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Code Violation
Faculty for IGNOU Centres
Demolition kicks up row
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Streamline RTI process, varsity told
Notice served on INLD leader
Karnal LS Seat
Poll boycott call over statue
‘Schools for special kids lack facilities’
Poll code: Nodal officers appointed
Doc caught on the wrong foot
Residents hold up traffic
Kidwai releases book
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CM’s office being misused: INLD
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 20 In a letter to the Election Commission of India today, Ashok Arora, president of the Haryana unit of the INLD, alleged that the Chief Minister’s office was working as the controlling office of the Congress campaign in the state. The Chief Minister’s personal staff, including his OSD, Political Adviser, Media Adviser and Media Coordinators, were working as Congress workers despite being in government service. He said the code was applicable on all government employees, including contractual staff, and no serving employee could work to favour the ruling party. All these officers were getting salary from the government but working for a particular political party, which could not be allowed in the interest of free and fair elections. Arora alleged that KV Singh, OSD to CM, and Media Coordinators Ashok Buwaniwala, Dalip Chawla and Jaipal Mann had been issuing political statements on behalf of the Congress and attending political public meetings. He also attached with his complaint certain press notes purported to have been issued by Buwaniwala, which, he said, could be be checked and verified from the e-mail list of the mediapersons attached with the complaint. He also alleged that official machinery, including official cars and offices, were being used by the Media Coordinators. He said the Media Coordinators must be sacked immediately. The INLD leader also demanded that calendars carrying photographs of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi should be removed from all government offices.
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Dept refuses to budge
Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service
Karnal, March 20 The IGNOU authorities had appealed to the government to reconsider its decision but Commissioner (Higher Education), Jyoti Arora today not only summarily rejected the appeal but added insult to injury by commenting that the impression that IGNOU was serving the interests of poor students was wrong. “Who told you that IGNOU is serving the cause of the poor”, she asked when mediapersons pointed out that the decision of the government had jeopardised the future of 15,000 poor students enrolled in 100-odd courses. “We had told them (IGNOU) two years ago to have their own faculty for running the centre but they did not heed our advice”, said Jyoti Arora, who was here to attend a function at Government Girls College. The directive issued by the Directorate of Higher Education to IGNOU, not to engage the serving faculty of government and aided colleges for running its centres had resulted in the closure of 21 of the 28 centres being run by IGNOU in the state. After struggling for few months and hoping that the government would relent, IGNOU decided to restart 10 closed centres with the assistance of retired teachers and got assignments of students evaluated at the Shimla regional centre. Regional Director of the Karnal centre of IGNOU Ashok Sharma regretted the remarks of the Commissioner and said the fees charged by IGNOU from various courses was almost half of the fees charged by other institutions and it helped serving employees and dropouts to continue their studies.
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Demolition kicks up row
Gurgaon, March 20 While talking to the mediapersons here today he mentioned that they had met the DC who had told them that strict action would be taken if anyone found guilty. Yesterday night, the ADC came with five JCB machines to remove the building consisting of eight shops, two hotels and liquor vend. Although the structure comes under the HUDA administration, none of their officials were present on the spot. The ADC said the construction of the building and liquor vend was illegal and the area fell under green belt, the owner had done the encroachment thus they needed to remove it. He mentioned that he had taken the step after studying all papers. Mahender Singh said they had the stay order and thus no one could destroy it. Singh had claimed that when they asked the ADC that he cannot remove the construction and that, too, without any notice and showed him the papers of stay order, he torn them mentioning that he doesn't know about any orders. He is there to remove the building, which he will do. Singh also alleged that the ADC had told them that he was not afraid of anyone and would do what he wants to. |
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Streamline RTI process, varsity told
Sirsa, March 20 In three separate show-cause notices served on RC Sardana, State Public Information-cum-Deputy Superintendent, Establishment, CDLU, Sirsa, on the applications of Raj Kumar Siwach, Reader in the Public Administration Department of the university, the State Information Commissioner, Haryana, has served a stern warning on the respondent and has also cast aspersions on the conduct of the Deputy Registrar, Establishment, expecting the authorities to take appropriate action against him. Siwach had moved applications of the show-cause notice under section 20 (1) of the RTI Act in case numbers 2154, 2155 and 2155-A of 2008 for delay in providing information under three different applications. Admitting the delays, the respondent had said that the delays occurred despite his best efforts. The respondent also tendered unqualified apologies for the delay and prayed for sympathetic view since, he said, he had been already been relieved from the respondent public authority. The respondent had submitted that the applications of the applicant had been expeditiously processed and referred to the Deputy Registrar, Establishment, but the matter could not be conclusively discussed with him till September 19, 2008, due to his busy schedule. After that the matter was referred to the Registrar and the Vice-Chancellor on September 24 and later a legal advice was taken and finally the information was furnished on November 13, 2008, the respondent said in his reply to the commission.
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Notice served on INLD leader
Faridabad, March 20 SDM Inder Singh Bishnoi has directed the district president, Mool Chand Sharma, to file his reply within three days. A large number of pamphlets were distributed in Ballabgarh township yesterday making promises to the voters on the behalf of the INLD. The pamphlet had promises of several welfare schemes for the voters. The pamphlets did not have the address of the printer. The pamphlets distributed also carried photo of the district president. Hence, the SDM singled out Sharma for the notice. Sharma, on the other hand, told mediapersons that he had received the pamphlets from his party
headquarters. He further alleged that the officers in the state were playing partisan role against the opponents of the ruling Congress while discharging their election duties. He asserted that although the officers noticed minute things as pamphlets with regard other political parties, they remained ignorant with regard the ruling Congress’ election
“raths” pressed in each of the district. The raths were being used to cavass support for the Congress and they also highlight the achievements of the party in the state. |
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Race hots up for Cong ticket
Manish Sirhindi Tribune News Service
Panipat, March 20 Sitting Member of Parliament Arvind Sharma had defeated BJP candidate ID Swami during the last Lok Sabha elections from the Karnal constituency. However, the differences that cropped up between him and the state leadership after which he had even decided to abandon the party just before the crucial vote on the nuclear deal in Parliament may go against him. The sitting MP, however, stepped up his efforts to find support among the masses after striking a discordant note with the state leadership. The Karnal constituency, where the Congress stands good chances of winning, is also attracting other senior party leaders to contest the elections. Top leaders of the state, who have a considerable say in the process of ticket allotment, including Venod Sharma, head of the campaign committee for the Lok Sabha elections, and Kuldeep Sharma, working president of the state unit of the party, are also interested in getting the party ticket to contest the elections from the Karnal seat. Venod Sharma, a hotelier, was a heavyweight on the state’s political scene because of the trust reposed in him by the Chief Minister. Though, the Jessica Lall murder case in which his son Manu Sharma was involved pushed him on the back foot with many demanding his resignation from the Cabinet, he recently bounced back on the political scene in the state. Kuldeep Sharma, who enjoys the support of the top party leadership, wants the party ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections. Avinash Paliwal, a businessman from the region, has also come forward claiming the party ticket. Given the fact that he is related to AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi, his is also a strong case. He is finding support among some local organisations, which have been demanding that a local candidate be given the party ticket.
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Poll boycott call over statue
Sirsa, March 20 The sabha is piqued at the alleged failure of the authorities to facilitate the installation of the statue of Maharaja Agarsen at Panchmukhi Chowk in the town despite a resolution to this effect passed by the municipal authorities. Earlier, Champa Lal Dhanuka, a municipal councillor belonging to the Agarwal community, had resigned from his post on the issue. Vijay Dhanuka, a member of sabha, who has been spearheading the signature campaign on this issue, claimed that there were 750 families of their community in the town who had over 4,500 votes and all of them would boycott the polls. He said they were not against the installation of the statue of the Kargil martyr, but it should not be installed at the chowk given to the Agarwal community. |
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‘Schools for special kids lack facilities’
Sirsa, March 20 These are the observation of Sukhraj Singh Randhawa, a teacher working in Round Oak, a school for special children in Leamington Spa, UK. Randhawa, whose ancestors had migrated to the UK long back, was here yesterday to study the facilities available in schools for special children in India. He has already visited a special school in Bundi (Rajasthan) and Cochin (Kerala) and volunteered his services in those schools. He visited Disha and Paryaas, the schools for special children in the town. “I have found that the infrastructural facilities provided in schools for special education are abysmally low in India as compared to those in the UK,” said Randhawa. “The teachers here are well trained with bachelor’s degree in special education but they are being paid as lowly as Rs 4,200 per month in the government agencies-run schools and in some cases the salaries are not paid for months together,” he added. Randhawa, who graduated from a school of economics, joined a telecommunication company but later resigned to join a special school. |
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Poll code: Nodal officers appointed
Jhajjar, March 20 These officers will not only send a daily report to the District Election Officer but also take proactive steps to ensure a free and fair election. These officers have been appointment by Mahendragarh District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Sahin, who has also attached 13 other officers to help them out in their work. The DC has allotted the area of the Narnaul Assembly constituency to Subhash C Gabha, HCS, whereas Satbir Singh Jangu, HCS, has been appointed the nodal officer for the Mahendragarh Assembly segment. DEO Mohammad Sahin said proactive steps had been taken to ensure compliance of the poll code. Complaints could be sent through fax (No. 01282-250655) to the officials concerned in case of any violation. |
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Doc caught on the wrong foot
Bhiwani, March 20 Since, Friday is last working day of the week, there was a heavy rush in the OPD sections of the civil hospital. Patients were facing hardships on not getting doctors and employees on their respective seats. |
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Residents hold up traffic
Sirsa, March 20 The traffic was restored after officers of the Public Health Department visited the colony and assured action. The agitating residents were peeved at the open flow of sewage on the streets of the locality and alleged that the public health authorities had not been listening to their woes. The agitators said their locality had been a part of the local municipal committee since 1980 and had been regularly paying tax but the authorities were still to lay sewer lines in the locality. They alleged that due to lack of a sewer system, filthy water could be seen flowing on the streets. Later, the public health authorities visited the Chatargarh Patti locality and assured that they would redress their grievances. |
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Kidwai releases book
Chandigarh, March 20 This was stated by Haryana Governor AR Kidwai after releasing “The Birth of God”, a collection of short stories by a veteran journalist, Rajinder Singh
Nain. Congratulating the author, the Governor said this book was thought-provoking and found a solution to reveal various spiritual and moral movements of the superpower. |
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Holiday on poll day
Chandigarh, March 20 |
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Fraud alleged in land sale
Gurgaon, March 20 |
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Remand for JE
Fatehabad, March 20 |
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