|
|
|
|
A Tribune Exclusive
Rs 2,300 cr for free plot scheme
Ultrasound centres functioning illegally
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
UPA govt directionless: Chautala
Separate SGPC
Fate of 15 HCS officers uncertain
Mystery shrouds youth’s disappearance
Protest over assault on student
Student held for murder
Engg college to start session from July
Stone of polyclinic laid
OBC creamy layer income limit up
Milk procurement rate up
Student alleges rape, 2 booked
MP’s guard hurt in accidental firing
Sugarcane case goes to another Bench
|
||||||
|
A Tribune Exclusive
Gurgaon, January 23 Talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the 46th annual athletic meet of Government Post-Graduate College here today, Dalal disclosed that these personnel would be appointed to strengthen the state police force in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Rohtak,Sonepat, Rewari and Jhajjar districts. "The officials to be inducted include 25 DSPs, 150 inspectors, 350 sub-inspectors, 1,500 head constables and the rest constables," the DGP revealed, adding that the recruitment process was under way and would be completed in three or four months. Dalal further stated that an advanced digital trunking system for improved communication and control costing Rs 3.5 crore besides the latest hi-tech outdoor surveillance system worth Rs 8 crore were being installed in the city shortly. "Gurgaon will be the first district in the country to have this state-of-the-art outdoor surveillance system,” he maintained, adding that 400 hidden cameras would be installed in the city to help the cops keep track of the outdoor situation and happenings. In response to a query, the DGP asserted that the induction of women police personnel had improved the functioning of the state police force. "Till a few years ago, the number of women cops in the state was negligible. In a policy move, the present state regime decided to raise the number of women police personnel to 10 per cent of the total strength of the force, following which the large-scale recruitment of policewomen began," he noted. Dalal observed that the induction of women personnel had brought about a sea change in the behaviour of male cops, who had now become "much more punctual, disciplined and soft-spoken" owing to the presence of women colleagues. State Commissioner of Higher Education Jyoti Arora was the guest of honour at the ceremony, while the college principal, Dr Ranjana Lall, presided. |
|
Rs 2,300 cr for free plot scheme
Rohtak, January 23 Stating this here yesterday, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said Haryana had been the first state to provide free residential plots to the Dalits and poor in rural areas. He said while an average amount of Rs 20,000 was required to be spent by the government for procuring a plot of about 100 sq yd, the authorities had been directed to develop all the basic amenities, including concrete pavements, roads, potable water supply and power connections to all the plots in these areas to be known as ‘Dalit Gramin Basti Yojna’. However, he added the speedy development unleashed during the past three and half years time seemed to have not gone down well with the opposition in the state, which, he said, had been trying to find fault without any ground. He also announced that besides SC/ST categories the students belonging to the BPL category would also be eligible for the scholarship at the school level. |
|
Ultrasound centres functioning illegally
Hisar, January 23 It has come to light that the order of appointment of “appropriate authority” issued by the government in 1997 was not notified in the official Haryana government gazette as required under the Act thus rendering the appointments and all actions taken under this Act by the designated officers illegal. This legal lacuna came to light recently when a Chandigarh-based lawyer representing a local doctor in a case sought a copy of the relevant gazette notification from the commissioner and secretary, Health Department, Haryana, under the Right to Information Act. The public information officer-cum-under secretary (Health), office of commissioner and secretary, Health Department, Government of Haryana, sent him a reply in Hindi which translated in English reads as follows: In response to your query, you are informed that a copy of the Haryana government gazette notification of the order No 1/18/88-2 HB II dated 24.10.1997 has not been found in the office record and library despite all efforts. Thereafter, efforts were made to procure a copy from the deputy controller, UT Press, Chandigarh, who in turn verbally informed that his press had stopped the printing of the Haryana government gazette in 2000 and all records prior to 2000 had been destroyed. Therefore, a copy of the gazette notification is not available. This is despite the fact that the government order dated 24-10-97 regarding the appointment of “appropriate authority” carries this endorsement: “A copy is forwarded to controller, printing and stationery, Union Territory, with the request that the above notification be published in the extraordinary gazette of the Haryana government. It is also requested that 500 spare copies may be supplied to the government immediately.” The publication of the notification in the gazette is mandatory before the “appropriate authority” can exercise its powers as defined in the Act. The Pre-Conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (prohibition of sex selection) Act 1994 enacted by the Centre in 1994 clearly mentions in Chapter V Section 17 (2) that “the state government shall appoint by notification in the official gazette one or more appropriate authorities for the whole or part of the state for the purpose of this Act having regard to the intensity of the problem of pre-natal sex determination leading to female foeticide.” Despite this legal lacuna, civil surgeons in Haryana have been exercising their powers under the Act. They have been issuing licences, conducting raids and prosecuting doctors in violation of the Act by conducting sex determination tests. At least 12 doctors have been sentenced to various terms in prison over the years by the courts under the Act on the basis of raids conducted by civil surgeons, who did not have the power do so as their appointments were never notified in the government gazette. The courts too have relied on the government order dated 24-10-97 which could have come into force only after it was published in the government gazette. The local branch of the Indian Medical Association has also taken up the issue and informed all its members that “since appointment of district appropriate authority has not been made in accordance with the Act, any action taken against ultrasound centres is null and void and of no legal consequence.” |
|
UPA govt directionless: Chautala
Kaithal, January 23 He said Mumbai terror attacks were the result of intelligence failure and failure of the government to curb terrorism firmly. Chautala said during the past more than four years of the UPA rule, the miseries of the common man had increased manifold and there was frustration among various sections of society due to anti-people policies of the government. Chautala said the government should have acted firmly against Pakistan for its support to anti-Indian elements and terrorists. He said if a small country like Israel could act firmly against those killing their security personnel and civilians then what prevented the Indian government from attacking terrorists training camps on the other side of the border. Earlier, a Congress leader and president of the Haryana Jat Sabha Dharam Pal Chhot announced to join the INLD. |
|
Separate SGPC
Panipat, January 23 Considering the time to be ripe to mount pressure on the government to fulfil their demand (given the fact that Lok Sabha elections are approaching fast), the Sikh community has yet again put forth a strong appeal before the government to either deliver or face opposition. Didar Singh Nalvi, general secretary of the Haryana unit of the SGPC, who is also the president of the Haryana Samajik Nyaya Manch (HSNM), said the community would support the Congress only if their demands for a separate SGPC, due status for Punjabi language in Haryana and setting up of a minority commission in the state were met with at the earliest. Lamenting that the Sikhs in the state had always been discriminated against, Nalvi said reluctance on the part of the government in fulfilling the promises that it had made in the elections manifesto, had sent a wrong signal amongst the community members that they were still being subjected to the same treatment that had been meted out to them by the previous governments. He said given the present circumstances, the community was left with no other option but to reconsider its decision to extend support to the Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He said 19 lakh Sikhs of the state had extended their support to the Congress believing that it would protect their interests by forming a separate SGPC. “Even as the government has detached the state Wakf Board from that of Punjab, but the Sikhs have till date not been given their fundamental rights,” he said. The state leader said it was also unbecoming of the state government not to give due status to Punjabi language even as the Chautala government had passed a legislation making Punjabi the second important language of the state. He said the government had not issued a notification in this regard. The general secretary said there was a widespread resentment amongst the community members that there was no minority commission in the state to protect their rights. |
|
Growing indiscipline in civil society Chandigarh, January 23 Delivering his inaugural address at the “International Conference on Civil-Military Relations in India : Retrospect and Prospects” at Panjab University here, he appreciated the role of the armed forces in all spheres, from containing civil disturbance and assisting in natural calamities to guarding the borders. Agreeing with the observation that that bureaucratic controls did come in the way of the aspirations of defence personnel, he added that the Central government had taken certain steps but it had to be seen and debated that they were not denied their due. In his keynote address, General Shankar Roy Chowdhary, former Chief of the Army Staff, said civil relations in India had been a contentious issues for decades. He also lamented that the soldiers did not get the attention they deserved from the regional and local civil authority from where they came from. He advocated for change of the heart and attitude on both sides to have better relations. Shekhar Dutt, deputy national security adviser and former defence secretary, in his presidential remarks, pointed out that civil-military relations formed an essential strand of the national security strategy. He observed that the armed forces would have to be seamlessly integrated into the institutions of national defence because improved civil-military ties was a must for a nuclear nation. Former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Lt Gen SK Sinha (retd) gave a historical perspective of civil-military relations delving upon the situation in other countries over the past few centuries. He was of the opinion that in the Indian scenario, integration of the three services and the ministry of defence was only partial and that too in areas of little
significance. Former Defence Secretary TK Banerjee, former Chief of Army Staff Gen VN Sharma, Vice-Admiral, KK Nayyar, Lt Gen PN Hoon (retd), Lt Gen DDS Sandhu (retd), Vice-Chancellor, Guru Jambeshwar University, Hisar, serving and retired civilian and military officers, academicians and police officers are attending the two-day conference.
|
|
|
Fate of 15 HCS officers uncertain Chandigarh, January 23 The orders were passed following an application filed by Ashok Kumar Bishnoi, HCS, posted and working as chief administrative officer of the Haryana Dairy Development Cooperative Federation Ltd, who had sought for quashing of DPC proceedings held on December 18, 2008. The tribunal held that any appointment made by the virtue of DPC held by the UPSC on December 18, 2008, would be subject to final outcome of this application. The applicant stated that the exercise of holding combined DPC and thereby considering the private respondents as suitable for inclusion in the select list was in violation of Indian Administrative Service. The applicant contended that the entire exercise of holding the meeting suffered from arbitrariness and was in violation of Article 14 & 16 of the Constitution of India. It was further stated that the DPC in question was actuated with malice and involved manipulation, favouritism, nepotism and bias. Among the respondents, Rishal Singh Khara, officer of HCS rank whose name was in the list of DPC, had a criminal case of attempt to murder after which he was held guilty in the disciplinary proceedings. Another respondent Pradip Kashi had a poor ACR in the year 1998 to 1999 wherein his integrity was doubted. However, Pradip Kashi’s ACR was upgraded just before the DPC. The applicant had sought for directions to be issued to Secretary in New Delhi to convene a review DPC in the light of peculiar facts and circumstances furnished in
the application.
|
|
|
Mystery shrouds youth’s disappearance
Sirsa, January 23 His whereabouts are not known since January 1 and those accompanying him claim that he got lost in the jungles ahead of Neelkanth while scaling mountains towards a tunnel. The police is interrogating his companions. According to a complaint given to the local city police station by missing youth Rinku’s kin, the victim left for Neelkanth with his friends Rooble and Ashok on December 29. They went to Bathinda by train and caught a train to Haridwar from there. The three friends reached Rishikesh on December 30, where some tourists from Sirsa met them during a langar arranged by a
Sirsa-based religious body. According to Ajay Sharma, SHO of the city police station,
Sirsa, Ashok and Rooble have informed the police that on January 1, Rooble and Rinku decided to walk towards a tunnel situated 8 km ahead of
Neelkanth, while Ashok decided to stay back at Neelkanth. Rooble has told the police that he came back after scaling some height as the route was very tough and there was no evidence of human beings anywhere along the route, but Rinku refused to come back and said he would go up to the tunnel. The youths have told the local police that Rinku did not come back and after waiting for him for a day and searching for him in the jungles, they reported the matter to the police at
Rishikesh, which registered a missing person complaint. Surprisingly, Rinku’s mobile phone was used for the last time on December 29 at 10.04 pm under the Bathinda tower. The police believes that his battery may have failed after that and as there was no coverage of the network used by him in
Uttarakhand, it was not used in that state too. |
|
|
Protest over assault on student
Hisar, January 23 They were protesting against the alleged assault on Sumit Dahiya, a final year student of B Pharmacy, by a group of youths led by Sandeep Chaudhary last evening. Dahiya was seriously injured when he was allegedly attacked with sharp-edged weapons in the varsity shopping centre. He was admitted to the Civil Hospital here, but was shifted to a private hospital late last night. The demonstrators criticised the authorities for lax security arrangements inside the campus because of which the assailants managed to escape. They alleged that Chaudhary had assaulted another student a few days ago and had the authorities stepped up security inside the campus after that incident, he would not have been able to assault Dahiya. They said the students had supported the university authorities on the issue of installation of a bust of Shaheed Bhagat Singh inside the campus forcibly by Chaudhary a few months ago. This was the reason that he was targeting students. They also demanded setting up of police post on the campus. Registrar RS Jaglan said the security would be beefed up immediately. Special stickers would be issued for vehicles of students and staff for entry into the campus. SP Anil Kumar Rao said four teams had been dispatched to apprehend the assailants and a criminal case had been registered against them. |
|
|
Student held for murder
Faridabad, January 23 According to the police, the accused, Navpreet, had borrowed about Rs 3 lakh from Sandip Arora, a resident of NIT, and murdered him as he could not return the money. Sandip was into finance business and used to lend money on interest. Navpreet has reportedly stated to the police that the deceased was pressurising him to return the money, which he had borrowed to purchase equipment relating to his vocational course that he was pursuing in Gurgaon. As per the confession, Navpreet called Sandip at a place in Sector 21 on January 16 to return his money. He had told the deceased that a person known to him was to bring the money to the place from Delhi. After waiting for a little while he left the place along with Sandip on the latter’s car. On the way, he threw red chilly powder in Sandip’s eyes and both entered into a scuffle. They attacked each other with knives. During the process, Sandip got badly hurt and succumbed to his injuries. The accused then threw his body near a municipal corporation’s park in Sector 21. The body was traced by the police on a complaint filed by Sandip’s father. |
|
Engg college to start session from July
Ambala, January 23 This was stated by commissioner of the board Mohinder Kumar in a press conference held here today. The college is at present seeking affiliation from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak. Students can apply for BE in the various engineering fields and admissions will be based on the AIEEE ranking. The college is being built on 13 acres of land in Palla village. The college will also have a hostel for girls. The board is also opening an ITI in Panipat. “The provision for affiliations is in progress,” stated a senior board official. Meanwhile, the Commissioner pointed out that despite advertising not many were showing interest in the computer education being provided by the Wakf Board. It had recently launched a scheme for the Muslim children who had passed their Class XII examination and whose parents had an annual income of not more than one lakh. The board will also be organising a sports meet in mid-March at
Ambala. |
|
Stone of polyclinic laid
Jhajjar, January 23 The polyclinic will be equipped with the ultramodern health facilities and will have an operation theatre and a dental
clinic. Hooda said the state government aimed at providing equipments according to the criteria of Indian Public Health Standards in all health institutes of the state by 2012. The government had been making all efforts to make available necessary health facilities even in far-flung villages of the state. The upgrade of the status of Pandit Bhagwat Dyal Ayurvedic Institute to the status of Health University would give a fillip to the field of medical research, said the Chief Minister. The female sex ratio per 100 males had reached to 860 in November 2007 whereas earlier it was only 819. The districts and villages showing upward trend in the sex ratio were also awarded, he maintained. |
|
|
OBC creamy layer income limit up
Chandigarh, January 23 As per a circular issued by the Chief Secretary, the sons and daughters of persons having a gross annual income of Rs 4.5 lakh per annum would now fall within the creamy layer and would not be entitled to get the benefit of reservation available to the OBCs. |
|
Milk procurement rate up
Chandigarh, January 23 Cooperation Minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha said here today that now the revised milk purchase rate would be Rs 280 per kg fat with effect from February 16. Thus for average fat of 6.5 per cent, the increase in rate would be Rs 1.30 per kg. However, there would be no change in the selling price of pasteurised milk to consumers. |
|
Student alleges rape, 2 booked
Karnal, January 23 The Karnal police today registered a case of rape and conspiracy against two persons - a man and a woman- on a complaint filed by the victim, who was a common friend of the alleged rapist and his female accomplice. In her complainant, the victim, a resident of Sector 6, alleged that her friend Anjali, a resident of Sonepat, and Hitesh, a resident of Prem Nagar colony in Karnal, took her to a hotel on September 3 and raped her after some intoxicant was administered to her. The duo also made an MMS and was blackmailing her, she further alleged. |
|
MP’s guard hurt in accidental firing
Kurukshetra January 23 Dr Ram Prakash said a bullet got fired by chance inadvertently from Jangra’s revolver when he was unloading it, injuring Kashmiri Lal’s left arm. The security guard had been admitted to the local LNJP Hospital and was under treatment. Kashmiri Lal said there is no need of any legal action. |
|
|
Sugarcane case goes to another Bench Chandigarh, January 23 The mill, largest private sugar mill in the state, had termed the prices for various varieties as unrealistic. The matter now goes to the Chief Justice who would assign the same to the appropriate bench for hearing sometime next week. — TNS
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
