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Cabinet expansion tomorrow
Mahendragarh
Teachers’ body plans week-long protests from December 2
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MDU winter break shortened
2 PGIMS doctors suspended
PM writes to wife of patient who died at PGI
Sweet Returns: Supply cane to coop mills, get bonus
Hooda government enhances cane prices
Farmers protest
HC rules out ‘preferential qualification’ as criterion for job
No anticipatory bail for Sofat
Deenbandhu: Govt okays additional unit
Chautala quits Ellenabad seat
Cousins killed
Dearness relief for freedom fighters hiked
Engg student murdered
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Cabinet expansion tomorrow
Chandigarh, November 4 It is unlikely that all berths will be filled in one go with the Congress still slugging it out for forging an alliance with the HJC. Sources said at least six ministers were expected to take oath and the state is not likely to get a Deputy CM in the first round. Speaking to TNS, Kuldeep Bishnoi, said he would not agree to a merger at any cost. “The Congress keeps saying that they have managed to break away all five of my MLAs in an attempt to pressurise me to merge my party. If that is so, let them take away my men. I began this journey alone and I am willing to begin from the scratch again. “And, if that is so, why would the CM and other senior party leaders visit me to convince me on the merger,” he asked. Speaking on the phone from Delhi, he maintaining that he could not let down his people, Bishnoi said that the post of Deputy CM was not attractive enough. “I don’t want the post. Let the Congress adjust my MLAs as ministers,” he said. While Bishnoi seems adamant, state Congress leaders are optimistic that he will yield in the end. Within the Congress, too, a tug-of-war is on for ministerial positions and forming a cabinet could be a tightrope walk. Among the top contenders for berths are six-time MLA Capt Ajay Yadav as a representative of the Ahirs, former power minister Randeep Singh Surjewala, Jhajjar MLA Geeta Bhukkal (caste equations favours her), Kiran Choudhry, former Chautala confidant Sampat Singh and ex-minister of state Savitri Jindal. Sources said the names of ministers would be finalised tomorrow. A couple of Independents, too, could be accomodated. |
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Mahendragarh
Chandigarh, November 4 Accusing the Mahendergarh Deputy Commissioner of “working like the president of the Congress party”, BJP’s senior leader and candidate from the seat, Ram Bilas Sharma, said the final result with the observer and returning officer’s signature mentions that 5,402 votes could not be retrieved. “The margin between votes polled by me and that of Congress candidate Rao Dan Singh is 5,453 votes. This only means that the votes not retrieved could have made a huge difference. Also, after polling was over, the DC spent a whole day in the strong room where the electronic voting machines were kept while our workers were denied permission to keep vigil outside the premises where the machines were kept for three days after the election,” he alleged. Maintaining that the BJP was never in favour of using EVMs in this election, he said contrary to claims, these were not tamper-proof. “I along with our party incharge of Haryana affairs,
Vijay Goel, met the Election Commission but they have failed to redress our grievances. How is it that I began trailing after leading in the first eight rounds? This is a part of a larger conspiracy where the DC was under immense pressure from the Congress to ensure the party candidate’s win,” he claimed. He alleged that in neighbouring Ateli too the BJP candidate had lost to the Congress candidate by 800-odd votes. “If they can bungle on votes in my constituency, they can do so in Ateli as well. Now, the district administration is claiming that the 5,402 votes was a computing error. How are we to believe this when there is evidence for the same? We have faith in the court and we will get justice from there,” Sharma said. Meanwhile, sources in the district administration, Mahendergarh, said it was a “clerical error” and that Sharma had been convinced of the same. The Election Commission had summoned the record the very next day and checked it for any mistakes, but found none. Sources added that they had signatures of the candidates after every round of counting, which shows that Sharma is only blowing his allegation out of proportion. |
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Teachers’ body plans week-long protests from December 2
Karnal, November 4 He said the demands did not pertain to teachers but to the school education sector and various programmes and schemes being implemented by the government. The demands raised by the sangh included stipend to the Scheduled Caste and Backward Class students, separate budget for salaries, concrete solutions for issues related to the assured career promotion (ACP), structural changes to improve the midday meal programme, filling of the vacant
posts by regular staff, regularisation of staff recruited on temporary and ad hoc basis, reversal of policy of privatisation and reversal of policy of privatisationand cancellation of letter issued on August 18 last regarding deduction in salaries. He said the government would also be requested to immediately intervene in the working of the Education Board, which had been reduced merely to examination board and was no longer Education Board in the true sense. The sangh was concerned over the deterioration in the standard of education due to wrong and outdated policies of the government and the youth of the state was suffering as they had to face competition with students of other progressive states, he added. |
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MDU winter break shortened
Rohtak, November 4 The university will now observe holidays from December 28 to 31 instead of the usual break from December 17 to 31. This has been done to compensate the loss of studies that occurred due to strike by the teachers from August 28 to September 7 last. The university teachers had gone on strike to seek the revised UGC
pay scales. While the press release issued by the university has not mentioned any reason for the curtailed winter break, the officials of the Maharshi Dayanand University, including its Registrar and the Dean, Academic Affairs, admitted that this had been done to compensate the loss of studies during the strike period. “The teachers had offered to forego their winter break in lieu of the suspension of teaching during the strike period, and this offer had been made voluntarily by the teachers,” Dean Surender
Kumar said. He said the first semester exam of the various classes would now be held in the third and fourth week instead of first and second week of December, due to the rescheduling. However, the students pursuing courses like the B.Tech, M.Tech, MCA, MBA, MHM and MTM have been spared from this change, according to university officials. It may be recalled that the university authorities had issued notices to the teachers last month to seek their reply regarding the break in their attendance during the strike and the possible deduction of the salary of the strike duration. But the authorities instead of going for a cut in the salary of the teaching staff adopted a rather 'lenient' attitude and allowed the teachers to take classes during the winter break, said sources in the university. “The students on other hand had not been taken into confidence regarding this decision,” said a foreign student of the university on condition of anonymity. He said he had already decided to go out of station with his friends during the break, as it was time for Christmas celebrations. |
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2 PGIMS doctors suspended
Rohtak, November 4 The authorities have placed under suspension three employees of the institute, two doctors and a nurse, on various charges. One of the doctors suspended has been charged with prescribing medicines of a particular drug manufacturer to OPD patients for a long time. He has also been blamed for asking the patients to purchase medicines from a particular medical shop in the vicinity of the institute.The suspension order of Dr RK Yadav, Assistant Professor, Medicine, were issued last evening after submission of an inquiry report by a panel consisting of three senior doctors of the university RS Yadav, RB Singh and VK Govil. It is, perhaps, the first time that a doctor has been placed under suspension on such charges, said sources in the PGIMS. Another faqculty member given the suspension letter is an HCMS doctor who has been undergoing a PG course in Medicine. He has been charged with dereliction of duty. The third employee is a nurse at the PGIMS Hospital here. She has been charged with carelessness while on duty. When contacted, Vice Chancellor SS Sangwan said the university and the PGIMS were committed to improving their functioning and to check any activity which may result in problems to the patients or bring a bad name to the institutions. It is learnt that pressure is being used by kin of some employees to get the orders rescinded. |
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PM writes to wife of patient who died at PGI Ambala, November 4 The letter was handed over by the Deputy Commissioner of Ambala along with a compensation of Rs 2 lakh and an assurance to Sumit’s widow that the government would take care of the education of his children. The letter, addressed to Sumit’s wife Isha, reads: “I am writing to you to express my profound sense of sadness at the death of your husband Shri Sumit Verma yesterday. I understand that he could not get access to the PGIMR in time because of restrictions in place for my visit there. This is something I deeply regret. I have issued instructions so that in future authorities are more sensitive to the concerns of the common man while imposing such restrictions for reasons of security.”
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Sweet Returns: Supply cane to coop mills, get bonus
Chandigarh, November 4 Stating this here today, a spokesman of Haryana Federation of Cooperative Sugarmills Ltd, said as a result of the bonus, the cane growers would get Rs 210 per quintal for supply of early varieties of sugarcane, Rs 205 per quintal for mid varieties and Rs 200 per quintal for late varieties for 2009-10. He said the decision to propose bonus for cane growers has been taken in view of the reduction of cane crop in areas under coop mills during the last two seasons. The area under sugarcane in the year 2007-08 was 2.21 lakh acres which had gone down to 82,000 acres in 2009-10, showing a decline of 63 per cent. One of the reasons for decline in area under cane was attributed to better return from the wheat and rice crops as compared to sugarcane. He said the measure has been taken to avoid diversion of sugarcane from its assigned area and to offset to a certain extent the loss suffered by the cane growers and to motivate sugarcane growers to grow cane in a larger area. |
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Hooda government enhances cane prices
Chandigarh, November 4 He also announced the cane price for 2010-11, which would be Rs 210, Rs 205 and Rs 200 per quintal for early, mid and late varieties, respectively. Hooda, while presiding over a meeting of the Sugarcane Control Board here yesterday, said the price of cane for 2009-10 had been increased by Rs 15 per this year. Also, the price of sugarcane for 2010-11 was higher by Rs 25 per quintal as compared to that in 2009-10. He said the price of sugarcane for the crushing season 2010-11 had been decided in advance to encourage the farmers to grow more cane. He also urged sugar mills in the state to find ways and means to ensure remunerative prices for the farmers. The board was informed that all mills, including those in the private sector, had paid more than Rs 414.87 crore to the farmers for the cane purchased during 2008-09. This amount included over Rs 215.85 crore paid by cooperative sugar mills. While the private mills would commence crushing from November 25, the coop mills would start crushing after that. Hooda directed the mills to continue the crushing operations till the entire cane was crushed so that the farmers did not suffer. Those who attended the meeting were Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Chhatar Singh; Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Finance, Ajit M Sharan; Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Agriculture, Roshan Lal; Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Cooperation, SS Dhillon; Registrar, Coop Societies, Shiv Raman Gaur; MD, Hafed, Sudhir Rajpal; MD, Federation of Cooperative Sugar Mills, JP Kaushikand Cane Commissioner Anil
Malik.
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Auction cancelled due to tardy lifting
Sonepat, November 4 Commission agent and district president of the Beopar cell of the BJP Sanjay Verma said purchased stock of as many as 30,000 paddy bags had almost filled the market area, as lifting has been very slow. Moreover, after repeated pleas of the traders, the government had started lifting six lakh bags of wheat which were stocked in the open space of the new market. Verma informed that 4,500 bags of wheat were lifted on a daily basis.As a result of this, as well as due to dissatisfaction over the purchase price of sister varieties of basmati in different markets, the paddy growers have started taking their produce to the adjoining grain market of Narela in Delhi. Many tractor-trolleys loaded with paddy could be spotted on the Sonepat- Narela road daily. “We get slightly higher rates than being given in Sonepat market and also get payment the same day. Moreover, there is a difference of three per cent between rates of market fee being charged in Narela and Sonepat grain markets,” said a farmer. Officials revealed that out of a total arrival of 50,831 tonnes in all five grain markets of the district up to November 3, the total arrival in Sonepat and Kharkhoda grain markets, which are in the areas of the district adjoining Narela market, was only at 8,903 and 1,522 metric tones, respectively. The chairman of Sonepat Market Committee Ranvant Dahiya said the market fee in Narela was only 1 per cent in comparison to 4 per cent in Haryana markets and that difference attracts farmers to
Narela. |
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Farmers protest
Jind, November 4 The union members alleged that the Hafed, the state government agency, had not been buying their produce and all procurement so far had been conducted by private parties, which they said had been buying at lower rates. Ved Pal, an office-bearer of the union,said the issue had been raised in a meeting with the DC and other officials recently but nothing concrete had been done so far. “The announcement made by the government of a bonus of Rs 50 on each quintal has only been an ugly joke as the main government agency has not been buying the paddy from the farmers, who had been forced to sell their produce at throwaway prices,” claimed Phool Singh Sheokand, state president of the union. He said the paddy variety of 1121 that had fetched a rate of Rs 3,200-3400 per quintal last year was being purchased at half that rate. A week ago, farmers had blocked the highway connecting Jind with Rohtak on the issue. |
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HC rules out ‘preferential qualification’ as criterion for job
Chandigarh, November 4 Justice Ranjit Singh has ruled: “If preferential qualification alone is to be considered for appointment, it would lead to excluding the others from consideration”. The ruling came on a bunch of four petitions by Rajinder Singh and another against the state of Haryana and other respondents. Claiming to have a brilliant academic record, the petitioners, working as drawing instructors on regular basis, had responded to an advertisement dated September 14, 2006, for posts of principal and others in Haryana industrial training and vocational education department. The petitioners “did not make the grade and filed the writ petitions”. The respondents claimed that the candidates selected had obtained higher marks than the petitioners. But the counsel appearing for the petitioners “made reference to the advertisement with special emphasis to the condition that preference was to be given to the candidates possessing degree or diploma in mechanical or electrical engineering”. Taking up the case, Justice Ranjit Singh observed: “The plea is that the petitioners were possessing this qualification, which, none of the respondents had, and accordingly it was submitted they would have a preferential claim for appointment in comparison to the respondents, who had been appointed…. “The stand of the respondents, of course, is that if everything is otherwise equal, candidates possessing these diplomas or degrees would have preferential right of appointment. Once the criteria for selection has been made and assessment has been done on the basis of the said criteria, preference clause obviously will come into play if other things are equal. There cannot be any other method to operate the preferential clause…. “I am, thus, not inclined to accept the submissions made by the counsel for the petitioners to say that they will have any preferential right for appointment merely because they possess qualification which is to be preferred. The writ petitions are accordingly dismissed”.
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No anticipatory bail for Sofat
Panchkula, November 4 The local police booked Sofat when, on July 19, he alleged that Ramesh Pashan, a Ludhiana resident and his two sons attempted to kill him in the Morni hills, resulting in bullet injuries to his driver. He had also alleged that the Pashans had robbed him off Rs 33 lakh that were lying in his Tata Safari at the time of the incident. Nelson, who was the driver with Sofat, was injured as he suffered bullet injuries inflicted by alleged looters. Finding it a cooked-up story by Sofat to frame the Pashans, the police had registered a case of attempt to kill the driver Nelson against Sofat. Later, in August, the Uttarakhand police also registered a case under Section 376 against Sofat after a woman allegedly disclosed to the police that she was asked to lodge a complaint with the Dehradun police alleging that Ramesh Pashan, a Ludhiana businessman, and his friends had raped her. In the High Court, opposing the anticipatory bail application of Sofat, the state of Haryana on behalf of the Panchkula police informed the court that he had a criminal record and was wanted in many criminal cases registered against him at various places in the country, including Ludhian, Dehradun and Panchkula. Sofat moved to the High Court, following the rejection of his application by the Panchkula court. In a related development, the High Court granted regular bail to Varinder Sofat, Sumit Sofat’s cousin. Varinder, a Mohali resident, was arrested by Panchkula police allegedly for his involvement in the conspiracy to frame the Pashan family in Nelson’s murder. Notices issued to pollution board The Punjab and Haryana High Court Division Bench of Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur and Justice Mahesh has issued notice of motion on a PIL seeking directions to the state of Haryana Pollution Control Board and others on flouting of ban on the use of polythene bags in towns like Bhiwani. The petitioner claimed that the use of polythene bags was clogging of sewers, causing air pollution and resulting in diseases among cattle.
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Deenbandhu: Govt okays additional unit
Chandigarh, November 4 Speaking after chairing the 75th meeting of the board of directors of HPGCL, Madhusudhan Prasad, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, power, stated that this would be the first super critical unit to be established by HPGCL at a cost of about Rs 3,300 crore. He added that the board of directors had given the go ahead for the engagement of engineering and design consultants for the establishment of the project at a fast pace. He said the decision to establish the first super critical unit of HPGCL was taken because of higher efficiency of super critical unit and their environment -friendly standards of emission. He added that this would enhance the generation capacity of the existing Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Station (to 1,260MW. He added that two units of 300MW capacity each were already functioning at Yamunanagar. Releasing the provision of annual accounts for the financial year 2008-09 by the HPGCL, Prasad announced that due to higher generation and increase in efficiency of operations, the profit before tax had increased to Rs. 78.76 crore. This profit after tax for the year 2008-09 comes to Rs 69.83 crore. He added that the company received a revenue of Rs 3816.82 crore from the sale of power last year. This marks a substantial increase over the profit after tax of Rs 1.95 crore during the financial year 2007-08. Prasad also said HPGCL had requested the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) to approve the multi year tariff (MYT) for 4 more years based on its last year’s tariff approved by the regulator, subject to the decisions of the National Electricity Appellate Tribunal. |
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Chandigarh, November 4 The Haryana Vidhan Sabha notified that Chautala, who had been declared elected from two constituencies, 37-Uchana Kalan and 46-Ellenabad, had resigned his Ellenabad seat with effect from today as required under the provisions of Section 70 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 read with Rule 91 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. Speaker HS Chatha accepted his resignation. Now, the Ellenabad seat in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha has fallen vacant, as per a notification. — TNS
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Seven dera followers
die in accident
Sirsa, November 4 The victims were returning to their native places near Muktsar in Punjab, after participating in the annual celebrations of the birth anniversary of Dera Sacha Sauda founder Shah Mastana Maharaj in the headquarters of the sect on the Begu Road here. The accident occurred after the canter driver could not see the extended part of the tractor trolley, which was overloaded with cotton.Villagers and passersby helped out the victims before the police could reach the accident site. One woman was killed on the spot, while six others succumbed to their injuries before medical aid could be provided to them. The deceased have been identified as Baldev (55), Karnail (70), Tarsem (40), Amarjit Kaur (35), Jaswinder Kaur (10), Jaspreet Kaur (7) and Parminder Kaur (30). The injured were rushed to the nearby Odhan and Dabwali hospitals from where those critical were taken to Sirsa in police vehicles.Medical help was delayed as the general hospital authorities in Dabwali had no driver available. Fourteen seriously injured were rushed to Shah Satnamji Multi-Specialty Hospital of the Dera Sacha Sauda, from where one was shifted to PGIMS
Rohtak. |
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Panipat, November 4 According to information, Shri Ram and Harish, who were cousins, were killed while Subhash, Sunita and Rakesh, all resident of Sonepat, sustained serious injuries in the mishap. They were on their way to Jalandhar in Punjab when the accident took place. All the victims where rushed to the civil hospital at the district head quarters from where Shri Ram and Harish were declared brought dead. The injured were referred to PGI Rohtak. The police later registered a case against the driver of the truck. Following the accident, traffic on NH-1 was disrupted for a long time and vehicles had to be diverted to ensure smooth flow. — TNS
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Dearness relief for freedom fighters hiked
Chandigarh, November 4 While stating this here today, a spokesman of Haryana Government said a written communication to this effect has been received from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. He said the total relief payable to various categories of freedom fighters and their eligible dependents would be 96 per cent. He said dearness relief at the rate of 96 per cent of the basic monthly pension payable with effect from August 1, 2009, for the category of Ex-Andaman Political Prisoners would be Rs 7,037. It would be Rs 6,557 for the category of freedom fighters who have suffered outside British India (other than INA) and Rs 6,077 for other freedom fighters. The spokesman added that for widow or widower of the above mentioned categories of freedom fighters, the entitlement would be the same as of the respective deceased freedom fighter. In case of unmarried or unemployed daughters, subject to a maximum of three, it would be Rs 1,440 each. |
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Engg student murdered
Karnal, November 4 They tried to board a train again after the crime, but the guard who saw the incident informed the driver who stopped the train.The accused fled. Amit was rushed to hospital by fellow students, where he was declared dead. A final-year student of Government Polytechnic, Nilokheri, Amit was living with his uncle in Travori. Another boy accompanying him fell unconscious after the incident Manmeer Singh, DSP, Railway Police, said a case of murder had been reregistered. Meanwhile, polytechnic students later held a protest and tried to block the GT road but the police stopped them. |
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Chandigarh, November 4
