Sirsa, February 11
The authorities are continuously receiving complaints of irregularities in the disbursement of pensions ever since the job has been entrusted to panchayats. After receipt of four complaints in a row against sarpanch of Ottu village Kartara Ram, social welfare officer Alka Yadav has decided to lodge an FIR against him.

Kartara Ram, however, has denied allegations against him and has termed these as motivated by the village politics.

Yadav recorded the statements of the complainants as well as the sarpanch today.

Similar complaints were made against sarpanch of Amritsar Kalan village earlier this month. Inder Singh, a villager, had alleged that he has not been given pension for the month of October 2008, while it had been shown as disbursed.

Sarabjit Kaur denied having received her widow pension since May 2008, while the records show it as having been delivered.

Ram Chander also maintained he did not get pension since May 2008 and Jeet Kaur, a widow, did not get pension since September 2008.

The sarpanch maintained in his statement that sometimes other family members of the beneficiaries take away the pension.

Yadav said she was contemplating getting an FIR registered against the sarpanch and would be sending the thumb impressions to the Forensic Science Laboratories, Madhuban, for testing.

Sources reveal that due to political and other animosities in the villages, some villagers do not go to the house of sarpanchs to receive pension and in some cases, the sarpanchs get the pensions of their adversaries discontinued.

Though the sarpanchs have been directed to disburse all types of pension at a village common place, these instructions are rarely followed.

Yadav said efforts were afoot to open bank accounts of as many beneficiaries as possible to minimise these problems.

The authorities have already started disbursement through biometric cards in five villages of the district, while the process of opening bank accounts in about 40 villages would be completed soon, she added.

Manesar, February 11
A two-day international seminar on improvised explosive devices (IEDs) organised by the National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) of the National Security Guard (NSG) began here today.

Delegates from the USA, England, Japan, Malaysia, Cambodia and India deliberated on issues concerning internal security and global terror during the seminar. Papers were presented on subjects covering various aspects of counter-terrorism operations.

NSG Director-General Jyoti Krishan Dutt inaugurated the NBDC's ninth international seminar titled "IEDs ---- Strategic Imperatives, Tactical Concepts and Technological Solutions" and released The Bombshell, an annual publication of the centre.

Experts from various security establishments and knowledge workers in the field of national security attended the seminar as delegates and observers. Recognising that modern-day terror transcended international borders, the NSG invited eminent security experts from friendly countries as well.

The delegates were also sensitised on the current expertise of terror organisations through field demonstrations and a visit to the IED model room of the NBDC.

Underlining the significance of the seminar, Dutt asserted that constant interaction between NBDC experts and the security forces was vital as it helped disseminate critical technical intelligence on the unlawful use of explosives and transfer of knowledge and skills.

"Backend knowledge workers at the NBDC have been supporting the troops fighting terror in various parts of the country," he said, adding that these silent soldiers were experts in the composition, detection and safe disposal of IEDs and worked behind the scenes, studying and monitoring bombing incidents in the country.

Experts participating in the seminar observed that terrorist violence in various parts of the world was being perpetrated by terror groups with varying ideologies, which was reflected in their tactics, modus operandi and design of IEDs.

"The purveyors of terror constantly upgrade their IED-making skills and technology, while the security experts attempt to negate this edge by their diligent research efforts," they opined.

Gurgaon, February 11
A compilation of case studies on the initiatives and experiences of the country’s eight leading IT companies in addressing issues related to HIV/AIDS was released in the form of a booklet at a function organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the India Business Trust for HIV/AIDS and the World Bank Institute here today.

These eight companies have used their IT expertise in areas like e-learning, mobile gaming and call-centre technology to raise awareness on HIV and AIDS. The case studies highlight how the inclusion of HIV/AIDS challenges in their CSR agenda helped these companies tackle this issue, at the workplace in particular and in the community in general.

Releasing the case studies, Nikhil Kumar, MP, pointed out that tackling HIV/AIDS was a critical part of the development process, especially in the north-eastern parts of the country. He urged the corporate sector to support the development of livelihood capabilities of people in these parts even as they focused on increasing awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Kumar also appealed to the corporate sector to step up investment activities in the poorest parts of the country, specially in states like Bihar, as this was essential if they were to become part of the overall development cycle.

Djordjija Petkoski, Lead Specialist, World Bank Institute, remarked that the Indian information technology (IT) industry had emerged as a key player in building broader social capacity and sustainability, which was clearly evident in its inclusive response to issues like HIV/AIDS.

Congratulating the IT sector for its social initiatives, Tarun Das, Chief Mentor, CII, said India was the first country where business houses had joined hands to set up anti-retroviral treatment (ART) centres.

Detailing the intervention programmes initiated by CII, Salil Singhal, Chairman, CII (northern region), said so far, 232 corporates had become signatories to the CII’s policy on HIV/AIDS. “More than 41,500 workers have been sensitised to HIV/AIDS,” he claimed, adding that nearly 460 professionals had been trained in administering treatment and for counselling the affected persons.

Sirsa, February 11
In an action that has raised many an eyebrow, the Chaudhary Devi Lal University authorities have expelled two girl students of the LLB final year from Kalpana Chawla Hostel of the university here.

The girls have been expelled without being served a notice. Their parents have also not been informed about the university action.

The security staff of the hostel has allegedly refused entry to these girls into the hostel ever since a notice ordering their expulsion has been exhibited on the hostel notice board on February 9.

The girls, one of whom hails from a village in Ambala and the other one from a distant village of this district, have been left to fend for themselves in an alien town.

The hapless girls, Sonia Rana and Manoj Kumari, have been putting up with their friends in the town for the past two nights and have no clothes to change and no other necessary articles with them as they allege they are not being allowed to collect their belongings from the hostel.

Incidentally, both Sonia Rana and Manoj Kumari had acted as whistleblowers when students residing in the hostel boycotted classes against the alleged poor-quality food being supplied in the hostel and had demanded the removal of contractor in October 2008.

These students had later met former SP Amitabh Dhillon and levelled allegations against some male teachers of the university in a written complaint given to him.

The complaint was, however, withdrawn later, which these students allege was taken back under pressure.

“I was beaten up in my hostel room by some girls but the authorities acted against me when I complained about their conduct,” alleged Sonia.

“The hostel authorities are humiliating me by exhibiting my personal and private belongings to other students of the university and they have refused to return my belongings,” she added.

Hostel warden Sanju Bala has, however, denied the allegations.

“The two girls have been expelled for misbehaving with me during a routine checking of the rooms last week,” maintained Sanju Bala, who is also a lecturer in the Department of Food Sciences.

Sanju Bala maintained that the action had been taken after 110 hostel girls, a security guard, another hostel employee and two hostel attendants gave written complaints against Sonia Rana and Manoj Kumari.

She said the belongings of the girls were opened up to prepare a list of the articles and not to exhibit those before other students, and they could collect their belongings from the warden room.

Panipat, February 11
A high profile drama was witnessed today in the municipal council (MC) when some goons forcibly entered the office of executive president of the MC and ransacked the premises.

The incident took place when some persons reached the MC office and headed for the office of the executive president. They pulled the president's name plate and removed all chairs from his office.

Executive president R Sharma has alleged that goons who ransacked his office were the supporters of improvement trust chairman Mukesh Tuteja. He stated that the MC was in the process of allotting a number of tenders for various development works to be undertaken in the city, for which a huge budget had been received from the government.

He alleged that Tuteja wanted that majority of tenders should be allotted to his supporters to which he refused.

Sharma said in order to vent out his ire against the refusal, Tuteja today sent some of his supporters to intimidate him. The executive president said it was unbecoming of Tuteja to restore to such means so that his will could prevail. He stated that he would be filing a complaint against Tuteja and his supporters with the police. ]

Meanwhile, Tuteja has denied the charges. He said he had nothing to do with the working of the MC and the only role that he played was to keep a watch on the development works that were being executed from the funds provided by the local legislator.

He said the MC president had misbehaved with municipal engineer Iswar Verma following which a written complaint had been filed against Sharma. As he had raised his voice against the behaviour of the president, his name had been dragged into the controversy.

Chandigarh, February 11
As many as 1,248 patwaris appointed in Haryana during former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal’s tenure would now continue on their posts. Another batch of patwaris selected against 1,055 posts, but not issued appointment letters, would be granted age-relaxation in case they wanted to compete again.

As the patwaris’ appointment matter came up for hearing before the Punjab and Haryana High Court Division Bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Jitendra Chauhan, Haryana’s deputy advocate-general Harish Rathee said those already in service against 1,248 posts earlier advertised would be allowed to continue.

Rathee also informed the Bench those selected in excess to the number of advertised posts would not be allowed to carry on. In all, 2,395 candidates were selected against 1,248 advertised posts. After taking note of Rathee’s assertion, the Bench disposed of the petitions.

In one of the petitions against Bhajan Lal, the state of Haryana and other respondents, petitioners Raj Pal Singh and others had earlier claimed selection beyond the advertised posts was not only illegal and unfair, but also unconstitutional.

Reference was also made to Bhajan Lal’s speech delivered in 1994 in Balsamand village in Adampur assembly constituency. He had made promises of recruiting patwaris during the speech.

Countering the arguments, counsel Puneet Bali, on behalf of the appointed candidates, had contended that much importance could not be attached to Bhajan Lal’s statement which was political in nature.

Proper procedure had been followed while making the selections. Moreover, 10 marks for handwriting were justified as the patwaris had to maintain the record.

In another bunch of petition filed by candidates selected, but not appointed, Jai Bhagwan Sharma and others had described the state’s approach as arbitrary. They had contended the appointment letters were not issued even though they were duly selected by the Haryana Subordinate Service Selection Commission.

Chandigarh, February 11
The Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) headed by PV Rathee has initiated contempt of court proceedings against Abhey Singh Chautala and MS Malik, who claim themselves to be the president and the secretary-general of the HOA.

The Rathee faction filed a petition in this regard in the court of Anshu Shukla, Civil Judge (Senior Division), Panchkula, which has issued notice to Chautala and Malik for February 12.

Interestingly, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) will organise a state-level rally here tomorrow to mark the conclusion of the “janakrosh padyatra” undertaken by party secretary-general Ajay Singh Chautala, who is the elder brother of Abhey Singh.

The contempt petition has been filed for the alleged violation of an injunction orders passed by the court against Abhey Singh and Malik on December 24 last. The court had restrained the two from using the banner of the HOA in any manner.

The petition, filed by Rathee, alleged that Abhey Singh and Malik had been still claiming to be the president and the secretary-general of the HOA, respectively, and even before the press despite the restraint orders. The petitioner alleged Abhey Singh and Malik were committing wilful and deliberate disobedience of the restraint orders by signing documents as office-bearers of the HOA; issuing press statements; making claims of being the office-bearers of the HOA and maintaining a website styled as "www.hoa.co.in” wherein they still maintained themselves as the office-bearers of the HOA. Secretary-general of the HOA (Rathee) Narender Hooda said here today that Abhey Singh and Malik had challenged the restraint orders of December 24 last against them in the court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Panchkula. The appellate court had upheld the orders of the trial court by passing a detailed judgment on January 22 last.

Panipat, February 11
General secretary of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (ad hoc) Didar Singh Nalvi has flayed president Jagdish Singh Jhinda over his reported remarks regarding giving up the demand for a separate gurdwara committee.

Jhinda had said he would give up the demand if the accusations levelled by SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar that the horse and relics used in the “shukrana yatra” were fake were proved right.

Nalvi, who is at loggerheads with Jhinda for the past some time, said Jhinda had no right to lay down such conditions as the demand for a separate SGPC was that of the Sikhs in the state and not of any individual.

He said it was the right of 19 lakh Sikhs of Haryana to have a separate body to govern their religious places and it had also been endorsed in Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966.

“One should realise before issuing such statements that the sentiments of the masses cannot be overlooked to settle personal issues,” Nalvi added. He said the demand for a separate SGPC could not be given up to settle issues of real or fake horses used in a yatra.

Nalvi said it appeared that the HSGPC (ad hoc) president had deviated from the real aim of having a separate body to govern the religious places and instead was trying to downplay the issues for which the Haryana Sikhs had been struggling for the past many years.

He also condemned Jhinda over his statement of calling a “Sarbat Khalsa” (gathering of Sikhs) to decide the next strategy regarding their demand. He said during the convention of Haryana Sikhs in Karnal in September 2008, a detailed strategy had been chalked out which had been accepted by all Sikhs by passing resolutions. Till date, no one had raised any objections to these resolutions and the president had no right to annul these as per his wishes. Nalvi said the president should work within the parameters of these resolutions.

Rewari, February 11
The police has arrested district president of the Shiv Sena Shammi Sharma and four other Sena activists - Sanjay Yadav, Vinod Kumar, Dharam Dev and Som Dev - for allegedly indulging in sabotage and also manhandling inmates at Dr Pawan Goyal’s City Heart Clinic and Medical Centre on Circular Road, near Naiwali Chowk, here yesterday.

Earlier, on a complaint filed by Dr Pawan Goyal, the police registered a case of rioting, causing hurt, causing damage to hospital’s property and criminal intimidation under Sections 147, 149, 323, 427 and 506 of the IPC against Shammi Sharma and other activists of the Shiv Sena.

Holding Dr Pawan Goyal responsible for “improper” treatment given at his hospital to Shammai Sharma’s brother Anil Sharma , who abruptly died here on January 18, 2009, Shiv Sena activists, led by Shammi Sharma, held a violent demonstration at Dr Pawan Goyal’s hospital here yesterday. They demanded a high-level probe into the alleged “inappropriate” treatment given to Anil Sharma at his hospital.

Faridabad, February 11
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) today got a boost in Faridabad with national general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Punjabi Sabha Anand Kant Bhatia joining its fold. Bhatia is considered to be an important supporter of sitting Congress MP from Faridabad Avatar Singh Bhadana.

Announcing his joining the BSP, he said he was constrained to quit the Congress as there was lack of discipline in it and it was faction ridden.

He made the announcement in the presence of BSP nominee from the Faridabad parliamentary constituency Chetan Sharma and general secretaries of the Haryana unit of the BSP Amrit Pal Sharma,Suraj Pal(Ammu) and Shreechand Gudrana The Faridabad district unit of the BSP announced Bhatia's appointment as the president of the Faridabad (urban) unit of the party.