Rewari, July 20
With cheats craftily hovering around ATM booths to trap gullible money-getters, the ATM facility provided by various banks to their customers here is proving more of a scourge than an amenity to them.

While occasionally some inexperienced ATM cardholders fall prey to such cheats, more often the sharks, who always keep a sharp eye on the password used by the cardholders, replace their original ATM card with a similar fake card quite dexterously. Subsequently, these swindlers withdraw money from their account with the help of the stolen ATM card.

It is all more agonising that owing to the nifty modus operandi of the cheats, the CCTV cameras installed there by the bank authorities are not proving conducive to the police in nailing the culprits.

Of late, the ATM booths set-up by the State Bank of India (SBI) in its vicinity around the Railway Road here have become soft targets for these sharks.

As many as three cases of skullduggery, which were committed by these cheats in the first fortnight of June, 2009, have now come to light following the registration of cases by the police.

A cheat fraudulently replaced the ATM card of Surjit of Janola village while he was withdrawing money from his account at the SBI’s booth here on June 9.

Subsequently, the cheat withdrew Rs 32,900 from Surjit’s account with the help of the stolen card.

Surjit came to know of the fraud only after he unsuccessfully tried to obtain money again from the above booth here recently.

Under such circumstances, he filed a complaint following which the police registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust.

Similarly, two other account holders of the SBI, Ram Kumar of Sadhu Shah Nagar here, and Lal Singh of the surrounding Budana village, were also duped of their ATM cards by the cheats when they withdrew money from their respective accounts at the booth here on June 3 and 4, respectively.

Later, the sharks withdrew Rs 2,700 from Ram Kumar’s account and Rs 1,300 from Lal Singh’s account.

Recently, when they realised the fraud, they lodged complaints with the city police.

Another interesting episode occurred prior to these three incidents.

While withdrawing money from the SBI’s ATM booth here on May 28, when Satish Kumar, a resident of the local Qutubpur colony and a constable of the Delhi police, sought assistance from a stranger, who was present in the booth, the stranger reportedly duped him of Rs 10,000 and then slipped away stealthily.

Subsequently, when Satish’s plea for the registration of a case was not entertained by the police, he got a compact disc (CD) prepared on the basis of recordings of the CCTV camera of the ATM booth with the requisite cooperation provided by the bank authorities.

Thus, when he again approached the city police recently with his complaint, along with the CD, the police registered a case and started keeping a vigil on the booth.

Subsequently, on July 10, the police apprehended a youth who was hovering around the booth in suspicious circumstances.

The youth, later identified as Vir Singh of Gurgaon district, revealed during interrogation that he had duped the complainant of Rs 10,000 and had played fraud on four other customers in recent times as well.

Sonepat, July 20
Demanding information under the RTI Act as to how an 18-year old was appointed as lecturer in the college, who eventually went on to become the principal of the same institute, has created problems for the HoD, Hindi, at Hindu Girls College, here.

Dr Neera Garg had sought information from the Director of Higher Education as to how the present principal of the college was appointed by the management as lecturer in 1969, when she was only 18.

Dr Garg said the college was a government-aided institute, which was affiliated to the MDU, Rohtak, and thus it fell under the purview of the RTI.

However, her move to seek information invited the wrath of the college principal, who allegedly ordered her salary deduction from October 17, 2008, till February 3, 2009, on various grounds. Dr Garg said besides, she was also subjected to mental harassment by the principal.

She alleged that the college principal had ordered deduction of her salary in an unauthorised way without following the procedure laid down in the security of services rules of the state government of 2006, she said.

Dr Garg pointed out that under the service rules, only the college management could deduct her salary to impose a penalty on her. She stated that as per the rules, she should have been issued a notice by the managing committee, which she never received and the action against her was initiated in violation of the rules. She said she even approached the managing committee pleading that the orders issued by the principal be rectified.

Dr Garg said left with no other option, she approached the managing committee of the college and later took up the matter with the Director of Higher Education. After the matter was brought to the notice of the Director of Higher Education, he directed the governing body of the college on April 9 to take necessary action on the matter.

He also asked the governing body to clarify as to how the present principal had been appointed in the college at an age of 18.

When contacted, principal of the college Dr Lajja Goyal refused to comment.

Sonepat, July 20
The Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, has started an innovative market-oriented PG programme in English and communication studies from the current session.

Envisioned as a comprehensive course, it focuses on various aspects of language and literature (spoken and scripted), digital and media communication, personality development, personal and socio-cultural ethics, etiquettes and other allied skills needed for the holistic development of personal, professional and social persona.

According to Dr HS Chahal, vice-chancellor of the university, the two-year MA course is a blend of traditional courses in English and the emerging requirements of communication and interpersonal skills.

Today, effective communication skills in English have become an indispensable tool for professional success, both at the global and local levels, he said.

“The entire technocratic, medical and corporate world today looks up to universities and particularly language/ communication experts to provide training to their personnel to groom them into smart managers and executives who are efficient in communication skills and can handle clientele the world over,” he said, adding that there was a dearth of professional trainers with university degrees in communication skills and the course aimed at addressing the issue.

He also informed that the course had a wider application than the traditional MA English such as English teaching in engineering and management institutes, degree colleges and schools, publishing and editing, advertising and public relations, corporate and government communication centres etc. The course was particularly meaningful for those individuals who wished to take up the teaching of English and communication skills.

Gurgaon, July 20
Hewlett Packard (HP) has awarded a grant of more than $170,000 as cash and technology to the city-based Ansal Institute of Technology (AIT) for its project, ‘Use of Tablet PC in Strengthening the Foundations of Engineering Education’.

AIT is one of the two higher education institutions in the country to receive the prestigious grant. HP has recognised the AIT Campus for dedication to enhancing degree programmes in engineering, computer science and information systems and information technology, the innovations that are possible at the intersection of teaching, learning and technology.HP will partner with AIT to implement the project and develop the institution’s technology capacity for the benefit of its students.

The project will focus on developing innovative techniques of teaching basic subjects with the help of design tools and relevant software. The courseware will be concurrently developed and implemented using HP technology, mainly Tablet PCs and iPAQ. AIT will set up a lab to promote technology innovation and enhance student learning jointly with the grant and its own support. It is also proposed to provide training to the local police in the use of web-based services and IT tools to serve the community better.

A spokesperson of AIT said through this grant, the instructors would be able to facilitate enhanced learning using Tablet PC along with in-house developed learning education management system software called AITexplorer. “The courseware prepared by using visualisation, animation and other design tools will be kept on a server to be accessed even from a classroom through wireless connectivity on the campus. The classroom will double up as a lab as well. Such learning experience will be more rewarding and satisfying,” he affirmed.

Chandigarh, July 20
Former Finance Minister Sampat Singh’s desertion of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has opened the floodgates for more such resignations from the party.

A day after, at least three senior leaders of the INLD, including deputy leader of its legislature party, Sushil Indora, resigned and joined the Congress. Keeping him company were two former ministers, M.L. Ranga and Bahadur Singh.

They quit the party and joined the Congress even while Sampat Singh is still preparing to take a call on his future political plans. He held a meeting of his supporters on July 18 in this regard, but decided to bid his time.Now,he will meet his supporters individually before taking the plunge. Perhaps he is waiting for a bigger platform than what was provided to Indora and his colleagues by the Congress, to announce his entry into the ruling party.

It is not only former ministers and former MLAs who are quitting the INLD. Those who are holding organisational posts at the state and district-levels are also not behind their senior colleagues. President of the intellectual cell of the INLD Krishan Chand was among those who joined the Congress along with Indora and others on July 18. Earlier, several district- level INLD leaders had joined the Congress at Palwal and Rewari. Now, newspapers have stopped keeping track of those district- level leaders who are quitting the party every day.

To control the damage caused by these large-scale desertions, the INLD office here has been issuing statements by various leaders condemning those who had quit. Interestingly, reliable sources say some of them on whose behalf the statements had been issued were in touch with the ruling party at various levels in the recent past. If they are still in the INLD, it is because they could not get promises of political rehabilitation from the Congress.

The Congress is now finding it difficult to accommodate various opposition leaders who are interested in joining it. Since there is a long list of claimants for the party ticket from its own rank and file, the party cannot assure the “outsiders” of the ticket in the next Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, many in the Congress feel that the party should not encourage more leaders from the opposition, particularly the INLD, to join its ranks. They feel that since there is still anti-incumbency sentiment against the former ruling party in the state, the Congress should leave the target of the popular anger somewhat intact. However, their argument is countered by others, who say that the party leadership is giving entry to only those who enjoy a sober image.

Meanwhile, certain Bagri Jat leaders of the Congress are apprehensive about Sampat Singh joining their party. They apprehend that by his intellect and sober image, the former Finance Minister may overshadow them in future.

Hisar, July 20
A differently abled schoolteacher who designed a swing-operated fan and power generator which earned him kudos from former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is awaiting help from government agencies to put it to commercial use.

Rajesh Kumar who teaches English at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Aryanagar, near here, had last year designed a swing which used the mechanical energy generated from the swinging action to run a fan and produce electricity sufficient to light a room.

He organised a special demonstration of the contraption during Dr Kalam’s visit here last year. The former President liked the idea and asked him to get in touch with the National Innovation Foundation, Ahmedabad, for further help in the project. However, since then his efforts to get help from government and non-government agencies to refine his model for commercial application have not met with any success.

Rajesh says he thought of designing the contraption to provide relief to his students during power cuts. With help from his colleagues, students and a roadside mechanic, he designed a steel frame with a swing which transferred mechanical energy to a scooter’s gearbox through a chain. Three blades of a fan were fixed to the gearbox which acted as a ceiling fan. Sometime later, he added an alternator which produced electricity from the mechanical energy of the swing. The power generated was enough to light up a bulb. Rajesh now wants financial and professional help to further refine the contraption to generate and store power through an inverter.

The model cost him upwards of Rs 15000. He thinks the cost can be brought down in commercial production.He says the contraption has twin uses - children can enjoy swinging and generate power for their homes. “I need the help of mechanical, electrical and electronics engineers to make a commercial prototype of the contraption. But, I have neither volunteers nor institutional help. There are a few agencies, but I do not qualify for registering my project there for a variety of reasons”, he laments.

For instance, the National Innovation Foundation informed him that though his project was praiseworthy, its mandate was to help grassroots persons who have not been exposed to formal education. As Rajesh was educated enough, he did not fit the bill. The foundation instead referred him to three other agencies.Rajesh Kumar now wants the Haryana government to come to his help and provide him the wherewithal to take his idea further.

Kurukshetra, July 20
Kurukshetra has been a venue of great purification ceremonies for attaining “moksha” (salvation) for pilgrims from all over the country. On July 22, when there will be a total solar eclipse, millions will congregate to here to take a holy dip in its sacred water tanks.

According to ancient Hindu texts, the Matsya Purana and the Padma Purana, if an individual takes a dip in the sacred tanks of Kurukshetra on the occasion of a solar eclipse, he attains the merits of a thousand “ashwamedha yajna”. The Brahma Sarovar and the Sannihit Sarovar here are the sacred most tanks that draw millions of pilgrims during solar eclipse. History remembers the event Mahabharata not for its mundane warfare but for its philosophical treatise, Bhagavadgita, which was expounded here by Lord Krishna. Kurukshetra, prefixed with an epithet “dharmakshetra” is also known as a “tirtha par excellence”, according to the Mahabharata.

In the ancient time, on the occasion of a solar eclipse, all royal families used to travel to Kurukshetra to observe religious rites. Kurukshetra later became the battlefield for the great war, but for now it is known as a holy place of pilgrimage.

According to Srikrishna Museum deputy director Rajesh Purohit, the Bhagwad Puran describes when the royal families used to meet their relatiives in Kurukshetra, there were a great exchange of love. At one such meeting, Vasudeva and Kunti, who were brother and sister, lamented their long separation. Kunti complained about all she had been through due to Duryodhana. Vasudeva reminded her that he loved her and would have been there to help, except that his life was also miserable due to Kansa's persecutions”.

He said, “In another such meeting in Kurukshetra, Krishna and Balarama met residents of Vrindavana and renewed their relationship with their foster parents, Nanda, Yasoda and Rohini, and gopis (cowherd girls). The gopis were especially pleased to see Krishna again since he had never fulfilled his promise to return to Vrindavana. While Krishna and Balarama met their childhood friends, Krishna's parents from Vrindavana met Vasudeva and Devaki. Vasudeva finally disclosed to Nanda the events surrounding Krishna's birth, and they both felt grateful for their fate and having Krishna as their son. While Nanda and Yasoda sometimes thought of Krishna as their ordinary child, Vasudeva and Devaki had always remained conscious of Krishna's divinity”.

“The celestial event of solar eclipse is synonymous with Kurukshetra. This happens to be the only prescribed venue in the history for attaining salvation on a solar eclipse. The word ‘tirtha’ means to float. It symbolises the liberation of soul from the cycle of birth and death. Hence, it is obvious that the land is associated with water and water bodies. This is evident from the age-old tradition of taking a holy dip in the sacred tanks of Kurukshetra,” Purohit added.

Panipat, July 20
Efforts started by the district administration to spruce up the Hali Park that had been lying in a state of neglect till recently have started showing results.

New flowerbeds have been carved out and coloured lights have been installed at all important points. Fountains and an all-new Bal Vatika have already been put in place.

It was in January this year that the administration had chalked out a plan to rope in business houses to give the park a new look.

The park, which is spread over 29 acres and is located in the heart of the city, was constructed by the Panipat Municipal Committee in memory of Urdu poet Altaf Hussain “Hali” about 27 years ago. The park was popular among children and elders alike as it had a lake with boating facilities. It even housed a mini zoo.

The lake was constructed in about 13 acres. However, for the last 11 years, the lake ceased to exist here as dirty water from several dyeing units flowed into the lake waters and lack of upkeep led to the drying up of the lake. Similar was the faith of the park that lost its glory over a period of time. The zoo also perished with the time. Unfortunately, some portion of the park was sold to nearby factory owners to overcome the financial crunch faced by the municipal council.

It was in the year 2000 that the IOC agreed to adopt the park for its integrated development. However, this failed to yield any results for the park. Even the business community did not show any interest in developing the park.

In 2003, the administration undertook a project to revive the park and the lake. But it could not take off and the lake continued to be in poor condition.

Deputy commissioner Vijay Singh Dahiya said it had been planned to plant flower saplings, trees and to repair the jogger’s track at the park. Besides floodlights and other coloured lights, a snacks bar and milk booth would also be set up in the park.

There is also a proposal to put up big toys such as Mickey Mouse at the park. A number of ornamental plants have also been planted here which would soon change the looks of the park, the DC said.

He said special arrangements were being made to give the park a more attractive look where people with their families could come for a stroll in the evening and even during the nights.

The northern portion of the park was also being developed for holding of exhibitions. Beautiful lights have already been put up at the entrance gates of the park.

Faridabad, July 20
Councillors of the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) have favoured more powers for the civic body to enable it to expand its revenue base.

The case was made out by the councillors at a meeting convened by Mayor Brahamvati Khatana to study measures to increase the revenue of the body.

They suggested the government must give more powers to the MCF so that it could grant change of land use (CLU) in more sectors. At present,the body can grant CLU in industry- related areas only.This would help the body get more revenue for itself.

Also,a demand was made that the rate of CLU should not be uniform in the area of MCF jurisdiction as was the case now.For example,the rate of CLU should match with the market value of the land in the areas concerned. Also, a demand was made to simplify the procedures and rules for obtaining completion certificates and clearance of building plans.The present uniform rate of CLU as well as the hurdles in obtaining completion certificates and approval of building plans was prohibitive and was depriving the civic body of revenue.

The councillors also made a strong case for increasing the MCF's surcharge on electricity tarrif.The present rate was 5 paise per unit.The demand was that it should be raised to 10 paise.

According to sources, the need for the meeting was felt in view of the dip in the revenue of the MCF which was creating hurdles in pursuing its development plans for the city.

Gurgaon, July 20
A roundtable meet on ‘partnerships for sustainable progress’ under the recently announced Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD) was organised by the Management Development Institute ( MDI) here.

Thirty senior practitioners from leading companies and foundations along with academicians from the MDI participated. The objective was to brainstorm and reflect on what role could the CSD play to contribute to the cause of sustainable development.

The director of the institute, Prof B. S. Sahay, stressed the need for collaborative efforts and voiced the institute’s commitment to take the centre to great heights. He suggested several initiatives and urged the participants to collaborate while working for sustainable development. Prof Ashok Kapoor, Dean of Continuing Education and Consultancy, called for a selfless approach.

Several suggestions were put forward by the group. It agreed with the method of evolution of the centre and felt that its vision, mission and regulatory framework must be defined. The centre could take up several initiatives such as mapping the core competence of the centre and of the several partners in sustainable development.

Collaboration amongst multiple stakeholders and also amongst each stakeholder was considered important. It was felt that while each company present had its own goals, they could still come together to support each other. Documentation of best practices and knowledge sharing to ensure that sustainable development gets into the DNA of the people at large should be aimed. For this, the group felt that there was need to take the support of IT, educational systems and media to spread the message.

Sensitising young minds and bringing about attitudinal change was considered critical. Measurement, rating, ethical practices and developing curriculums that promote understanding and practice could be targeted. Aligning the public policy programme with the centre to promote advocacy was also suggested.

Yamunanagar, July 20
In a move to give a facelift to Yamunanagar and Jagadhri, the district administration has directed the municipal council, B and R, PWD and national highway authorities to complete the beautification of parks, roundabouts and carpeting and maintenance of roads by July 31.

A decision in this regard was taken after getting reports about the condition of various parks, roundabouts, state and national highways.

Officials of the municipal councils of Yamunanagar and Jagadhri were told to complete the beautification of parks and roundabouts and maintenance and carpeting of the internal roads. Besides, they were also directed to take care of the drainage problem in certain areas, deputy commissioner Amit Kumar Aggarwal told The Tribune after meeting officials of various departments here.

Giving the details, he said officials of the national highway and B and R were also directed to complete the maintenance of the roads before the stipulated period. All the department had sufficient funds to complete the job, he added.

Meanwhile, while launching a major tree plantation drive at a school in Mehlawali, here, Aggarwal said, “Every village must have at least 40 trees of neem, pipal and ber, which are beneficial to the environment. It is the responsibility of the sarpanch and other panchayat members to plant these three trees in a large number.”

While addressing the gathering of members of panchayats of the district, he said, “We have decided to provide 40 lakh saplings to villagers during this drive. The panchayat of each village has to take the responsibility to make this drive successful. Each village has to maintain the record of all trees provided to it and ask its inhabitants to take care of these plants”.

Ambala, July 20
The recent extension of the MC limits of the Ambala MC Sadar has raised the hopes of the residents of illegal colonies that had sprung up in the past few years on the periphery of the earlier MC limits.

With the new notification, things are set to change. One of the first things the MC has done is to write to the government to regularise these colonies. It is only after the regularisation of such colonies that the MC can provide them facilities. Taking a step in this direction, the MC has asked the property association as well as the district and town planning department to prepare a list of these colonies to pave the way for their regularisation.

According to councilor and president of the Ambala Property Association Onkar Nath, more than 500 illegal colonies exist, which have a population of around 40,000.

He says these colonies have been made on small areas some even measuring an acre.

The new MC limit has also led to an increase in the property prices. Property in these colonies was earlier cheap because of their being illegal, but with the extension of MC limits such colonies have become sought after.

At least a 10-25 per cent rise in the property prices is being expected. Regularising the illegal colonies has been a long pending demand of the residents of this area and was one of the main priorities listed by all political parties during the Lok Sabha elections.

Kaithal, July 20
Members of the Rotary and Inner-Wheel clubs should not restrict their activities only to the urban areas, but they should also concentrate on the rural population which lacks healthcare and other amenities. This was stated by Dhyan Chand, a former district governor, Rotary District 3080, while speaking at the joint installation function of the Rotary and Inner-Wheel clubs of Kaithal here.

For 2009-10, Saket Mangal and Pardeep Jain have been installed as the president and secretary, respectively, of the Rotary Club and Shashi Kaushik and Reeta Jindal of the Inner-Wheel Club. Assistant governor Girish Chopra and other local dignitaries, including a veteran retired bureaucrat and former special judge, Pyare Lal Verma, were among those present on the occasion.

Dhyan Chand, who was also the chief guest, said during the past years, the Rotary Clubs had rendered services not only in India but also in various other countries. He exhorted members to work with dedication to eradicate diseases and hunger by providing necessary help to the needy. He also lauded the role of local clubs in executing public welfare projects. Narinder Gupta and Rahul Khurania, the outgoing president and secretary, respectively, highlighted the club activities and welfare projects undertaken during their tenure.

The chief guest also gave away vocational awards for social services. Nursing staff of the health department who have been extending services at club’s immunisation centre and outstanding students who have been selected for admission to various professional institutions were honoured on the occasion.