Ambala, February 22
The Markanda River, which is recognised as the most sacred river of the region, has been polluting due to the chemical effluent flown by the factories of Kala Amb (Himachal Pradesh) in it. Thousands of villagers worship this holy river like the Ganga and use its water to sanctify their houses on various religious occasions.

Villagers of Mulana and Naraingarh situated on both banks of the river call it ‘Haryanavi Ganga’. The river originates from Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh) and flows towards the Naraingarh, Mulana and Shahbad areas. Several temples of Maharshi Markandeshwar are constructed on its banks.

A decade ago when a large number of factories were not set up in Kala Amb, the water of the river was used for drinking as well as for irrigation purpose. Now its water has become so polluted that even followers hesitate to touch it, but their attachment towards it is continued like earlier.

According to information, around 20 million litres of effluent of factories and sewerage is thrown into it everyday. Bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) level of the water has crossed the alarming point. Domestic sewerage of the Kala Amb and Naraingarh areas also flows in it. The quality of groundwater of the adjoining villages to it has been degrading gradually.

Residents of Tharwa, Kakarkunda, Gagnehri, Dhanora, Hemamajra, Binjalpur, Zaffarpur and Sherpur villages told that polluted water of the river has been affecting their crops. They told that the water was also causing hygienic threat to their cattle and other wild animals.

Swami Trilok Giri, Mahant of Markandeshwar Temple, told that factories of Kala Amb had slaughtered the sanctity of this river. He said the pitiable condition of the river hurts the sentiments of devotees.

He said the Sant Sewa Mandal had taken up the matter with political leaders and the administration. He pressed that if the effluent of Himachal Pradesh was not stopped, saints would come on streets to save the river.

It is learnt that the Haryana Pollution Control Board has taken up the matter with the Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board and asked it to compel the industrialists to set up treatment plants in their units. The matter was also raised with the Central Pollution Control Board and the Union Ministry of Environment.

Ambala, February 22
There are 825 primary, high and senior secondary government schools in Ambala district which are imparting education to common children at a nominal charge, but most of these schools do not have even basic amenities like potable water and clean toilets for students. Around 90 per cent students studying in government schools do not get potable water. These schools do not have safe drinking water.

Most of the public schools and well-established privately managed schools running in the urban areas have put in water purifiers on their water supply system, but high fee structure of these schools are out of the reach of a common man.

According to child specialist Dr Awan Chaudhry, generally children drink more water than adults that is why there are more chances of children falling prone to contaminated water. They are on higher risk of dehydration and other water-borne diseases. They should be provided purified water not only in schools, but also at home, he suggested.

Around 500 government primary schools running in the rural areas of the district either have concrete tanks or plastic tanks for the storage of drinking water. The water from these tanks is directly supplied to taps without any filtering process. A head teacher of a government school told that water storage tanks were not cleaned regularly in most of the schools. These tanks were cleaned hardly twice or thrice in a year and in fact this water was not fit for consumption.

In some of the schools, underground water pipes have broken and the water carrying impurities and dirt through these breakages is going up in water tanks. Around 24 primary schools located in the remote areas do not have water supply of the Public Health Department.

The students of these schools have to depend on hand pumps for drinking water. Strangely, the water of these hand pumps being consumed by tiny tots was never ever tested. The possibility of inhibition of bacteria, toxins and nitrate cannot be ruled out in the water of hand pumps.

Toilets are another major problem of some of the government schools. A number of village schools have constructed sewerage tank in the school premises to provide clean toilet to the students, but some of the schools still lack hygienic toilets.

District education officer Zile Singh Attri admitted that most of the government schools do not have aqua guard or other water purifying system. He said he had initiated the matter with the heads of the schools. “I am hopeful that the result will be positive,” he added.

Sonepat, February 22
A day-long conference on “Delays in the Indian Legal System: Legal, Judicial and Institutional Reforms” was held at OP Jindal Global University recently.

The conference dwelt upon the increasing number of pending cases in the country. Emphasis was given on innovating strategies to find out new alternative dispute resolution methods so as to promote speedy justice. The experts also stressed on maintaining the highest standard of justice in the process of speeding up the delivery process.

Governor of Karnataka and former Union Law Minister HR Bharadwaj encouraged Jindal Global Law School to impart broad-based knowledge in various emerging areas of legal education so as to meet the demands posed by globalisation. The Governor expressed hope in the university to churn out the quality graduates and said, “I believe the university has the potential to become one of the premium universities of the nation in the field of legal knowledge and produce quality young law graduates and future leaders.”

Justice AP Mishra, Chairman, Education Committee, Bar Council of India emphasised on the importance of quality of judges as well as lawyers in dispensation of justice. He further accentuated upon the role of law schools and academia in becoming the tool for imparting quality legal education. He also talked about how the law schools should inculcate a sense of values in the emerging generation of lawyers and judges.

Other various dignitaries from the law fraternity also shared their views on the matter.

Vice-Chancellor of the university Prof C Raj Kumar said the law School of OP Jindal Global University was not only striving to give legal education but its endeavour was to become a contributor towards spreading awareness about legal systems. 

Kaithal, February 22
Keeping in mind the presence of a large number of automobile workshops and auto spare parts shops in the town and their adverse effect on the environment and to fulfil persistent public demand, the state government took a decision to carve out Transport Nagar on the Kaithal-Jind Road here years ago.

As a follow-up measure, a large chunk of land measuring about 50 acres was acquired. The then Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala laid the foundation stone of the project and roads were constructed and electric poles were erected a few years ago at an expenditure of crores of rupees. But the administration has failed to make Transport Nagar functional. The inordinate delay in taking follow-up action and lackadaisical attitude of HUDA and senior functionaries of the state government has left this project in the doldrums.

The initiative taken by HUDA about two years ago to auction the site for different categories of buyers faced stiff resistance by workshop and automobile shop owners who wanted shop sites on reserve price, while others opposed the auction demanding reduction in price. As a result, the authorities had to defer the auction. Since then no further steps had been taken by elected representatives and the state government authorities to make use of Transport Nagar which remains unused despite huge expenditure. When contacted to know the present status of the project, SDM Hawa Singh, holding additional charge of Estate Officer, HUDA, Kaithal, said the matter of allotment of plots to the existing automobile dealers was under consideration of the authorities.

Meanwhile, the presence of automobile workshops in every nook and corner of the town has become a health hazard and a big source of nuisance for residents of this town. Most of the owners of such workshops had been using a major portion of the PWD (B&R) and Municipal roads to carry on their activity.

Surprisingly, the authorities have miserably failed to act against such encroachers who repair trucks, tractors, four and two wheelers on roadsides outside their shops and thus obstruct the smooth flow of traffic. While such vehicles are tested following repairs, they belch out black smoke and cause loud noise.

The burning of empty oil containers, polythene bags and other articles outside such workshops is a common sight. Atmosphere is polluted and passers-by or all those working in the vicinity of these workshops have to inhale the poisonous gases emanating from such burning materials.

All this had been happening for the past decades, but no action has ever been taken against such erring persons who are responsible for causing loss to the environment and public health.

The public at large is in dark about the existence of any government agency which can be contacted for initiating any action against the violators. The indifferent attitude of the District Administration and the Municipal Council Authorities to solve this problem concerning every citizen has drawn widespread criticism from the public. But the public perception is that the authorities as usual prefer to look other way than to find solution to this problem.

The residents demand that such workshops should immediately be shifted to the newly constructed Transport Nagar.

Karnal, February 22
Versatile Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan is pinning hopes on his forthcoming film “Paan Singh Tomar”, which is based on the real life story of a soldier who joined the Army to earn his livelihood, turned an outstanding sportsman and finally, became a bandit in retaliation to ill-treatment meted out to him by the administration in his native village.

Giving a brief introduction of the film, based on the life of Paan Singh Tomar, Irrfan who was here to attend a function at the Haryana Police Academy told The Tribune that Paan Singh, a unique character, joined the Army for livelihood, but was driven to sports due to his excessive diet and became a national champion. But he was not treated with compassion and dignity back home by the village administration and ended up as a dacoit.

On asking about the ideal role he would like to do, Irrfan Khan said, “An ideal role depends on the depth of the character in the script and the script itself”.

Sharing the general perception that theatre was dying a slow death because most of the theatre artistes were keen to go to films, Irrfan said efforts to revive theatre either by the government or some organisation could only have marginal success as it was the audience which keeps any institutionalised art alive. “However, in places like Maharashtra and southern states, theatre is still popular and alive,” he remarked.

Commenting on box office hits like “3 Idiots” and “My Name is Khan” that entertained and also spread a message, he stated that it was show biz and you think of profit before investing. Even art films did not succeed as it catered to a select segment of audiences, he further pointed out.

Hisar, February 22
Over 100 farmers attended the wheat-strawberry field day celebrations organised by Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University at Syaharwa village, 35 km from here.

Addressing farmers, Vice-Chancellor, Dr. K.S. Khokhar, who was the chief guest, appealed to them to make agriculture remunerative by sowing cash crops along with traditional crops. He suggested to the growers to take up agriculture on the lines of their Israeli counterparts who were involved in modern farming by setting up self-help groups and cooperative societies.

He said geographically Israel was a small country but its fruit, flower and vegetable production was the highest in the world. Israeli farmers had achieved this through sheer hard work and progressive outlook. Like Israel, Haryana could also repeat the story provided all farmers applied new technologies in their farming operations and took up marketing of their produce through cooperative societies.

Underlining the benefits of water-saving technologies, the Vice-Chancellor asked them to adopt drip irrigation. He said that farmers should take advantage of subsidy on this technology given by the state government.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor accompanied by farmers and varsity scientists visited a strawberry farm in the village. An exhibition and competition on strawberry was also organised.

The Vice-Chancellor gave away prizes to three farmers--Rattan Singh, Ashok Kumar and Bijender Singh--who had bagged the first, second and third prizes, respectively.

The celebrations were organized by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sadalpur, in collaboration with the Directorate of Extension Education.

Karnal, February 22
Dr Jagdish Chander Dagar, Head of Division, Soil and Crop Management in the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), Karnal, was conferred the prestigious "UGC National Swami Pranavananda Saraswati Award" for his outstanding achievements in the fields of environmental sciences and ecology by D. Purandeswari, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, New Delhi today.

Dr. Dagar has also been conferred the Hari Om Trust Award of the ICAR for his outstanding contribution to Indian agriculture. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) and several other renowned scientific societies like the National Institute of Ecology, Rangeland Management Society of India, Indian Botanical Society, and International Society of Tropical Ecology.

He has published more than 200 research papers in international and reputed national journals. He has published several books on various aspects of management of natural resources and his recent work related to Dryland biosaline agriculture and biodrainage on farmers' field has been widely appreciated. He has visited several countries in various capacities

The technologies developed by Dr JC Dagar, along with scientists PS Minhas and OS Tomar not only resulted in restoring the productivity of saline lands but also contributed significantly towards carbon sequestration and also their reclamation. This also led to a better understanding of ecology and biodiversity of fragile mangrove and rain forest ecosystems/habitats, including ethno-biology of endemic tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Kurukshetra, February 22
Kurukshetra University staff paid tributes to former Vice-Chancellor, Lt- Gen K. Balram, who passed away on February 14, at a condolence meeting.

Gen Balram, who adorned the office of Vice-Chancellor from August 8, 1989, to August 7, 1992, was a visionary and a man of action who took the bold decision to revise the syllabi of all postgraduate courses in tune with modern curriculum of UGC.

Following up his plans to revise the syllabus, he took another major academic decision, asking all chairpersons to prepare lesson plans of the revised syllabi of a semester and put it in the library so that students could know in advance about the schedule of classes.

Paying homage to the former vice-chancellor, the current incumbent, Lt-Gen (Dr.) DDS Sandhu, recalled his contributions in developing the varsity.

"The university was in deficit when Gen Balram joined as its VC but he took bold fiscal decisions and covered the deficit. There was a serious problem of power failure in the hostels. The then VC solved it by getting the worn-out wirings changed, besides ensuring the installation of separate transformers", recalled Prof Raghvendra Tanwar, Registrar.

Yamunanagar, February 22
“We have already fully computerised Revenue Department of 3 districts of the state, Yamunanagar, Karnal and Kurukshetra, to facilitate the people, while the remaining departments of the state will be fully computerised by the end of this year,” said Haryana Revenue Minister Shiv Charan Sharma.

He said with the computerisation of the department, people would easily get details of their land records and things would become more transparent for them. Moreover, it will also help to reduce disputes between various parties due to ambiguity of land records.

He was talking to the media after holding meeting with officials of the district.

Giving details, he said the state government is committed to the development of the state. The people of the district have demanded better connectivity and maintenance and carpeting of roads of the district. The budget for widening, carpeting and maintenance of roads has been granted to the district and all work would be done within five months.

People voted us for the development of the state and we would continue development in various sectors. National and state projects and schemes implemented by the state government have yielded desirable results. We have solved the problems and fulfilled the demands of farmers, labourers and poor section of society, he said.

“Better education of schoolchildren, proper health facilities and road connectivity in the state is our main motto,” he said. This year, the state revenue has decline, however, the things are under control, he added.

Chandigarh, February 22
To promote science education in the state, the Haryana Department of Science and Technology has decided to introduce innovative schemes, including the State Talent Search Examination (STSE), Promotion of Science Education Scholarship Scheme and Fellowship Scheme for Research Scholars. The STSE will be introduced on the pattern of the National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) from the next financial year. This examination will be conducted for students studying in class VIII. Under this scheme, financial assistance of Rs 500 per month would be given in class IX and class X and of Rs 1,500 per month in class XI and class XII to the top-ranking 1,000 students.

Under the Promotion of Science Education Scholarship Scheme, scholarships would be given to students during B.Sc (Hons) and M.Sc in basic science subjects of physics, chemistry, mathematics, botany, zoology and geology. For students of B.Sc (Hons), the scholarship would be Rs 4,000 per month plus a yearly stipend of Rs 4,000. For M.Sc students, the scholarship would be Rs 6,000 per month plus a stipend of Rs 5,000 once in a year. The scheme is designed to motivate students to study basic science subjects at the graduation and postgraduation level.

The fellowship scheme has been introduced on the pattern of the Central Scheme for Research Scholars for carrying out their PhD work in any of the university or institute in Haryana. The candidates would be selected on the basis of their performance in the National Eligibility Test conducted by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. Research fellowship would be provided in science subjects namely life sciences, physical sciences, mathematical sciences and earth atmospheric ocean and planetary sciences.

The amount of fellowship would be Rs 12,000 per month for the first two years as Junior Research Fellow and Rs 14,000 per month as Senior Research Fellow for the third year subject to terms and conditions along with annual contingent grant of Rs 20,000 to the university or the institute.

The tenure of fellowship would be three years, which would be further extendable to fourth and fifth year.

All relevant details, including application formats of the schemes, are available on the website of the department http://www.dstharyana.org.

Rewari, February 22
The Dakshin Haryana Vikas Lok Manch (DHVLM) has sent a communication to Union Minister of Urban Development and chairman of the National Capital Region (NCR) Board S. Jaipal Reddy seeking the reconstruction of the ancient Rewari-Delhi Highway, popularly known as the Delhi Dagda, in the interest of lakhs of harried road users of Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and other allied states of the country.

Copies of the communication have also been dispatched to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports MS Gill, Finance Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, PWD Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala and other dignitaries.

Making the mention of frequent traffic jams caused by an almost unending rush of heavy and other vehicles on the NH-8 and the Rewari-Pataudi-Gurgaon Highway, which had become highly inconvenient for road users, Prof Ranbir Singh Yadav, general secretary of the DHVLM, pointed out that under such circumstances, there was an urgency for restoration-cum-reconstruction of the ancient Delhi-Rewari-Ajmer Highway, which alone could provide relief to the road users.

Stating that since this 200-ft wide Delhi-Rewari Highway, whose entire tract (land) had remained intact during the consolidation work carried out in 1960s, was immune from any rail track and rail crossings, Prof Yadav asserted that its reconstruction-cum-renovation would pose no such problem of land acquisition or construction of any over bridge and subway for the NCR Board.

Prof Yadav again urged Reddy to expedite the reconstruction of the above highway to ensure smooth movement of traffic between Delhi and Rewari on the NH-8 as well as the Rewari-Pataudi-Gurgaon Highway.

Sirsa, February 22
Gemologist Neeladri Chakraborty of International Gemological Insititute, Mumbai, was here to interact with listeners on the Hello Sirsa programme of CDLU Radio on various aspects of gemology. In an interview hosted by station director Virender Singh Chauhan, Chakraborty said the local consumption of diamonds in the country had grown steadily during past few years.

A postgraduate in the study of diamonds from the Gemological Institute of America, Chakraborty was in the town in connection with certification of a local outlet of a well-known brand of diamonds in the town.

Chakraborty said India was probably the first country in the world where people started using diamonds in ornaments thousands of years ago. He said India had produced superior quality diamonds in the past.

Asked about Kohinoor, he said it was found in the famous Golconda region of Andhra Pradesh and used to shine in Shahjahan’s ornate peacock throne.

Passing from one ruler to the other, the diamond finally landed in Britain was currently a constituent of the crown of British monarch.

Responding to a query from a listener, Chakraborty said in its crude form, a diamond was not much different from any stone and for a nonprofessional it was almost impossible to identify it.

Chemically, a diamond is just carbon, he said, adding that that till date, it remained the hardest substance ever found on earth. It was by virtue of this characteristic that no other material on earth can be used to cut a diamond.

Only diamond can cut or shape up a diamond, he clarified. Chakraborty informed that it was a myth that one could die if he or she happened to lick a diamond.

The gemologist said clarity, colour, cut and carat were the four C’s that regulated the price of a diamond.

The International Gemological Institute was involved in certification and testing of gems, including diamond apart from education in various skills in the field of gemology, Chakraborty added.

Gurgaon, February 22
The NCR channel being constructed to cater to the ever-increasing population of the millennium city is nearing completion.

According to official sources, 87 per cent of the construction work on the channel has been completed. The 800-cusec-capacity channel, being constructed at a cost of Rs 322 crore, is expected to be completed by March-end.

The vital significance of the channel can be gauged from the fact that as of now, Gurgaon is getting 175 cusecs of water through the Gurgaon water supply (GWS) channel.

The lion's share of water (approximately 600 cusecs) made available through the NCR channel will be for Gurgaon while the rest will be used by townships proposed to be developed at Bahadurgarh, Sampla, Badli and Kharkhoda.

The NCR channel, which originates from Kakroi village in Sonepat district, would culminate at Chandu Budhera village in Gurgaon district after passing through Sonepat, Rohtak and Jhajjar districts.

The construction work on this 71-km-long water channel is going on in full swing. Cement-concrete linings are being made in the portion where digging has been completed. Both works are being taken up simultaneously to complete the construction well in time.

According to Irrigation Department authorities, the construction of culverts and bridges on the channel is also going on simultaneously and as of now, 42 of the 56 culverts and bridges have been completed while work on the rest is in progress.

The construction of the NCR channel had been announced by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in September, 2006. Acquiring land for the channel proved an uphill task and it took almost two years to start construction on the channel, which finally began in September, 2008.

Currently, the drinking water needs of Gurgaon city are being met by the GWS channel and partly from tubewells. The capacity of the GWS channel was recently enhanced from 100 cusecs to 175 cusecs. Water supplied by the GWS channel is stored in three waterworks at Basai village, from where it is treated and supplied.

HUDA is also constructing another big waterworks at Chandu Budhera village on about 274 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 138 crore.

Sirsa, February 22
Artists, it is said, are born and not trained. Monika Malik, a lecturer in the Geography Department in the local CMK National Postgraduate College for Women, is one such person who has inborn qualities of an artist.

Monika has recently developed a junk garden in her college that reminds one of the Rock Garden developed by noted artist Nek Chand in Chandigarh.

Using waste material like fused tube lights, waste brooms, broken bangles pieces, broken crockery, waste clothes, empty plastic bottles and waste earthen pots, Monika has created a world of arts in the college.

The creations include a peacock, whose feathers have been made using tube lights, body by a cosmetic bottle, beak by a piece of glass and eyes by using glass balls. Then, there is a snake made from rags.

“I used plaster of paris and fevicol to give rags the shape of a snake and then used colours to give it the right ambience,” says Monika.

A crocodile made from soil, cement, concrete, broken glasses and broken crockery items gives the looks of a real alive reptile.

She has created women in different attires from used brooms, used clothes and other waste items. The garden is adding to the aesthetic value of the college gardens.

“Monika is an asset to our college,” says principal Vijaya Tomar. “Though she teaches Geography and has also studied Law up to masters’ level, her creative talent is so immense that our Home Science Department remembers her whenever they have creativity assignment,” she adds.

She reveals that during college functions like youth festivals, Monika has been using her talent to provide aesthetic touch to the stages where shows are organised.

Monika is good in painting, too. “I have never got any formal training in these arts,” Monika reveals and adds that she started dabbling with brush and colours when she was in school and things automatically started working. She informs that once as a student in 90s, she exhibited her paintings in Delhi’s Trade Fair in the stall of some handloom unit and was able to sell her creations for over Rs 64,000.

She has won several awards and accolades during exhibitions and model-making contests due to her flair for the arts.

Fatehabad, February 22
The gym culture, which was earlier confined to metros and big cities, is now becoming popular in small towns like Fatehabad.

A couple of new gyms with the latest exercise gadgets have mushroomed in the area during the past some time.

Earlier, the gym culture was restricted to young boys, who wanted to develop muscles and build body like Salman Khan, but now even those in their 40s and 50s have been visiting gyms to lose weight and stay fit. Even, young girls and married women have been visiting gyms, a phenomenon that was unheard of in a small town like Fatehabad in the past.

“Men and women from practically all age groups have been visiting my gym,” says Balkar Singh Sandhu, proprietor and trainer of Navjot Healthcare Centre at Fatehabad.

“There are boys in their teens, who want to build muscles. Girls, who want to attain and then maintain “zero figure”. Then there are married men and women, who want to stay fit and shed off their extra weight and those, who want to get rid of ailments like diabetes and high blood pressure,” adds Sandhu, who himself is a body builder and has been organising “Mr Fatehabad” shows for the past 10 years. He is vice-president of the Haryana Bodybuilding Association and secretary of the District Fatehabad Bodybuilding Association.

He says, earlier he used to have gym with old weight-lifting equipments, but seeing the interest and demand of people, he has updated his gym with the latest kind of equipments needed for fitness and bodybuilding.

“I find an hour spent in the gym very fruitful. It keeps me fit and happy throughout the day. Earlier, I used to go for walk for my daily exercise. But, I found gym more beneficial as it allows to continue your exercise despite the vagaries of nature,” says Dr Dinesh Sanduja, an ENT specialist.

Experts maintain that regular exercise in gyms has many positive effects on human body. “When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn, and the easier it is to keep your weight under control,” says Dr Viney Singla, a cardiologist and himself a regular gym visitor.

“Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out. You will also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly. Regular physical activity can even help prevent depression,” adds Dr Singla.

He maintains that regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage high blood pressure. Your cholesterol will benefit, too. Regular physical activity boosts high-density lipoprotein, or "good" cholesterol while decreasing triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly by lowering the buildup of plaques in your arteries.

Ballabgarh, (Faridabad), February 22
In the midst of growing concern over declining sex ratio in the state, students of Siksha Maha Vidyalaya took out a procession in the city to raise awareness against female foeticide.

A large number of students, mainly girls, of the college, later submitted a memorandum to the state Governor through the office of the tehsildar, suggesting a seven-point programme to deal with the menace of female foeticide which is largely responsible for the skewed sex ratio in the state.

The students’ procession passed through various points in the city, including slums and colonies, apart from main markets. The students carried placards and raised slogans drawing the attention of the public towards the long-term negative impact the skewed sex ratio would have on society if the anomaly was not tackled upfront.

According to many, the heartening aspect of the rally was the warm reception it received from the public.

The memorandum lamented that though there were laws prohibiting female foeticide, they were not being implemented effectively. The students also urged the public not to depend only on the government to eradicate the social evil.

They also urged people to change their mindset towards women and not to consider them inferior.

Sirsa, February 22
District Industries Centre has invited applications from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes youths to impart them training for self-employment.

An officials spokesman said applications for the training could be submitted by February 24 and as many as 35 trainees would be selected for the training on the basis of their performance in the interview to be held on February 24.

He said four-week practical and managerial training would be provided to the youths above 18 years by the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology, Panipat, by District Industries Centre.

An allowance of Rs 1,000 would be given to each trainee during the training period. For more details, intending candidates could contact District Industries Centre, Sirsa, personally or on telephone number 247650, the spokesperson added.

Sirsa, February 22
Come March 3, the gully cricket fever will be back again. With only eight teams, including Sirsa, qualifying for ‘Super 8’ stage of the “T-10 Gully Cricket: Season II - Ab Har Koi Khelega”, there’s going to be action-packed matches.

The eight teams fighting it out for the top slot are Jalandhar, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Daman, Ballia, Ludhiana, Sirsa and Surat.

The matches of the next stage will start from March 3 and continue till March 7, which will be played at Jan Nayak Chaudhary Devi Lal National Cricket Academy, Sirsa. DD Sports will telecast the matches live. Home team Sirsa, which is owned by Sanjay Dutt, will play its first match against Ludhiana Gullies on March 4.

The Super 8 teams are divided into two groups of four teams each, the Group I comprises Jalandhar, Allahabad, Gorakhpur and Daman and Group II has Ludhiana, Surat, Ballia and Sirsa. Each team would play the other team of their group once during the Super 8 stage. The points tally would determine the passage of the top four teams to the semifinals and then eventually the finals.

Bollywood actor Divya Dutta, who originally hails from Ludhiana, owns Ludhiana Gullies. She had been taking a lot of interest in all aspects of the team from call for entries to selection, grooming of the players, cheering the team and getting various corporate sponsors for the team, said Anoop Wadhwa, director, Reasonable Communications Pvt Ltd, the company behind the show.

While Prachi Desai is the proud owner of Surat Gullies, Jimmy Shergill owns Jalandhar Gullies.

Wadhwa said, “The all new T-10 Gully Cricket Season 2, with Bollywood glitz and cricket razzmatazz combined will make another appearance in Sirsa, and I hope the first-ever night T-10 tournament is going to be a huge success in the city. The performances by these cricketers in Season I have captured the imagination of the audiences and added to the popularity of the game and a phenomenal increase in the fan following in tier II and III cities. I hope Season II with all its glamour will ignite the passion of cricket lovers in Punjab. It is definitely the format of the future.

He also added, “We are happy to have this specially designed jersey for the team unveiled today. It will act as a unifying factor and bond the players well. 

With reference to the letter published in these columns titled " Make HCS recruitment transparent, periodic (February 16), I appreciate the letter writer pinpointing the lackadaisical attitude of the Haryana Public Service Commission in finalising last year's' HCS recruitment. Everyone would agree regarding ever-prevailing ills in the selection process to state civil services and allied examination notwithstanding whichever ruling party is there in the state.

I have never come across any selection to the HCS, which has been non-controversial. Allegations and counter-allegations of selection of kith and kin of political bosses have been rampant, especially during the Chautala regime. The Punjab and Haryana High Court is also seized of the issue regarding irregularities in HCS selections.

During promotion/nomination of working government employees to the HCS, it is not the calibre or talent but the degree of political loyalty and rapport with higher-ups play a vital role. The whole gamut of HCS right from its recruitment stage needs to be overhauledto brook little political interference. But that seems to only a fantasy.