Gurgaon, August 9
In a curious move, the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG), which has miserably failed to perform its designated tasks, has offered a loan of Rs 50 crore to the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF).

It may be pertinent to mention here that residents of Gurgaon, especially the old city, continue to face multifarious problems like bad roads, nagging traffic congestion, encroachments and grossly inadequate infrastructure.

However, instead of using public money to mitigate the grievances of local residents and provide more and better facilities to them, the MCG authorities have chosen to lend this money on interest.

As if defending the dismal performance of the corporation at a recent interactive session, local Municipal Commissioner RK Khullar maintained that the MCG, which was in the nascent stage, would be restructured as per the needs and peculiar requirements of Gurgaon.

"The MCG will strive to rise to the challenges of the millennium city," Khullar said at the interactive session organised by the Haryana state council of the CII to discuss the growing needs of Gurgaon. The MC informed the CII members that Rs 40 crore had already been spent on laying of roads after the inception of the corporation. Sewerage maintenance work had also been taken over from the Public Health and Engineering Department to improve the waste-management system in the city, he added.

Responding to the concern raised by members about the slow pace of development projects in the city, Khullar said the corporation was focusing on a structured development plan for the city. He, however, made no reference to the logic or requirement of doling out loans from public money instead of using it for the welfare of the residents it is meant for.

Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar), August 9
After giving sufficient time to demolish their illegal constructions, the district authorities have now decided to get tough against those landowners who had not been lending an ear to the warnings issued to them for not carrying out any construction works within the controlled area of this industrial town without getting prior authorisation.

The District Town Planning (DTP) office has launched a special drive to pull down all illegal structures constructed within the controlled area. The drive was kicked off from Issharheri village here where several illegal constructions of four colonies on over 20 acres were razed amid heavy police force.

Though the Bahadurgarh tehsildar and the district town planner (DTP) were present on the occasion to prevent any untoward situation that might have been arisen out following the wrath of the landowners, no one tried to oppose the move in view of the heavy police personnel there.

As many as six structures and a significant number of under-construction structures were demolished during this daylong exercise.

“Notices were served to landowners several months ago to not to carry out any illegal construction within the controlled area without permission, but they did not pay any heed and continued with illegal constructions,” said an official of the DTP office.

He informed that the action had been initiated under the Urban Area Act, which prohibited private developers from developing colonies without getting a licence and the Control Area Act under which any activity other than agricultural cannot be undertaken without the approval of the director, Town and Country Planning.

Hisar, August 9
The city's development master plan has been completely recast in view of declaration of Hisar as a counter-magnet city for Delhi to ease pressure on the national capital region (NCR)

The earlier master plan was prepared in 1984 keeping in view the projected development needs for 2021. At that time the city's population was just 3.5 lakh. The recast plan takes into consideration the city's needs for 2031 when its population is expected to go up to 11 lakh.

The new plan envisages an industrial hub, new commercial areas, roads, water works, residential sectors, parks, forest areas and recreational areas.

The industrial hub is to be developed in an area of 1311 hectares. In addition to developing industrial sectors 27 and 28, three new sectors will be included in this belt. These are: sector 18, 18A and 19.

Sector 53 on the national highway No 10 will also be developed as an industrial sector. Another industrial sector is proposed adjacent to sector 19. It will cover 247 hectares.

A water grid station is proposed to meet the future requirements of drinking water. The city is dependent on canal water for its drinking water needs. Two water works will be built in the municipal area, two outside it and one in HUDA's sector 17. Four additional water works are proposed for Balsamand Road, Sirsa Road, another one near the engineering college and one in sector 19. Sectors 21, 22P, 29, 39A, 40, 45, 16, 22, 22A, 23, 41, 42, 43 and 45 covering an area of 2727 hectares have been earmarked for developing public and semi-public use zone.

While two new town parks will be developed in sector 15 and 31, an area of 660 hectares will be developed as a grebe belt.

A recreational sector, called Alpha-A, will be developed. It will house a golf course, zoo, wildlife sanctuary, lake, a boat club and swimming pools.

A five-star hotel is also proposed for this sector.

Chandigarh, August 9
Even though the recent floods ravaged freshly transplanted paddy in thousands of hectares in Haryana, expeditious all-out measures taken by the Haryana Government have so far brought 7,000 additional hectares under paddy cultivation.

Disclosing this, an official spokesman said blessing in disguise was that during re-transplantation, basmati had replaced coarse varieties of paddy as a substitute in the flood-hit districts. The state might produce more basmati rice this year, bringing farmers more money.

“There is no effect on the basmati yield if replanted at this stage,” the spokesman said. He said up to July 29, 2010, paddy had been sown in 10.57 lakh hectares as against 10.5 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year. It showed that 7,000 more hectares had been brought under paddy so far as compared to last year.

The state is well on the road to achieving, if not exceeding, both the coverage and production targets which have been pegged at 11.5 lakh hectares and 56.07 lakh metric tonnes in 2010-11. The ground-level reality of more areas having already been brought under paddy so far bodes well for the state.

“With operation paddy transplantation, including re-transplantation, slated to continue well past August 15, 2010, the Haryana Government is confident of meeting the target of bringing 11.5 lakh hectares under the crop,” the spokesman added.

Aided by the State Agriculture Department, farmers in the flood-hit districts of Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaitnal, Karnal, Fatehabad, Sirsa and Yamunanagar have successfully re-transplanted paddy in about 2.94 lakh hectares.

Weather is favourable for the proper growth of paddy. All other inputs such as weedicides, insecticides, pesticides and training campaigns with suitable advisories being continuously supplied to the farmers by the Agriculture Department, the state hopes to achieve the targeted production at 56.07 lakh MT.

Sonepat, August 9
Gohana SDM Virender Sehrawat plans to make the town green with support from managers of various bank branches and representatives of different voluntary and social organisations of the town.

A number of plantations were destroyed while laying the sewer and water pipelines and widening of roads in the town during the recent past

“We plan to plant 2,000 saplings in the town, including 500 along roadsides in the town and the remaining ones in educational institutes and other public places ,” said Sehrawat. The SDM said around 1,000 saplings had already been planted so far.

Shopkeepers had been urged to water the plants planted in front of their shops while fertilizers for these saplings would be arranged by the Forest Department and the local municipal committee, he said.

For the protection of the saplings planted along the roadsides, every bank branch located at Gohana will provide 25 tree guards while the municipal committee will arrange other 100 tree guards.

Tree plantation got momentum in the district in the 2008 rainy season when a special drive named as “Taru Yatra” was successfully launched by deputy commissioner Ajit Joshi. Over one lakh saplings were planted during the drive.

Rohtak, August 9
A sting operation carried out by a team deputed by the office of the IG, Rohtak Range, could not get any of the cops fished in the net that was laid to trap those who fail to do their job well in police stations. The team visited about 12 police stations in Rohtak, Sonepat, Karnal and Panipat districts and found that all were cops alert and well behaved.

The raid was carried out to detect irregularities and misbehaviour by policemen with the people who visit police stations in connection with their complaints. In a similar campaign launched earlier by the IG office in the Rohtak range, about six cops were placed under suspension.

The police stations visited by the team were Sector-1 in Rohtak; Kansala in Sonepat; Sadar, Civil and City, Murthal; Gannaur in Sonepat; Smalakha, Sadar, City, Chandni Bagh and bus stand in Panipat; Kunjpura, Indri, Sector- 13, Garounda and City in Karnal district.

While V. Kamaraja, IG, claimed that the exercise was part of a campaign to improve the behaviour of cops and to ensure that they register every genuine complaint that was reported to them. He said the sting operation carried out earlier might have left them warned and alert about such a development, although even this time it was a secret and carried out in a professional manner.

He said all cops who were on duty were found alert and there was no irregularity of any kind and they offered to register complaints taken up with them by the team which posed as civilians. The IG, however, has issued a warning that none of the cops of any rank would be spared if their was a complaint of irregularity, misbehaviour or any kind of violation of the norms at any of the police stations in the five districts.

Kurukshetra, August 9
Mr Balbir Singh, District Sessions judge Cum-District Legal Services Authority, Kurukshetra, called upon the gram panchayats, patwaris, gram sachivs, anganwari and health workers as well as those working in villages to make the ruralits legally literate so that they do not rush to cities for trifle things.

Addressing a special legal literacy camp organised by the District Legal Service Authority here, he said illiterate Dalit women living in rural areas were victims of domestic violence and were deprived of their fundamental rights. Such women should be made literate and given protection. They should be made aware of their fundamental rights by rendering them legal education.

Dr Neelima Shangla, Additional Sessions Judge, Kurukshetra, urged the women to get united for their rights so that they get equal status with men. She also highlighted the constitutional rights of women.

Mr Virender Prasad, Civil Judge, Senior Division, Kurukshetra,said that the use of the word ‘widow’ after the death of the husband of a woman was inelegant. Therefore, the process of amendment in the Constitution to ban this word was in progress.

District Bar Association president AS Malik said the common man could get the benefits of new laws only if these laws were propagated to them. He appreciated the contribution of the District Legal Service Authority in this direction.

Women Protection Officer Deepshikha explained the women legal rights which included the right to residence, domestic protection and other women rights.

Ambala, August 9
Punjab Technical University has been awarded with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-Enabled University of the Year award. It has also won the best open and distance learning initiative of the year in the citizen’s choice award.

This was disclosed by IPS Sodhi, director, Miri Piri Regular Centre (Applied Technology) PTU, Haryana.

The “e-INDIA 2010 Award” programme was organised at Hyderabad International Conventional Centre, Hyderabad, on August 5 in association with the Department of Information Technology under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Dr Rajneesh Arora, vice-chancellor, PTU, Dr NP Singh, dean, distance education programme, HS Bains, registrar, DS Sekhon, president, AIPTUDEP Associates and JS Dhaliwal, president, PUTIA, received these awards from Agatha Sangma, Minister of State for Rural Development and Agriculture.

These awards acknowledge and felicitate innovative initiatives in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for development in diverse domains namely, e-governance, digital learning, e-health, e-agriculture and tele centre through a two-way process of jury evaluation and public voting.

Sirsa, August 9
For residents smarting under poor sewerage and drainage system in Sirsa town, some announcements relating to development activities made by the local minister Gopal Kanda have raised some hopes.

The town not only has poor sewerage and drainage system, but also drinking water supply to the residents leaves much to be desired.

While inaugurating four new tubewells for improving drinking water supply in the town recently, Kanda said a sum of Rs 130 crore would be spent on improving sewer system of the town.

He said the Haryana Government has sanctioned another scheme of Rs 10 crore for improving drainage system of the town so that rainwater did not stagnate in streets and roads.

Residents of several areas have to face water logging after the slightest of rains and rainwater enters their houses if it rains heavily for a few minutes.

Like the drainage problem, drinking water too becomes a scarce commodity during the summer and people in several localities have to get water from tanker service started by some NGOs.

The minister said the government also has a plan for four-laning of the Rania Road. Kanda’s own new palatial house as well as the properties of the Tarkeshwar Dham, a religious trust managed by his family, is located on the Rania Road.

Kanda also has a plan to build a quality school as well as a health care centre in collaboration with the Medicity (Gurgaon) of the noted cardiac surgeon Dr Naresh Trehan on the road.

He said special emphasis would be laid on improving the drainage system from Sangwan Chowk to Shiv Chowk and Rania Chowk to Parsuram Chowk.

The minister said a plan was afoot to construct river water-based waterworks at Panjuana village over 129 acres. The government, he added, has installed 16 tube wells at a cost of Rs 70 lakh to provide temporary respite to people till new projects starts functioning.

He said nine boosting stations would be built in the town for the supply of purified water to the residents. The residents hope that the projects announced by the minister start soon as these would bring cheers for people facing problems of drainage and drinking water supply.

Sirsa, August 9“Swavlamban Kendra”, a production centre launched by Disha, an institute for providing vocational training to special children, differently abled and women, has started functioning formally.

Gopal Kanda, Haryana Minister for Home, Industries, Sports and Youth Affairs, inaugurated the centre in the presence of Swami Avdheshanand Giriji Maharaj. Kanda said the state government has given several facilities to differently abled persons and increased their pensions.

Surender Bhatia, secretary, and Geeta Kathuria, director of Disha, said the centre has been providing selfless services to differently abled and underprivileged for the past 12 years. Disha was founded in 1998 and ever since more than 8,000 special children, differently abled and poor and destitute women have been benefited from it.

The centre has the honour of being selected the “Best Residential Care Centre” by the National Trust. The Kendra has several vocational units like food processing, paper plate making, candle making and file making to provide opportunities to differently abled and women to earn their living.

Noted scientist Dr Kuldeep Singh Dhindsa, local philanthropist Dr RS Sangwan, Disha’s chief patron AC Gadi, Block Congress president Bhupesh Mehta, Haryana Patrakar Sangh president Pawandeep Jolly and Anil Dumra were also present on the occasion.

Rohtak, August 9
Ved Prakash Vidrohi, spokesperson of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), has claimed that there are certain leaders and workers in the Congress who are responsible for making the party weak and damaging its interests in the state.

“They have been hampering the growth of the party as their personal interests matter more than the social issues and this is perhaps the main cause of the party losing some of its seats in the recently concluded civic poll. Such leaders should be identified and action should be taken against them,” Vidrohi said.

He said their activities amounted to violation of party discipline, which passed on a wrong message to the public.

Charging the INLD of unnecessarily raising hue and cry over various matters, he said INLD leaders had developed a habit of trying to slander the Congress over anything without going into the facts. “All this is nothing but INLD's frustration after losing the public support in few of the recent elections,” he claimed.

The Congress is a democratic party that believed in respecting the public decision, he said, adding that the main reason behind the party losing some of the seats in the recent poll was not because that the INLD had emerged popular but because of individual ambitions of some of the Congress leaders.

Chandigarh, August 9
The flood-affected Haryana is gearing up to receive Queen's Baton, when it will enter Hisar from Bikaner in Rajasthan on September 26 with all fanfare and gaiety.

Chief secretary Urvashi Gulati recently chaired a meeting of the high-level inter-departmental coordination committee of Commonwealth Games to be held from October 3 to October 14 in Delhi to review the security arrangements for the games as well as for the Queen's Baton relay in the state.

The journey of Queen's Baton in Haryana will start from September 26 and after passing through the state it will enter its final destination in Delhi on September 30.

Gulati said the Commonwealth Games would be India's first big international sports event after the 1982 Asian Games and all out efforts would be made to make the event a grand success. She directed officers to make arrangements for the games ready well before the event.

The baton relay would pass through Hisar, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Gohana, Meham, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Jhajjar and Gurgaon before entering Delhi. It would be stay overnight at Sirsa, Kurukshetra, Rohtak and Gurgaon where cultural programmes would be organised during the evenings.

Gulati directed the officers to invite important sportspersons of the state to be part of the relay. District-level committees have also been constituted with sportspersons as its members to oversee the smooth and successful passing of the relay in the state. Volvo buses would be pressed into services to ferry members of the relay. She directed the Public Works (Building and Roads) Department to speedily take up the repair of roads, especially on the route of the relay, and complete the work well in advance.

Director-General of Police Ranjeev Dalal said intensive security arrangements would be made during the relay as well as Commonwealth Games to prevent any untoward incident. Same arrangements had been made at the shooting range at Gurgoan, where an event would be held. Watchtowers and CCTV cameras would also be installed at prominent places. Proper signage would be installed and smooth flow of traffic would also be maintained for the convenience of guests, he added.

Hisar, August 9
The 17th all-India inter-public school art competition and O.P Jindal Inter Public School essay writing, poetry, declamation and extempore competitions were held at the local Vidya Devi Jindal School for Girls on the 80th birth anniversary of its founding father, late OP Jindal.

As many as 25 schools from all over the country participated. The competitions also included pre-contested competitions in cartoon making, clay modelling, imaginative composition and paper flowermaking. Sandeep Joshi, cartoonist of The Tribune, was the chief guest.

Mayo Girls College and VDJS jointly bagged the overall trophy for the art competition but being the host school the trophy was handed over to Mayo Girls' College. NC Jindal School, New Delhi, bagged the trophy for the poetry competition. Birla Balika Vidya Peeth School, Pillani, bagged the trophy for the essay competition and Choitram School, Indore, won the trophy for the declamation competition.

The local OP Jindal Modern School also organised a marathon to mark the birth anniversary of Jindal. Over 1700 children participated in the marathon. The marathon had "Healthy Life" as its theme. A cultural programme was also organised on the occasion.

Kaithal, August 9
A hi-tech campus of the International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD) was opened here recently. The campus was inaugurated by Ritu Kochar, corporate director, INIFD.

Talking to mediapersons, Ritu Kochar said the INIFD had 180 centres in India and abroad offering know-how and training in fashion, interior, and textile design.

Founded in 1995, the INIFD has moved from national to international after signing MoUs regarding technical collaboration with world’s leading fashion institute IMB-Milan (Italy).

Kochar said the INIFD had tied up with the reputed international giant Istituto di Moda Burgo (IMB) of Italy for one-year professional and two-year advance programme for providing international-level curriculum to design students.

Karnal, August 9
Sainik School, Kunjpura, made a clean sweep in all categories in the three-day maiden IPSE sports climbing competition. Yadavendra Public School, Patiala, was the runners-up in the meet, which concluded here recently.

The competition was divided in three categories according to age groups, Sub Juniors (10 to 13 years), Junior (13 to 16 years) and seniors (16 to 18 years) for speed and lead climbing.

Ritesh Bhatti and Alankrita Semwal were adjudged the best limbers in the sub junior category, Sachin Lathwal and Kirti Sajwan in the junior category while Banit Lamba and Vinita won the best climbers slot in the senior category.

Kshirja Bedi of YPS was declared the youngest and most promising climber.

Sainik School, Kunjpura, is the only school in Haryana and the first among the 21 sainik schools in the country to have an artificial wall of international standards. Five other schools, including RIMC, Dehradhun, Sainik School, Kapurthala; Punjab Public School, Nabha; Yadvendra Public School, Patiala; participated in the competition.

Congratulating the boys for their remarkable achievement, Arun Datta, principal Sainik School, Kunjpura, said that adventure activities formed an integral part of the power-packed training of Sainik School as sports and games were essential for developing a healthy mental attitude, enhancing basic human qualities and building confidence.

Rewari, August 9
Ishwar Dutt, Judicial Magistrate (First Class), has sentenced Sachin, Dharambir and Hemant Kumar, all residents of Nangli Godha village, to rigorous imprisonment for three years each, holding them guilty of causing grievous hurt to ved Prakash of the same village in March, 2001.

The judge, who pronounced the verdict here recently, has also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on each of the three convicts. Sachin is the newly elected sarpanch of Nangli Godha village, 7 km from Rewari.

The trio, armed with lethal weapons, assaulted and injured Ved Prakash grievously on March 16, 2001, following a land dispute. The Rewari Sadar police registered a case against the accused, which led to their conviction. — OC

The Hooda Government would soon have to appoint new members in the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) as the tenure of these members appointed during the Chautala regime has either ceased or would end soon. Though all such nine members, including the erstwhile chairman, have been under suspension for the past two years as the Supreme Court is seized of an inquiry under a presidential reference for ascertaining their conduct during recruitments made by them. After coming to power in 2005, the Hooda dispensation endeavoured to curtail the powers of the commission or ignored it even in matters of consultations for effecting promotions to gazetted posts simply because it was then fully composed of members nominated by its predecessor regime. It was only in August,2008, that four new members were appointed by the Hooda Government that powers and functions of the HPSC were restored.

The root cause of the derailment of trust of a successive government in the commission appointed by its former is the present methodology of selecting its chairman and members. They are not selected by following a due process but are merely nominated by the state government ( read the Chief Minister). In recent years, it has been witnessed that the persons appointed to these coveted posts are being nominated not by virtue of their distinguished academic background or expertise in a field, but on the degree of their loyality and relations with the ruling elite. The HPSC has also become a rehabilitation ground for those who are unable to secure a win in the elections. The present HPSC comprises three ex-bureaucrats out of four members- two former IAS and one ex-HCS officer.

The present malady can be redressed if the procedure of selecting the chairperson and members of a state PSC is suitably reformed by adopting healthy conventions by the respective governments. The incumbents of a public service commission, being holders of constitutional status, cannot be allowed to be appointed at the whims and fancies of the leader of a ruling party. A selection Committee comprising the Chief Minister, Speaker Leader of the Opposition, Chief Justice and eminent academicians ought to be constituted for the selection of the chairman and members of the state PSC. Would Mr Hooda dare to do this?

HEMANT KUMAR, Ambala City

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