|
|
|
|
Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan
Dabwali fire-hit await relief
|
|
|
|
Ellenabad Bypoll
Lobbying begins for Cong ticket
Chautala seeks expunction of remarks
Research to tackle impact of eco changes on farming
Ruchika Case
Honour Anand Prakash’s family, Prez urged
Many top cops in ‘hall of shame’
Tortured youth returns home from Doha
High Court
Rahul’s Visit
Rs 40,000 looted from petrol station
Drug manufacturer, retailer fined Rs 10,000 each
|
|
Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan
Chandigarh, December 23 Sources maintained that complaints of cycles bought under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and lying dumped in school compounds in some districts have reached her. Also, at some places, schools have been delivered furniture that was never ordered, indicating that “something fishy” may be on behind the scenes. Admitting that such complaints have come in by the dozens as also that of undistributed books gathering dust on school premises, she says the staff in the field, where the real games are being played, needs to be pulled up and warned to perform or perish. In fact, she has decided to get cracking to set the SSA house in order before the next academic session gets under way. “I will personally carry out random checks to ensure that every single penny meant for the students is used and does not lie dumped like the cycles in some corner of the school. Let the children use what is meant for them. We need to utilise all funds that we get under the SSA so that our students are not deprived of what is due to them because of laxity on the party of the department,” she said. Ruing that timing and planning were the biggest casualties in the SSA, she said no care seemed to go into being prepared well in advance for the new session. “From what I have understood, planning for the next session begins only when the session is under way. All this has to change. We need to ensure that our children get everything from a pencil, uniform and notebooks, under whatever schemes these are provided, before the session begins instead of stretching the distribution way after the summer vacation,” she maintains. Adding that strict action would be taken against the errant field staff, Bhukkal said district education officers would be given the task of streamlining distribution of any kind among the students. “If they are placing orders, they must be held accountable for all that does not get distributed. In fact, at the level of the headquarters, we are planning to evolve a mechanism whereby parameters for procurement and distribution can be set,” the minister held. |
|
Dabwali fire-hit await relief
Sirsa, December 23 As many as 150 persons had received serious burn injuries in the fire tragedy. The function, that included an all-religion prayer meeting, was organised on the same site of Rajiv Marriage Palace, where the worst fire tragedy of the country occurred 14 years ago. Among the participants were those who lost their near and dear ones and those who suffered burn injuries in the fire. Ashok Tanwar, Congress MP from Sirsa, Ajay Singh Chautala, MLA from Dabwali, and KV Singh, a former aide of the Chief Minister, also attended the prayers. “Though the Punjab and Haryana High Court has announced compensation, the fire victims are still waiting for payments,” said Ramesh Sachdeva, a representative of the victims. Vinod Bansal, general secretary of the Dabwali Fire Victims Association, alleged that the state government had failed to fulfil the commitment it made to them. “A 100-bedded hospital was promised to us but still a community health centre is running in the town. There are no facilities for the treatment of burn injuries in the hospital despite several assurances to set up a burn unit,” Bansal alleged. The victims demanded that the state government should show magnanimity on humanitarian grounds and should not go in for an appeal against the orders of the High Court so that the victims could get compensation soon as justice has been already delayed to them. The attitude of the successive governments as well as the local authorities towards the woes of the fire victims has been apathetic, to say the least, and it has only compounded their grief. The Justice TP Garg Commission that was constituted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 28, 2003, to decide the quantum of compensation and those liable to pay it, took six long years and over 12 extensions to reach any conclusion. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had finally announced compensation to the victims in November this year. |
|
Ellenabad Bypoll
Fatehabad, December 23 This was stated by Kunal Bhadoo, son-in-law of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who was in town today as part of the Indian Youth Congress’s membership drive. Bhadoo also launched a drive for installing reflectors on tractor-trolleys taken up by NGO - Navyug Nirman - headed by him. Welcoming the announcement of the bypoll, Bhadoo said the Congress would win the Ellenabad seat comfortably as people have decided to vote for development and stability. He clarified that the appearance of his name in a section of the press as probable candidate from Ellenabad was a mere speculation and added that he was not a candidate for the bypoll. He said the Congress would fight the bypoll as a one force and the Chief Minister had given a clear message in a recent rally at Ellenabad that no indiscipline would be tolerated. Bhadoo said the membership drive of the IYC had proved a huge success in Haryana and youths were enthusiastic over the efforts of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi to rope in new young talent in the organisation. “The manner in which activists of the IYC have been given tickets in the parliamentary and assembly elections in the recent past, more youths have been attracted towards the drive,” he added. |
|
|
Lobbying begins for Cong ticket
Sirsa, December 23 The Ellenabad seat, which was vacated by INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala after he won from two seats, including Uchana Kalan, will go to the polls on January 20. Though the EC’s announcement on Tuesday has come as a surprise for political parties, who by now had begun to believe that the bypoll might not be held before the revision of electoral rolls, leaders of both major parties have welcomed it. Chautala welcomed the announcement of the byelection and exuded confidence of his party’s victory. “People’s sentiments in general are against this government. Rising prices of essential commodities have made life difficult for people,” alleged Chautala and expressed confidence of his party’s victory. Ved Parkash Vidrohi, spokesperson for the HPCC, also welcomed the EC announcement and said the Congress was well equipped to win the bypoll. “The party high command will soon announce its candidate,”Vidrohi said. Meanwhile, lobbying has begun for the Congress ticket. Bharat Singh Beniwal, a former MLA from Darba Kalan, who lost this seat to Chautala in the October 13 elections, continues to be the front runner among all contenders. The name of Chautala’s brother, Ranjit Singh, is also doing the rounds in political circles, but sources close to him said he was not interested to contest the bypoll. KV Singh, former OSD to Hooda, is also a serious contender for the ticket and is trying hard for the party ticket. Among other contenders, the names of Ved Beniwal, a local physician, Devi Lal Koth and Anil Khod are also being discussed in political circles. |
|
|
Chautala seeks expunction of remarks Chandigarh, December 23 The appeal is scheduled to come up for consideration by the Division Bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Alok Singh tomorrow, the last working day before the Christmas break. Holding the then Chief Minister and other functionaries liable to pay interest on his pension and related benefits delayed by over five years, the high court had also held them liable to pay 10 per cent interest on the amount. The high court had also paved a way for the petitioner to seek compensation from the then Chief Minister while granting him Rs 25,000 as costs. Justice Ranjit Singh ruled: “Arrogance of power by the Chief Minister seems to be at play in this case. The visit of the then Chief Minister to Yamunanagar on February 4, 2001, with slogan “Sarkar aap ke dwar” came with a bitter pill for the petitioner - Kanwar Bhan. “The Chief Minister made certain allegations against the petitioner and ordered his suspension there and then at a press conference…. The deputy commissioner sent a memo on February 4, 2001, for issuing a formal order placing the petitioner under suspension. “The financial commissioner-cum-secretary meekly succumbed and obligingly issued the order dated February 6, 2001, placing the petitioner under suspension with an immediate effect. A senior functionary, working as an assistant registrar in the co-operative society, was thus, shown disdain; and humiliated in public without any officer coming to his rescue.” “They all rather became instrumental in perpetuating this arrogated illegality. This in a democratic set up governed by the rule of law would make it look as if we are living in some doctorial era of archaic vintage”. The judge had added: “The department was on lookout for reasons for justifying the suspension, as the same was ordered without any jurisdiction. The Chief Minister would not care to know these niceties of law and officers would not dare to point out the same….
|
|
|
Research to tackle impact of eco changes on farming
Vice Chancellor KS Khokhar says university scientists will strive to make agriculture more profitable and sustainable in the coming years. This effort will involve a number of areas. Khokhar says the Green Revolution that made the country self-reliant in food and provided Indians food and nutritional security has also ushered in second-generation problems-degradation of natural resources, decreasing total factor productivity and depleting water resources apart from the salinisation of soils and nutrient deficiency in soil. He says climate change is another factor that threatens agriculture. The projected temperature rise alone is likely to reduce wheat production by five million tonnes in the Indo-Gangetic plains. Hence, the university has prioritised its research activities and in the coming years, it will ensure that these challenges are met and food production goes up. Underlining the need for water management, the VC says the issue has to be taken up seriously at all levels or else there is a possibility that in the coming decades, water shortage may aggravate. Accordingly, water saving technologies are being popularised to substitute flood irrigation with drip and sprinkler irrigation methods. The university will focus on water management throughout the state. The VC says so far as livestock is concerned, university scientists will work on developing low-cost feed technology for improving animal health and productivity. Development of vaccines and diagnostic tools for control of animal diseases and recycling of bio-waste from crop and animal sources will remain the thrust areas. Khokhar says in 2009, the university developed more than 12 varieties of different crops and two varieties of marigold. Commercial cultivation of these crops will boost agricultural production in Haryana. The new varieties include: WH 1021 (wheat), HKR 127 (rice), RH 0119 ( mustard), HD 432 (desi kapas), H 1098 and H 1236 ( American cotton), BH 902 (barley), HG 870 (guar) and Satya (moong). During the current year, the university sought collaboration with universities in the US, the UK, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands and a number of public and private institutions within the country. Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed with the Central Institute of Research on Buffalo (CIRB), Hisar, National Research Development Council (NDRC), New Delhi, National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar, and TERI University, New Delhi. These will strengthen research and teaching activities. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has sanctioned a Rs 2.48-crore project called Business Planning and Development. This is the first project of its kind ever sanctioned by the ICAR to a university. It aims to encourage speedy technology transfer, promote self-employment and forge partnership with the private sector. The university filed 27 patents of which four have been approved. the university is the first in India to implement the IPR policy and has included it in its curriculum. The ICAR has authorised the university’s IPR cell to train scientists of other agricultural universities in IPR management. |
|
Ruchika Case
Rohtak, December 23 Party state secretary Inderjit Singh said in a statement issued here today that the state government should appeal in the high court for enhancement of the conviction. He wondered how the accused escaped punishment for his responsibility in forcing Ruchika to end her life. The party has commended the efforts of Anand Prakash and his wife Madhu Prakash in tirelessly working to seek justice. “It is, however, gratifying that the parents of Ruchika’s friends ultimately succeeded in getting the accused convicted against all odds. This couple along with women and students’ organisation had joined hands to register public protests against the crime and the party appreciates the move,”
he added. CHANDIGARH: Welcoming the court decision to hold Rathore guilty in the case and punishing him, INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala said the guilty should have been punished in such matters. He said two other senior Haryana police officers were facing serious charges in the Madhuban case. The INLD had not only demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter, but INLD MLAs had also submitted a memorandum to the Haryana Governor Jagannath Pahadia. Chautala said Rathore was promoted as DGP during the then Chief Minister Bhajan Lal’s Congress regime and in 2000 when the CBI initiated the probe against Rathore in the Ruchika case, Rathore was removed from the post. On the Ruchika case taking 19 years in the legal process, he said it was part of the legal process but the decision would certainly boost the common man’s faith in the law and the country’s legal system. |
|
Honour Anand Prakash’s family, Prez urged
Kurukshetra, December 23 Garg said Prakash’s family deserved accolades for pursuing the case in the Punjab and Haryana High Court with the prayer to hand over the case to the CBI to ensure fair and impartial investigation. Ruchika’s brother was implicated in a number of false cases. Her father and family members were oppressed and hounded ruthlessly and the Prakash family also had to go through a lot of sufferings and threats. Braving threats and atrocities, they continued fighting for justice for their daughter’s friend. The entire state and the nation should feel proud of such selfless and altruistic persons who staked all to bring justice to an innocent victim, he added. He said people of Ladwa were proud of the couple, since they hail from Ladwa and were members of the general body of IGN College, Dhanaura-Ladwa. They demonstrated courage and indomitable spirit in fighting against the DGP, who was allegedly intoxicated with the power vested in him by the state. Such courageous persons, who are ready to make any sacrifice for a right cause, should be accorded state honour, Garg added. |
|
Many top cops in ‘hall of shame’
Chandigarh, December 23 Former Director-General of Police SPS Rathore, sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in the Ruchika molestation case, has other officers, including a former DGP, a DG and an IG keeping him company. Sharing space in the “hall of fame” after being convicted are a number of senior police officers, the most prominent being former IG (Jails) Ravi Kant Sharma, who is at present lodged in Tihar Jail, serving a sentence in the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case. He was convicted for his involvement in Bhatnagar’s murder at her Delhi home in 1999. Former DGP Lachhman Das was arrested in a case of fake encounter of gangster Jitender Pehal. While the police had maintained that the gangster was killed in an encounter, Pehal’s mother had moved the High Court and sought a CBI inquiry, maintaining that the encounter was fake. The inquiry had proved her contention after which the former DGP was arrested. Another officer, Ramesh Sehgal, was arrested for corruption while he was the DG (Prisons). He was learnt to have asked for money to release somebody on parole. Another officer, MS Ahlawat, as SP (Railways) was arrested for forging his signatures in an affidavit with regard to a case of illegal detention of a gang involved in breaking into wagons. While IPS officer Anil Dawra, when he was SP, Hisar, too, served a two-month sentence for contempt of court in a matter pertaining to a property transaction between two parties, additional SP Sham Lal Goyal and an inspector, too, were convicted for involvement in the case and later
suspended. |
|
Tortured youth returns home from Doha
Yamunanagar, December 23 Virtually terrified, he said India was heaven and he had made a major mistake thinking about Doha after he was lured of lucrative job there.
“I wanted to help my family as we have been going through a tough time,” Ravi added, who reached here this afternoon. “I wanted to appeal the youth, who have been dreaming of becoming rich by working in foreign countries, that they should think twice before leaving India. First they should verify all details and also about the agents and get details about the place and working conditions,” he said. “Besides BCA and PGDCA, I have seven-year experience as an accountant as I started working after completing class XII. My agent assured me that I would get the job of an accountant with lucrative salary. However, it turned out to be a worse experience. I was stationed at a deserted place about 150 km from Doha by the construction company. I was given a labour job instead of an accountant,” revealed Ravi, who belongs to Railway Bazar locality here. “Nightlife was more miserable as I had to share a small room with four other labourers from Pakistan and Nepal. “The worse part is that persons, who have been working there, have no rights. You have to live like a bonded labourer,” he added. He reached there on December 18 and escaped on December 21. However, he was chased by the company employees. “I took a lift by a car driver, who hailed from Mumbai, and he dropped me at the Indian Embassy, he said. “I am lucky that my passport was not seized by the company. Usually, companies kept passports of all employees with them. I spent the whole night of December 21 outside the embassy due to lack of arrangements there. Later, embassy officials helped me to get the exit permit and my father sent me the tickets,” he added. He came to know at the embassy that there were cases of other companies where persons were left with no choice than to commit suicide after they did not get salary and forced to live in inhuman conditions. “I am also doing MSc (computer science) through correspondence and after completing it will work in India only,” he added. |
|
High Court Chandigarh, December 23 The petitioner, Raj Pal of Kalauda Kalan village in Jind district, and some others were appointed as JBT teachers by the Zila Parishads in 2004. In August 2005, they were offered to be taken in the state education only if they fulfilled three conditions of having passed graduation, qualifying the departmental test and agreed to be treated as fresh entrants in government service. But a Division Bench of Justice MM Kumar and Justice MMS Bedi set aside these conditions where after the petitioners approached the authorities for grant of regular pay scale etc. As the authorities failed to do the needful, the petitioners approached the high court for directing the Education Department to release the pay scale. Subsequently, the department came up with the contention that the matter was in the apex court where a special leave petition (SLP) had been filed. The counsel for the petitioner pointed out that the SLP was dismissed on February 20. The state government at a subsequent hearing placed on record information on granting the required relief only to withdraw the same within days, after the writ petition was rendered infructuous. Taking a serious view of this as an attempt to interfere in the administration of justice and after hearing the counsel for the petitioners, justice Rakesh Kumar Garg has ordered Sharma to be present. Plea to hold fresh polls reserved Justice K Kannan of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today reserved the plea of Panchkula municipal council member VK Sood for holding fresh election to the post of the council president. The petitioner is claiming fresh polls as a follow up to the decision of Panchkula district election tribunal. It had set aside the election of Ravinder Kumar Rawal as the president. The action was upheld by Panchkula district and sessions judge, while disposing of the appeal against tribunal orders. As the matter came up for arguments before Justice Kannan, counsel for the petitioner reiterated that the secrecy of the ballot had been violated in the election of the president, as the presiding officer conducting the poll failed to adhere to the prescribed procedure for casting of votes. B.Ed students paying more fee: PIL If allegations in a petition filed in public interest are to be believed, students in self-financed B.Ed colleges are paying higher than prescribed fee. In a petition against the state of Haryana, Kurukshetra University, Maharishi Dayanand University and other respondents, Fatehabad-based Prashikshit Adhayapak Sangh alleged the students were rather being exploited. The petitioner also sought directions to the respondents for initiating de-affiliation proceedings against the defaulting private B.Ed self-financed colleges. Taking note of the allegations, Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal today issued notice of motion for February 17, 2010. Interim bail granted Justice Arvind Kumar today granted interim anticipatory bail to former members of Haryana Public Service Commission, Mohinder Singh Saini, Mohinder Singh Shastri, Suresh Kumar, Jagdish Rai, Dayal Singh and Pradeep Chaudhary. The court also granted anticipatory bail to Rajinder Kumar Bansal, whose selection as senior lecturer computer science, along with another candidate, is the subject of the case registered against these petitioners. The case was registered on November 11 at police station vigilance bureau, Rohtak, under Sections 420 and 120-B of the IPC. Notice issued Justice Rajesh Bindal issued notices for March 3, 2010, on a petition against the election of Independent candidate Sultan from Pundri constituency of Haryana Vidhan Sabha during the general elections held in October this year. The petition has been filed by defeated Congress candidate Dinesh Kaushik. He had alleged corrupt practices by the respondent Sultan, including utilising the services of an officer of the state government, who was his relative, to promote his electoral prospects. Case shifted to CBI Justice SD Anand of the high court today handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the probe pertaining to the accident of a Faridabad-based human rights activist-cum-advocate Pawan Kumar. He is in coma ever since the accident took place in 2005. The case was handed over to the premier investigating agency with the consent of the state government.
|
|
|
Rahul’s Visit
Kurukshetra, December 23 Alleging this in a signed statement released to mediapersons here today, Prof Bhim S Dahiya, president, Haryana Democratic Forum, and former Vice-Chancellor, Kurukshetra University, said Gurjar should criticise his own class, the politicians, who have deprived the universities of their autonomy and reduced them to the status of a government college. Prof Dahiya said all parties, including the BJP, the INLD and the Congress, were equally to blame. It was the INLD government of Devi Lal in 1987 that amended the universities’ Acts to the effect that the Vice-Chancellors would be appointed on the advice of the government. Later, the Haryan Vikas Party and the BJP’s government in 1996 took away all powers of the university that ensured self-governance. Today Vice-Chancellors of Haryana enjoy no better status than that of the principals of government colleges. Gurjar should look within before blaming those who had no autonomy. Gurjar’s demand for a separate police academy for women was regressive. “One may understand the party’s concern for those women in the police force who become victims of unscrupulous officers and are exploited by their seniors. The right thing to demand in such a case is justice for the exploited and punishment for the exploiters. Separating the forces on the gender basis is a highly retrograde step,” Dahiya added. |
|
Rs 40,000 looted from petrol station
Faridabad, December 23 According to the employees, four persons came to the petrol station on two motorcycles and entered the sales room. Five employees were present in the room at the time of incident. While three of them entered the sales room with country-made guns, another remained seated on the motorcycle. They allegedly roughed up the employees and took away Rs 40,000 from them. The owner of the petrol station, Adaarh Dewan, alleged that when a call was made to the Police Control Room, nobody received the call. Several attempts were made by the employees, but to no avail. Significantly, the station is situated along the Delhi-Mathura national highway and is opposite Crown Plaza, falling in the heart of the city. According to him, the criminals stayed in the sales room for over 15 minutes. When he was informed, he rushed to the Police Chowki concerned of Sector 15, following which the police swung into action. The police has registered a case. |
|
Drug manufacturer, retailer fined Rs 10,000 each
Jind, December 23 The decision came in a case which was registered on a complaint lodged by a team of the quality control inspector of the department concerned here in June 2007. The team had lifted a sample of a drug, cartip hydrochloride, from the premises of Balaji Enterprises. The sample was sent to a laboratory in Karnal where it was found substandard. Following this, a case was registered against the manufacturer, Sudarshan Consolidated, and the retailer, Balaji Enterprises. The court of CJM Sandip Singh today announced its order and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on both accused. |
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Hisar, December 23