Fatehabad, December 3
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) Chairman Dr SK Jain today sought to dispel concerns of local people on the safety aspect of the proposed nuclear power plant in Kumharia.

“The nuclear power plant being set up by NPCIL at Kumahria in Fatehabad will be completely safe and provide employment opportunities to the local people,” Jain said, while talking to residents and and mediapersons at the plant site today.

Jain was accompanied by Executive Director of NPCIL Dr S Thakur, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Power, Madhusudan Prasad, and MD, Haryana Power Generation Corporation, Sanjeev Kaushal. He visited the proposed site and later met farmers of nearby Bhuna town.

“The other 17 nuclear power plants functioning at different places in the country are also safe and no untoward incident has occurred so far.

“The nuclear power plant at Kumahria will be modern and the technology used ultra modern, which is safe for human beings as well as the environment,” Jain said. He said the plant would be set up over an area of 500 hectares and it would be run by as many as 700 employees. It would use 50 tonnes of uranium per year.

He also met farmers at the Kisan Rest House in Bhuna and assured them of adequate compensation for their land.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Prahlad Singh Gillankhera was part of the team.

Meanwhile, Krishan Swaroop, state secretary of the All- India Kisan Sabha today demanded compensation at NCR rates for the farmers whose land had been acquired for the plant.

“The land is highly fertile and the government should provide farmers with the option of exchange of land as well as compensation at NCR rates,” Krishan Swaroop said. He claimed that over 500 farmers had been waiting on the Gorakhpur-Kajalheri Road to meet the team members to express their concern, but the team used another route.

He said that more than 80 per cent of the land would be acquired for the plant from farmers of Gorakhpur.

But the plant was being named after Kumharia village, causing a lot of resentment.

Faridabad, December 3
The Director General of Police RS Dalal while addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the building of the police station at village Chaisa, 20 kms from here today, said the aim of the Haryana police was to become the number one force in the country.

He said all efforts were being made to modernise the police force, including injecting new technology and upgrading the present tools and equipment. Senior police officers were also present during the meeting. Chaisa police station was set up during colonial times in 1893. However, it will now function from the new building complex.

Dalal later inaugurated an Arms License Wing here at the headquarters of Faridabad Police Commissionerate and a courtroom in the mini-secretariat. The courtroom comes into play as the police has got magisterial powers under the commissionerate system.

The police here, as is the case of Gurgaon Police Commissioneate, have been given crime preventive powers, which were earlier vested in the Sub Divisional Magistrates. Setting out a roadmap for the Haryana police, Dalal said strict measures would be taken to curb drunken driving and other traffic violations.

He said police authorities, with a good response from the Haryana government, were making all efforts to provide welfare schemes to the personnel. They include housing facilities, public schools for children and a good atmosphere for working.

Dalal said in the coming three years, the state police would be in an advanced stage of computerisation. He said the Haryana police was well-aware of its responsibility with regard to the upcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. All efforts were on to put a foolproof system of security, he said.

Yamunanagar, December 3
Appreciating its efforts to empower the physical challenged, President Pratibha Patil today gave the Best Institution Award to the District Red Cross Society at a function in New Delhi this evening on World Disablity Day. The award was received by DC Amit Kumar Agarwal, who was accompanied by the secretary, District Red Cross, DR Sharma.

The rehabilitation centre of the District Red Cross this September manufactured India’s lightest artificial limb named the “Jagadhri Foot” which weighs about 500 gm. Other artificial foots in the market weigh around 800 gm to 1 kg. The rehabilitation centre is now supplying this lighter and cheaper foot to neighbouring states. Said DC Agarwal on the phone after receiving the award:

“The district rehabilitation centre has been working for the disabled in other districts of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. “The needy are being provided artificial limbs, tricycles, wheelchairs, visual and hearing aids free of cost” he said.

He said April 19, 2003, was an important day for the centre when the then President Dr Abdul Kalam distributed artificial limbs and various aid among the disabled persons of the district. “The centre is also working towards promoting higher education among the disabled. the Red Cross is providing laptops and other facilities to them,” he added.

Kurukshetra, December 3
On the occasion of World Disability Day today, Professor MM Goel, chairman, Department of Economics, Kurukshetra University, said a level-playing field for various categories of physically challenged persons (PCPs) needs to be created and mere lip service was not enough. “We need to be empathetic and not sympathetic to improve the lot of PCPs and put in a concrete plan of action as is done in the US,” he said. “The rehabilitation of PCPs is justified not only on social and moral grounds but economic considerations,” he said.

“We need to motivate the corporate world to come out in help of these people in the true sense.”

He also pointed out that there was a case for equalisation of benefits for all categories of physically challenged persons in the present era of globalisation. “We need to narrow the wage gap between normal and PCP workers in India,” opined Professor Goel.

Sirsa/Fatehabad, December 3
Sirsa district today reported its first death due to H1N1 with a patient dying at the local general hospital last night.

Gurnam Singh (27), a resident of Gadrana village near Kalanwali, was a farm labourer and was ill for the past fortnight. He was admitted to a local hospital with low-grade fever, cough and breathlessness on November 26.

His condition deteriorated and he developed symptoms of influenza. The doctor attending on him informed the health authorities, which took samples and sent these to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases on November 27.

The patient was shifted to the isolation ward of the general hospital on December 1. He died last night.“We conducted a door-to-door survey of Gadrana village today and found 15 cases with symptoms of mild fever, cough and cold,” said civil surgeon Dr PS Dhawan. “All these cases are under category A and need no testing or hospitalisation,” said Dr Viresh Bhushan, Nodal Officer, who visited Gadrana today.

Meanwhile, the authorities have been put on alert in Fatehabad district after a three-year-old girl from Sadhanwas village died with symptoms of influenza in Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.

“We’re not yet sure whether it was a case of H1N1 influenza or pneumonia and have requested the Apollo Hospital authorities to provide us the details,” said Dr OP Arya, Civil Surgeon, Fatehabad.

The girl was treated at a private hospital in Tohana before being shifted to Delhi.

Dr Arya said a rapid response team (RRT) of doctors hadbeen sent to the village to find out if there were other cases showing similar symptoms.

Karnal, December 3
Two persons were killed while fifteen others were injured when the Tempo (TATA 407) in which they were travelling knocked down a three- wheeler after it was hit by a dumper (trolley) at Bastada Chowk, near Madhuban today.

As many as 22 persons were inside the tempo, which was on its way from Devipur to village Ghodapipli (Yamunagar).

Sources said the tempo was hit by a dumper from the rear, which then knocked the three-wheeler moving in the same direction.

The injured were rushed to the Trauma Centre at Karnal, where Rulia Ram (70), resident of Ghodapipli, was declared brought-dead. Another person Ism Singh (50) of the same village died in the hospital.

Sonepat, December 3
The district unit of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh (SKS) today organised a seminar on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Bhopal gas tragedy to pay their homage to those who lost their lives and highlight the problems faced by other victims of the tragedy.

Hundreds of activists of the Sangh, Gyan Vigyan Samiti (GVS), All-India Kisan Sabha, CITU, Sai Seva Samiti, different labour organisations and a number of prominent citizens participated in the seminar, which was presided by the district president of SKS Sheelak Ram Malik.

The speakers at the seminar, including Malik, state vice-president of the Kisan Sabha Shradha Nand Solanki, Krishan Vats, KK Malik and CITU leader Anand Sharma lashed out at the Central Government for not learning a lesson and continued to favour multinational companies at the cost of the lives and livelihood of the people of the country.

All policies were being pursued with the aim to benefit the capitalists. It was sad, indeed, that the common man had hardly any say on matters that touched him most, they opined.

Kaithal, December 3
Normal business was affected in Cheeka Mandi, 25 km from here today, following a bandh call given by traders and rice-millers against failure of the police to nab the two miscreants who looted Rs 9 lakh at gun point from a rice-miller, Dev Raj Jindal, 10 days ago.

According to reports, there was partial response to the bandh. The traders and rice-millers also held a meeting, which was presided over by Hans Raj Jindal. They assembled at the market committee rest house and later handed over a memorandum to SDM Guhla Baljeet Singh demanding immediate arrest of those involved in the incident.

INLD MLA Phool Singh Kheri also reached the rest house where the commission agents had assembled. He assured the traders all support if they launched an agitation.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that police teams constituted by the SSP Sandeep Khirwar were making strenuous efforts to arrest the culprits. A number of persons have been questioned and police teams have raided some places in Haryana and neighbouring districts of Punjab. SSP Sandeep Khirwar said various teams, including CIA branch of Guhla and Kaithal, were on the job.

Following the incident, he has advised businessmen to seek police assistance while moving a heavy amount from their business premises to banks for deposits or while withdrawing. The public has also been asked to keep a tab on activities of suspicious persons. 

Rewari, December 3
A deputation of the Haryana Government College Teachers’ Association met the Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at Chandigarh recently and sought speedy acceptance of their long-pending demands. They also called upon the higher education commissioner Saroj Siwach.

The deputation was led by the state president Rajender Kumar and comprised vice-president Dr Jai Narain, general secretary Dr Sanjiv Kumar, financial secretary Dr Satyapal Singh, organising secretary Amit Chaudhary and joint secretary Dr Rajvir Siwach.

Dr Sanjiv Kumar said they pleaded for grant of Class I gazetted officer status to all college teachers; regularisation of adhoc associate professors who had already crossed the age limit; requisite alteration in the provision of senior grade to teachers working in government colleges in rural areas of the state; creation of the post of professor in government colleges; selection-cum-appointment of the director of higher education from among the college principals’ panel and formulation of transparent and cogent (justified) policies for transfer and deputation of college teachers .

The Chief Minister assured that the needful would be done soon.

Panipat, December 3
The Haryana Power Engineers Association (HPEA) has expressed resentment over the proposed “backdoor” entry of Directors in Uttar Haryana Bidhyut Vitran Nigam (UHBVN).

Sumer Singh Yadav, general secretary of the association in a letter to the Power Minister has conveyed the resentment among engineers on the possible appointment of retired engineers as Directors of the nigam at the expense of serving engineers.

The extended tenure of the nigam’s directors expired on November 15. It is understood that some officers are again being given another term and retired officers adjusted as Directors of the power utility. The association has requested the Power Minister to reverse the policy of placing retired officers on prime posts. Serving engineers can contribute more for the power utility it says.

Sirsa, December 3
Sarban Singh, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs, Haryana, inaugurated the second Haryana State Rural Sports competitions at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium, here today.

Addressing the sportspersons, he said the Haryana government will provide coaches and support staff in each stadium being constructed in the state, besides other basic facilities like drinking water, toilets etc.

He said that as many as 171 stadiums were being constructed on a war-footing and many were almost complete. “As many as 619 villages were included in the Panchayat Youth Sports Campaign last year and an equal number will be included this year. All villages of the state will be covered under the campaign in the next 10 years,” he added.

SS Nandal, Deputy Director, Sports Department, said as many as 1,700 sportspersons from different districts of the state would participate in various disciples, including football, judo, boxing, hockey, volleyball, kabaddi, handball et al during the competition.