Sirsa, April 18
Two lecturers of the Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) Department of Chaudhary Devi Lal University here seem to be in trouble after a student of final-year MA (JMC) complained of sexual harassment and demanded that her guide be changed.

The girl has demanded action against the two teachers and expressed apprehension that her career might be ruined by the two.

The allegations have, however, been denied by the two teachers.

Virender Singh Chauhan, chairperson of the department, has ordered a departmental probe and said the guide of the girl would be changed.

In her complaint submitted to Chauhan on April 6, the student alleged that the teacher she had chosen as guide for her dissertation had been adopting “dilatory tactics” to finalise the questionnaire for her research and on that day again, she went to his office, which he shares with another teacher, with the same request.

“While the other teacher sitting there made some unsavoury comments bordering sexual harassment, my guide maintained a discreet silence all this while,” the girl alleged in her complaint.

She said the other teacher started in a manner that appeared like a joke, but soon started giving meaningful hints as to “what her guide expected her to do for him” if she wanted her dissertation to be completed this year.

She alleged that the other teacher went to the extent of warning her that she would have to complete her studies next year with the first-year students when she expressed her disapproval at his conduct.

She said the manner in which her guide observed silence during this while indicated his tacit support to the words uttered by the other teacher.

Meanwhile, both teachers have denied the allegations levelled by the student. The complainant’s guide has said in his comments to the department chairperson that: “I was engrossed in my work on the computer and have no knowledge of any such conversation. However, I have no objection to the demand for change of guide.”

However, the teacher alleged to have made the unsavoury remarks has denied all allegations.

“I have never said anything unbecoming of the conduct of a teacher and in this particular case too, my conduct as well as the words uttered by me were not below the decency expected of a teacher,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor Balbir Singh Malik, who is also Commissioner, Hisar Division, is out of the country, while Registrar RK Sehgal could not be contacted as his mobile was switched off throughout the day.

Sirsa, April 18
Private doctors of Sirsa and a waste management company engaged by the pollution control board for the disposal of bio-medical waste generated in the hospitals, have been trading charges for quite sometime over the flouting of rules in this regard.

While representatives of Synergy Wastes Management have been accused of irregularity by local doctors, the company, in response, has blamed the doctors for hindering the management of bio-medical wastes.

The director of Synergy Wastes Management, Neeraj Agarwal, who has set up bio-medical wastes management facilities in Hisar and several other states, yesterday, refuted charges levelled against his company.

“Doctors from Sirsa found it convenient to dump their bio-degradable wastes with the garbage as they found it economical. Since, the municipal contractor has hiked his service charges from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 per month, they have started finding faults with us,” alleged Agarwal.

“We charge Rs 700 per month from laboratories and clinics and Rs 850 per month from hospitals and nursing homes for wastes up to 25 kg a month and charge Rs 25 for every additional kilogram. But, doctors are avoiding giving all bio-medical wastes to us for proper disposal. Instead, they are dumping it with other garbage, caring little for the health of people,” Agarwal added.

He claimed that his company provided red bags to the doctors for packing their plastic wastes, which are autoclaved, chemically treated and sliced up before disposing it to the scrap dealers.

The company also provided yellow bags for packing items like placenta, infected bandages, cotton, body parts and small animals, which are incinerated at their facilities at a temperature between 850 degrees to 1,100 degrees Celsius, he added.

The blue coloured puncture proof containers for packing sharp edged items like needles, glass bottles and other such items are arranged by the doctors themselves.

He also produced route charts prepared by his staff, where entries had been made on daily basis regarding collection of bio-medical wastes from the 74 doctors of the town, who have been availing his services.

Dr Ved Beniwal, patron of the Haryana chapter of the IMA, however, alleged that several doctors had come out with complaints of irregularity and high-handed attitude of the company officials.

Shahbad, April 18
The first-ever rural court in Haryana came into existence today with Supreme Court Judge Justice DK Jain exhorting legal administrators “not to work like judges but work like ordinary people”, understanding people’s grievances.

“The objective of rural courts will be achieved only if the legal administrators reach out to rural people and understand their grievances and problems in the right perspective,” he told a gathering after inaugurating the court at the tehsil office here, which would cater to 91 panchayats of Shahbad block.

Pleading for a separate cadre of legal officers for rural courts, he said judges from the same cadre should be posted at these courts to ensure that their working did not suffer and speedy justice was provided to people.

Disclosing that 50,000 such rural courts would be established across the country, he said apart from Shahbad another rural court would also be established in Rania block of Sirsa district.

Asserting that these courts had been opened on an experimental basis to benefit the rural people, Justice Jain said it could indeed save precious money and time but the success of these courts would largely depend on the temperament of the officials. Earlier, Amit Kumar Garg assumed charge as judge of the rural court.

Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Mukul Magdal said more than 50 per cent of the population in the state resided in villages and the concept behind these courts was to provide speedy and inexpensive justice.

As per the ordinance of rural courts, the courts would dispose of cases within six months and also try to resolve matters through conciliation between the litigant parties, he added.

Sirsa, April 18
Private doctors of the district have constituted a coordination committee to deal with the problems related to the management of bio-medical waste in the district. A meeting of the doctors was held here last night.

Dr Ved Beniwal, patron of the Haryana Chapter of the IMA, said: “We have decided to be more transparent in the observance of rules regarding the disposal of bio-medical waste and at the same time take up the issue of irregularities of the company authorised to collect and manage such waste to the Pollution Control Board in future.”

He said some of their members had been complaining to the association about the alleged “high-handed attitude” of the officials of the Synergy Wastes Management, the company collecting bio-medical waste from Sirsa.

He alleged that two of their members, who objected to the “irregular functioning” of the company in the past, received notices from the Pollution Control Board.

He said the members were of the view that despite paying the service charges of the company, they had become violators of the Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998, because they had been taking the “irregularities” lightly.

He said the doctors had also decided to create awareness among people on issues relating to bio-medical waste management and the irregularities being committed in its name.

“The Pollution Control Board or the company authorised by them does not visit the ayurveda graduates or the registered medical practitioners, though they too have been generating the same waste. Besides, the waste dumped by butchers is equally dangerous, but no efforts are made to manage it,” he added.

Jind, April 18
Expressing concern over the recent court judgment in the Manoj-Babli honour killing case, leaders and representatives of 30 khaps today demanded an amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act to ensure social harmony and retain the social fabric of rural life in Haryana.

The panchayat, which met at Danoda Kalan village in the district, formed a Sarva Jatiya Suraksha Manch to carry on its agitation in this regard. It has exhorted all 10 Lok Sabha MPs from the state to extend their support in this regard.

Chaired by Ch Nafe Singh Nain of the Binain khap, the meeting adopted two main resolutions, including the main demand for bringing an amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act.

It described the present provisions against the interests of the cultural and social life of a majority of the people of the northern region, including Haryana. Claiming that the meeting today was not limited to Jats alone, a spokesperson for the panchayat claimed that representatives of various castes took part in it. Urging the Union Government to bring an amendment to the law concerned, it demanded that the judiciary should not be allowed to recognise the marriage of a couple which hails from the same village or the same gotra as it is a gross violation of the social norms which have been in existence for hundreds of years.

While the reaction of the panchayat to the honour killing judgment did not come up in the resolutions adopted at the meeting, several speakers described it as unfortunate.

Issuing a veiled warning to the MPs and other elected representatives, the khap leaders said they could face opposition and protests if they failed to extend cooperation in this regard.

The Sarva Jatiya Suraksha Manch, which includes two members each of all 30 khaps, will meet at Jind on April 25 to chalk out the charter of demands to be submitted to the Centre and the state government.

It also announced to hold a mahapanchayat on May 2 at Pai in Kaithal to decide its future strategy if no headway was made on the issue by then, said an organiser.

Khaps who took part in today’s meeting included Narwana, Ujhana, Chattar, Deswal, Kadian, Bhanwala, Dhillon, Beniwal, Panchgrami, Kundu, Dhull, Maun, Bhagal, Bhayana, Balu, Kalwa and Kanina.

Chandigarh, April 18
Power transmission in the state has entered a new phase with everything ready for the first-ever transmission project in the country with viability gap funding (VGF) by the central government.

The project will be the first in Haryana with VGF in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

The Bid Evaluation Committee for two 400-KV substations and associate lines in the PPP mode, which met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati, approved the lowest bidder for award of the contract.

The substations are to be set up in Kabulpur village (Rohtak district) and Deepalpur (Sonepat district) with 400 KV transmission lines at an estimated cost of Rs 382 crore.

The new model will set a new milestone in the creation of transmission infrastructure with private sector investment.

The project has been awarded on the design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis.

Jyoti Arora, MD, Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN), said the contract had been awarded to the consortium of Kalpataru Power Transmission, Mumbai, and the Techno Electric and Engineering Co Ltd Kolkata.

The consortium had quoted the lowest one-time grant of Rs 93.90 crore over and above the unitary charge of Rs 4.5 crore per month, payable after commissioning of the sub-stations in December, 2011.

The state government had decided in November 2008 to adopt the PPP mode for execution of the transmission project for evacuation of power from the Mahatma Gandhi Thermal Power Project (2x660 MW), Jhajjar.

The project comprised laying of about 100-km-long 400-KV double-circuit Jhajjar-Kabulpur-Dipalpur transmission line besides two 400 KV substations.

Arora said the government had decided to set up 400-KV level substations and related infrastructure in the PPP mode to align the efficiency of the private sector in technology and project implementation, with better maintenance practices.

The Planning Commission had assisted the HVPNL in formulating the bidding documents and concession agreement to be entered into with the successful bidder for 25 years with the option for further extension by 10 years.

The operation and maintenance of the transmission system under this project would be the responsibility of the bidder.

An independent engineer/agency would ensure quality of execution of this project, Arora added.

Sonepat, April 18
INLD chief and former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala today asked party activists to mobilise maximum public support for the nationwide strike against inflation on April 27. Addressing a meeting of the party workers of the district here,

he blamed the central government for making it difficult for the poor to arrange for two meals a day. Despite repeated assurances, the government had failed to check the inflation, he alleged. He was unsparing in his criticism of the state government for its failure to keep promises made during and before the last assembly elections as the state was reeling under a severe power crisis. The law and order situation had also gone beyond the control of the police authorities.

Chautala alleged that because of the “wrong” policies of the government, the state was on the brink of bankruptcy and the development activities had come to a standstill in many parts of the state. Senior party leaders including district president Padam Singh Dahiya, Brig OP Chaudhary and KC Bangar also addressed the meeting.