Chandigarh, January 19
Award-winning teachers from Haryana recently shocked the Education department when a large number of them refused to engage a test class in front of officials.

Around 150 of them were invited to engage a class each in order to exhibit the skills that set apart good teachers from the rest. The unusual invitation had followed demands from different quarters to modify the existing criteria for selecting teachers for the state awards.

The awards carry a cash component but, far more significantly, each awardee earns a two-year extension in service. The cash component also has recently been raised to Rs 21,000. Around 90 such awards are given out every year by the state government.

But according to officials, they could track down only 150 awardees still in service. But as many as 40 per cent of them refused to engage the test class.

More shocks awaited the department since out of those who eventually did engage classes in a government school in Sector 15, Panchkula and dwelt on subjects they had taught for years, only about five per cent of them managed to impress and were deemed to be ‘very good’ by the students and the jury alike. Twenty per cent of the teachers were deemed to be ‘average’ while the remaining seventy-five per cent were clearly not up to it.

Till now government school teachers applied through the Principals but only if they had a minimum teaching experience of 15 years and if they had consistently been rated ‘A’ or ‘A+’ in their annual confidential reports for the previous five years and only if their classes achieved results that were 10 per cent higher than the Board average.

The department has now recommended that each applicant be first screened through a written examination in general studies and the concerned subject. Those clearing this test will be asked to teach a class for evaluation of their teaching skills. Finally, they will be expected to appear in an interview to be conducted by a state-level selection committee.

The recommendations are yet to be considered and approved though. In the meanwhile, the department is working out a “re-training” module for its teachers with special focus on how different subjects should be taught in class.

Jind, January 19
With more khaps joining the protest headed by the Sarvajatiya Sarvakhap Mahapanchayat, rail services in the district remained disrupted for the fifth day today.

Talks between the protesters and the authorities yesterday had ended in a deadlock after the 12-member core committee of the Mahapanchayat turned down the state government’s proposal for a fresh CBI probe into the Mirchpur violence that erupted in April last year.

The protesters reiterated the threat to spread their stir to other districts in case the government did not accept their demands soon.

Representatives of the Meham Chaubisi, Kandela Khap, Dahiya Khap, Punia Khap, Bura Khap Baliyana Khap, Dhanori, Kathura, Nahra and Kandela Khaps addressed the protesters. Among the speakers were several women who said the Mirchpur issue had been blown out of proportion by certain political activists.

Some families were being needlessly harassed and this had shattered the village camaraderie (bhaichara).

Seeking the release of innocent youths, the speakers claimed that they had been implicated in false cases. Several members of the Mahapanchayat favour blocking highways to step up pressure on the government. “The dharna today remained peaceful. No representative of the state government came forward for talks,” claimed Rajbir Dhanda, head of the Mahapanchayat. He said a meeting tomorrow would decide whether or not to intensify the stir. 

Gurgaon, January 19
Finally, the process of conducting elections to the local municipal corporation has got underway. The Haryana State Election Commission has issued the schedule for preparation of electoral rolls of the MC, according to which the draft rolls will be published on February 2, while claims and objections can be submitted by February 25.

Stating this here today, DC Rajender Kataria said preparation of the draft electoral rolls for all wards would be done on the basis of the assembly electoral rolls with January 1, 2011 as the qualifying date.

The list was published by the Election Commission of India on January 5, 2011.

The DC said the first draft publication of the electoral rolls for all wards inviting claims and objections would be on February 2. The last date for submitting claims to the revising authority was February 25. These claims and objections would be disposed of by March 7.

Kataria said appeals could be made to the DC by March 10. the latter would dispose of the appeals by March 21. The final publication of the electoral rolls would be on March 30.

Meanwhile, the State Election Commission has directed the district administration to upload the ward-wise electoral rolls on its website for public scrutiny. A compact disc of the draft electoral rolls will be furnished to all political parties in the state.

Anyone desiring to become a voter can download Form-A from the State Election Commission websitehttp://secharyana.gov.in/ or that of the Gurgaon district administration.

The form can also be obtained free of cost from the office of the Revising Authority, MC, or other government offices. The names can be added in the voters’ list only after the draft publication.

Karnal, January 19
Truck operators and drivers today held a demonstration at the railway station godown here in protest against alleged overloading by traders.They also observed a strike.

Raising slogans, they demanded that loading be done as per the government norms. The operators alleged while the administration was intercepting and checking trucks for overloading and challaning the defaulters, the traders were forcing them to overload their goods to save money. “We refused to load any goods today to register our protest. In case the traders are adamant, the agitation will be intensified,” warned an Operators’ Union leader. He urged the district administration to prevail upon the traders not to coerce the operators into overloading. Office-bearers of the Truck Operators’ Union Jagdish Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Jay Singh, Dharma, Kali and Harman Singh asked the administration to take stringent action against the errant traders. 

Bhiwani, January 19
The state government will set up a training institute in the district to impart training to panchayat representatives.

Stating this here today during a press conference after reviewing the progress of the ongoing developmental works in the district, Chief Parliamentary Secretary and Sohna MLA Dharmbir Singh said the training centre would work like Nilokheri Training Institute. Such institutes would be set up in all four ranges.

These institutes would provide training to the panchayat representatives elected for the first time about the working system and the policy implementation, he added.

He said efforts would be made to intensify suspended development works at Adarsh villages (model villages). He directed the officials to review the progress of development works at Manheru village. — OC

Panipat, January 19
In an intriguing case, residents of Budsham village in the district hastily cremated a young Dalit couple, who were reportedly in love and died under mysterious circumstances late last night. The incident has raised many an eyebrow.

The matter came to light when the district police received a tip-off this morning that 20-year-old Reena, daughter of Ramesh Chander, and 22-year-old Sonu, son of Chanderpal, had committed suicide by taking poison late last night.

However, the villagers cremated the bodies of the two early in the morning without informing the police or getting a postmortem conducted.

When a team of police officials, led by Samalkha DSP Sham Lal, reached the village, residents maintained that the two had fallen sick and died.

However, the haste shown by the villagers in cremating the bodies of the two has raised suspicion that there could be more to the case than meets the eye. Sources said the two may have been killed for honour and cremated in a haste to destroy evidence.

The police said it was beyond comprehension as to how the two fell ill the same night and died.

The Samalkha DSP said they had not received any formal complaint in this regard. Besides, neither the parents of the two nor any villagers were forthcoming with any information on the issue. He said as of now it would be inappropriate to comment any further on the issue. Meanwhile, the sources said the two wanted to get married but their families were against a same-caste marriage. 

Chandigarh, January 19
Will Haryana Finance Minister Ajay Singh Yadav be the new face of the dissidents in the state Congress? Yadav has good ties with almost all party leaders, except one. There is a history of rivalry between him and Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh. Both belong to the Ahirwal community and both claim leadership of the Ahirs.

So far the dissident camp had been identified with Union Minister Selja, Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh and former Haryana Minister Kiran Choudhry. For some time Rao Inderjit Singh, too, was said to be with them. However, for the past some months, Rao has come close to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Yadav, who has a good rapport with three prominent dissident leaders, may be the new addition to their camp. Known for being a moderate, the aggression exhibited by Yadav has taken Congress men in the state by surprise. Having won the assembly elections six times in a row, Yadav is better placed than the other dissidents to embarrass Hooda by raising sensitive issues in public. The aggressive posture may also help him enhance his stature among the Ahirwals.

Yadav at a press meet here yesterday denied any differences with Hooda. Yadav, who is facing criticism from some partymen for appreciating Gujarat’s agriculture policy, praised another Opposition-ruled state, UP, for its acquisition policy.

General Secretary of the media cell of the Haryana Congress Lakhwinder Singh Lakha said it was strange that Yadav had chosen to praised Mayawati’s land acquisition policy when farmers of that state had been demanding compensation on the pattern of Haryana.

The high command is unlikely to intervene to stop this verbal dual. It has been a policy with the Congress high command, right from the days of Indira Gandhi, to encourage dissidence in the states so that no Chief Minister feels comfortable.

Karnal, January 19
Shortage of LPG has made winters harsher for residents of the district. Following complaints of black-marketing of LPG, District Food and Civil Supplies Controller Ravinder Malik has warned the consumers against misuse of domestic LPG cylinders for commercial purposes or for using it as fuel for running vehicles.

He has cautioned the LPG dealers against indulging in black-marketing or creating artificial shortage of LPG. He also appealed to the consumers not to purchase LPG refills on the black market and immediately report if they noticed any malpractice.

The supply is far short of the demand. Against 1.75 lakh connections, only 63,654 LPG cylinders were supplied during December and the situation has not changed at all in the New Year. There are a large number of ration cardholders who do not have a gas connection, but still use gas cylinders, which means that LPG refills meant for genuine consumers are being diverted to others.

Due to intense cold, the requirement of cooking gas has increased, but the supply has gone down, adding to the woes of the people.

Panipat, January 19
On an initiative taken by the International Organisation for Animal Protection (OPIA), an NGO associated with the UN Department of Information and the Haryana People for Animals, the district police has registered a case and arrested six persons for violating the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act.

The six persons, who reportedly belonged to Bihar, were using an elephant to seek alms in the region without getting the animal properly registered under the said Act or getting permission from the Central Zoo Authority of India.

The issue came to light when chairman of the Haryana Gaushala Federation Om Sawrup informed the district police and the wildlife officials that despite having been accorded the status of national heritage animal, an elephant was being used for begging purposes in the region for the past two days.

On interrogating the six persons who accompanied the elephant, the police found that they did not have any ownership documents or permission from the Central Zoo Authority of India to use the animal to perform tricks and maneuvers, which was a violation of the Act.

The policed registered a case against them under the Wildlife Protection Act, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and some sections of the Prevention of Begging Act. The six were also arrested.

The rescued elephant has been kept in the gaushala of Om Sawrup as the district wildlife official refused to shift the animal to a suitable place citing that no such shelter was available in the district.

Demanding action against the wildlife official for having failed to take care of the national heritage animal, Naresh Kadyan, Indian representative of the OPIA, who is also the chairman of the Haryana People for Animals, said stern action should be taken against the wildlife official as he could have shifted the animal to the elephant rehabilitation centre at Ban Santoor in Yamunanagar.

Later, the OPIA got in touch with the Uttarakhand wildlife officials, who expressed their willingness to take the elephant. None of the senior forest officials of the district were available for their comments on the issue.

Chandigarh, January 19
With a view to safeguarding children living in difficult circumstances, the state government is actively considering to set up a state project support unit (SPSU).

A Haryana State Child Protection Society has already been got registered with the Registrar, Firms and Societies. Also, a financial proposal has already been forwarded to the central government for release of funds so as to implement the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS).

Stating this here today, Haryana Women and Child Development Minister Geeta Bhukkal said the ICPS aimed at contributing to the improvement in the well-being of children in difficult circumstances as well as to the reduction of vulnerabilities to situations and actions that lead to abuse, neglect, exploitation, abandonment and separation of children from parents.

She said the target group included children residing with a person, whether guardian of the child or not, who has threatened to kill or injure the child and there was a reasonable likelihood of the threat being carried out, or had killed, abused or neglected some other child or children and there was a reasonable likelihood of the child in question being killed, abused or neglected by that person.

The ICPS provides preventive, statutory and care and rehabilitation services to any other vulnerable child, including children of potentially vulnerable families and families at risk, children of socially excluded groups like migrant families, families living in extreme poverty, children of prisoners and street and working children.

The ICPS will bring several existing child protection programmes under one umbrella. These included a programme for juvenile justice, an integrated programme for street children and scheme for assistance to homes (Shishu Greh) to promote in-country adoption.

The SPSU will be headed by a programme manager assisted by a team of professionals.

Chandigarh, January 19
The Education Department has signed an agreement with Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab for scientific evaluation of various educational programmes introduced by the state government.

This was disclosed by Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal in Jhajjar recently. She said under the agreement, the programmes and policies introduced for disseminating education would be evaluated and the evaluation would be used by the department as a guide while implementing future decisions.

The teachers were also being imparted training in a hi-tech manner so as to provide quality education to children.