Bahadurgarh, July 23
Here is a reason to worry for colonisers/private developers indulging in developing private colonies on agricultural lands in the district without obtaining prior 
authorisation.

Taking a serious view of such growing activities, the district authorities have launched a special drive against the flourishing unauthorised colonies at various places in the district with a view to saving the public from the clutches of colonisers who intend to dupe them by developing illegal colonies.

The move has recently been kicked off from Bahadurgarh subdivision, which is turning out to be a favourite destination for the colonisers following an unprecedented hike in property prices here during the past few years.

Nearly 16 structures and a significant numbers of under-construction structures have been pulled down in Issharheri and Siddipur villages here by a special team headed by the Bahadurgarh SDM.

Besides, action has also been initiated against the owners on the charges of the violation of the Urban Area Act, which prohibits colonisers/private developers from developing colonies without getting a licence and the Control Area Act under which any activity other than agricultural cannot be undertaken without the approval of the Director, Town and Country Planning, Haryana.

District Town Planner Sanjay Kumar said the drive was carried out after giving notices to the violators. They were also given sufficient time to pull down their unauthorised structures, but they did not pay any heed, he added.

“The violators ignored the notices and continued carrying out constructions on a massive scale here. Some of them had even raised their offices without getting approval,” the official said, adding that adequate numbers of police personnel were also pressed into service to avoid any untoward incident during the demolishing operation.

Meanwhile, Jhajjar acting deputy commissioner Saaket Kumar said the drive would be carried out across the district and all those structures constructed illegally on agricultural lands would be razed, besides stern action against the guilty. He also called upon the people to get complete information about the property before making any deal.

Panipat, July 23
Still striving to stage a comeback after being hit hard by the global economic slowdown, the Panipat industry is facing yet another hindrance in reviving its lost prosperity. This time, it’s the shortage of power that is forcing the industry to either shell out crores of rupees each month on producing power using generators or face extinction.

There are more than 7,000 big and small units in the city. These need a considerable amount of power to keep up their productions. Though, the electricity provided by the power board costs them Rs 4 to 4.75 a unit, the cost of producing power of their own is about Rs 10 a unit. This turns out to be around Rs 10 to 15 crore a month for all industries in the city.

Yashpal Malik, an industrialist and president of the federation of small-scale industries, told The Tribune that local manufacturers had already lost big business due to the slowdown and it was not possible for them to deny whatever orders they were getting in the present circumstances. Therefore, they had to spend an exorbitant amount of money for ensuring power to run the industry (by using generators).

At present, power is available only for about seven to eight hours a day. The supply goes down to four to five hours a day during certain days, rued the industrialists. Besides, the supply is erratic. There are unscheduled cuts which become a real pain for the manufactures as their machines come to halt even when these are in the middle of the production.

Due to the prevailing circumstances, the manufacturers, who used to run their industries for three shifts in a row to meet the demands, are now operating their units only for a single shift. This has lead to a steep decline in the number of labourers working here as it has gone down to one-third.

The local industrialists have already submitted several memorandums to the state government demanding that more power should be made available to the city. However, relief is far from sight for the local manufacturers, who continue to incur losses each month.

Malik said they had even sought that power being generated at the Panipat thermal plant should first be offered to the industries of the city and then it should be supplied to other parts of the state. He contended that it was Panipat which was paying the price of having a thermal unit and why should it be deprived of the power being generated here.

Moreover, the local industry lost a major chunk of business as one of the major Sweden-based importers Ikea, which used to procure local-made products worth Rs 500 crore each year, has stopped buying from the local industrialists.

He said now the units were primarily depending upon the limited domestic and foreign orders and it was quite important for the industries to meet these orders at any cost to make sure that they stay in the business.

Panipat, July 23
After 18 years, the Panipat sugar mill has registered a profit of Rs 222 lakh during 2008 and 2009.

The sugar mill had used 12.5 lakh quintals of sugarcane from which the recovery rate remained more than 8.4 per cent. This enabled the mill to make a profit after a long time.

Managing director Bir Singh stated that the mill had started a special drive to encourage famers to undertake sugarcane plantation which had finally started showing results. He said in order to provide best quality seeds, fertilisers and pesticides to the cultivators, the management had started a sewa kendra on the mill premises. The weighing machine at the gate was also computerised to ensure that farmers got the right price for their produce, he said.

The seeds being sold on the mill premises were first treated in the moist hot air seed (MHAT) plant designed to control seed piece transmissible diseases like grassy shoot, ratoon shunting and primary infection of red rot of sugarcane, which otherwise passed from one generation to another. The managing director said famers who were using treated seeds were being offered Rs 500 an acre and bags of DAP and NPK fertilisers were being given free of cost to them.

Besides, the government was also offering various subsidies to the sugarcane cultivators, which included Rs 5000 per acre for upkeep of seed nurseries. The sugar mill had also ventured out to manufacture bio-fertilisers that had proved to be quite beneficial for increasing soil fertility. The bio-fertilisers were being sold for Rs 20 a quintal to the farmers, said Bir Singh. The farmers were also being given a 10 per cent discount of pesticides and a 25 per cent subsidy for buying sugarcane sowing equipments. Meanwhile, congratulating the sugar mill management for registering a profit, Deputy Commissioner Vijay Singh Dahiya said it was a big achievement and expressed the hope that the management would continue to repeat this success story year after year. 

Chandigarh, July 23
The indications of an early election to the Haryana Vidhan Sabha have opened the race for the Panchkula seat. After 16 years, the Congress is on the lookout for a candidate to replace its “disgraced” incumbent and former Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan, aka Chand Mohammad. This opens up various possibilities both within the Congress and also among the other political parties in the state, all of whom are looking to wrest this politically sensitive seat situated adjacent to the capital.

With the former Deputy Chief Minister’s fate sealed, the race to get the ticket is between homegrown leaders, who had so far been lurking in the shadows of Chander Mohan, and the political heavyweights from outside Panchkula. While the INLD-BJP alliance is most likely to field a BJP man from this seat, there is likely to be a keen contest amongst Congressmen to get a ticket from here.

Among the frontrunners for the Congress ticket are Ambala city MLA Venod Sharma, Beopar Mandal leader Bajrang Dass Garg, Power Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala, besides local leaders like Shashi Sharma, Krishan Nanha, Congress city chief RK Kakkar, former MC president Ravinder Rawal and state Congress media cell convener in charge Pawan Jain. Dinesh Gupta, an NRI, too, is vying for the ticket from this constituency.

Rohtak, July 23
In order to implement the policy of providing education to all children, the district authorities have launched a survey to identify the kids not enrolled in any school at present. Though a survey was conducted last month, the authorities had been asked to conduct a fresh survey of non-school going children aged between 6 and 14 and directed to submit the report by July 25.

At a meeting held here recently, deputy commissioner PC Meena pulled up the officials of the Education Department for not taking up the work of identifying the children for the purpose in a serious manner. While the population of the district had been around 12 lakh, a survey carried out by the officials found only 1,000 kids aged between 6 and 14 who had not been enrolled in any school. But this figure did not satisfy the district authorities ,who felt that the number of such children in the district could be several times more than what had been reported in the first survey.

The deputy commissioner said the department should carry out another survey and detect all kids who could be enrolled for education in government or private schools immediately. He said though private schools had hardly any role in this drive, any parent who wanted to go for private school education for his ward was free to do so. However, parents having poor financial background could be motivated to get their children enrolled in government schools.

The administration would try its best to provide any kind of help, including books, stationery and dress, if the family was poor or had been included in the BPL category, said the deputy commissioner. He said adequate counselling and motivation would be extended to the parents of all kids that would be identified for making them to get the kids enrolled in the school. There were about 243 government schools in the district at present. The funds of the ongoing Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan could be used for the drive, it is learnt.

However, the success of any such campaign could not be guaranteed unless there was a clause of some accountability and transparency, claims TS Tomar, a retired principal of a government school. He said while there could be a large number of children up to 14 years who had still not been getting any education, the survey conducted by the department might not be able to find the truth as it was not known what kind of motivation would be given to the parents of such kids. He said hundreds of children could still be noticed working illegally at tea stalls, eateries, etc. He claimed that the Labour Department had already failed to check the menace of child labourers in various parts of the state.

Kaithal, July 23
“We should make efforts to bring special children in the mainstream so that they can lead a smooth life”. This was stated by Sumedha Kataria, ADC, during her recent visit to the Mansik Viklang Bal Seva Kendra, run by Seva Sangh, a voluntary and social organisation, here.

She said special children needed services of specially trained and expert teachers. “Our efforts should be to prepare them in such a way that they become self-dependent. They should also be taught and provided training in cooking, sewing and other things”. She distributed books, stationery and fruits among the children on the occasion.

Seva Sangh general secretary Shiv Shanker Pahwa apprised the ADC of various activities undertaken by the organisation. He said a “kusht ashram” was being run on the Sirsa road here where 23 families were being provided food. Dwelling units had been constructed for them due to the efforts of the sangh, he added.

“The organisation has been running a free homeopathic dispensary. It has also introduced a drinking water facility at the local bus stand. The sangh organises a mass marriage function every year where couples are also provided with articles of daily use. Besides, blood donation camps and free medical check-up camps are also organised frequently,” he said. Pahwa said hundreds of local people and organisations donated funds to the sangh that helped it to continue its social welfare activities. 

Jhajjar, July 23
Having honoured police personnel performing their task with dedication and honesty, the Rohtak range police has now taken the initiative to felicitate those prominent personalities in other fields who have been doing commendable work in public interest.

The foremost aim behind this move is to encourage the people doing well in different domains, besides bringing a significant change in their frame of mind which usually develops a ‘negative’ image of the police as well.

Interestingly, the health sector has been chosen first for it and the doctor who has got this privilege is Kuldeep Singh Lallar, senior professor-cum-head, Cardiac Department, Pt. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak.

V. Kamaraja, Inspector-General of Police of the Rohtak range, stated this while talking to The Tribune during his visit here to keep a tab on police personnel performing duty at nakas and border points in the district.

“Dr Lallar has been given a certificate of honour keeping in view his outstanding and dedicated work in the field of cardiac medicine during the past several years. He has so far rendered his services to thousands of patients across and outside the state. I am, too, one of the beneficiaries of Dr Lallar who recently carried out my angiography test through radial artery which is the latest technique of angiography,” said Kamaraja, adding that he also honoured staff members of the Lallar’s unit for their exemplary sense of devotion to duty and distinguished skill.

Remarking on the latest technique adopted in the angiography and its advantages, Dr Lallar said, “Angiography is done through radial artery which takes hardly 5 to 10 minutes. Both arteries can be viewed with a single catheter. There are lesser chances of bleeding and haematoma formation. It is less painful and early ambulation is possible. The patient can walk and go back home with in 30 minutes. While in femoral route, the patient has to rest his leg for at least 6 hours in straight position. It is also less expensive as a single catheter is used”.

He informed only 10 per cent cardiologists adopted this procedure in India.

Gurgaon, July 23
He is one of the most versatile actors today. His acting calibre was noticed in his debut TV show “Swabhiman” almost a decade ago and since then it has been a long journey for this actor who graduated to films but has been in constant touch with TV for the pure love for the art.

Ashutosh Rana, who was in the city recently, is married to talented actor Renuka Shahane and had two sons. He is a content man today and is juggling TV and films with ease. He is very loquacious and down to earth with no hypes of being such a popular actor.

A brilliant actor and a famous onscreen villain, Ashutosh carved a niche for himself in Bollywood with his movie “Dushman”, where he played a character of a cold-blooded murderer. Thereafter, followed hits like “Sangharsh” and “Raaz”. He even bagged Filmfare awards for “Dushman” (1999) and “Sangharsh” (2000).

On being asked why he is called a positive actor in a negative role, Ashutosh told The Tribune, "I am always in the habit of bringing the positive out of negative. I have done all negative roles very positively and have always been appreciated for that”.

He was also seen in serials like “Farz”, “Sazish”, “Kabhi Kabhi”, “Waris”. He had also anchored “Baazi Kiski” and “Deewar” on Star News and a reality show, “Sarkaar Ki Duniya”.

Very few know that he is also an impressive poet.

Ashutosh had spent his childhood in Gadarwara in Madhya Pradesh. He used to participate in dramas since he was in school. His mother tongue is Bundelkhandi, but he has fascinated many with his oratory in Hindi language. “I feel happy because people appreciate my pronunciation,” he says and adds, “Indians are very fond of adopting the western languages, but for me Hindi is my mother tongue so why should I adopt any foreign language? I prefer to communicate in Hindi only”.

His wife Renuka is his inspiration and he himself is a loving and caring husband and a dedicated father.

On being asked one can rarely see him onscreen nowadays, Ashutosh replied, “I believe in quality, not quantity. I don't want to do any role which doesn’t give me a remarkable identity and my fans won’t even love to see me doing worthless roles”.

Ashutosh loves acting and doesn’t mind if it is small screen or big screen. Even language is no bar for him, what takes his time is acting as he says, “It is television that has made us stars. It is an opportunity to experiment and improve and practice to perfect the art of acting”.

Ashutosh doesn’t find much difference in working for television, film or theatre. “It's just a medium wherein one has to perform from within and if the performance is not genuine it will fall flat. In theatre, it's a one-to-one live interaction with the audience and where there are rehearsals but no retakes while in television one can give retakes and watch the reaction and perform better in the next episode and so is the case with films. So it's best to keep practicing acting through whatever medium possible,” he affirms.

He is known as Jeeva in the South Indian film industry as he has acted there as well. “I love acting and language is no issue for me as I love to learn things,” Ashutosh remarked.

He also feels that money is just a byproduct of any creation. “Money comes automatically when you get name, fame and appreciation for good work,” Ashutosh retreated and added, “I am a greedy and ambitious person and want the best of roles and if one looks at my career graph I am probably the only actor who has experimented and played contrasting characters. Acting is salvation for me”.

Karnal, July 23
Peeved at the apathetic attitude of the government to fulfill its promise to establish a medical college in memory of Kalpana Chawla, an NGO, NIFAA, has pledged either to get the medical college established by the government or with the support of people.

“Hamara sankalp - Kalpana Chawla medical college banwakar ya banakar rahenge” (Our pledge - We will get the medical college established or do it with the help of people) is the slogan coined by the NGO to reach out to people to motivate them to join the struggle to pay tribute to Kalpana Chawla and come forward to contribute for the noble cause.

Pritpal Singh Pannu, president, NIFAA, spearheading the crusade for setting up the college has already taken up the cause as a mass movement and established contact with opinion leaders and activists from various walks of life.

Explaining the cause to a gathering comprising 27 sarpanches, 15 municipal counsellors, representatives of more than 60 social, cultural, business, sports and religious organisations and hundreds of prominent citizens of Karnal, he took the first leap by announcing the formation of the Kalpana Chawla Medical College Nirman Committee with every zila parishad member, sarpanch, municipal councillor and representative of various Karnal-based public organisations as members.

The committee would mobilise the people of Karnal to participate in the crusade started for the formation of the college and distribute 2,000 banners of 10-metre length each to every village, municipal committee ward and educational institutions to elicit their support and express sentiments by collecting signatures.

Pannu disclosed that the campaign was aimed at collecting at least five lakh signatures from the people of Karnal till October 31, 2009, and a memorandum, along with the signatures, would be presented to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister BS Hooda as the reminder of “broken promise”.

The Haryana Day, falling on November 1, would be marked by the formation of 20-km long human chain with 20,000-metre banners to pressurise the government to fulfill its promise and later a demonstration would be held in front of Parliament House on February 1, 2010.

The mass movement got a boost with Amarjeet Dhiman, sarpanch of Anjanthali village, announcing to donate 100 acres of panchayat land for setting up the medical college and also promised to provide all other help from the panchayat to pay tribute to the great daughter of Karnal and India.

Other prominent persons of Karnal have also expressed their willingness to extend their support for the cause and raise donations.

The Indian-American astronaut, Kalpana Chawla, met an tragic end in Colombia crash on February 1, 2003, and during her condolence meeting held at Karnal, the then Union Health Minister CP Thakur had announced in the presence of the then Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala and local MP ID Swami that a medical college would be set up in Karnal in her memory.

A similar announcement was made by the Prime Minister when he visited Panipat to lay the foundation stone of an elevated flyover on April 5, 2008, and again at Hisar on May 19, 2007, while laying the foundation stone of a thermal plant.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda also reiterated the promise to set up the college during the inauguration of Kalpana Chawla Planetarium at Kurukshetra on July 24, 2007, while state Health Minister Kartari Devi and leaders of almost all parties expressed similar sentiments, but all these proved to be the election gimmicks.

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