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Neglect has historical cannon in ruins
Wheat Procurement |
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INLD keeps Cong on its toes over code violations
LS Polls
Venues for election rallies finalised
Fee hike stalled
Fee hike
NGO’s drive against foeticide picks up
Management expert appointed MDI director
Rewari woman makes waves on small screen
Modern fruit, vegetable market proposed
Cow saviours allege harassment
Noted kathak dancer performs at Sirsa college
Pay panel report
‘Executive should exercise powers judiciously’
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Neglect has historical cannon in ruins
Rohtak, March 23 This is evident at the local Mansarovar Park where a historical cannon, installed in the memory of martyrs, has been left heavily damaged. It has in fact turned into an article of playing for children in the park. The cannon was installed here about 25 years back after it was brought from Dujana village in the neighbouring Jhajjar
district. The cannon had been a part of the armory managed by the then nawab of Dujana in the pre-Independence period. The shape and the overall condition of the weapon was fine till a few months back, when the matter of the non-maintenance of the park was brought to the notice of the local municipal council, said Pawan Kumar, a local resident. But things changed soon after as the authorities turned indifferent towards the upkeep of the cannon, he added. The Mansarovar Park was once a prominent place
in the city where hundreds of locals used to come every week. According to Ved Pal Rathi, another resident, in the absence of any check and maintenance of the historical weapon, it had become a toy in the hands of children. “The park also has some statues of the martyrs who laid their
lives in defending the nation,” he said. “If this is the status of treasured articles related to the freedom struggle, the respect and concern of the government towards the martyrs could be well imagined,” said a member of the ex-servicemen league here. He demanded that the officials responsible for the poor upkeep of such memoirs should be strictly dealt with.
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Wheat Procurement
Chandigarh, March 23 A slow movement of wheat stocks from the state to recipient states in South India has ensured that the state government will be left with an inventory of 25 lakh metric tonne (LMT) of wheat and bajra, when the procurement begins next month. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) along with five state procurement agencies- the Food and Supplies Department, the Haryana State Co-operative Supply and Marketing Federation (Hafed), the Haryana Warehousing Corporation (HWC), the Haryana Agro Industries Corporation (HAIC) and the Haryana Federation of Consumers Cooperative Wholesale Stores Limited (Confed) had procured around 52.3 lakh metric tonne (mt) of wheat last year. When the new arrivals begin, the state agencies have to manage around 16 lakh mt and FCI’s 8 lakh mt of old wheat stocks. This would mean that the state would have just 25 LMT space to store the wheat it procures this year. The government hopes to procure 55 LMT of wheat in this Rabi Marketing Season (RMS). The state government has now got into an overdrive to ensure that they have sufficient storage space as they begin procurement in a fortnight from now. While the government hopes to get 8 LMT space under its three-year-guarantee scheme, all state procurement agencies are also increasing their plinth as well as warehousing capacity. Even the FCI is increasing its capacity by 70,000 metric tonne by hiring storage space. Talking to The Tribune, director of Food and Civil Supplies Department, Haryana, Anil Malik said they had received a good response for its three year guarantee scheme to hire plinth storage space. “The private parties are to construct plinths on their own
land, according to our specifications. They will get an assured rent for three years. Other than this, plinths are being constructed in several underutilised mandis and some vacant government land,” he added. Meanwhile, the Haryana Warehousing Corporation that procured 4.88 lakh mt of wheat last year still has around 3 lakh mt of stocks lying in its godowns. A senior official of the HWC said, “We have a total storage capacity of 15 lakh mt (open and covered) and have floated tenders for another 2 lakh mt capacity. This year, we are likely to procure around 5 lakh mt of wheat”. Hafed is also carrying forward about 9 lakh mt of last year’s wheat stocks. This year, it will procure close to 20 lakh mt wheat.
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INLD keeps Cong on its toes over code violations
Chandigarh, March 23 Hardly a day goes when the INLD does not approach the Election Commission of India with a list of the alleged violations of the code by the state government and its various functionaries. And on many of them, the commission had to pull up the government or the latter had to rectify its mistake before sending its reply to the commission. In a way, it is a role-reversal for the two parties. During the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, when the INLD was in power, it was the Congress that was frequently knocking at the doors of the commission with the complaints of code violations on the part of the then ruling party. The commission has been extra sensitive this time. It wants that its prior permission must be obtained even for minor decisions to be taken for the welfare of even miniscule sections of society. It intervened and stopped the ongoing process of the allotment of liquor vends through bids, although the process had begun before the code came into force. This decision had put the government in a quandary. If the vends were not in place by April 1, the state would have incurred huge financial loss. The excise and taxation department ultimately got the commission’s nod to go ahead with the allotment when the former was able to convince the latter that the allotment process was such as would leave no scope for the government to oblige anyone. Many violations, like a government functionary travelling to a place with red beacon atop his vehicle, which could have easily avoided and definitely would not help the ruling party in garnering votes, have been confirmed by deputy commissioners in their reports to the chief electoral officer. This shows the callous and careless attitude of officers and politicians. It is to the credit of the INLD that it is playing the role of a vigilant opposition party, which no other opposition party in the state has been able to match. The INLD has the best secretariat being manned by a team of dedicated men, among all parties. Not only the party’s press notes and other publicity material, both in English and Hindi, are e-mailed to newspaper offices regularly. SMS are also sent to reporters informing them of the material in their e-mail. It is no secret that the INLD has a brain bank comprising retired bureaucrats (some serving also), which keeps a check on all moves of the government. These officers get help from the party’s “sleeper cells” in various government offices. Then this brain bank decides how to best embarrass the government, which include sending letters to the election commission in the names of various party leaders, accusing the government of violating the code. Even the ruling party politicians concede that the INLD has succeeded in keeping the government on its toes as far as the election commission is concerned.
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LS Polls
Chandigarh, March 23 Media in charge of the party Rajiv Jain, while giving this information here today, said, “Experienced and dedicated leaders had been nominated on these committees.” Nardev Sharma would head the election management committee and Naresh Malik, Somvir Sangwan, Rajiv Jain, Dipak Mangla, Umesh Aggarwal, Kishor Ashtana, Asim Goel, Bharat Bhushan Bharati, Krishanpal Gurjar and Jagdish Chopra would be
its members. The campaign committee’s convener would be veteran state leader Ram Bilas Sharma and Subhash Barala, Malik Rozi Anand, Capt Abhimanyu, Manish Grover and Dipak Mangla as its members. The state media committee would be led by Rajiv Jain, in which Jagdish Chopra, Umesh Aggarwal, Kishore Asthana, Dhuman Singh and Bhopal Singh Khadri would be the members. To look after the financial aspects of the elections, senior leader Sita Ram Singla would lead the finance committee. Niti Sen Bhatia, Malik Rozy Anand, Chander Bhan and Shriniwas Goel would assist him. Jagdish Chopra would head the state office and the housing committee. Parmanand, Manish Grover, Jawahar Yadav, Arshvrat Shastri, Dharamvir, Pratibha and Malti would assist him. The responsibility of the legal coordination committee has been given to Karnesh Sharma, who will be assisted by Jasbir Rathi, Vedpal, SS Chauhan, Rajesh Sehgal and Dipak Mangla. The state election commission and administration coordination committee will be headed by Ram Bilas Sharma with Resham Singh, Krishanpal Gurjar and VK Sood
as its members. Kailash Sharma, Om Prakash Dhankar, Capt Abhimanyu, Rajiv Jain, Ram Chander Jangra and Shyam Singh Rana have been included in the manifesto
committee. The central leadership coordination committee includes Om Prakash Dhankar, Umesh Aggarwal and Jawahar Yadav. Niti Sen Bhatia, Swami Raghvanand, Anuradha Sharma, Subhash Ajwana, Saroj Singh and Gobind Bhardwaj are in the public rallies coordination committee. The information technology committee will comprise Kishore Asthana, Jawahar Yadav, Ashok Sharma, Mahesh Chauhan and Umesh Aggarwal. Ramesh Balhara and Shamsher Lakhmari will look after the transport arrangements. Niti Sen Bhatia, Chander Bhan Gupta, Dipak Mangla and Dhani Ram
Bharati will constitute the purchase committee.
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Venues for election rallies finalised
Ambala, March 23 In Ambala City, rallies can be held in HUDA ground- sector 8, HUDA ground- sector 9 and Old Anaj Mandi. Posters and advertisements can be displayed at Agarsen chowk to the Bal Bhawan, Chadha Palace to Jagadhri gate, Church compound near Mixie chowk, bus queue shelter near Manav chowk to HUDA ground- sector 8, Arya Chowk and Polytechnic chowk. In Ambala Cantonment, rallies can be organised at the Gandhi ground on the Jagadhri Road and Dussehra ground on the Ram Bagh Road. Advertisements and posters can be displayed at local bus stand chowk, from Gobind Nagar Gurudwara gate to Tangri Bridge, Gita Gopal chowk, from the Lok Nirman rest house to the Civil Hospital, from Vijay Rattan chowk to the Rai Market Road, the Railway Road, the DC Road, Swastik chowk to the local bus stand and the Rambagh Road to Dussehra chowk. In Naraingarh, rallies can be held at Sabzi Mandi and Ramlila ground near the old bus stand, Shazadpur. Advertisements and posters can be displayed at Ambala chowk, the KalaAmb chowk, Raipur Rani chowk, Panjlasa chowk and Shazadpur bus stand to the Chandigarh Road. In Barara, rallies can be organised at the Goyal market, behind Aggarwal Dharamshala. Advertisements and posters can be displayed at the bus stand in Barara, the Saha chowk, the Mullana bus stand, Dosarka chowk and
Ugala chowk. The Deputy Commissioner, who is also the returning officer, has asked all the political parties to strictly adhere to the above.
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Fee hike stalled
Faridabad, March 23 The administration has particularly said the private schools must wait till March 27, before which they have to provide details of their financial status so as to justify their plea for raising the tuition fees. The schools have issued notices to the parents notifying that the fees would be raised from the next academic session. Majority of the schools are affiliated to the CBSE. The school managements had justified the hike in the fee structure on ground that they had to raise the salaries of the teachers in tune with the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. In fact, the move to raise the fees on the part of the schools has been reported in the entire region, which is being opposed by the parents. One of the organisation in the forefront leading the agitation is the Haryana Abhibhavak Ekta Manch. The parents have also taken to the streets in Faridabad and reports of intense struggle have come in from the other neighbouring cities in the state. According to general-secretary of the Haryana Abhibhavak Ekta Manch Kailash Sharma, the organisation has taken up the issue with the several government quarters, including the district administration. The administration here met the teachers and the representatives of the school managements separately to hear their point of
views.
While the schools repeated the same justification on the ground of Pay Commission, the parents led by the manch alleged that the managements were already earning huge profits at the cost of the students and the parents. According to them, the schools were flush with funds. They also alleged that the managements have resorted to pure commercialism and had converted the education sector as money spinning business. The parents further alleged that the school’s practice was to pass on the buck of extraneous expenditure to them in the name of the infrastructure and other miscellaneous charges that were in no way related to the tuition fees. The parents also alleged that as per the direction of the court and also the CBSE, the school managements had to give details of their ledger books (income and expenditure) every year in order to raise the school fees. As per the "Haryana Education Rules, 2003" the schools have to furnish the details of its financial status each year in Form 6 and 7. The schools are in breach of the norms. The administration has directed the schools to submit the details of their financial status by March 27. The details will be scrutinised by auditors which would have joint representations from the parent’s and school’s side. The administration will verify the financial status of the schools and their justification to raise the fees.
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Fee hike
Sonepat, March 23 It was agreed that the schools would increase fees by only up to 30 per cent and the fees would be charged in three installments to ease financial burden on parents. The school bodies were also asked to form a four-member committee in their respective schools within one week under the supervision of the school principal with two representatives of the parents and one member from the management. The representatives of the school bodies pleaded that the hike was necessary to upgrade the existing education facilities and provide quality education. The parents, however, explained that the hike was abnormal and some of the schools hiked the fees by 100 per cent. They also accused the school authorities of charging excess money for books, uniform, stationary etc. Earlier, following the protests by the guardians of students of private schools against the indiscreet fee hike, the DC had convened a meeting of the representatives of school managements and the guardians to resolve the issue. The protest was supported by various organisations, including the CPM, Disha Chhatra Kendra and CITU. The meeting was attended by around 100 representatives and officers of the education department. District secretary of the CPM Shradha Nand Solanki said the fee structure in private schools should be rationalised keeping in view the interests of the students belonging to the poor families. The school authorities should also work for the betterment of society and not just for earning money, he added. Convener of the District Abhibhawak Sangh Vimal Kishor also welcomed the outcome and hoped that the school managements would abide by the directions of the DC.
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NGO’s drive against foeticide picks up
Karnal, March 23 This is how a seven-year-old local girl, Sanjoli, penned down her agony to wake up the elders from the slumber. She was inspired by her parents, Mihir and Gagan Banerjee, who floated an NGO, Saarthi, which is dedicated to the cause of the girl child. The realisation came to Mihir after the birth of her second daughter Ananya on August 23, 2003, when everyone consoled him rather than congratulating him. “I must do something to change the mindset of the people about the girl child, I promised to myself and never looked back,” says Mihir with glee in his eyes. Over the years, Saarthi is active in Haryana, organising various campaigns and educating people about the evil practice of female foeticide and motivating them to propagate the message of “beti bachao, desh bachao” (save the girl child, save the country). Mihir wrote lyrics, composed songs on female foeticide and other social evils like dowry and build up strong teams of girls and boys who sung the songs and recited poems in public places. The festival of Lohri, which is normally celebrated with pomp and show in Punjab and Haryana when a male child is born, is also given a new connotation by Saarthi, which celebrated Lohri for girl child. The initiative taken by Saarthi has motivated several other social and cultural organisations and NGOs to join the campaign for saving the girl child. Leading NGO, NIFFA has also been active in this field and organising various functions from time to time to champion the cause of girl child. Youth federations have also come forward to fight the social evils of female foeticide and drugs. The declining sex ratio, especially in the 0-6 age group, in several states, including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Gujarat, has brought the inhuman practice of female foeticide in sharp focus. NGOs and religious bodies, too, have come forward in educating the people against the disastrous effects of skewed sex ratio but these urban-oriented campaigns are yet to prove the efficacy in changing the mindset of people in the rural areas.
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Management expert appointed MDI director
Gurgaon, March 23 Chairman of the MDI board of governors NK Singh, Member of Parliament, made announcement to this effect during his address on the convocation day of the institute recently. Sahay has been honoured with the various national and international recognitions and awards, including the ISTD national book award (2000, 2001 and 2007), the highly acclaimed Emerald 2005 award for excellence and the Escorts book award (1998). He has also been awarded fellowship by the German Foundation of International Development, Berlin (1977) and has received the Asian Productivity Organisations' fellowship for the advanced program on management consultancy for productivity improvement organised by the Japan Productivity Centre, Tokyo (1994). Sahay has above 25 years of experience in academics and industry both in India and abroad. During the last three years of his heading the IMT Ghaziabad, he transformed the institute from a teaching school into an integrated business organisation ranking among the top 10 business institutions of the country. Before joining IMT, he had served in Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, for nine years as dean (research and consultancy) and chairman of the various academic programs, including fellow programs and graduate programs. He was also founder chairman of the center for supply chain management.
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Rewari woman makes waves on small screen
Rewari, March 23 Simultaneously, her notable participation in two popular serials, which are being presently televised on NDTV Imagine, “Ramayan” and “Mahima Shani Dev Ki”, has catapulted her on the pedestal of national recognition as a female star of the small screen. While Rajni is playing the role of Kaushalya, mother of Lord Ram and elder queen of King Dashrath, in Sagar Arts’ creation “Ramayan”, she has presented herself in the leading role of Sangya, wife of Surya Dev, in the serial “Mahima Shani Dev Ki”. Shani Dev is her chhaya putra (a reflected son) in the serial. Besides, she has been playing the role of “Maharani of Kannauj” (mother of King Jai Chand) in UTV’s production “Prithvi Raj Chauhan” which is being currently telecast on Star Plus. Similarly, she also appeared in recently concluded serial “Kehta Hai Dil”, which was produced by UTV and televised on Star Plus. Born in a middle class family
of Rewari, she is the eldest child of Rattan Lal Verma, who runs his ironware manufacturing business here. Rajni graduated from local Kishan Lal Public College in 1987. She also represented Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in the interuniversity kho-kho championship. Later, she got married to Sukant Chandra, son of Mahesh Chandra of Rewari. The couple has no children. Rajni started her professional career in acting with Delhi Doordarshan and played anchor role in “Talaaq Kyon”. Later, she started taking assignments in Mumbai and where she eventually shifted her base in 1997. There is no looking back since then. Rajni says she has been able to script her success in the tinsel world owing to the support of her husband Sukant Chandra. She is in her early 40s and has already done four-five films as well as over 20 TV serials.
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Modern fruit, vegetable market proposed
Sonepat, March 23 Located about 60 km from Delhi, this ultra-modern wholesale market will be set up in an area of about 500 acre at an estimated cost of Rs 500 crore. The acquisition process of 285 acre in Teha, Bari and Shahpur Tega gram panchayats and necessary requirements like issuing of the notices of Sections 4 and 6 of the Land Acuisition Act had already been completed to acquire remaining 215 acre of the farmers of the villages. District revenue officer, Sonepat, JK Ahuja informed that he would announce the award for the acquired land.BDPO, Gannaur, Roshan Lal also informed that the papers regarding the purchase of panchayat land had already been submitted to the revenue department by his office and award was being awaited. The entire process of land acquisition was likely to be completed by the end of this financial year. For the development of this market, the government had approached the national horticulture commission to provide financial assistance of Rs 100 crore. Moreover, the board had signed an MoU with a German firm to prepare a layout plan of the market and the team had already surveyed the area. State-of-the-art facilities like cold store, reaping chamber, grading, packing, sorting lines and ancillary services like post office, petrol pump would also be provided. As the horticulture and floriculture produces are perishable, the market will have the capacity to handle 7.5 million tonne of fruits and vegetable, 100 million tonne of poultry and eggs, one million tonne of meat and 0.5 million tonne of flowers every year. The market will directly benefit the farmers of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and part of western Uttar Pradesh by paying them remunerative prices of their produce and this market facility will also encourage the farmers towards horticulture and floriculture. The market would also help in decongesting the Azadpur subji mandi of Delhi. It is also relevant here to recall that about 500 acre of land of Rai and other adjoining villages were acquired in 1991-92 to develop a modern fruit and vegetable market. But with the passage of time, the possession of the acquired land was transferred to the Haryana state industrial and infrastructure development corporation for setting up industries in the area. However, the present state government realised the need and importance of a modern vegetable and fruit market and initiated the process to set up a modern market. This market will not only meet the longstanding demand of the farming community of the region but will also assuage the feelings of the farmers whose land had been acquired for the abandoned Rai market.
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Cow saviours allege harassment
Mewli (Nuh), March 23 A meeting of the cattle-rearers held here recently presented a unique example of communal harmony by bringing together social and religious leaders of the different communities on a common platform. Senior functionaries of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad came from Delhi to meet the Meo Muslim leaders dedicated to cow protection. The convention also got the blessings of Swami Dharmdev, who heads the Ashram Hari Mandir Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya located at Amarpuri in Pataudi block of the Gurgaon district. Swami Dharmdev as well as VHP leaders appreciated the sincere and persistent efforts being put in by the villagers in rearing the cows despite many hardships. The campaign to save cows and remove the stigma of cow-slaughter from the Mewat area was launched by the late Vaid Nathu Singh of Pinangwa village in the district. As of now, his son and former Haryana commissioner Mohan Singh Ahluwalia is spearheading the movement under the aegis of the Sankalpit India Parivar. At the meeting, the cattle-rearers alleged that they were often accused of taking the cows for slaughter. “Certain police officials, apparently under the influence of slaughterhouse owners, harass us as we do not have any proof that we are cattle-rearers and not taking the cows for slaughter,” said a participant. The meeting resolved that a delegation of cattle-rearers from the area would meet the state Governor and Chief Minister in Chandigarh on June 1 to apprise them of their problems. Maulana Jameel Ahmed from Mundetha, who is actively associated with the cow-protection movement, in charge of he VHP’s cow-protection wing Niroti Lal Aggrawal, education officer with the National Animal Welfare Board Ram Prasad Ahluwalia, besides Gangwani sarpanch Mohammed Ishaq, Khai sarpanch Umar Mohammed and a number of prominent persons and cattle-rearers of the area participated in the meeting. A team of Ayurveda physicians from Ambala, led by the district Ayurveda officer Dr Saini, conducted a medical camp for the cattle-rearers on
the occasion.
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Noted kathak dancer performs at Sirsa college
Sirsa, March 23 The dance performance was organised under the aegis of the Society for Promotion of Indian Classic Music And Culture Among Youths. Before starting her performance, Mahua Shankar apprised the audience with the finer nuances of kathak. “Kathak means ‘kathakaar’ (story teller) and has originated from Uttar Pradesh, where men practiced this form of dance in temples,“ she said. She has also acted in a Hindi film “Devdas”. “Dancing by women was a taboo at that time but after the advent of the Mughal era, women started coming in the field. Tabla, sarangi and harmonium are the instruments that are used during its performance. Ghunghroo worn by the dancer are also used to give an effect to the music,” she said. Pandit Birju Maharaj, one of the greatest kathak exponents, is Mahua’s guru. “Pandit Birju Maharaj has given a new definition to kathak by his innovations,” Mahua added. Noted writer Mahavir Prasad Mukesh was the chief guest and president of the Sirsa Education Society Parveen Baghla, patron of the society RS Sangwan, principal of the CMK National PG Girls College Vijaya Tomar and principal of the host college Shakuntla Gupta were present on the occasion.
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Pay panel report
Kurukshetra, March 23 The teachers held a meeting under the chairmanship of NS Kaushal, president, Kurukshetra University Teachers Association, on the university campus here recently. The teachers said if their demand was not met, they would express their resentment by wearing black badges. Kaushal said the associations also demanded that the committee constituted by the government to look into the implementation of the new pay scales should also have teachers’ representatives and the new pay scales as per the notification
of the ministry of human resource development should be implemented.
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‘Executive should exercise powers judiciously’
Sirsa, March 23 SK Goyal, deputy commissioner inaugurated the seminar while KC Bhardwaj, vice-chancellor of the university, presided over. Dr BP Singh, chairperson and dean of the faculty of law, welcomed the delegates to the seminar. Goyal said the lack of proper implementation of laws by the executive was the main impediment in providing justice to society. The executive should exercise its powers judiciously and not arbitrarily, he added. Bhardwaj said law had always changed and developed keeping in view the needs of society. He said the public interest litigations had become a vital tool for people to get justice. Prominent among those who read their papers were SK Olyhan, head, department of law, MM University, Mulana, who delivered his lecture on dynamics of judicial lawmaking in the constitutional interpretation; and Mahabir Singh, faculty of law, Delhi University, who spoke on the perspective of judicial review of the amendment under the Constitution law in India.
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