All in all, the three-day theatre festival made a worthwhile attempt to satiate the literary urge of the local residents.
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Pinjore garden set to become major tourist destination
Heavy rush of visitors from Chandigarh, Panchkula, Mohali and its vicinity and some parts of Himachal and Punjab was witnessed in the festival. People could be seen enjoying puppet show, Rajasthani kachi ghori and the traditional folk orchestra of Hayana. Haryanavi folk dances like Phag, Ghoomer, Khoria performed by artistes of Jind were the main attractions of the festival. The festival is different because of the unique character of its venue. Yadvindra Garden is a Mogul garden laid out more than 400 years ago. The festival was declared concluded by the Governor A.R. Kidwai in the presence of state tourism minister Kiran Chaudhary. The Governor congratulated state tourism for its efforts in restoring the glory and heritage of Yadavindra Gardens and Bhima Devi temple at Pinjore, which are of great historical importance. Speaking on the occasion, he said it is a matter of pride that Yadavindra Gardens was not only known for its beauty and historical perspective but also as an emerging hub of cultural activities. He said that such festivals preserve and promote the tradition and culture of the state. Speaking on the occasion, minister of state for tourism Kiran Choudhry thanked the Governor for providing support and guidance to start the Pinjore heritage festival. She said the World Tourism Organisation would market Yadavindra Gardens as a major tourism destination after declaration of the Kalka-Shimla railway track as world heritage site by the UNESCO. Choudhry said the Yadavindra Gardens was all geared up for increased tourist arrival as it was going to be the buffer zone for the tourists. She said this year it is decided that Pinjore heritage festival would be a calendar event like Surajkund festival and it would be organised from October 3 to 5 every year. The minister further stated that Bhima Devi museum was almost complete and would be inaugurated with the dedication ceremony of the toy train that would be decided by the railway ministry. She said the luxurious train, palace on wheels, would have a stopover at Pinjore as union minister of tourism Ambika Soni would take up the matter with railway ministry to add Pinjore as one of its station. Various competitions were held on the last day of the festival.A special treat to watch was the Anarkali Bazaar specially crafted on the bastion of these Mughal Gardens to make the people remind of Old Mughal traditions. It was a shopping paradise for the visitors who thronged these beautiful gardens. The craftsperson from all over India participated in the festival showcasing the finest traditions of Handlooms and Handicrafts of various states of India. Meanwhile, union tourism and culture minister Ambika Soni urged the governments to constitute task Force using the expertise of retired defence personnel to protect important tourist destination as it would also provide them re-employment. She said that the budget for promotion of tourism in the country has been raised from Rs 600 crore to Rs 1000 crore. On demand of Rs 50 crore from Haryana to develop Kurukshetra- Pinjore- Panipat circuit, Rs 26 crore have been allocated and remaining funds would be allocated soon. Impressed by the work done by self-help groups of Haryana at the Anarkali Bazar in the festival and the steps being taken by the state for women empowerment, she allocated Rs 2 crore for construction of girls hostel at Indian Institute of Hotel Management at Kurukshetra. While referring to the request of the Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to set up an Institute of Hotel Management at Rohtak, she suggested Hooda to include hostel facility in the proposal of IHM. She pointed out that she had allocated adequate funds for Haryana to enable the children of the state to prepare themselves in the field of hospitality for 2010 Commonwealth games. She stressed the need to market rural tourism and handicrafts so as to preserve rich folk culture and traditional craftsmanship.
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Old & dilapidated, yet occupied
Jind, October 13 The authorities, however, appear to be least bothered, putting the lives and property of many, including schoolchildren, at risk. At least two government primary schools run from such unsafe buildings. Most of these structures had come up in the pre-independence era or in the time of erstwhile rulers of the Jind estate in the 18th and 19th centuries. Despite the fact these buildings have been declared unsafe, certain schools and public offices are still functioning there. For instance, the building of the government primary school just outside the railway junction here is about 150 years old and was built by the then ruler of the estate for the purpose of dharamsala. Later, it served as a horse shelter for the royal army of the Punjab police. It was then converted into the police lines after Haryana came into existence in 1966. Spread over one acre, the building that ought to have been demolished to give way for new building, was transferred to the education department to run a primary school, which is still functioning from there. The temporary roof of the building leaks during rains. Around 500 to 600 children attend classes in this structure, which could collapse anytime. Another such building used for a school is located adjacent to the Hansi canal here, which was known as Raja Ki Kothi some 100 years back. It was meant for the staff of the king who used to live nearby. A telegraph office of the department of posts is also functioning from the same building. Some of the police stations are also operating from similar type of structures. The city police station, for example, is located in a century-old building. The station is operating since 1966, it is claimed. No wonder, the building is in a dilapidated condition. The city police station at Narwana and the Sadar police station of Safidon, two subdivisional towns in the district, too, are functioning from old and dilapidated buildings. The other such unsafe structures are those of post-office near S.D School and the office of the local municipal council, which is over four decades old. Staff members fear threat to their lives due to the condition of the structures. The department of fire brigade and local cooperative bank are also victims of the same fear, as they have not been shifted to a safer place. The fire tenders here are stationed in the open as the old building had already given in and the new building is yet to be constructed. It may be recalled that the mini-secretariat buildings have been constructed in all districts and subdivisional headquarters in order to provide space to government offices. The mini-secretariat here has already become a victim of official apathy, as it is still to house all offices of the local administration. While the maintenance of the building is poor, it took over three years to provide the facility of elevator here.
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Inside Babudom
Chandigarh, October 13 Ambassador is now being used only by middle and lower rung officials while their seniors have moved on to luxury cars. To be fair to the bureaucrats, it was the political leadership that took the lead in ditching the old work hoarse, described as the best-suited vehicle in its class for Indian roads. It was during the INLD regime that the luxury vehicles made the first entry into the corridors of power of the state when Hyundai Sonnata cars were purchased for ministers and others holding political offices. The Hooda government bettered its predecessor by turning towards the Skoda family of vehicles. Later, it purchased Toyota vehicles for its ministers. During the last Assembly session, a Bill was approved allowing a second vehicle for the ministers, obviously for their families. The move was resented to even by certain ruling party MLAs. Now the government has allowed luxury cars to senior bureaucrats as well. It has allowed its departments, boards and corporations to purchase staff vehicles or cars costing up to Rs 6 lakh, inclusive of all taxes, for officers holding the post of financial commissioners and principal secretaries; commissioners and secretaries, director-general of police and officers in the scale above the super-time scale. Similarly, vehicles costing up to Rs 5 lakh, inclusive of all taxes, can be purchased for special secretaries, joint secretaries, divisional commissioners, inspector-generals of police, deputy commissioners, superintendents of police, head of the departments, chief engineers, chief administrators, MDs of boards and corporations. Officers of the other categories will be entitled to travel in vehicles costing up to Rs 4 lakh, inclusive of all taxes. Since the government is considered as a “bulk buyer”, most of the manufacturers enter into a rate contract with it and offer their goods to the government departments, boards and corporations at rates much lower than at what those goods are available for general public. The rate of tax leviable on purchases made by the government departments is also lower than that for the public. All this enables the government departments to purchase vehicles worth more than the sanctioned limit for their bureaucratic bosses, unmindful of the fact that these luxury vehicles often turn out to be fuel guzzlers.
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New technology to cure cataract
Ambala, October 13 Even as the country celebrated World Sight Day on October 9, no one can disregard the fact that cataract is the leading cause for the maximum number of visually impaired persons in the country now a days. As per a medical survey, around 4 million people in the world and 80 per cent people in India become blind every year due to cataract alone. Worldwide, this dreaded disease affects nearly 18 million of the population. Of late, there have been improvements in the outpatient surgical procedure for cataract using cutting edge technology. One such technique being used to treat cataract is known as Stellaris-Micro Incision cataract surgery (S-MICS) which uses incisions less than 2 mm (as compared to 3.4 mm earlier) resulting in faster healing time and enhanced vision quality. Cataract blindness can have far-reaching implications on all aspects of human development, be it social or economic. As the population ages, people with vision impairment can dramatically challenge our healthcare delivery system. But thanks to medical and surgical advancement, cataract treatment is not the same as a year ago. An eye surgeon in Ambala Kapil Vohra said, “Cataract is an irreversible chemical reaction that can only be treated by surgery. This technique makes cataract surgery super safe, painless, speedy and super accurate. The lens put in the eye is made by using the latest technology and is of the best quality. The vision recovery after the surgery is near instantaneous with no need for pad or bandage after the surgery where in the patient can actually drive back home and resume the daily routines of life the same day, he added.
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Police puts brakes on vehicle thieves
Sonepat, October 13 In nine such cases, the police has recovered two tractors and six motorcycles, stolen from different places during August and September. The arrested gangsters include the gang leader and mastermind
Sandeep, alias Kala of village Rithal in Rohtak district, Mukesh of Lon village in UP, Vishal of
Kumaspur, Amit of Mahra, Bunty of Bhag Khera in Jind district, Sheelu of Shamri, Jaswant of Mahipur and Islamuddin of local Vishal
Nagar. Sandeep was dismissed from the ITBP on June 11. SSP Navdeep Singh Virk informed that the gang used to operate in small numbers and had stolen a number of vehicles in past few months. The SSP informed that the gang leader had also taken Rs 90,000 each from Deepak of village Kahni in Rohtak and Krishan of Barana in Panipat to get them employment in the ITBP and even gave them fake employment letters.
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Seminar on English literature
Sirsa, October 13 He said the central context in whole of the history of English and European literature in England and Europe had centred on cities and countryside.
While the literature from the city had centred on the classical style and that from the country had been romantic literature. “The entire English history is
nothing but a clash of action and reaction between classicism and romanticism and then followed by neo-classicism and neo-romanticism,” Dahiya said. As far as the history of the English criticism is concerned, the former vice-chancellor said the literary criticism right from Plato to the modern era has been marked by conflict between the content and the form. “Critical theories based on content have tended to emphasise on the political, social and ideological aspect of the literature while those based on form have tended to foreground the aesthetic and structural aspect of the literature,” said Dhahiya. “The present day critical approach is solely focused on the divisive aspect of the race and religion, nation and ethnicity and gender and colour, completely ignoring the sensual and universal aspects,” he added. “It is high time that the divisive approaches were abandoned and a return is made to the cohesive universalism of literature,” Dahiya
concluded.
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HARTRON’s turnover climbs to Rs 31.17 crore
Chandigarh, October 13 An official spokesman said here today that because of various new initiatives taken by the corporation, considered as the leader in the field of election-related work, its turnover had been increasing steadily from Rs 14.48 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 29.22 crore the following year and to Rs. 31.17 crore during the last financial year. He said in recent times, HARTRON had set up a statewide area network, ADHAAR, with a total project outlay of Rs 102.62 crore. Under this national e-governance plan of the union government, the state headquarters had been connected to all district headquarters and 126 block, subdivisions, tehsils and sub-tehsils. In addition, 280 offices of finance, revenue, urban development, panchayats, transport and excise and taxation departments across Haryana had been connected to the network in the phase-I of the plan. As many as 170 more district offices of departments like women and child development, food and supplies, industry, education, agriculture, social security and justice and jails and courts were being linked to the network in phase II. He said with Haryana having emerged as the most preferred IT and global source destination, and Gurgaon being ranked among the foremost software export locations in the country, the corporation had embarked on an ambitious plan to set up information technology and telecommunication (ITT) complexes. These complexes with state-of-the-art facilities would come up on design, finance, build, operate and transfer (DFBOT) model in Gurgaon on three plots spread over nine acres with a covered area of about 7 lakh sq ft and approximate cost of Rs 300 crore. HARTRON had also been identified as the state designated agency for implementation of the common services centres (CSCs) scheme in the state for establishing and operating 1159 rural CSCs and 104 urban CSCs to be called “E-Disha Ekal Seva Kendras”. At present, services like computer education, mobile top ups, railway/air ticket booking, internet surfing and download of various application forms used for government services were being delivered through these centres. The corporation was also setting up a state data centre, which had already been approved by the union department of information technology. The cost of the project was estimated at Rs 50.68 crore with a contribution of Rs 13.50 crore from the union department and the balance Rs 37.18 crore being met through additional central assistance (ACA) for the national e-governance plan (NeGP) provisions of the Planning Commission. Introduction of smart cards to replace the outdated paper-based ration cards in the state was another new initiative taken by
HARTRON.
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Sirsa police to take drunk drivers to task
Sirsa, October 13 “The drivers found in inebriated conditions are arrested and booked under Sections 181, 202 and 203 of the Motor Vehicles Act,” informs sub-inspector and SHO of the traffic police Amit Kumar Beniwal. “We have so far arrested more than six drunk drivers under these provisions,” he adds. The traffic police has also written to the registering authorities to suspend the driving licence of the offenders for a period of six months. The person found driving during the suspension period would be prosecuted. District police chief Amitabh Dhillon has brought about some changes to improve the flow of
traffic in the district. The steps include nabbing over-speeding motorists through interceptor vehicle, a step common in big cities but new to small towns like Sirsa. “We have been catching 40 to 50 motorists in a day for over-speeding on the highways and have been imposing fines against the offenders,” informs Beniwal. The police has also taken action against those who are found parking their vehicles in the markets in a zigzag manner thereby disrupting the free flow of traffic. The police has also been acting against the encroachers and has been capturing the encroachments in video films to use it as an evidence in the courts.
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All districts to have museums
Jhajjar, October 13 The proposed museums would exhibit historical costumes, ornaments, crafts, music instruments, utensils, armaments and rare archaeological materials depicting district’s history through the ages. A committee would be constituted under the administration for the up keep of the
museums. Besides, people, who have interest in archaeology and want to preserve the cultural heritage of the state, would be urged for their co-operation and contribution in making the museum rich. Commissioner archaeology department R.R. Phulia while observing the museum at the premises of Gurukul Mahavidalya in Jhajjar stated this recently. He said state’s glorious past needed to be preserved for making people especially the young generation aware of it. “An archaeological museum helps in safeguarding the relics and promotes tourism,” said Phulia. He asked the officials to get the photocopies of original documents and handwritten letters and scans of rare photographs and scripts so that majority of people could get in touch with the heritage of the state. The commissioner appreciated the efforts of thw college administration for depicting the historical handwritten documents, rare coins, and photographs of martyrs, costumes of emperors, saints and social workers in the museum.
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Age no bar for this squash champ
Making a promising start, Abhilakshay became the youngest player from Haryana to play in the 52nd senior squash championship held in Chennai in November 2004, and represented Chandigarh in the 53rd senior national championship at Bombay Gymkhana in November 2005. “One evening, I went to squash court along with my father who was impressed by my powerful shorts and coaxed me to get into the game,” he recalls. An all-rounder, Abhi, as his friends call him, is also good player of table tennis and won under-14 state championships and his foray into world of squash could be termed as accidental. He participated in state championships in table tennis, tae kwando and swimming but squash became an obsession for him. Good at studies, Abhilakshay got admission in Panjab University in B.E. in most sought after trade of electronics and communication in July 2006 and crowned himself as university champion in the first semester, crushing all his opponents. There was no looking back since and he has played six all-India championships during his first two years as an engineering student. Leading Panjab University team in the all India inter-university squash championship at Annamalai in the first year was a great moment, says Abhi reliving the nostalgic memories. A fitness freak, Abhilakshay played in senior national squash championships at Delhi Gymkhana (54th) and at ICL Academy, Chennai (55th), two all India interstate championships again at Delhi and Chennai and two all-India inter-university squash championships. He created a flutter at 55th national championship by winning the first three rounds with ease and lost to none else than reigning national champion Saurav Ghosal in the fourth round. Sky is no limit for this hunk, as he is pursuing his engineering course at the same time preparing for MBA and looking for career in civil services. “Sports is my passion not profession,” he says.
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Visitors throng Beri horse fair
Poor arrangement Visitors especially who came here from the other states had to face various problems due to the lack of proper arrangements. They alleged that the administration neither provided any tents to them to stay nor made any arrangements for electricity. The animal lovers demanded that adequate arrangements should be made for the livestock that are brought here for display from various parts of the country.
Beri (Jhajjar), October 13 Nearly 3,000 horses, mares, mules and asses of various breeds from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana were brought here for trading in which over 1,000 livestock, according to the district administration, were placed for cash transaction. The Nukra breed of horses dominated the fair while Marwari and Ablak varieties also caught the attention of many. Chambi and Kathiawari are the two other desi breeds of horses in demand here from a cross-section of buyers ranging from big landlords, traders and cart and tonga owners. A considerable numbers of Sanjaab breed of horses were also on display. The owners informed that the animals costing between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25 lakh were put on sale. Satbir Singh from New Delhi is one of the traders who bought a mare at the highest price of Rs 1.20 lakh at the fair. This mare was fetched here for sale by its owner Rajpal, a resident of Kutana village of this district. A Marwari breed horse named Chetak, his offspring Suraj and a mare of Hansi, called Rani, were the centre of attraction. Chetak and four-month-old Suraj grabbed the attention of visitors following their high-quality features like colour, ears and height whereas Rani attracted the visitors with her rocking dance performances. Chetak’s proud owner Rajender Yadav, proprietor of a horse farm in Jhajjar, said he had not brought his horse at the fair for sale. Being a horse lover, he had been coming here for the past several years with a view to getting latest information regarding the breads of horses. He maintained that Chetak was honoured with the best horse award by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at a state-level function held in Jhajjar two years back. “This famous fair generates interest in buying and selling of horses apart from keeping in mind the needs of those who want a particular breed of horse to mate with their mares,” Yadav said. The visitors to the fair, mostly farmers, appeared excited. An old man from Rajasthan said the trade of desi horses with Chambi, Marwari and Kathiawari breeds was spreading in states like Rajasthan and Gujarat. “I am happy to see that the trade of horses is growing day by day and becoming a centre of attention among the people,” he said, adding that he never missed the Pushkar mela of
Rajasthan.
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Women outfits up ante against female foeticide
Jhajjar, October 13 Expressing her views during eight-day-long awareness camp organised at Kharar, gynaecologist Sharda said people should be made aware if the state wanted to avoid devastating results. “The decline in sex ratio has become a big social problem. Hence, there is a need to make people aware of the laws to successfully check the illegal practice” said Sharda, adding that adequate steps must be taken in this regard. Another eight-day camp was organised at Dhighal village by the Haryana Vikas Sangh. Terming female foeticide as against the nature, member of the Haryana State Social Welfare Board Sumitra Rathi, said instead of waiting for a law, women should themselves come forward to raise a voice against the evil practice in her different roles as daughter, mother and mother-in-law. “As a daughter, she can nourish the perception of family. As a mother, she would give priority to the birth of female in the family. As a mother-in-law, she would not only denounce dowry, but also support daughter-in-law’s decision to bear a girl child,” said Sumitra, adding that women should fight for their rights in a proper manner.
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Power utilities cut transmission losses
Hisar, October 13 There has been a whopping increase in revenue collection efficiency also which has increased by over 9 per cent during last six years. The DHBVN increased revenue collection from 92 per cent in 2001-02 to over 101 per cent in 2007-08. In the case of the UHBVN revenues increased from 89 per cent in 2001-02 to 99.96 per cent. According to sources, lengthy low tension (LT) distribution lines resulted in high line losses. The two power distribution corporations were therefore minimising the length of LT lines for power distribution. All commercial institutions and industries having over 20 KW load are being given independent transformers. Tube well connections are being given connections on high tension network by providing independent transformers. Industries are being encouraged to have independent feeders. An ambitious scheme for strengthening power distribution system by providing high voltage distribution system in the villages and urban localities is being executed to minimise the length of LT lines. An important initiative in the direction of reducing AT&C losses and improving power supply in rural area is segregation of rural domestic and agriculture load. Accordingly, about 800 new feeders will be created under this scheme. The meters are being relocated out side on the poles in phased manner. Lakhs of meters have already been relocated. Meters of all HT industries have already been shifted out side their gates and while giving new connections, meters are provided on gates only.
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Kalka, October 13
Karnal, October 13