Sirsa/Fatehabad, December 3
With pandemic A (H1N1) fast spreading its tentacles in the state, there are apprehensions regarding the preparation of the state health authorities to meet the challenge.

With 1,309 confirmed cases and eight deaths as on November 30, Haryana, among other states of the country, has been declared as state with H1N1 community spread and hence, the health authorities are expected to follow guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MHFW) regarding screening and isolation of patients.

However, a large number of government hospitals in the state do not have screening centres and isolation facilities for H1N1 patients.

All hospitals intended to screen and admit patients with influenza H1N1 shall have a separate screening area to screen outdoor patients and an isolation facility to admit those requiring indoor treatment, prescribe the guidelines issued by the MHFW.

The guidelines prescribe that all such hospitals shall set up screening centres to attend to patients of influenza like illness in a separate area so as to avoid these patients from further infecting others in the out patient departments of hospitals.

Such screening centres should have a waiting area of about 2,000 sq ft to accommodate 50-100 patients, preferably in a standalone building with a separate entry.

These screening centres should have proper ventilation to ensure frequent air changes and its exhaust air has to be filtered through high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters.

The guidelines provide that patient’s seating should have 1 m clearance on all sides to avoid overcrowding of patients.

However, such facilities are hardly available in any of the general hospital in the vicinity.

Though health authorities in Sirsa claim that a separate screening centre has been set up in the Trauma Centre situated in the general hospital premises, the facilities are far from sufficient as per the prescribed norms.

Patients suffering from flu have a common waiting balcony with other patients in the general hospital in Fatehabad.

The authorities claim that they have set up screening centre for H1N1 patients in the OPD room of chest specialist Dr Kuldeep Saini.

Incidentally, the OPD room shares the waiting area, a 6-ft wide balcony, with OPD rooms for skin, eye and Ayurveda.

“Fatehabad is not an isolated example where guidelines of the MHFW are not being followed. The situation in a majority of the hospitals in the state is abysmal,” says a senior functionary of the health department.

Similar is the case with setting up of isolation wards and critical care facilities, where guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare are not being adhered to.

Chandigarh, December 3
To accommodate tourists during the Commonwealth Games 2010, the state government has formulated a bed and breakfast scheme to be implemented in Gurgaon. Under the scheme, house owners will be able to rent out their premises to the tourists coming for the games.

Speaking about the rationale behind the scheme, an official spokesman said since it took longer to build a hotel, the Central government had approved about 25 houses in Gurgaon itself, which could be converted into guesthouses. The government approved the bed and breakfast scheme for the national capital region also to fill in the gap between the required number of rooms for the games and those that could be provided by hotels. He said registration and other processes had been simplified.

The official said since the hotel industry was also facing a financial crunch and the real estate market was in a virtual slump, the bed and breakfast seemed to be the only alternative. There were about 100 bed and breakfast places in Gurgaon and Faridabad. Ancillary services like restaurants, conference rooms etc were also being looked into.

He said Haryana had been able to meet the target of 7,000 rooms so far. The scheme was certainly going to be a great project once it was in full swing.

House owners could apply and give a maximum of five rooms for rent with complimentary services like power backup, Wi-Fi, air-conditioning and security, among various others. Once approved for licencing, the state government would market the facility online.

At present, two kinds of licences were being issued to the owners, silver and gold, which had different criteria and payment slots. The owners were charged residential rates for water and electricity.

The government would fix the room rentals and the quality of food and services would be monitored regularly.

Ambala, December 3
Students of polytechnic, ITI and a few other educational institutions have to risk their lives by travelling in overcrowded buses due to a shortage of transport facility.

After the classes are over, a large number of students can be seen rushing towards roadways buses at the polytechnic chowk here everyday. Most of the time the buses come fully packed from previous stoppages, forcing students to either sit on the roof or hang precariously at the entrance or rear doors of the buses. Though drivers and conductors try to persuade the students for not taking risk, since the service is inadequate the students do not bother.

While professional private institutions and public schools have their own transport service, students of government institutions like polytechnic, ITI and government schools have to depend on state roadways buses. Despite the situation being grave, the transport department has not deployed any special buses for these institutions.

According to information, two students were killed during the last one year in separate incidents while boarding overcrowded buses. Students and their guardians have requested the state roadways a number of times to allocate special buses for school and college goers, but to no avail.

Students of nearby villages, especially girls, come to Ambala city for higher education as most of the degree colleges are located in the city area. They have to face even more problems as most of the buses do not halt at villages.

People have demanded that the government should provide special buses for polytechnic and ITI students, particularly for those coming from the rural areas so as to encourage them to go for higher studies.

The ABVP has also demanded a special bus service for students of the rural belt.

Kaithal, December 3
Amid the humdrum of the everyday rus - blaring horns, whizzing two-wheelers and maddening traffic - this historical town has finally found its heart and it lies in the serene waters of the Bidkiyar lake.

Revived a couple of months back after a gap of nearly a decade and work spread over nearly two years, the site of the lake, in the centre of the town, was an eyesore where the town pumped in all its sewerage until a few months back. Its significance from the times of the Mahabharata notwithstanding, the city gathered its waste and dumped it in the lake bed where the Pandavas once worshipped. It was believed that bathing in the lake, known as the Vridh Kedar Tirath, would purge man of his sins and take him to the abode of Lord Shiva.

Today, this town’s heart is beating again - to the laughter of the children, to the zest of the youth and to the romance that comes from the luxury of taking a walk at a lake on misty winter days and warm summer months.

Courtesy the interest taken by local MLA and now Public Health and PWD Minister, Randeep Singh Surjewala, who set the ball rolling for the project in his last term as minister, the stench of rotting waste and the sight of filth has made way for clear waters that now fill up the lake. The sewerage, too, has been taken care of and diverted to tanks connected to a sewerage treatment plant.

The rejuvenation of the Bidkiyar lake, probably the first man-made lake in Haryana, for the people, has come as the much-needed respite for a city gasping with dust and vehicular smoke to help them unwind after a long, tiring day.

Like Satish Bansal, running a Maruti agency in the city who is a regular at the lake, says, “Over a decade back, I used to go for a walk in that area. After the lake was revived, I have become a regular again. The lake is an asset for us and once the entire project is complete, it will become the envy of the rest of Haryana.”

However, there are some concerns as well. At the time when Kaithal was still a part of the Kurukshetra district, the local administration had made efforts to revive the lake. After a few months of maintenance, the attempts had come a cropper and the lake was back to its dirty self. “We are hoping this project will move forward from here onwards and not relapse yet again,” remarks senior citizen Sadhu Ram who along with a couple of his friends, both retired, spends his evenings at the lake.

The result of co-ordination among various Departments, the lake has been revived and work is in progress to create a children’s park with a planetarium and other such facilities. The total project, six acres of the children’s park and the rest earmarked for the lake, is likely to cost nearly Rs 15 crore.

Hisar, December 3
The war of words between Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his Punjab counterpart Parkash Singh Badal on the issue of a separate high court for Haryana in Chandigarh notwithstanding, the chances of a separate high court for Haryana are extremely remote.

According to legal experts, there are several issues that need to be sorted out before the Centre can accord approval for a separate high court. The first of these is the location. A resolution passed by the Haryana Vidhan Sabha some years ago had wanted the court to be established in Chandigarh which despite being the state’s capital is technically a union territory.

They said a high court for a state can only be set up at its capital though later benches can be set up elsewhere in the state. That rules out the possibility of setting up the court at any other place in Haryana so long as Chandigarh remains the capital of the state. This is why Himachal Pradesh got a high court of its own in Shimla after the reorganisation of Punjab in 1966, but Punjab and Haryana continue to have a common high court.

Even if the Centre was to sanction a separate high court for Haryana in Chandigarh, the question of its jurisdiction over the union territory would need to be resolved. Punjab will certainly vehemently oppose any move to bring Chandigarh under the new high court since it is a sensitive political issue between the two neighbouring states, they said.

On the other hand, if Haryana agrees to have a court in Chandigarh without it having jurisdiction over Chandigarh, it will provide an opportunity to the opposition parties to accuse the Hooda government of diluting Haryana’s claim on Chandigarh and other boundary disputes with Punjab. This is one political issue, no political party can overlook.

According to the experts, the only reasonable solution to the issue is setting up a bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in some district town in Haryana. This will not only bring the high court’s services within easy reach of the common man, but also provide much relief to the overburdened judges of the high court where the number of cases has been mounting over the years.

They said politically the setting up of a bench in Haryana will suit any ruling party as it would circumvent all those political issues which would arise out of setting up a separate high court in Chandigarh.

As it is, the war of words between the two Chief Ministers can only be described as a routine exercise which serves some short term and narrow political interests of the politicians of the two states.

Jhajjar, December 3
Now, residents of villages in this district need not go to Jhajjar city to visit administrative offices to get their village-level grievances or issues redressed. They will be able to sort out their grievances on their own by contemplating the issues along with their co-villagers.

The district authorities have come up with a novel idea of ensuring maximum participation of villagers in grievances redressing process in order to make speedy disposal of complaints in the presence of prominent persons of the villages and that too at the village level.

The authorities have decided to hold a series of meetings of village-level committees at chaupals of its villages every month to discuss the local issues for sorting them out at the village level.

Sarpanch, school principal, village secretary, health worker, president of the mahila mandal, ASHA worker, aanganwadi worker, representatives of women literacy group and social organisation of the respective village would be invited in the meetings, who will not only mull over local grievances/issues along with other co-villagers, but also take appropriate decision on their own to redress them.

Nitin Yadav, Jhajjar deputy commissioner, said the aim behind to launch this idea was to strengthen the democratic set up by including villagers in the grievances redressing process, besides sorting out the complaints/issues of people at the village level with the deliberation of co-villagers. The village-level committee would give its decision after discussing the complaints/issues and send its resolution in the regard to the authorities so that the decision could be executed at the earliest.

“If the village-level committee fails to redress any grievance then it will be placed before the block-level committee (BLC) which will study the case and take the decision on it at its meeting to be held every month. Likewise, if the BLC also does not succeed to dispose of the complaints then it will be sent to the district-level committee (DLC), which will not only examine the resolutions of the BLC, but also find out an amicable way-out of the complaint,” informed Yadav, adding this planning would definitely turn out to be useful in speedy disposal of complaints/issues at the village level.

He maintained that participation of villagers in discussion to sort out the local issues would also be supportive in maintaining social harmony and brotherhood among the villagers.

“Civil surgeon, block development and panchayat officers and programme officers of various schemes have also been entrusted duties to make the planning successful by ensuring the holding of meetings regularly,” said Yadav.

He informed that first meeting of the village-level committee was held recently at Jahajgarh village here wherein the local complaints pertaining to drainage of dirty water, sanitation, drinking water supply, cleaning of village ponds, etc., were sorted out.

Chandigarh, December 3
The Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) has decided to set up three solar power projects of 225 KW capacity in Gurgaon district under a new scheme launched to motivate commercial and industrial establishments to use solar energy.

Mahender Partap Singh, Renewable Energy and Power Minister, Haryana, said here recently that these projects would be set up at a cost of over Rs 5.9 crore. HAREDA had received sanction from the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for these projects.

Two solar power projects of 100 KW each would be set up at Omax Autos Ltd., Manesar, and Automax, Binola village, at Rs 2.6 crore each and the third project of 25 KW capacity would be set up at SERCO BPO Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon, at a cost of Rs 88.50 lakh.

The objective of the scheme was to encourage the commercial and industrial establishments to replace their diesel gensets installed for their captive requirement with solar photovoltaic power plants.

He said the initial cost of these systems being higher, which varied between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh per KW, subsidy at the rate of Rs 1 lakh per KW or 40 per cent of the project cost, whichever was lower, was provided to non-profit institutes and subsidy at the rate of Rs 75,000 per KW or 30 per cent of the project cost, whichever was lower, was provided to profit making organisations.

He said one project of 30 KW would be set up at the Ram Bhagwan Charitable Institute of Cancer, Mirpur, Rewari, and another project of 50 KW at RETREAT, TERI, Gwal Pahari village, in Gurgaon district.

Madhuban (Karnal), December 3
The Haryana Police Academy at Madhuban near Karnal, already equipped with modern facilities like multimedia hub housing a modern multipurpose computer centre, state-of-the-art photography and language lab, would go ultra hi-tech with the addition of a “cyber cell” and audio-visual studio facility.

The academy, imparting training to new recruits and conducing in-service training courses for the police force, would be one of the few training centres in the country, equipped with facilities to effectively check cyber crime and impart training for scientific investigations.

A proposal to provide audio-visual studio facility is under implementation and space has been earmarked for the studio in the multimedia hub while the proposal to sanction Rs 1.1 crore for acquiring related equipment is awaiting approval of the government.

The facility will be used for imparting training to various batches in the area of audio-visual communication and its related aspects. The lab would also serve as the nerve centre to carry out community policing programmes and to monitor field exposure of trainees through live coverage as well as studio transmission. Besides, the facility shall also be used by the academy to create its own in-house audio-visual training films.

With a view to enabling the cops to work effectively and efficiently in the era of fast changing technology and new innovation, the state police is being equipped with the latest technology to check all types of crimes, including cyber crime.

The setting up of a cyber cell here would go a long way in curbing cyber crime with the help of latest technology, says Ranjeev Dalal, DGP, Haryana.

Further, photography, English speaking and computer proficiency have already been made a part of the training and direct recruitments of inspectors and sub-inspectors with graduation as minimum qualification is another milestone achieved by the state police as young and educated officers would be more upright and insulated from corrupt practices. Moreover, the recruits are being imparted law lessons so as to understand the legalities in a case more effectively

The DGP, who visited the academy and sought detailed information about various training programmes being pursued by the academy, says the Haryana police is poised to become the best force in the country with excellent training and skill development programmes chalked out by academy to shape the young recruits.

Officers are being exposed to best and latest knowledge in all areas of policing which included investigation, knowledge of laws and procedures, forensic techniques, law and order control, sensitivity towards rights of the weaker sections of society and physical fitness and weaponry.

On the initiative of director of the academy VN Rai, a syllabus titled “Samvedi Police” has been introduced to sensitise the police and change its mindset to make it a credible institution to protect people, curb crime and adhere to democratic norms of civil society.

Sirsa, December 3
Nav Vikas Rally organised by the Congress at Ellenabad on November 29 signalled emergence of new political forces in Sirsa district and as a corollary marginalisation of old warhorses.

Till recently, some faces like former Industries Minister LD Arora, former deputy chairperson of the State Planning Board Ranjit Singh, former aide of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda KV Singh, and former minister Jagdish Nehra had become synonyms with the Congress in the district.

However, in the rally, organised by the party to set the ball rolling for the impending Ellenabad by-election, some of these leaders abstained while others were marginalised.

Arora and Nehra remained away from the rally, while Ranjit Singh and KV Singh, though present, were rendered inconsequential by the new political forces that have emerged in the district.

The rally became a show of those who in fact are not even primary members of the Congress.

Gopal Kanda, independent MLA from Sirsa and Haryana’s Minister of State for Home, Industries, Commerce, Sports and Youth Affairs, stole the major limelight in the rally.

His younger brother Gobind Kanda, who recently joined the ruling party, was also able to steal prominence.

Another independent from Fatehabad, Prahlad Singh Gillankhera, a chief parliamentary secretary in the state government, also got credit for the rally.

Though Bharat Singh Beniwal, a former Congress MLA from Darba Kalan, also brought his supporters for the rally, he failed to get a seat on the dais.

Ranjit Singh and KV Singh, though managed to get seat in the front row, were cornered by the new players of the party and none of them had any direct interaction with Hooda throughout the rally.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was seen surrounded by Kanda and Gillankhera and even HPCC President Phool Chand Mulana could not find seat for him and had to sit throughout the rally on the armrest of a sofa.

The only other leaders who could get proximity to Hooda were Randeep Singh Surjewala and local MP Ashok Tanwar.

As was expected, Hooda did not give any hint about his candidate for the coming Assembly by-election. Rather, he did not give any importance to any of the possible candidates and left people guessing.

The recent incident in the meeting of the District Congress, where party men came to blow in the presence of the HPCC Chief, seem to weigh heavily in Hooda’s mind, when he warned the local leaders against sabotage in the coming by-election.

“Jo Congress candidate ki taang khichega, uski taang main khich dunga,” Hooda said in his speech.

Ambala, December 3
A Punjabi Mahasabha has been formed by the community members in Ambala Cantt. The sabha, according to its members, has been formed for the protection and promotion of interests of the community.

“The organisation has been founded on the demand of the community members so as to fulfill their aspirations and needs,” states BK Soni, president of the SD College Society (Lahore), New Delhi, who was unanimously accepted to be the patron of the mahasabha.

Ashok Mehta, a social activist, has been elected president of the organisation.

A meeting held last week for the foundation of this sabha was attended by representatives of the community from various districts of the state. These included Dr RP Vij, general secretary, SD College Society (Lahore), New Delhi; Prof Naveen Gulati (HoD Maths, SD College); RR Suri, Vinod Johar from Ambala, Sikandar Lal, state secretary, Beopar Mandal, Yamunanagar; Yashpal Mahajan, president, Haryana Pradesh Beopar Mandal, Yamunanagar; Charanjit Gaba (Kurukshetra), Harish Rawal (Panipat), Dilbagh Gandhi and Joginder Pal (Jagadhari), Ravinder Talwar (Chandigarh), Sunil Sahni and Ashish Anand (Panchkula).

The members stated that the sabha was founded as a need was felt to create an organisation which would cater to the needs and demands of the Punjabis as there is a vacuum of leadership which can fight for their rights.

The sabha aims to set up a multi-specialised health centre/hospital to provide all kinds of medical aid to people in general and Punjabis in particular, arrange coaching classes for the children of poor Punjabis.

The organisation also aims to fight social ills, including dowry system, female foeticide, infanticide etc.

Rewari, December 3
A state-level Kavi Sammelan (poetic symposium) was held under the joint auspices of the Haryana Sahitya Akademi and Master Neki Ram Sahitya and Lok Natya Kala Sanrakshan Prishad in memory of late Master Neki Ram, an eminent folk musician and consummate sangi of the Ahirwal region, at Anand Samaroh Sthal here recently.

Master Neki Ram regaled audience with his musical operas in various parts of India and Pakistan for over 50 years from 1934 to 1985.

While Jaswant Singh Yadav, an old fan of Neki Ram and a prominent industrialist, was the chief guest. Rattan Kumar Sambhariya, a noted story writer of Rajasthan, and Anand Prakash, a prominent artist from Bhiwani, were distinguished guests of the function.

Over a dozen poets of Hindi and Haryanvi, from Delhi, Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Narnaul, Charkhi Dadri, Rewari, Kosli and several other places participated in the symposium.

Jiwani Devi wife of late Neki Ram and Balbir Singh Punia, chairman of the reception committee, extended a warm welcome to the poets and other honourable guests.

Paying tribute to the late poet, Dr Mukta, Director of the Haryana Sahitya Akademi and convener of the symposium, said Master Neki Ram was a celebrated son of the rich soil of the Rewari region, whose self-composed and self-staged musical operas skillfully depicted folk life and lore.

She announced while the Akademi would organise commemorative functions annually, they would also bring out an anthology of his 300 odd poetic compositions.

She also released a book titled ‘Ib Raftar Badal Gayee’ written in Haryanavi by poet Alok Bhandoria, grandson of Neki Ram.

Bhandoria laments that precious values of our traditional culture had given way to modern ways and antics .

While Halchal Haryanvi, a celebrated poet of the Ahirwal region, Dr. Laj Kaushal, Ram Kishan Arya, Gautam Allahabadi, Alok Bhandoria and Satyavir Naharia paid poetical tributes through their self-composed poems to that great sangi Neki Ram, Mahender Sharma, Satya Dev Haryanvi (both from Delhi), Dr Rama Kant Sharma, Mahender Singh Bilotia, Master Mahender, Dr Uma Shanker, Dr Shivtaj Singh and others regaled the audience with their satirical and intuitive comments on the present day ills of society.

Balbir Singh Punia, chairman of Shri Anndata Smriti Nyay Trust, presented a purse of Rs 5,000 each to young poet Alok Bhandoria, sexagenarian folk musician Mahashay Bhim Singh and a rising poet Mahender Singh Bilotia for their outstanding contributions in the domain of poesy.

Gurgaon, December 3
The city-based Centre for Sight and the API (Associations of Physicians of India) organised an interactive session on various eye-related surgeries here recently.

A team of professional ophthalmologist gave a presentation to focus the attention on the issue of avoidable blindness and latest in refractive solutions.

During the session, doctors talked about new advancement in LASIK technology, latest in cataract surgery and an overview of retinal diseases.

While talking to The Tribune, Dr Mahipal S. Sachdev, medical director, Centre for Sight, said: “Crystalens implantation is the latest in cataract surgery and this lens is unique as it not only corrects the distance vision, but also provides better near and intermediate range vision”.

“Crystalens is the only FDA-approved accommodating lens which is designed similar to the natural lens of the eye such that it can change focus to see clearly at near, intermediate and distance. This translates into reduced dependence on glasses for most routine activities. Reading a book, working on computer, watching TV and driving a car can all be performed far more comfortably in people with Crystalens as compared to standard lenses,” he added.

Dr Anshu Arora, senior consultant, Centre for Sight, talked about various retinal diseases like diabetic retinopathy, ARMD, etc.

Sonepat, December 3
A 17-member scouts team of the local Geeta Vidya Mandir Girls College led by Renu Popli bagged the overall championship of the 7th South Asia Federation Scouts Friendship Camp organised by the Bharat Scouts and Guides at Gadpuri in Faridabad district.

According to the college principal Jyoti Juneja, college team won the first position in group song and state festivals; second spot in state cultural events and third position in food plaza and cultural songs.

Other team members included Sonia Pawar, Jyoti Jangra, Neelam Saroha, Sonia Kataria, Shivani, Prachi, Garima, Meenakshi, Sweety, Sapna, Preeti, Sarita, Mukta, Usha, Renu and Babita.

The leaders and scouts from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Afghanistan and 20 states of India participated in the camp.

Popli said the team members prepared food items of the state which were liked by the boys who came from other countries.

During the camp, the team members also presented the glimpse of the state’s culture and customs, habits of eating and drinking, marriage ceremonies, agriculture practices, etc., through dramas and skits.

She recalled the remarks of the Pakistani team leader who was of the opinion that there were ‘ruhani’ relations between the people of the two countries.

The Pakistani team had all praise for the hospitality, affection and respect they got from the Indians during their stay.