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University teachers call off strike
HFUCTO hails decision
Non-teaching staff of colleges suspend stir
Shahpur Kandi Project |
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Rain brings respite from power cuts
Scientists concerned over loss of soil fertility
Customised fertiliser project launched
INLD nominee begins electioneering
Hooda’s copter makes unscheduled landing
Councillors back Surjewala
Mystery shrouds girl’s death
Student dies under mysterious circumstances
Woman shot dead
High Court
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University teachers call off strike
Karnal/Kurukshetra, September 9 The decision to call off the strike was taken at a meeting of the coordination committee of Haryana universities (ad hoc), representing teachers’ associations of Kurukshetra University, MDU, Rohtak, Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar, Ch Devi Lal University, Sirsa, CCSHAU, Hisar, and DBCR University of Science and Technology, Murthal, with Hooda at his residence in New Delhi. A number of issues like re-designation of readers/lecturers (selection grade) as associate professors, upgrade of 10 per cent posts of professors to higher AGP (academic grade pay) of Rs 12,000, minimum entry level pay for readers and professors directly recruited after January 1, 2006, incentives for PhD/MTech/MPhil, special allowance of Rs 5,000 per month for the Vice-Chancellors were discussed during the meeting in a cordial atmosphere and Hooda assured that all due benefits as per the UGC recommendations would be given to them, convener of the coordination committee Prof NS Kaushal said. He further mentioned that all other pending issues, including raising the age of superannuation, would be decided by the committee already constituted for the purpose after due consultation with representatives from different teachers’ associations. The committee unanimously resolved that the loss of teaching due to agitation would be compensated by taking extra classes and academic activities would be resumed immediately. ROHTAK: The two-week-old strike by the teachers of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) was called off on Wednesday after the remaining section of the teachers announced to suspend their agitation and return to work immediately. The move came after a meeting of a teachers’ delegation with the Chief Minister, who has assured of a positive action regarding their demands of proper revision in the pay scales as per the provisions of the MHRD notification. The move also came after the story, which was carried out by The Tribune on Wednesday, in which the strike had been described as illegal and the Vice-Chancellor of the varsity had warned to initiate action against those teachers who fail to return to work soon. Earlier, a meeting of agitating teachers was held on Wednesday morning on the campus to discuss the present scenario and the assurance given by the Chief Minister and his OSD regarding their demands. According to Professor Rajinder Chaudhary, convener of the Action Committee of the MDUTA, the OSD responded to the delegation on a positive note and said the government would seriously look into these aspects and on receiving clarifications from the MHRD/UGC/Election Commission, wherever appropriate, or otherwise, would take a suitable remedial action to provide relief to teachers. He said the teachers later endorsed the common decision of all university teachers’ associations of Haryana to suspend the agitation. It was also decided that the seven-member action committee would continue to liaise with other teachers’ associations of universities of Haryana over pending issues. He claimed that the teachers had also decided to start the process of conducting annual MDUTA elections at the earliest since the previous union had already completed its term. In another development, secretary, MDUTA, Dr Subhash Sharma and members of the executive committee of MDUTA, Dr Nikhilesh Kumar and Dr Rajendra Sharma, resigned from the EC of the MDUTA alleging that they were misled in the meeting held on September 8 about the developments regarding the agitation. HISAR: The striking teachers of the Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology on Wednesday called off their 15-day-old strike saying that it has received a “concrete assurance” from the Chief Minister regarding the implementation of new scales. GJUTA president Rajesh Lohchab said the teachers would take extra classes during the winter break to compensate for students’ studies. |
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HFUCTO hails decision
Chandigarh, September 9 In a statement issued here today, general secretary of the HFUCTO Rajbir Parashar said his organisation had been consistently demanding a “consultative mechanism” with the government on the specific issue of revision of pay scales as well as the vital agenda of higher
education. Parashar said divergent opinions on calling off the strike did not in any way meant a division in the teaching fraternity on the lines of the university and college teachers. It may be pointed out that the college teachers had called off their agitation earlier, while the university teachers had continued with the strike. He said for
HFUCTO, the strike had never been an end in itself but a measure to get a table for mutual deliberations and viable solution to the problem. He acknowledged the role played by MP Ram Prakash and MS Chopra, OSD to CM, in finding an amicable solution to the issue. Meanwhile, president of the Haryana College Teachers Association, a representative body of the teachers working in the government-aided colleges, UV Singh said a meeting of the association would be held at SD College,
Panipat, on September 13 to discuss the developments related to the revision of the pay scales. He thanked Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda “for addressing the issue of pay scales in an exceptionally personal and sympathetic manner”. |
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Non-teaching staff of colleges suspend stir
Hisar, September 9 Rai Singh, general secretary, Haryana Private Colleges Non-teaching Employees Union, said here that the one-hour sit-in daily by employees in their respective colleges would, however, continue. He said a delegation of the union met the Chief Secretary in Chandigarh yesterday. During the meeting the union leaders made their stand clear. Thereafter, the Chief Secretary and OSD to the Chief Minister M. S. Chopra assured them that their point of view would be placed before the appropriate authorities for a favourable
response. Rai Singh said the union had also taken into consideration the interests of the students who were suffering academic loss as the teachers had also remained on strike for several days last month. |
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Shahpur Kandi Project
Chandigarh, September 9 At a meeting of the Group to Monitor and Examine Funding Issues in the Implementation of Schemes on Western and Eastern Rivers held under the chairmanship of the Member, Water Resources, Planning Commission, held in Delhi on September 3, Rajasthan supported Haryana’s stand in opposing the Punjab project. A day before the meeting, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda wrote separately to Union Minister for Power Sushil Kumar Shinde and Union Minister for Water Resources Pawan Bansal, opposing any Central assistance to Punjab for the Shahpur Kandi project. Hooda wrote that the Shahpur Kandi project was an extension of the Thein Dam, which was built on an inter-state river, the Ravi, in which Haryana and Rajasthan had a major stake. He pointed out that the disputes regarding the share of these states in the power generated at the Thein Dam project and the “manipulations of water releases” from the dam by Punjab were still pending before the Union Ministry for Power. Hooda also mentioned that the Planning Commission had directed Punjab in November 2001 to abide by the decisions of the Bhakra-Beas Management Board on the Shahpur Kandi project as well to consider the views of the co-basin states with regard to this project. At the meeting, Haryana officers led by Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Irrigation, R.N. Prashar reiterated the stand taken by Hooda in his letters to Shinde and Bansal. Prashar alleged at the meeting that Punjab had not complied with the conditions imposed by the Planning Commission and had obtained the clearance for the Shahpur Kandi project from the Technical Approval Committee by concealing the fact of its non-compliance. He said Punjab had not even involved it in the Shahpur Kandi project. Rajasthan also supported the views expressed by the Haryana team. |
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6 dead in building collapse
Faridabad, September 9 The ‘City Centre’ collapsed at around 12.45 pm and six persons were killed in the incident, Deputy Commissioner Praveen Kumar told PTI. “Several others are feared trapped inside. However, their number is not confirmed as yet. Rescue operations are still on and will continue for a few hours,” he added. The incident took place in the New Industrial Township (NIT) Phase I here at around 12.45 pm when the building came crashing down with a deafening roar. The shopping centre is quite popular among people here. Nearly 2,000 persons gathered on the spot as rescue teams worked to clear the debris. Ten cranes were working at the spot to assist authorities in the rescue operations. Fire brigade and ambulance were also present. According to a senior police official, “Some repair work was going on in the building. Heavy generator sets were installed on top of the building when it came crashing down.” Asked if installation of the heavy generator could be behind the collapse, Praveen said, “The exact reason is not confirmed yet, but the generator can be a reason.”
— PTI |
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Rain brings respite from power cuts
Yamunanagar, September 9 The power situation in the state had earlier deteriorated, following shortage of 77 lakh units. As a result, the people had been facing power cuts between 5 to 8 hours in the urban areas and 10 to 14 hours in the
rural areas. Sources revealed that the rainfall has brought down temperature and reduced the power consumption in the state. To overcome the power shortage, the state has been withdrawing over 634 lakh units of power against 586-lakh units quota from the central grid to fulfill the power consumption requirement. The power consumption in the state had increased to 1,086 lakh units per day although the power supply from all sources available was 1,009
lakh units. “The situation is expected to improve after September 10, as the power supply for paddy plantation will not be required,” the sources further added. |
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Scientists concerned over loss of soil fertility
Karnal, September 9 Participating in a three-day regional-SAARC workshop on “Nutrient Use Efficiency in Agriculture” inaugurated at the CSSRI here today, the scientists stressed the need for “balanced and efficient” use of nutrients and diversification of crop pattern for sustainability of natural resources. Director-general of the Fertiliser Association of India said a large number of experiments conducted in the South Asia had revealed that soil fertility vis-à-vis nutrient supplying capacity of most soils had either already declined or was in the process of declining due to intensive farming conditions. Increasing deficiency of major soil nutrients like nitrogen, sulphur, carbon, urea, manganese and zinc, other micronutrients had also been reported from the region, he added. Inaugurating the workshop, deputy director-general of the ICAR AK Singh depicted that the intensification of cultivation in the SAARC countries would require improved nutrient management to sustain high yields, protecting the environment and making agriculture economically attractive to the farmers. Raising serious concern over burning rice and wheat residues, he said in addition to loss of the nutrients, this practice also caused environmental degradation. Director, CSSRI, Karnal, Gurbachan Singh emphasised that rational and balanced use of nutrients in sustainable crop production was a must for meeting the food requirement of the SAARC countries. |
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Customised fertiliser project launched
Karnal, September 9 Different units of customised fertilisers would be set up across the country after elaborate field research and at least 10,000 soil samples of land would be taken to gauge the level of nutrients in the soil, the nutrients required for the crops grown and also the size of the land holdings of farmers for developing area-specific
fertilisers, Dr AK Singh, deputy director general (natural resources management),
ICAR, said here today. Disclosing that about 142 million hectares was under agriculture in India, he said it was a matter of grave concern that minerals contents in the soil were gradually decreasing, highlighting the need for balanced use of
fertilisers. He said the loss of nitrogen nutrient in the soil was 90 per cent followed by carbon and sulphur (50 per cent), potassium (30 per cent) and manganese (25 per cent). |
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INLD nominee begins electioneering
Sirsa, September 9 Addressing a series of meetings in Rangari, Dhingtania, Choburja, Modia, Shahidanwali, Natar, Salarpur, Ramnagaria, Kelania and Shamshad Patti, Chautala alleged that all sections of society were fed up with the present government and were waiting eagerly for the elections. He alleged that law and order in the state was in a shambles. He said the INLD had made several announcements in its poll manifesto that would provide succour to all sections. Earlier, addressing mediapersons, Chautala said the manner in which Congressmen were fighting for the party ticket had exposed their character. “Those who are fighting in front of their senior leaders cannot lead people or provide them any relief,” Ajay Singh said, adding that the INLD had scored over other parties in announcing almost half of its poll candidates. By the time others start their campaigning, his party would have completed one round of electioneering. Taking a dig at the BJP, he said the party demanded 45 seats from the INLD, but it was finding it difficult to find persons who could contest on that party’s ticket. He expressed confidence that the INLD would form the next government in Haryana. |
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Hooda’s copter makes unscheduled landing Hisar, September 9 He was on his way to Muktsar in Punjab from Delhi. As the helicopter reached Hisar, the pilot informed him that there were low clouds because of rain and it would be better if the journey was terminated at Hisar. Thereafter, the chopper landed here. Hooda left for Delhi by car. He was accompanied by his former political adviser Virender Singh and a former legislator. On his way to Delhi, Hooda halted at a dhaba in Hansi, about 25 km from here, where he had lunch. Answering queries by mediapersons, he clarified that the chopper had not made an emergency landing. The journey had to be terminated because of poor visibility.
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Councillors back Surjewala
Kaithal, September 9 In her address, the chairman said she herself and all councillors were grateful to
Surjewala, who left no stone unturned to ensure speedy development of the Kaithal area. “During his tenure the council received about Rs 11 crore grant from the government, following which many important projects for the beautification of this town could be executed,” she said. |
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Tributes paid to Dyal Singh Majithia
Karnal, September 9 Speaking on the occasion, chief guest JS Ahlawat, Karnal Deputy Commissioner, lauded the vision of Majithia, who founded reputed institutions like The Tribune Trust, Dyal Singh colleges and renowned educational institutions like Dyal Singh Public Library to disseminate knowledge among people. Brig NK Bhandari (retd), General Manager of the Dyal Singh Trust Society, and Dr RS Khanchi, principal of the college, recalled the yeoman service rendered by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia in social and educational sectors and said he would always be remembered as a great “social reformer”. |
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Raising teachers’ retirement age opposed
Sirsa, September 9 In a release issued here today, the three associations said the demand, if accepted, would affect adversely the unemployed eligible teachers. Convener of the Eligible Teachers Association and Haryana Unemployed Teachers Association Dalip Bishnoi and president of the Trained Teachers Association Ramesh Khokhar said the strike by university teachers had been totally unjustified, as the state government had already accepted most of their demands. |
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Girl students stage dharna
Rewari, September 9 The girls have been protesting against the imposition of “exorbitant” tuition fee, alleged issuance of receipt for a lesser amount than the actual amount
charged from them and arbitrary enforcement of hefty fines on them by the
college authorities. The blockade, which started at 9.30 am today, was continuing till the filing of
this report. Despite persuasive efforts made by naib tehsildar Rajender Singh and the college principal Rita Sehgal, the agitating girls stuck to their demand of securing a firm assurance from the college authorities. However, college principal Rita Sehgal refuted the allegations. |
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Mystery shrouds girl’s death
Jind, September 9 While the police has been investigating the matter, no arrest has been made so far. The postmortem report has revealed that the girl had died of hanging. It is not yet clear whether the girl had committed suicide or was strangled to death. The police has been trying to nab the mother of the deceased, who has been absconding since a complaint had been lodged with the police regarding the death of the girl under suspicious circumstances. Initially, it was reported that the girl had died of heart attack after she fell from a bed in her house. However, this theory presented by the girl’s mother was not accepted by an uncle of the girl, who lodged a complaint with the police alleging that the girl had been murdered. Though District Police Chief Satish Balan claimed that the girl had died due to hanging, he said the matter would become clear after the arrest and interrogation of the mother of the girl. He said it appeared to be a case of suicide. |
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Student dies under mysterious circumstances
Yamunanagar, September 9 The deceased identified as Parachi, a resident of Labour Colony of Shahranpur, developed a severe pain and went unconscious while she was sitting along with her friends outside the college in the afternoon. She was taken to a private hospital by the college staff and students, where she died there. Police sources said the police officials rushed to the hospital after getting intimation that the girl had consumed some poisonous substance. The police officials investigating the case suspect that the girl may have consumed some poisonous substance that led to her death. However, the cause of her death will be confirmed after the postmortem report. The body of the girl was handed over to her parents after the postmortem. The parents of the deceased expressed unwillingness for any further inquiry in the case and denied any foul play. The father of the deceased, Rajesh Bahadur, told the police that his daughter was fine when she left for college in the morning. She had been undergoing treatment for some illness for the past sometime. She might have consumed some medicine for her disease that led to her death, he added. |
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Woman shot dead
Rewari, September 9 Sources said the accused, Kailash Yadav, forcefully entered into Prem Devi’s house and then allegedly opened fired on her from his licensed gun from point blank range. Kailash is employed as a security guard in a private company. A family dispute over a piece of agricultural land is stated to be behind the murder. On a complaint filed by Rahul Yadav, son of the deceased, the Bawal police has registered a case of murder and trespass under Sections 302 and 449 of the IPC as well as Sections 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act against the accused. Simultaneously, the police has also arrested Kailash Yadav. |
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High Court Chandigarh, September 9 As a report by the Dabwali DSP did not indicate the reason behind not taking the action against the remaining depot holders, and details of major irregularities, were not mentioned, the Bench of Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur and Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia directed the Food and Supplies Director be impleaded as a party. The petition by depot holder Krishna Grover now stands adjourned to November 18. Plea to grant old-age pensions In a petition, the Haryana Pradesh Chamar Sangharsh Samiti today sought the grant of old-age pension to persons belonging to “extremely downtrodden scheduled caste category” and get the their names included in the below the poverty line list. The petitioners claimed the names had been excluded for “reasons best known to officials concerned”. Directions were also sought for getting small residential plots allocated. The Bench of Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur and Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia asked the petitioner to file an affidavit giving details before adjourning the matter.
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