Rohtak, August 2
The multiplicity of ownership and the responsibility of procuring and storing foodgrains is perhaps the main cause of the problem faced by the authorities concerned to ensure the safety of stored foodgrains.

The risk factor goes up every time during the monsoon for the stock lying in the open. While a majority of the stock of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has covered storage, foodgrains procured by the state government agencies, including the Haryana Warehousing Corporation (HWC), HAFED and the Food and Supply Department (DFSC), do get more vulnerable to such a threat in view of the lack of storage capacity and well-maintained godowns. About 2,000 bags of the food stock of HAFED in Rohtak spoiled due to seepage and wet conditions last year.

Though no report of any damage has been received so far from the region, including four districts of Sonepat, Jhajjar, Jind and Rohtak, covered by FCI office here, it is however revealed that about 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the FCI stock and almost 90 per cent of the stock maintained by HAFED, the HWC and the DFSC had been stored in the open due to the lack of godowns.

“About 1.36 lakh MT of foodgrains has covered storage, while about 47,000 MT has been kept in open in these four districts,” claimed SK Dhawan, area manager of the FCI. In Rohtak about 5,000 MT has been kept in the open at FCI godown here. The FCI has godowns at various places, including Sonepat, Gohana, Safidon and Narwana.

However, the main cause of worry is that the storage done by other agencies is not up to the mark and a majority of the stock has been stored in the open, though it is covered with plastic sheets during the rains. It is learnt that the FCI gives a rent of Rs 5.75 per bag per month to these agencies for storing the stock, but officials have been dissatisfied with the arrangements so far. About 3,000 to 4,000 quintals of the stock was being moved to other areas in view of the risk posed by the rains here, claimed the sources.

HAFED, the HWC and the DFSC have been maintaining stocks at various towns, including Meham, Sampla, Bahadurgarh, Gohana, Beri, Narwana and Julana in the region, but they are lacking adequate covered space.

Jind, August 2
As many as 16 lakh saplings have been made ready to be planted in the district during the ongoing rainy season as a part of the annual exercise taken up each year.

Several lakh saplings were circulated in the district last year also, but there is hardly any agency to check whether trees planted in the past have survived or not. So far, about 5.12 lakh saplings have already been distributed free of cost for plantation in the district.

Though the district authorities claimed that about 16 lakh saplings had been ready and would be distributed to various departments and agencies for plantation during the season, no official was available to inform about the survival rate of trees planted in the past.

"There is no data or record available at present in this connection," claimed an official on condition of anonymity, adding that usually the data of only the current season was kept and there was no one deputed to keep a check on plants that had survived or not as it could be a tedious job.

According to the district authorities, a total of over 15.31 lakh saplings have been prepared this time in seven government-run nurseries in the sub-divisions of Jind, Narwana and Safidon. Here plants of various nature, including fruit trees, ornamental and herbal have been developed, which would be supplied free of cost to individuals, farmers, social bodies, corporations, schools, institutions and departments of the government.

Of the total plants, about 5 lakh of these have been prepared at two nurseries in Jind sub-division, while the rest have been made ready at other nurseries located in Narwana and Safidon sub-divisions. Same was the situation of Rohtak district, where several lakh saplings have been made ready for plantation this season.

Sirsa, August 2
Many areas of Sirsa are still submerged under floodwater, though more than 20 days have passed since breaches in the Ghaggar deluged most of the Rania block of the district.

Over 8,000 acres of agriculture land near Partap Nagar, Ther Faqiranwali, Ther Santa, Ther Mohar Singh and Ther Ranjit Singh, are still submerged, causing huge losses to farmers.

Though the authorities have taken measures to remove water from these areas by redirecting the flow towards the Ghaggar, low-lying areas have not benefited much due to their geographical conditions.

The stretch of land is situated in the Rania block and shares its borders with Ellenabad. Over 300 houses in these areas, too, have been submerged as are the roads connecting these villages and water channel Khadi Minor that supplies irrigation water to these villages.

“Though water has started receding, it will still take time for the normalcy to arrive,” said Jaswant Singh of Theri Faqiranwali. He added that the road connecting the village was under 4-5 feet under water, but the deluge has considerably receded since.

Septuagenarian Piara Singh states that fellow villagers have extended cooperation when the dwellings came under water after breaches in the Ghaggar near Firozabad village.

Rohtak, August 2
Flooding and stagnation of water in more than half a dozen colonies and areas in the city on Friday after a rainfall of just 45 minutes seems to have issued a kind of warning to the local residents and administration that the city is still not safe and secure on the flood front if downpour lashes the region.

The district authorities have claimed to be prepared to meet the challenge to be posed after heavy rains this season. Though it is claimed that a huge amount of funds have been spent on the construction and repairs of infrastructure to drain out excess water in case of flash floods, the rain on Friday, however, indicated that the situation could turn volatile if there was a downpour as the rain of a smaller duration led to flooding of several parts, claimed a local resident.

The city has already been a victim of the fury of floods in 1995 when it remained under water for about a month and it left property worth several hundred crores damaged.

The condition of drain number eight, which is responsible for carrying out excess water of the city and the nearby areas, has made the authorities to pull up their juniors recently after it was found to have thick growth of wild vegetation and trees, while it should have been properly cleaned, claimed an official.

He admitted that some of the drains could have been cleaned on paper only as it is done every year with huge amount shown as spent on the work.

“The flooding of some of the colonies in the city after a short rainfall indicates towards the kind of preparations made by the civic authorities and the threat posed to the city,” claimed Yoginder Dahiya, a resident of Sonepat road here. The parts that were found rainwater stagnated included Subhash Nagar, Tau Nagar, Ram Gopal Colony, Ekta Colony, Ram Nagar, Old Housing Board Colony, main road opposite the main branch of SBI and the Police Lines.

The rains last year led to flooding of thousands of acres of land which remained under water for about six months due to which farmers were not able to grow crops. The deputy commissioner revealed that the city has been divided into 13 sectors and arrangements were in place to counter any threat of floods.

Sonepat, August 2
“If you want to keep the humanity live on the earth, you have to change the waterline into the lifeline, because water is life and without it we cannot dream of it,” said deputy commissioner Ajit Joshi while addressing a one-day district-level seminar on Water Conservation. The seminar was organised by the Pani Bachao Jan Chetna Abhiyan Samiti here in Little Angel School recently.

Joshi informed that more than 80 countries of the world have been facing acute water shortage. He asked the audience that, “What will happen when the world population will almost be doubled by 2020 and if we continued to exploit water resources indiscriminately without making any effort for water conservation?”

Revealing that the availability of potable water was only between 3 to 4 per cent in the country, he cautioned that this situation would further worsen in the next 15 years if no remedial steps were taken on time. It had become the need of the hour for everyone to adopt water conservation methods at all costs, he added.

“The district administration has been taking all steps to promote the culture of rain harvesting and recharging of groundwater level for water conservation,” he said, but  pointed out that the cooperation of people was necessary for making it a movement.

Rajinder Singh Rana, decorated with the Magsaysay Award and the Jal Purush title, chided politicians for playing politics on water without caring for the interests of human beings. “If people in the world continue to ignore the necessity of water conservation, water will probably be the reason behind the World War III,” he commented. Expressing his concern over the reports that the Yamuna riverbed remained dry for around nine months this year, he urged Sonepat residents to save and conserve every drop of water to ensure that the natural sources of water like the Yamuna did not go dry.

“Please do not look towards the government for social works like water conservation and take initiative at your own level,” he pleaded. He also administered the oath of water conservation to the audience present in the seminar and asked them to use their influence in motivating the students for this noble cause.

Pramod Gori, director of the Haryana State Research Centre, Atul Jain, municipal councillor, who presided over the seminar, and Ashish Arya, MD of Little Angel School, also addressed the seminar that was attended by representatives from various social and voluntary organisations of the district.

Hisar, August 2
Kurukshetra University's syllabus for English for BA Part I(semester system) has become a butt of jokes with the teachers laughing their way to the classrooms.

Here is why. At one place paper I has been spelled as paaper I. Theory is therory. Semester is smester. Internal assessment is one word - InternalAssessment. Education has been spelled as eduction. Section is spelled as sction in the university's scheme of things. Below is bwlow.

The university, in fact, lays great stress on students avoiding common errors in English. Therefore, it has included in the syllabus a question that reads: "There will be question with parts on the following items: common phrasal verbs, Prepositions, common errors in English". It is worth "10marks" (sic). So much for error-free English!

Great English poets and novelists will turn in their graves if they were to hear what the university is doing to them. English poet, politician and essayist Edmund Waller has become Edmubnd Waller. Famed English poet, literary critic, translator and playwright John Dryden is John Drydern.

Poet and Cambridge scholar Thomas Gray is Thomag Gray, says Kurukshetra University. Poet Willaim Collins is William Collibns. Issac Watts, who is considered as the father of English hymnody should have spelled his first name with one 's' less: Isac - going by the university's lexicon.

Samuel Richardson, known for his epistolary novels, got his spellings wrong because Kurukshetra University prefers to spell his surname as Ruichardson.

If the university had its way, Elizabethan dramatist Thomas Dekker should have spelled holiday in the tile of his work The Shoemaker's Holiday as "holliday"

Edmund Spenser's Amoretti, a sonnet cycle containing a sequence of 89 sonnets is Amoreti in the eyes of Kurukshetra University though it has got the spellings right in another occurrence in the syllabus.

Famed South African cardiac surgeon Christiaan Neethling Barnard was interviewed by The Hindu's N. Ram. This has been deleted from the syllabus. Nevertheless, the university did not give up its penchant for newer spellings and spelled Christiaan as "Christian" and Barnard as "Barmard".

If you thought Thomas Hobbes wrote Leviathan, you are wrong. The university says it was Tomas not Thomas.

Kaithal, August 2
Parents should ensure proper education to girls because they can help in improving the standard of two families. Before marriage they look after their parental homes and after marriage they look after their in-laws families.

This was stated by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) BB Kaushik while addressing a workshop of the members of self-help groups, Anganwari workers, women literacy groups and Asha workers in Aggarwal Dharamshala Cheeka recently.

Kaushik said it was strange that even now some parents think that there was no need to educate girls because they would go to other family after marriage. He said this was not positive thinking and such parents should change their mindset. He said more self-help groups would be constituted to raise the standard of living of those living below the poverty line by providing them more self-employment opportunities.

He also called upon the members of various groups attending the workshop to work for total literacy and help in construction of toilets in every house and making total sanitation programme a success. He distributed cheques worth Rs 14.50 lakh to the members of self-help groups.

He also inspected an exhibition of articles prepared by self-help groups on the occasion. Guhla SDM Ashok Bansal, programme officer Romesh Nagpal, Dr Veena Bharti, Dr Dhoop Sigh, Dr Parminder Kaur and Mukesh Sharma from the DRDA were among those present on the occasion. 

Ambala, August 2
The Haryana Wakf Board has earned an all-time record income of Rs 13.67 crore during 2009-10. This was stated by Naseem Ahmad, administrator of the Haryana Wakf Board, during its annual general meeting here recently. He said the board has earmarked Rs 10.27 crore in the budget of 2010-2011.

Highlighting the achievements of the board, he said during the last financial year, the most ambitious activity of the board was the establishment of an engineering college in Mewat, which is Muslim-dominated and the most backward area in the state. The total cost of the project was Rs 37 crore and the board had spent Rs 7.36 crore from its savings on building infrastructure.

Talking to mediapersons, he said the problem of encroachments on Wakf properties continued to be a serious challenge for the board. He urged the employees of the board to continue their efforts in resolving the problem and urged the government to provide all possible assistance to the board to get Wakf properties vacated.

He said sometime ago, when the Haryana Wakf Board was one of the constituent units of the erstwhile Punjab Wakf Board, the revenue collection of the board was only Rs 3.92 crore. After the establishment of a separate Wakf Board for Haryana, the income of the board increased manifolds, he added.

While addressing the gathering, Jaleb Khan, chief parliamentary secretary, Housing Wakf and Revenue, praised the Haryana Wakf Board working for the betterment of the Muslim community in the state. He said he would take up the issue of the removal of encroachments from Wakf properties with the government. He also assured for sizeable grant-in-aid for Mewat engineering college from the government.

On the occasion, Dr Parvez Ahmad, chief executive officer of the Haryana Wakf Board, presented the annual report of 2009-10. He expressed satisfaction on the move of the government to ask the government departments, which were occupying Wakf lands to become lessees of the board. He said after the establishment of the board, it had been able to recover as many as 683 encroached Wakf properties through courts by a way of compromise.

Dr Parvez informed that during the last three years, 392 new properties worth Rs 134.16 crore were traced out in the ongoing survey conducted in seven districts of the state, including Jhajjar, Rohtak, Sonepat, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar and Ambala.

On the occasion, the 7th Khawaja Altaf Hussain Hali Award for 2010 was conferred on noted Urdu poet of the region Dr Mohd Sultan Anjum for his contribution for promoting Urdu language in the region.

Rewari, August 2
KK Sharma , IG, South Range, Rewari, inaugurated the newly constructed building of the Traffic Police Station (TPS) of Bawal, on the national highway 8 ( near Bawal) on Sunday (August 1).

The IGP said the police personnel manning the TPS would be instrumental in curtailing road accidents on the highway, besides providing requisite timely assistance to accident victims. He exhorted the people, motorists in particular, to lend their cooperation to the police and follow the traffic rules in letter and in spirit.

Faridabad, August 2
In order to bring larger areas of Faridabad district under green cover, the district administration has undertaken afforestation campaign on a large scale in which 6.5 lakh saplings would be planted by year end.

According to Deputy Commissioner Praveen Kumar, the campaign would include participation by the public and government machinery. The Forest Department would be the operational agency from the government side, he added.

The elected representatives will be vital cog in the campaign. The DC further stated that efforts were being made to sensitise children towards greenery and environment so that they had proper socialisation on the issue and help them evolve into responsible citizens.

Kumar further urged that each individual must plant a sapling during the monsoon season and nurture trees.

The Forest Department has launched a scheme for planting saplings along the national highway. The department will also provide saplings to farmers for plantation along the highway.The plants will be maintained by the department.

Faridabad, August 2
The setting up of a commission for farmers in Haryana to give all-round boost to agriculture by the state government has given a new ammunition to the ruling Congress to advertise itself in the political market and be one up against its opponents in the game of political brinkmanship. The goal of the commission is to study and make recommendations to improve agriculture and related issues.

The general opinion is that the new move by the Congress government was a masterstroke and it was bound to draw the attention of the INLD, the principal opposition in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha and the arch-rival of the Congress. Also, it would be helpful to insulate the party and the government from criticisms from various quarters of it allegedly pursuing modular politics and their indulgence with policies and orientation which catered to a narrow area of the state and the polity.

Incidents like Mirchpur in Hisar district, which saw unsavoury incident of arson and vandalism in a Dalit colony that also drew the attention of AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, had hard put the establishment in Haryana to defend its credibility and effectiveness quotients.

Wide-ranging Congress leaders have now gone cock-a-hoop on the constitution of the commission. Satbir Singh Daggar, convener of the Haryana Kissan Cell, a frontal organisation of the Haryana Congress, summed up the ideological argument doing the rounds in the Congress camp in favour of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda saying that the latter has shown his personal commitment and affection for farmers and agriculture. Incidentally, a delegation of farmers of the state, led by Satbir, felicitated the Chief Minister and offered him a 'puggree' as a mark of gratitude for setting up the commission.

Congress leaders say the constitution of the commission was proper keeping in mind that Haryana was predominantly an agrarian economy. They say the commission would cater to all sections of society. As if to drive home the point, the Congress was taking care of the needs of all sections of society.

According to many, the Congress has been dependent on the clean and decent image of Hooda. According to them, it was largely on the account of Hooda that the INLD vote bank shifted to the Congress, which helped it to form the government not once, but for the consecutive second time in the last Assembly elections.

A large section of the leaders of the party in Haryana have now taken the line that Hooda has emerged as the most popular Chief Minister in the state among the farmers. They also cite the recent decision of the Congress government in the state in which it decided to felicitate the farmers who have gone past 90 and have been exemplars in agriculture practices. The farmers will be honoured on October 2.

The setting up of floor rates for the compensation of agriculture land acquired by the government and also waiving of electricity dues form the part of Congress leaders argument in favour of their government in Haryana.

Ambala, August 2
Due to an increase in demand and improved minimum support prices of sugarcane, this year sugarcane crop has been cultivated on more than 1,250 acres in Ambala district, including Mullana, Naggal and Naraingarh areas.

According to sources, sugarcane growers of the region are worried over the Union Government’s decision to decontrol sugar prices. Earlier, sugarcane growers in the district had lost interest in cultivating the crop due to delay in payments.

It is stated that the attitude of the sugar mill owner at Naraingarh had compelled the farmers to switch over to alternate crop. As a result sugarcane cultivation in the district was reduced to nearly 1,000 acres from 1,400 acres.

Earlier, the state government has announced a state advisory price (SAP) of Rs 185 per quintal for early varieties, Rs 180 for mid varieties and Rs 175 per quintal for late maturing varieties of sugarcane.

Sources said cane prices for 2010-11 have also been announced at Rs 210, Rs 205 and Rs 200 per quintal for early, mid and late varieties, respectively. According to the figures provided by the Agriculture Department, acreage for autumn sown crop (October-December) has been registered at around 18,000 hectare, up from 5,000 hectare last year.

The department has also floated various schemes to encourage farmers to grow more sugarcane. A subsidy of Rs 2,000 per acre is being given to the cane growers. Moreover, 50 per cent subsidy is also being given for purchase of equipments like trencher, power tiller and hole digger to promote mechanisation in the fields.

But the decision to decontrol rates of sugarcane has disappointed the farmers as they would have to work on revised conditions set by the sugar mills. Moreover, most of the farmers of the area have yet to collect last year’s balance payment that would be released to them against the current supplies.

Highly placed sources in the Agriculture Department said a result of the declined interest of farmers in sugarcane crop, the department has tried to assist sugarcane growers . They are given seeds at reasonable prices and also provided with attractive subsidies. As a result, sugarcane crop area has witnessed an increase by 20-25 per cent.

Gurgaon, August 2
Muskaan, a collaborative initiative of Samaritans, the social initiative and CSR club of Management Development Institute (MDI), and Deepalaya, an NGO working in the field of child education, was organised on the premises of MDI here recently.

Aimed at spreading a smile on the face of children from the Ghusbeti residential centre of the NGO, the event was inaugurated by Prof BA Metri, dean, postgraduate programmes at the MDI.

In his address, Professor Metri lauded the contribution of Deepalaya to society and exhorted students to do their bit for the noble cause.

Muskaan showcased folk dances of Bengal and Punjab. The children performed with confidence and enthralled audience. The colourful costumes and lively dances kept audience spellbound.

The children also presented Hindi and English songs in collaboration with the MDI band, the Mandolins. The Mandolins also dedicated a few scintillating performances to the kids as a small token of their appreciation.

The audience also witnessed the considerable work done by Deepalaya over the past three decades through a short film.

Sudha Parthasarathy, the executive director of Deepalaya, spoke with passion about their work, and briefed the audience on how they could contribute their mite towards a cause.

An exhibition-cum-sale of art and craft items made by the children of Deepalaya was also put up on the occasion. 

Sirsa, August 2
More people that are indigent will now be able to get facilities of free legal aid under the State Legal Services Authority. The Haryana government has increased the upper income limit of families eligible for free legal aid from Rs 50,000 per annum to Rs 75,000 per annum.

District and Sessions Judge Dr Shiva Sharma, who is also president of the District Legal Service Authority, informed this recently after inaugurating a legal aid clinic in the local SP office.

“Legal aid clinics have initially been established at the district level in Haryana. Soon, these will have setup at sub-division level too to provide free legal aid to poor,” the judge said.

Legal aid clinics, he said, would help bringing a curb on domestic violence as such grievances would be heard and decided speedily in these clinics. People seeking free legal aid from the Legal Services Authority could also apply in these clinics.

Sadhna Mittal, protection officer of the district under the Domestic Violence Act, and two other members Balbir Kaur and Mamata Banga, who have been appointed for the purpose, would hear the cases of domestic violence coming to these clinics, the judge said.

He said besides the poor, some other category of people like, women, children, people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and those convicted by courts were entitled to free legal aid.

SP Satinder Kumar Gupta, additional district and sessions judges JS Kundu, RC Deemri and Basheshar Singh, chief judicial magistrate Naresh Kumar Singhal and judges Sudhir Parmar, Abhishek Phutela and Sukhbir Singh were present.

Later, the judges visited the District Jail, the Senior Citizen’s Home and the Disha, a home for special children. The judges listened to their grievances and distributed fruits among them.

Surinder Bhatia, secretary, and Geeta Kathuria, director of the Disha were also present.

Sonepat, August 2
Joginder Singh Nandal, president of the District Consumers Forum, had ordered the Uttar Haryana Bijli Nigam Authorities to refund the penalty amount of Rs 20,407 with 9 per cent rate of interest to the consumer, Bal Ram, a resident of Housing Board colony, Sector 15, here.

The forum also imposed a penalty of Rs 1,000 on the Nigam to pay to the consumer for causing him mental torture. In his complaint to the Forum on December 4, 2009, Bal Ram stated that a team of the Nigam inspected his electric meter at his residence on November 28, 2009, and imposed a penalty of Rs 20,407 alleging that the supply in the house was direct. Bal Ram paid the penalty and later filed a complaint in the Forum against the arbitrary orders of the Nigam.

During the hearing of the case, the Nigam authorities failed to produce any proof of video, photo or witness to substantiate the allegation and the Forum pronounced the judgement in favour of the consumer.

Rewari, August 2
The Rampura police here recently arrested three youths, Baljit Yadav of Dhawana village, Nand Ram Yadav of Ramsinghpura colony here and Rajesh Yadav of Nangal Mohanpur village of Mahendergarh district, who allegedly gangraped a minor Assamese girl (15) at a house in Qutubpur colony here recently.

The arrested were produced on July 29 in the court of Vikas Gupta, JMIC, who remanded them to 14-day judicial custody.

The girl, who was living with her parents in Assam, was brought here sometime ago by the accused, Nand Ram and Rajesh, who had allegedly struck some deal with her parents.

After she was allegedly raped by the trio at the above house in Qutubpur colony in June, the girl returned to Sarai Rohilla where she was picked up in a state of discomfiture by the Government Railway Police (GRP) of Sarai Rohilla.

Simultaneously, the girl was given into the care of the superintendent of Nirmal Chhaya, a home for destitute women, at Sarai Rohilla.

On a statement furnished by the victim, the GRP, Sarai Rohilla, registered a “zero fir” against the accused.

After due verification of the factual position which, inter alia, revealed that the girl was raped in Rewari, the GRP Sarai Rohilla sent back the allied documents on July 19 to the Rampura police here for appropriate action in the matter. Consequently, the statement of the girl, who was brought here from Nirmal Chhaya by the Rampura police, was recorded in the court of Vikas on July 22. 

A preliminary test was conducted on July 11 for shortlisting candidates for the main examination of the Haryana Civil Service (Judicial Branch). The result of this exam declared after three days provided for the cut-off of 364 out of 500 for general category candidates whereas in case of the SC it is merely 197. What a huge difference between the two? No doubt, candidates equal to 10 times the number of vacancies categorywise are to be called for the mains exams, but for that purpose there needs to be a rational formula. In neighbouring Delhi, the general category candidates have to obtain 60 per cent marks in prelims in order to qualify for the mains whereas for SC candidates, a relaxation of just 5 per cent is admissible. In the case of Haryana, all qualified general candidates for the mains have obtained 73 per cent marks while the corresponding SCs have qualified with just 39 per cent. Is it appropriate? As this time, the High Court is involved in the selection, I hope this grave discrepancy is rectified.