Bhiwani, October 31
A 35-year-old man first shot his parents dead and then later shot himself after being threatened by a woman in Badi Mohalla here today.The bodies of Poonam Chand, his wife Kamlesh and son Bansi (35) were recovered by the police from their house here today.

Bansi, who worked as a financier in Gurgaon, met Komal of Bikaner. He lent Rs 10-15 lakh to Komal, following which she started demanding more. When Bansi demanded his money back with interest, she allegedly threatened to eliminate him and his entire family.

Feeling threatened, Bansi first killed his parents with a revolver and then later shot himself. Before ending his life, he reportedly called his sisters in Raigarh, Kanpur and Gurgaon, requesting them to save him or he would commit suicide.

The sisters informed a relative in Bhiwani, who went to the police and accompanied them to the house. The police entered the house through a neighbouring house and found the bodies lying in a pool of blood. After killing his parents, Bansi had placed the bodies on bed and sprinkled turmeric around the bed. Before committing suicide, Bansi wrote on walls and held Komal responsible for their deaths. The police has sent the bodies to the Civil Hospital for a postmortem and registered a case.

In another incident, two boys and a girl, involved in a love triangle, committed suicide by consuming celphos at Mittathal village here today. The police recovered the bodies from the fields and sent them for a postmortem.

Babli (15) of Dohad village in Jhajjar was staying at Pilana village with her maternal uncle. Ravinder of Mittathal and his cousin Sunil of Matanhel called Babli to the fields, where the trio consumed celphos. 

Karnal, October 31
A drunkard for a husband, two little children and the meagre earnings of a maid - 45-year-old Manju Bala lived a hand-to-mouth existence for over 20 years. To add to an already distraught life she was leading, her family was repeatedly thrown out of their rented one-room tenements, courtesy her husband’s inebriated state.

And then, he too passed away three years ago, leaving her with their teenaged children. Aware that she was all they had, she knew she couldn’t quit.

Today, she’s glad she didn’t because life seems easier from now on. Manju Bala, the maid, now owns a 50 sq m plot in one of the plush colonies of a private developer in Sector 9 of Karnal.

She’s not alone in becoming the proud owner of a plot in the colony. There are 105 other beneficiaries of the draw of lots for the plots organised earlier this month.

Labourers, daily wagers, tailors and many of that ilk from the below poverty line (BPL) families with paltry incomes believe that they have “hit a jackpot” overnight and they can’t thank the Town and Country Planning Department, Haryana, enough for that.

The department, under its modified policy, tightened the noose around private developers to deliver their unkept promise of allotting 20 per cent plots in their colonies to BPL families. To do away with arbitrariness, the policy laid down that only BPL families were eligible for the same in which the first preference would be given to families of the town while leftover plots only would be offered to families in the district and the state.

“The department has linked all completion approvals for the colonies to allotment of plots, thereby ensuring that the developers fall in line and advertise plots for BPL families. The results have been encouraging,” says Town and Country Planning Director TC Gupta.

The first draw after the amendment in policy was held in Karnal in October. For 106 plots, about 800 applications were received in which 270 applications of families from Karnal town only were considered.

With the draw of lots having been completed, the department wants to verify the BPL status of the plot holders before issuing letters in their name so that no undeserving case makes it to the list. A waiting list of 20 families has also been drawn up for replacement. The lucky ones will be given a plot at the rate of Rs 500 per sq m against an average prevailing rate of Rs 5,000 per sq m.

A resident of Badli, Angoori Devi (42), admits that the beginning of every month is a nightmare with rent to be paid, ration to be purchased from their family income of Rs 3,000. The plot, of course, has brought cheer in the household.

With seven family members stuffed in one room, 32-year-old Ravinder can’t believe his luck. “I’m illiterate and had only heard that there is a scheme whereby we can get a plot. I applied because everybody was applying. I guess, I must have done some good to be lucky enough to get a plot from among so many applicants,” he remarks.

Manju Bala sums up the sentiments for others, “I’m on cloud nine since the draw was held. I can’t believe something good can happen in the lives of poor people. Now, I’m waiting to hold the allotment letter in my hand.”

This, however, is only the beginning with 2,157 plots already advertised for BPL families, indicating that more draw of lots will be held in the state in the weeks to come. 

Rohtak, October 31
The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), the largest medical college and referral hospital in the state, is bursting at the seams with patients, leading to problems in providing proper healthcare.Though work on improving the hospital infrastructure is under way with liberal funds having been granted for the purpose, no immediate relief is in sight for the patients as the projects will take some time for completion.

The Department of Gynaecology is among the departments where the patient rush is huge.

“The indoor capacity of the department is about 110 beds. However, there are around 300 to 400 patients at any given time. As a majority of the patients are delivery cases, there is no option but to ask three or four patients to occupy a single bed at a time,” said a doctor on condition of anonymity.

Doctors say the huge patient rush is a cause for concern as it has been creating hurdles for doctors in providing proper healtcare. Besides, the patients also have to face a lot of inconvenience.

Meanwhile, the authorities concerned have taken up work to upgrade the infrastructure of the department, with another building set to come up soon.

Known as “Mother and Child Care Centre”, the project is likely to be completed in May next year and will provide an additional 200 beds for the patients. The project is likely to cost over Rs 200 crore.

Dr SS Sangwan, Vice-Chancellor of Pt BD Sharma Health University, to which the PGIMS is affiliated, said the institute was not just a hospital but a teaching and referral college.

“The hospital is being run for teaching and training purposes. Since it is government-owned, we do not charge for treatment due to which a large number of patients come here,” he said.

“We do not turn them away on the grounds of shortage of beds,” he said, adding that a new centre was coming up soon, which would help solve the problem.

Sirsa, October 31
An unprecedented spurt in cases of suspected dengue has been witnessed in Sirsa town in the past one month.Private hospitals are flooded with patients who have been complaining of fever. The blood samples of patients show a low platelet count, a phenomenon common in dengue cases.

In some cases, the platelet count is only marginally low, but in others, it is as low as 25,000 to 30,000 from the normal limit of 1.5 lakh to 4.5 lakh.

The increasing number of suspected dengue cases is evident from the fact that the demand of platelets as a blood component has increased tenfold in Sirsa during the past one month.

“We used to provide four to five units of platelets till two months ago, but today the demand is 45 to 50 units,” said Dr RM Arora, in charge of Shiv Shakti Blood Bank, Sirsa, the lone bank in the area providing blood component.

“This is the maximum we can supply as the capacity of our component separator is also 45 to 50 units in 24 hours,” he added.

A leading pathologist of Sirsa said on condition of anonymity that on an average eight to 10 persons showed low platelet count of which one or two tested positive for dengue in the screening test.

The test, he said, was 99 per cent reliable, while for the confirmatory serological test, samples had to be sent to Delhi and few people opted for this.

Dr VP Goyal, a leading physician of the town, said incidents of mosquito bites had increased in urban areas with the advent of winter.

He maintained that though a large number of patients with a decreased platelet count were visiting hospitals, a majority of them were suffering from malaria or viral fever.

The platelet count in such cases automatically improves as the fever is treated and such patients do not need platelet transfusion.

However, cases where patients develop symptoms of petechial haemorrhage (tiny pinpoint red or purple bleeding marks over the body) and the platelet count is too low and incidents of dengue are also coming to the fore.

Deputy Civil Surgeon (Vector-Borne Diseases) Sheel Kaushik said though officially the number of dengue cases was not significant, but the health authorities had been receiving reports from private labs and taking necessary steps to prevent the spread of the disease.

She said in the government lab only one patient had so far tested positive for dengue.

Fatehabad, October 31
Tributes were paid to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary here today.A function was organised at the local Panchayat Bhawan, where Chief Parliamentary Secretary Prahlad Singh Gillankhera led leaders of the Congress in paying tributes to the late leader.

He said Indira Gandhi lived and died for the unity and integrity of the country and her contribution to the country could never be forgotten.

He said Indira Gandhi always exhorted people to rise above caste and creed.

He administered an oath of national unity and integrity to those who attended the function.

Former MP Sushil Indora, District Mahila Congress president Usha Dahiya, HPCC delegate Arvind Sharma and several other Congress leaders were present.

In another function held at Government Senior Secondary School here, SDM JK Abhir paid tributes to the former leader.

He administered oath of unity and integrity to schoolchildren.

District Education Officer Sher Singh Khichhar and school Principal Ajit Singh Chugh were present.

KAITHAL: Tributes were paid to Indira Gandhi at a function held at Congress Bhawan here on Sunday. At another function held in the local mini-secretariat, City Magistrate Ram Kumar Beniwal paid tributes to the late leader. He said the supreme sacrifice made by Indira Gandhi to keep the country united would be remembered by the coming generations.

DCC president Tejinder Pal Mann, along with a large number of party workers, garlanded a portrait of Indira Gandhi.

Yamunanagar, October 31
In view of the illegal sale of firecrackers in various parts of the city, the District Magistrate has banned its sale except in the areas notified by the district administration after taking requisite permission from the authorities concerned.Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Magistrate Ashok Sangwan, in his orders, imposed a ban on the sale of crackers in congested areas of the city.

The District Magistrate yesterday issued an order under Section 144 of the CrPC prohibiting the storage and sale of crackers and other explosives in congested areas. The areas, which have been notified for the sale of crackers in Yamunanagar, include City Centre, Railway Workshop, Railway ground and ITI ground. In Jagadhri, the areas that have been notified are opposite the old court and old age home ground.

Sangwan said only shopkeepers have licence could set up their stalls and shops in these areas for selling crackers.

Under the orders, no person can sell or store crackers and explosive material without obtaining the requisite licence under the Explosive Act. Similarly, no person can sell and store fireworks and explosive material at congested places or markets except the places earmarked. Violators will be penalised with a fine of Rs 1 lakh or imprisonment up to five years or both.

The District Magistrate has allowed the sale of crackers between 8 am and 8 pm and the use of fireworks and crackers between 6 pm and 10 pm.

Sirsa, October 31
If the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY), a Central Government-sponsored health insurance scheme for below poverty line (BPL) families in the unorganised sector, has been facing a rough weather, some of its blame goes to a section of doctors empanelled to treat these patients.

Certain doctors empanelled for the scheme have been found indulging fraudulent claims in various districts of the state and in some cases, action has been uninitiated against them by the insurance company and the third party administrator (TPA) appointed by the companies.

The insurance company has recently taken action against one doctor each at Sirsa and Fatehabad.

The insurance company, according to sources, has removed a Sirsa doctor from its panel, while a Fatehabad doctor has been served a show-cause notice.

Each BPL family registered under the RSBY scheme is issued a smart card that entitled the family to indoor treatment or surgical treatment of its members up to a limit of Rs 30,000 per annum.

As per the guidelines issued by the insurance company, the doctor on their panel has to register the patient online, when he or she comes to him for treatment, requiring indoor admission.

After this, the doctor has to block the smart card on his computer at the start of the treatment and the transaction has to be executed online, while discharging the patient.

The patient is supposed to be in the hospital after blocking and before discharge and any representative of the insurance company or the nodal officer appointed by the Health Department can check the hospital anytime during the period. Sources said irregularities had been found all over the state, where some doctors had been found making fraudulent claims and action had been initiated in some cases.

It is not that all those empanelled under the scheme have been committing irregularities, but the number of those found making false claims is quite high.

The scheme is running through rough weather in Sirsa and Fatehabad due to delayed payments by the insurance company, ever since the current fiscal started.

The company has further appointed MD India Healthcare Services Private Limited as the TPA for these districts. However, the TPA has not been able to issue smart cards to all BPL families in the two districts.

Ashish Panwar, who deals in these cases in the MD India Healthcare Services Private Limited in the company’s Pune office, confirmed action against the two hospitals, one each in Sirsa and Fatehabad.

However, he claimed that the percentage of BPL families issued smart cards in Sirsa and Fatehabad is better than other districts.

Karnal, October 31
Upset over the imposition of “fixed charges” of Rs 120 per kW on sanctioned load of more than 50 kW in addition to the monthly minimum charges, small scale industrial units and rice millers in the state have urged the government to immediately withdraw the “unjustified charges”.

The Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Rice Millers Association are agitated over the levy of the fixed charges and plan to meet the Chief Minister in this regard.

“The state power utilities appear to have misled the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission in the petition filed for a hike in the power tariff and there is no justification of fixed charges which will burden even small units to the extent of Rs 3 to 5 lakh annually,” Vijay Setia, president of the All-India Rice Exporters Association, said.

The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission, in its tariff order issued last month, imposed fixed charges of Rs 100 per kW on units with load between 20 kW and 50 kW and Rs 120 per kW on units with sanctioned load of over 50 kW, which would put burden on more than 90 per cent of the 80,000-odd small scale units.

“Industrial consumers are already paying monthly minimum charges, fuel charges, peak load charges, excess load charges and it is difficult to understand why the power tariff is not being raised flatly in a transparent manner, taking into account all relevant factors instead of imposing charges in fragments,” Setia said.

The HERC had allowed the state power utilities to raise an additional Rs 1,900 crore to bridge the revenue gap and accepted the proposal to impose fixed charges on sanctioned load, besides increasing power tariff marginally.

A spokesman for the SSI said the tariff order suffered from serious infirmities as the Electricity Regulatory Commission had not taken the huge transmission and distribution losses, ranging between 40 and 45 per cent, into account and had not reprimanded the power utilities for their failure to reduce these losses to below 15 per cent.

Power theft was the main reason for the huge transmission and distribution losses and if power theft was checked effectively and the arrears of metered bills were recovered, the revenue would go up sharply, he observed.

Karnal, October 31
Giving a new thrust to the continuing education programme under the National Literacy Mission (NLM), a programme has been launched in districts with female literacy rate below 50 per cent. Under the programme, equivalence certificates will be given after passing three examinations within a short duration.

There was no certification of neo literates under the mission, but now these will be entitled to get a “pass” certificate of Class III, V and VIII after passing three examinations that will be conducted by open schools.

The examinations will be conducted after every three months for neo literates and after passing the first examination, a pass certificate of Class III will be given while after passing the second and the third examination, these students will be given certificates of Class V and Class VIII, respectively.

These degrees will be jointly given by the NLM and the NOS and duly recognised so that students can go for further studies or jobs. This will also supplement the efforts of the government to achieve the goal of free-of-cost compulsory education up to elementary level under Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

The focus of the programme was on women as out of a total number of 7 crore illiterate persons, 6 crore were women. As many as 210 districts with low female literacy rate have been included under the programme, out of which 10 districts, including Karnal, Kaithal, Bhiwani, Jind, Sirsa and Fatehabad, are in Haryana.

At the state level, some recognised government organisation like the National Institute of Open Learning will run the programme under which national workshops will be held to train the key functionaries.

Under the “Literate India Mission-2012”, three committees will be set up at panchayat, block and zila parishad level for conducting classes and the neo literates will be imparted 300 hours of teaching following which they will be eligible to appear in the examination to be conducted by the National Open School (NOS).

The NOS will prepare the model question paper which can be moderately altered to meet the local requirements and every student will be required to get “A” or “B” grade to qualify for equivalence certificate of Class III. After clearing all three tests, students can continue higher education through NOS.

Convener of the State Institutional Centre Avinash Saini said the 2001 census had been taken into account for identifying the district with low female literacy rate.

The mishap took place when they were on the way to Jaipur from Gurgaon. The tractor-trailer driver suddenly applied brakes, following which the car rammed into it. After the postmortem examination, Fredrix’s body was handed over to senior officials of the company. — OC

Kaithal, October 31
To ensure that that there is no theft of wheat and that it doesn’t get damaged during transit, the local FCI officials here refused to load bags of wheat on railway wagons, which were either without doors or those that could not be locked.Twenty-eight out of 65 wagons in the rake were found in a bad shape, therefore 70,000 bags of wheat could not be loaded by the FCI.

FCI Manager Mohan Lal told mediapersons that on Friday, after receiving information about the arrival of a special rake to carry the FCI wheat, he along with his staff inspected the wagons in which the wheat was to be loaded.

However, 28 wagons in the rake were not fit to be loaded. They noticed that four bogeys were without doors and doors of 24 other wagons were broken and such wagons could not be sealed.

The local officials said they would be held responsible for the damage to the wheat, if it would have been loaded on wagons without doors. However, they were under tremendous pressure by the local railway staff to load the wheat or be ready to forfeit the security deposited with the Railways.

The FCI manager told the railway staff that they were ready to load the bags of wheat in 30 bogeys, which were in good condition, but the staff insisted that the whole rake be loaded. The FCI officials informed their seniors about the situation.

The FCI officials said they paid a huge sum as freight charges to the Railways and it was their responsibility to make wagons in good condition available. After much argument, the Railways reportedly forfeited the security amount of Rs 30,000 of the FCI and the wheat could not be loaded as per schedule and the rake left without being loaded.