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EduSat gets a quiet burial
HC refuses stay on teachers’ retirement
Ringing Trouble: Told to turn off cell, advocate assaults court official
Alternative sites for Gurgaon oustees
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Acid test for Bishnoi today
Runaway couple flees protection home
Panchayat byelections on December 15
Saturday workers to get benefit
No evidence against dera chief: CBI closure report
Varsity non-teaching staff to have 5-day week
Flyover to be opened today
Toll plaza staff fleecing drivers; probe ordered
Model Exhibition
HAU to confer honorary degree on CM
6 held for gambling on train
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EduSat gets a quiet burial
Karnal, December 1 The Director, School Education, has directed all District Education Officers to inform the schools under their jurisdiction that EduSat period from Grade VI to XII be converted to library period. The letter dated November 29 has not so far reached the schools. The government had invested crores of rupees on EDUSAT connectivity in schools, providing for infrastructure like LCD, projector, video and computer etc. The programme had been facing problems of connectivity, unclear transmission and poor sound quality. Long power cuts had forced the government to provide invertors to schools to keep the classes going. The government had announced a subsidy of
Rs 1 lakh to aided schools for Edusat connectivity. The EduSat network, with extensive reach and connectivity, could have empowered teachers and improve quality of elementary education besides ensuring availability of quality content online. It also aimed to enrich the school curricula. A team of experts had been busy preparing quality teaching material and
lectures to be imparted to the students. The programme also envisaged promoting a shift frompassive learning based on instructors to active learning, lending support to efforts towards total literacy/adult education. With the programme grounded, the endeavour of the government to provide quality education to those in remote and rural areas has received a setback. Secretary of Haryana Rajkiya Adhyapak Sangh Krishan Kumar Nirman has criticised the decision of the government to scrap EduSat and said that instead of implementing the programme effectively by removing the snags, the government had opted to dump the programme, which was a retrograde measure. |
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HC refuses stay on teachers’ retirement
Chandigarh, December 1 The petitioners were seeking directions to the State of Haryana to permit them “to continue in service beyond the age of 58, till they attain the age of 65”. Dismissing the plea, Justice Ranjit Singh asserted: “The state government is yet to decide and approve the scheme to enhance the age of superannuation. State counsel submits that a committee has been constituted to consider the same and pending a decision to enhance the age, retirement cannot be stayed as an interim measure. “Generally retirements are not stayed as that is the condition of service covenanted between the parties. If the government decides to accept the scheme to enhance the age, the petitioners can always be called back and taken in service and also be held entitled to pay and allowances for the period they remain out of job.Thus, they can very well be compensated. “Asking the teachers to work without salary, when they would not get pension, would not sound fair. How would they survive, as they would not get pay and would be without even pension or other retiral benefit, which would be essential for their survival? “Asking them to work without salary is also unfair as they can always claim payment on the ground they have performed duties. It is, thus, not possible to compensate the state in the event the government decides not to enhance the age of superannuation. “On the other hand, the petitioners can always be compensated, if the age is enhanced. The balance of convenience is, thus, in favour of the state…. Notwithstanding the earlier interim orders passed by this court in some of the cases, I am not inclined to stay the retirement even on some conditions. I would, therefore, decline the prayer for interim order as prayed”. Justice Ranjit Singh also adjourned sine die the main petition for directions to the state to pass the final order on implementing the Centre’s scheme dated December 31, 2008 that envisages enhancement in the age of superannuation of teachers in central education institutions to 65 for meeting the shortage of teacher’s. |
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Ringing Trouble: Told to turn off cell, advocate assaults court official
Jind, December 1 It is, perhaps, the first case of its kind. The lawyer has been booked under various charges, including assault on a public servant. The incident took place during court proceedings. The naib court, objecting to the ringing mobile, rushed towards advocate Surender to impound the phone. The lawyer was not wearing the black court when the incident took place. According to the complainant, the advocate not only manhandled him but also tore his dress when he tried to take away his mobile. The use of mobile phones in courts is banned and violation of the same invites penalty, including impounding of the cell phone. While the lawyer and the court employee were entangled in a scuffle, the judge requisitioned the police which rushed to the courtroom and overpowered the accused It also impounded the lawyer’s phone following a formal complaint. A group of lawyers later met the judge but he reportedly turned down their plea to hush up the matter. |
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Alternative sites for Gurgaon oustees
Gurgaon, December 1 The 150-metre-wide NPR has been proposed from Dwarka in New Delhi to Kherki Daula village on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway-8. The government had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Gurgaon Divisional Commissioner TK Sharma for providing immediate relief to the NPR oustees. The other members on the committee are Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner Rajender Kataria, HUDA Administrator Nitin Yadav, SDM (Gurgaon-North) Satender Duhan, Senior Town Planner RK Singh, District Town Planner (Planning) Vijender Rana and Land Acquisition Officer SK Chahal. At its first meeting at the office of the Divisional Commissioner here today, the committee recommended allotment of plots in Mayfield Garden here to the oustees at a nominal rate of Rs 500 per square yard. The actual market rates there are up to 10 times higher. Official sources say these house owners will be given possession of the plots as soon as approval is received from the state government. As per the rehabilitation policy, the oustees are offered plots in a HUDA sector whenever a new sector is floated. The oustees are required to apply for allotment in accordance to the size of the piece of land acquired. Going by the policy, the NPR oustees should have been alloted plots in Sector 110. Since it could take years for the sector to come up, the committee decided to provided the oustees an opportunity to get plots forthwith. Owners of industrial plots or units coming in the way of NPR have already been proved alternative plots. At least 246 residential houses or plots in unauthorised colonies, which have come up in the north of the city over the past few years, fall within the Northern Peripheral Road. |
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Acid test for Bishnoi today
The rally will be an indication whether Bishnoi can provide another creditable alternative to the people of the state, besides the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal. His party had won six seats in the last Assembly elections, which made the HJC the third largest party in the Assembly. The BJP could win only four seats. However, five MLAs deserted the HJC, reducing its status to a one-MLA party, on a par with the BSP. Bishnoi had virtually parted company with the Congress at a successful rally held in Rohtak on December 2, 2007, when he had announced his resignation from the Lok Sabha, which, he said, would come into effect from June 2008. Later, when his two colleagues, Dharam Pal Malik and Rakesh Kamboj, were disqualified from the Assembly, Bishnoi declared that his resignation had come into effect immediately. However, the then Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, maintained till the dissolution of the Lok Sabha that he had not received Bishnoi’s resignation. The Jind rally will be the first major political activity by Bishnoi after his party split last year. His political future will depend much on the agenda he unfolds tomorrow. Ever since former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal held his highly successful “Samast Haryana” rally at Jind in 1987, the district headquarters has become a favourite rally spot with the political parties of Haryana. They believe that any party, which is able to organise a successful state-level rally at Jind, stands a good chance of coming to power in the next elections. A similar rally by Bansi Lal put his Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) on the road to power in 1996. After becoming Chief Minister for the first time in 2005, Bhupinder Singh Hooda organised a highly successful “Dhanyavad Rally” here, at which AICC president Sonia Gandhi was the chief guest. The rally convinced her that she had not made a wrong choice in reposing faith in Hooda. By selecting Jind as the venue of his rally, Bishnoi has, in a way, challenged the INLD, which had made a clean sweep in the district during the last Assembly elections. Now Bishnoi has to prove his mettle. |
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Runaway couple flees protection home
Sirsa, December 1 Mamta and Deepak, both residents of Nepalpur Khuian, had approached a local court seeking police protection. The couple had said in their application that they feared threat from their family members as they had married against their wishes after elopement. On the directions of the court, the police had sent the couple to a protection home set up in the Working Women’s Hostel here. A police spokesperson said a sub inspector from the city police station had reached the village in Punjab to fetch them. However, Krishna Yadav, SHO, said the couple had refused to return to the protection home. In Fatehabad, two more runaway couples have approached the authorities and sought police protection, fearing retaliation by their families for marrying against their wishes. Piare Lal from Baijalpur village, who married Rekha from Suchankot in Ghaziabad and later in a Chandigarh court on November 6, alleged that they had received threats from the girl’s family. The two appeared before DC Vijay Singh Dahiya yesterday and sought police protection. Also, Sunny from Jakhal and Suman from Rohtak, who had tied the knot at an Arya Samaj temple in Delhi, in a written complaint to the DC, said that Suman’s brother had threatened to liquidate them. Suman said while two of her brothers wanted her to come back home with her husband, the third had been using “threatening language.” The SP has asked the police to provide protection to both couples. |
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Panchayat byelections on December 15
Rewari, December 1 Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Returning Officer (Panchayat) A. Sriniwas said the Model Code of Conduct had come into force in the district with the announcement of the electoral programme. He said the nomination papers could be filed from December 2 to 4. All candidates were required to furnish information about their eligibility and submit the same to the Returning Officer before 10 am on December 6, when the scrutiny of papers would be held from 10 am to 4 pm. The last date of withdrawal of papers was December 8. The election symbols would be allotted to eligible contestants on that date, the DC added. |
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Saturday workers to get benefit
Chandigarh, December 1 Initially, Jagdish Chander and 450 other workers had moved the court with a prayer that the commissioner and secretary could not compel them to perform duty on Saturday, otherwise declared a public holiday. The petition was allowed on August 24, 2004, and it was directed that the petitioners may file an application “and on proper computation may be found entitled to extra wages for each of the Saturdays on which they might have worked, while their colleagues belonging to the ministerial staff and holding technical and non-technical posts have enjoyed Saturdays as holidays”. The judgment with this and other directions became final as an appeal and a special leave petition against it were dismissed. As per the directions, the workmen filed individual applications, which were allowed by the labour court. Against the order, a petition was filed. After the Single Judge dismissed it, an appeal was filed before a Division Bench. Taking up the appeal, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice Ajay Tewari ruled: “We uphold the decision of the Single Judge and dismiss the appeal, as well as writ petitions.” |
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No evidence against dera chief: CBI closure report
Ambala, December 1 Faqir Chand, a senior dera official, has been missing since 1991. His body has not been found till date. The CBI had registered a case against the dera chief and a few others in February 2010 on a complaint by Ram Kumar Bishnoi. The CBI said in its closure report that no evidence had been found against the dera head, sources said. The court has summoned the complainant on December 15. Dera supporters in Punjab and Haryana had set buses and public property on fire following the arrest of the dera chief, who is facing trial for the murder of Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chander Chhattarpati and dera official Ranjit Singh. |
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Hooda: Efforts on for women’s varsity in Yamunanagar
Yamunanagar, December 1 He said the world had shrunk into a village and in this competitive world, only those countries whose people were well-educated would progress. He appreciated Bhupinder Singh Jauhar, chairman, Khalsa Educational Institutions, for his tireless endeavour to spread education while announcing a grant of Rs 11 lakh. Jauhar expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for according second language status to Punjabi in Haryana. Dr Varinder Kaur, principal of the college, read out the college report, highlighting its academic activities. Staff members Dr JL Gupta, Dr PK Malik, Dr Indra Kapoor, Jagir Singh, Amarjit Singh Bhatia and Gurnam Singh, who have completed 25 years of service in the college, were
honoured. |
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Varsity non-teaching staff to have 5-day week
Sirsa, December 1 He said the All-Haryana Universities Non-Teaching Employees Association had been making this demand for long and thanked the state government and the university authorities for this. Hans said most of the universities in Haryana had already been following the five-day week schedule as far as non-teaching departments were concerned. Vice-chancellor KC Bhardwaj was out of town, while Registrar Manoj Siwach said the university was yet to receive any official communication from the government. |
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Awareness rallies mark World AIDS Day
Sonepat, December 1 Before the rallies were flagged off from four points in the town, the students were administered the oath of remaining vigilant about HIV, to have sympathy for HIV positive patients and create awareness in society about the disease. Students of the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, organised a cycle rally flagged off by Deputy Commissioner Ajit Joshi and Vice-Chancellor HS Chahal. The rally passed through the university campus and villages, including Revli and Garh Shahjahan Pur, and Sector 14. Students of Government Girls College, Murthal, holding placards and banners against HIV, passed through the streets of Murthal village. The society also organised free HIV blood test camps at the bus stand, the railway station, old courts and in the market of Sector 14. SIRSA: To mark World AIDS Day, the Health Department on Wednesday organised a rally to create awareness on the issue among masses. Civil Surgeon Narender Chaudhary flagged off the rally comprising nursing students, who marched through various markets of the town carrying placards. The rally began from the general hospital and culminated in the town park via Balmiki Chowk, Shiv Chowk, Sangwan Chowk and Laal Batti Chowk. Addressing students, Chaudhary said under the State AIDS Control Society, four integrated counselling and testing centres and one anti-retroviral therapy centre were being run in the district. Chaudhary revealed that there 256 persons had so far tested positive for HIV and of these 66 had been getting treatment from the government facilities. The NSS wing of the local CMK National PG College for Women organised a rally to mark the day. Vijaya Tomar, Principal of the college, said awareness about HIV/AIDS was the only way to save people from falling prey to this disease. The Rashoba College of Education organised a seminar on this occasion. REWARI: Sponsored by Morning Glory Public Society, a voluntary organisation, schoolchildren, carrying AIDS-related banners and boards, took out a rally throught the main roads of the town on the occasion of the World AIDS Day here on Wednesday. The rally was flagged off by Deputy Commissioner A Sriniwas from the district secretariat here. BHIWANI: A declamation competition was held to mark World AIDS Day at Government Girls Senior Secondary School here on Wednesday. Civil Surgeon Shiv Kumar was the chief guest. He spoke about the symptoms of AIDS. Neetu, Pooja and Aparna bagged the first three positions, respectively, in the competition. |
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Flyover to be opened today
Ambala, December 1 Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will inaugurate the Rs 28-crore flyover during his visit to the town tomorrow when he is scheduled to address a public rally at Mullana. Sources in the district administration told The Tribune that work on the flyover had been started by Hooda on September 12, 2006. The project had been completed in record time and had fulfilled a four-decade-old demand of the people of Barara town. Of the total expenditure of Rs 28 crore, the Haryana government has pooled in Rs 13 crore while the remaining amount has been provided by the Union Government. The flyover will make Barara town more accessible to farmers of Dosarka and villages falling along the Jagadhri road. |
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Toll plaza staff fleecing drivers; probe ordered
Karnal, December 1 Employees at the toll barrier were allegedly issuing duplicate slips of Rs 60 and Rs 80 for heavy vehicles against the fixed toll tax of Rs 10 and Rs 20 and some drivers had even produced receipts in support of their allegations that they were overcharged. Additional Deputy Commissioner RS Kharab conducted a raid on the toll plaza on Monday night and seized its entire record, including duplicate slips being allegedly issued to drivers. The practice of overcharging has allegedly been continuing for quite some time. The toll tax, which is Rs 10 and Rs 20 for light and heavy vehicles, is clearly displayed on a board at the toll plaza, but the contractor’s men allegedly fleece drivers. Kuldeep, a truck driver from Jammu and Kashmir, said he had been frequently crossing the toll plaza and each time was made to pay Rs 60. He said recently he paid Rs 60 when he left for Uttar Pradesh but was charged Rs 20 on the return journey as mediapersons were present there at that time. Deputy Commissioner Neelam Pradeep Kasni said prima facie it appeared that something was wrong at the toll plaza but nothing could be said with certainty until the matter was probed. She said she had asked the Public Works Department, managing the toll plaza, to hold an inquiry into the alleged irregularities. |
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Model Exhibition
Sonepat, December 1 Sixteen colleges from Sonepat and Rohtak districts participated in it and displayed models on various subjects, including physics, chemistry, botany, zoology, psychology, geography and computer science. The GVM got the first position in “model display” in botany, physics and chemistry; the joint first position with Tau Devi Lal Government Women College, Murthal, in psychology and the second position in computer science and zoology. Government Women College, Rohtak, got the first position in computer science, the second position in botany, the third position in chemistry and zoology and the joint third position with Vaish Women College, Rohtak, in
psychology. Pandit Neki Ram Sharma Government College, Rohtak, bagged the first position in zoology, the second position in physics, the joint second position with SJK College, Kalanaur, in psychology and with Tau Devi Lal Government Women College, Murthal, in chemistry and the third position in botany. The local Hindu Girls College got the third position in computer science and the joint third position with local Hindu College in physics. The winners were given away prizes by chairman of the GVM Education Society OP Prathi. Congratulating teachers and the winning students of the college, Jyoti Juneja, Principal of GVM College, hoped that like last year, the students would again win the state-level championship of model exhibition to be organized at Government Women College,
Rohtak. |
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HAU to confer honorary degree on CM
Hisar, December 1 Chancellor of the university Jagannath Pahadia would preside over the convocation. S Ayyappan, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research & Education and Director-General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, would deliver the convocation address. Conferring honorary degrees on politicians in power has been a tradition with the university. Those who have received such degrees in the past include former Prime Ministers Chander Shekhar, Charan Singh and PV Narasimha Rao. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was awarded the degree while he was a Union minister. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar and former Chief Ministers Devi Lal and Bansi Lal were also similarly honoured. Dr MS Randhawa and Dr MS Swaminathan, Dr Ram Dhan Singh and Dr BP Pal are among the other dignitaries who have been conferred the honour in the past. |
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6 held for gambling on train
Rohtak, December 1 A spokesperson for the IG office said here today that the raid was conducted following reports that gambling had become common on passenger trains running between Rohtak and Delhi. He said those held were Vicky, Yogesh, Manoj,Sunil Kumar, Pankaj and
Ravi. — TNS |
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Chandigarh, December 1