n All these professional criminals are involved in cases of murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, robbery, dacoity,

extortion etc

Hisar, February 7
The DHBVN has obtained ISO 9001 :2008 certification for adopting a quality management system, according to certification norms. The certificate was presented by Managing Director Sudhir Rajpal to Madhusudan Prasad, Chairman of Haryana Power Utilities and Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary (Power).

This certificate has been given by Integrated Quality Cerification Pvt Ltd, a certification agency, for standardising various practices being followed in power distribution, making the working system more transparent, improving the quality of power distribution and managing its assets in an effective and efficient manner.

Rajpal said the DHBVN had set new benchmarks in standards of corporate performance through the pursuit of operational and financial excellence. The quality management system of the nigam had been assessed and it conformed to the quality management system standard ISO 9001 : 2008.

The MD said that improved customer relations were only one of a number of benefits of adopting such a company-wide quality system. Following ISO 9001 norms would improve communications both inside and outside the company. It would build better relationships through improved communications and feedback. An ISO 9001 system would also help create a reliable system for documenting procedures, which would help set performance standards.

He said that the latest revision of ISO 9001:2008 standards had increased focus on how companies met customer needs, integrated those needs into the operation and evaluated customer feedback. The new updated standard was based on fundamental "best practices" that all organizations should integrate into their business.

Rajpal said registration for the certification was based on two types of auditing - external and internal. The external auditing was carried out by an external certification body and the internal audits by the internal staff trained for this process. The aim was continual review and assessment to verify that the system was working as desired, find out where it could be improved and to correct or prevent problems identified.

He said that to conform to the requirements of ISO 9001 : 2008, all employees had been apprised of the DHBVN policies and objectives, systems, procedures, work instructions and maintenance of necessary records.

Rohtak, February 7
Though the authorities banned the use of polythene bags in the district three months ago, the impact of the ban was still to be seen. The district authorities has now planned a drive to impose a fine on the offenders. The penalty for violation of the ban goes up to a maximum of Rs 50,000 for the manufacture and up to Rs 5000 on the shopkeepers and traders .The consumers who use such items could end up paying a fine up to Rs 500 per violation.

A senior official said here that the authorities concerned had been directed to start the drive by conducting raids and issue challans for the fine. Claiming that while several shopkeepers had already started using alternative packing material, many others were still using banned polythene bags.

The government has directed the authorities concerned to cancel the licence and impose a penalty ranging from Rs 25000 to Rs 50000 on the units found manufacturing polybags. While the shopkeepers violating the ban would also be slapped with a fine ranging from Rs 2500 to Rs 5000, the consumers found violating the ban would also be liable for a penalty. However, the use of polybags had been going unabated, especially by grocery and vegetable shopowners.

The government should encourage the use of paper and cloth bags by providing a subsidy on the manufacture of such packing material by the manufactures of polythene bags, says Yoginder Dahiya, a social activist. He said NGOs and other social bodies should distribute such items free of cost or at a nominal price to the consumers at important points or shops to create awareness among the people, especially the youth.

Karnal, February 7
Concerned over the growing number of quack dental surgeons doing practice without recognition from the Dental Council of India, the Karnal branch of the Indian Dental Association has demanded action against them.

Dr Sunil Chandana, president of the association, said several cases of wrong treatment of patients by these quacks had come to notice and the government must act against the quacks, who did not even have proper knowledge of anatomy of tooth, medicines and surgical techniques.

He said it was a matter of concern that quacks had surpassed the number of qualified dentists in Karnal and the credibility of the profession was at stake.

The situation had become so desperate that qualified dentists were facing competition from clinics run by quacks. Civil surgeon Vandana Bhatia said the trend was dangerous and admitted having received complaints about quacks. The association demanded strict action against the quacks for risking the lives of the patients, besides fleecing them.

Yamunanagar, February 7
The Yamuna Bridge near Paonta Sahib on the National Highway-73, connecting Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, opened for traffic after four months recently.

According to the sources, the bridge had been closed on October 8, 2010, to undertake repair work after some cracks were found in the pillars of the bridge. The plywood industry in Yamunanagar had been hit hard due to the closure of the Yamunanagar-Saharanpur Bridge.

The reopening of the bridge is a major relief for the plywood manufacturing industries. Several units had been closed or are on the verge of closure and about 30 per cent of these had been forced to stop production due to the non-availability of raw material being supplied from UP to the Yamunanagar-based units.

The sources said the repair was delayed due to some technical problem. The closure of the bridge had led to major crises for the plywood industry as most of the raw material, including wood, saw and peeling, coming from UP is being supplied to Yamunanagar and other parts, including Punjab, Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir, through this bridge.

The shortage of raw material has hit the production of the industry in the district by over 30 per cent. The industry had not been getting adequate raw material, mainly poplar and eucalyptus, from UP, resulting in losses to manufacturers which led to an increase in the cost of raw material for the industry since it has to be transported via Karnal by covering an additional 150 km.

The manufacturers can hardly afford it due to the high cost of the raw material used in plywood production.

According to the sources, the district has 918 wood-based industrial units and they need 25 lakh tonnes of timber annually for smooth functioning. The production of these units depends on the availability of raw material. The wood-based industries purchase timber worth Rs 500 crore from the farmers of other states and produce wood-based products of Rs 1,500 crore.

Rewari, February 7
Citing the recent unified anti-government protests in Egypt, INLD supremo and former Chief Minister Om Praksh Chautala has asserted that there is an urgency for such consolidated crusade here as well to get rid of the "misrule" by the present government.

Addressing a rally of party activists here, Chautala flayed the Congress-led UPA government as well as the Hooda regime in Haryana for a large number of corruption cases.

Alleging that the dissipation of nation's assets vis-à-vis further enrichment of the capitalistic class had become a one-point agenda of the Congress, he said it was worrisome that the democratic system was rapidly on the decline in the country.

Stating that while all sections of society were fed up with the Congress, he asserted that even Congressmen themselves were internally distressed at it.

As regards Haryana, Chautala alleged while corruption was rampant among the bureaucracy, farmers' fertile land was being persistently acquired at throwaway prices by the Hooda government for handing over to builders.

He called upon INLD workers to reach out to the masses to ensure party's victory in the next assembly elections.

Ambala, February 7
Alleging that honouring freedom fighters and their kin on the occasion of Republic Day is a mere formality, Tarlochan Singh, son of freedom fighter late Jodh Singh, has said freedom fighters, most of whom are in their nineties, had to face inconvenience while collecting the honour.

Tarlochan was particularly critical of the way freedom fighters, despite their old age and inability to move on their own, were called to receive a shawl from OP Jain, state Transport Minister, who was the chief guest on the occasion.

“Earlier, the minister gave a long speech praising freedom fighters whose sacrifices led to the freedom of the country and when it came to honouring them, the minister did not show any courtesy in seeking their blessings and honouring them at the place where they were seated. Instead, they were told to make a queue and collect the shawl from the chief guest despite cold weather,” rues Tarlochan.

Had the minister shown some courtesy in honouring the elders, he would have won the praise of those present, besides making the freedom fighters feel honoured in the real sense and not a mere formality, he added.

Sonepat, February 7
About 2,800 volunteers donated blood at a blood donation camp organised in the memory of veteran freedom fighter and member of the National Constituent Assembly late Ch Ranbir Singh Hooda at Jain Girls College in Gannaur recently.

The camp was inaugurated by Neelam Sharma, wife of Gannaur MLA and working president of the HPCC, Kuldeep Sharma who along with Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda was also present on the occasion.

Though people from every walk of life in the district donated blood, several organisations like the District Red Cross Society, Rotary Central, Rotary Club, Gannaur, Blood Bank, Sonepat, Bharat Vikas Parishad, Youth Congress, Sonepat, and Sai Jan Sewa Samiti played a key role in making the camp a huge success.

The main highlights of the camp were Gabruddin and SDM Gannaur Subhash Sheoran who donated their blood for the 187th and 87th time, respectively.

Speaking on the occasion, Hooda said it was a matter of pride that UPA chairperson and congress president Sonia Gandhi released a postal stamp in the name of Ch Ranbir Singh Hooda who had set an example of clean politics in society and contributed a lot in meeting the irrigational requirements of the farmers of the Haryana region.

He thanked the blood donors for their selfless contribution for noble cause and praised Gabruddin and Subhash Sheoran saying that such persons were example for others to follow.

Sharma paid tributes to Ch Ranbir Singh Hooda and recalled the role played by him in shaping the destiny of the people of Haryana as their representative in the Punjab Ministry as well as in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

"Ch Ranbir Singh Hooda will always be remembered as freedom fighter, politician of the clean image, social reformer, a true Arya Samajist and for his contribution in framing of the Indian Constitution," he added. Deputy Commissioner Ajit Joshi also congratulated the blood donors and thanked the organisers for their selfless service.

Kurukshetra, February 7
The Kurukshetra University Teachers Association (KUTA) elections are scheduled for February 10. While Dr Pardeep Chauhan, Dr HK Sharma and Dr Bhagat Singh are in the fray for the post of president, there will be a direct fight between Dr KS Antil and Dr Puran Singh for the post of vice-president.

Similarly, there will be a triangular contest for the post of secretary among Dr Ajit Singh Chahal, Dr Raj Pal and Dr Naresh Vats while Dr Dhirender Kaushik and Dr Sanjeev Kumar are vying for for the post of joint secretary.

According to returning officer Davinder Sachdeva, Dr SP Gupta has been declared elected unopposed as treasurer. The executive members elected unopposed are Mrs Sukaramwati, Dr Surender Singh, Dr Mahabir Singh, Dr Chand Ram, Dr (Mrs) Kiran Singh, Dr Nand Kumar, Dr Narender Singh, Dr Rakesh Singh, Dr Avnesh Verma, Dr Ajay Kumar, Dr Pankaj Singh, Dr Rishi Pal Mandhan, Dr Roma, Dr Subhash Chander, Dr Mohinder Singh and Dr DS Rana.

Panchkula, February 7
A rising number of people in the city are getting drawn to a unique and age-old South Korean energy healing therapy “Won Ki”. The ancient art of healing from South Korea uses the universal energy to remove negativities and flush in positive energy, thereby treating several ailments from the patient’s body.

This holistic therapy is being used to deal with physical and mental stress of patients. It can also treat diseases like asthma, fatigue, depression, addiction to stimulants like alcohol and drugs and joint pains, while strengthening the body system, by boosting immunity, said Won-Ki practitioners.

Affected by a host of maladies, everyday a large number of people flock to the treatment centre in sector 12-A here to benefit from this energy healing therapy. Several local residents in the town, above 40, attended the free camp at Sector 19 market to get the feel of cosmic energy.

One of the members of the Korean team, Hyeonsuk Heong, while talking to The Tribune here recently, said several hundred people have benefited at the treatment centres in Shimla and Delhi set up by them during the past one year.

She said all negativities that were present in our mind were reflected in our body. These negativities were manifested as diseases in the body. “In this therapy, we undergo a purification therapy of both mind and body through this universal energy,” she added.

Heong said: “‘Won Ki’ treatment is without any medicine and operation. The only requirement is that patients shall come with a positive mind”.

She said: “As per its concept, vital energy, when circulating freely, eliminates blockages and impurities in human body and mind. Once the blockages are removed, the immune systems take over and complete any healing that is needed”.

She said they would be in the city for about five months and would be treating about 15 to 20 patients daily.

She said they charged Rs 300 to Rs 1,500 depending upon the nature of ailment. However, she added that they were not charging any fee from the patients who belonged to the weaker section of society.

Kanta Rawal, a resident of Sector 19, who is suffering from migrane, said she had started the course and felt relieved after getting the treatment. She said she would be able to know the actual results only after completing the full course.

Sirsa, February 7
The Jannayak Chaudhary Devilal (JCD) Institute of Business Management is hosting a state-level Annual Management Festival - “Verve-11” from February 10 to 12 in the JCD Vidyapeeth.

The institute has invited students from rural and government colleges from across the state to participate in the mega event. “Around 1,000 students from at least 50 colleges from different parts of the state are expected to participate in the three-day-long event,” said Dr Shamim Sharma, executive director of the Vidyapeeth.

“The idea is to use college festivals as a platform to interact and spend time with students from various colleges and for the best minds in the state to showcase their talent and ingenuity,” she said.

She said the festival would also provide the institution an opportunity to publicise the JCDV’s education programmes to all participants.

Noted economist and former professor of Hindu College, University of Delhi, Ashok Mittal, would be the chief guest and industrialist Anshu Bhargarv would be the guest of honour.

In the evening, a fashion show would also be organised, where Harkirt Singh, MD, Woodland, would be the chief guest and PK Sharma, senior general manager, Woodland, would be the guest of honour.

The next day during the cultural night programme, Group Captain Anil Sabharwal, Station Commander of the Air Force, Sirsa, would be the chief guest and TV artist Vidya and Surender Tanwar would be the guest of honour.

“It will have a good combination of academic and extracurricular management activities,” said Dr Kuldeep Singh, HOD of the Management College and chief convener of the “Verve-11”.

Prize money of up to Rs 51,000 was up for grabs, he added. Started in 2009, Verve was a huge success in its first year itself.

The highlight of the first day of the festival would be events like quiz competition, choreography and fashion show. The second day would see debate, ad mad show, treasure hunt and various sports activities.

Sirsa, February 7
A skewed sex ratio in favour of boys notwithstanding, the “Save Girl Child” campaign launched by Pankaj Chaudhary, ADC, is creating awareness on the issue among people.

In view of the campaign, 13 families performed “kuan poojan”, a ritual performed at the birth of a male child in Haryanavi society, on the birth of daughters in their families.

Shakuntala, Pooja, Manju, Dhanu, Shakuntala, Channi, Manjit, Suman, Kaushalya, Gomti and Manju Bala came with their daughters in a function organised at Mamankhera village recently and performed “kuan poojan’ at the village well.

Villagers worship “kuan”, the only sources of water in the ancient times, on the birth of a male child, in the hope that it would bring them good luck and prosperity.

Earlier, the ADC had organised a maha kuan poojan in Sirsa, where 161 families had performed the ritual in November last year.

Addressing people on this occasion, Pankaj Chaudhary said female foeticide was the biggest sin in today’s society, but some people were still committing this offence out of ignorance.

Saying that women were not lagging men in any walk of life, she urged people to provide their daughters the best of education so that they could live with dignity.

The villagers took the pledge not to indulge in female foeticide and treat their daughters on a par with sons. 

Ambala February 7
PKR Jain College of Education conducted an interactive session on the topic “Integral yoga and its relevance to education" to celebrate the birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo. Several scholars related to various cultural institutes participated.

KK Sharma, Pro vice-chancellor of NEHU, Shillong, and programme director of the Centre for Sri Aurobindo Studies, in his keynote address lauded the life of Aurobindo and asaked the students to remain committed to the noble cause of humanity and motherland.

He said Aurobindo was a freedom fighter, poet, scholar, yogi and philosopher who spent his life working towards the cause of Indian freedom. His philosophy was based on facts,experience and personal realisation.

Uma Sharma highlighted the finer nuances of Indian culture and called upon the pupil teachers that it was their moral duty to preserve, transfer and modernise culture in such a way that “our nation may once again come at the forefront of the world.”

Keshav Sharma, president, Society of Research in Education, Shimla, said the best way to lead was by setting exemplary role models. Mudita Bhatnagar, principal of the college, and Bharat Bhushan Jain, president of college management committee also spoke on this occasion. Programme coordinator Mini Sapra thanked the scholars for their pearls of wisdom. 

Chandigarh, February 7
The Akhil Bharatiya Aggarwal Sammelan, a representative body of Aggarwals, a community known for its trading acumen, has come out strongly against the future trading.

Kulbhushan Goyal, the newly appointed president of the Haryana unit of the sammelan, says his organisation firmly believes that the practice of future trading is one of the main reasons of unprecedented inflation in the country. The practice helps only a few unscrupulous persons, who gain at the cost of common consumers and producers. Scrupulous traders also get a bad name for no fault of theirs.

Goyal says the sammelan has decided to mobilise public opinion against future trading.

To strengthen the sammelan in Haryana, Goyal plans to visit all districts by the end of this month. He has already visited Hisar, Fatehabad, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Sonepat, Bhiwani, Panipat and Karnal.

He says the Aggarwals will no longer play the role of a kingmaker by financing candidates of various political parties during the elections. The community would itself try to play an active role in the state politics.

During the next assembly elections, the sammelan will sponsor at least 45 candidates. In a planned manner, the organisation will hold seminars and conduct workshops to train representatives of the community in politics.

The sammelan has also demanded a change in the reservation policy of the country to make it economic based instead of being caste based.

CB Goyal, general secretary of the Haryana unit, said soon the district units and a 300-member state executive committee would be constituted. A state-level convention will be organised either at Karnal or Kurukshetra in May.

Ambala, February 7
A spiritual awareness programme based on the theme, “Soul - An Introduction” was recently organised at Sohan Lal DAV College of Education, Ambala City.

Dr RR Malik, principal, GMN College, Ambala Cantt, was the guest on the occasion. Dr Vivek Kohli, principal of the college, introduced and welcomed the guest. He addressed the students by saying that spirituality was the real treasure of the Indian culture and its preservation should be the ultimate aim of education.

The theme was carried over by a speech and a poem followed by a play. Dr BS Wadhwa, professor, gave an introduction of the programme by reciting Vedic mantras. He said the programme focused on creating awareness among students about spirituality and spiritual concepts.

A play written by Dr Wadhwa and directed by Garima Batra, lecturer of the college, was enacted by students of the Progress House. The play was enacted in an excellent manner followed by a symbolic poem by Dr Wadhwa.

Neelam Luthra, an associate professor of the college, said, “Atma is an eternal, cosmic consciousness, which is behind everything in the world. Through our senses we cannot realise it, but as per the teachings of Bhagwad Gita, Atma can be realised by practicing yoga”.

Panipat, February 7
HPCL’s Panipat retail regional office observed an oil and gas conservation fortnight, the valedictory function of which held at Guru Gobind Singh Public School, here, recently.

The fortnight was celebrated throughout the country by all oil industries under the aegis of the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA). This involved various activities and programmes with the participation and involvement of a large number of people.

During the valedictory programme, various activities were organised for children, including a spot painting competition, slogan writing and essay in the field of oil and gas and energy conservation. Oil conservation pledge was administered and messages received from the union minister of petroleum and natural gas for the occasion was read out.

Besides, HPCL also organised various activities to spread energy conservation awareness. Attractive banners with the theme and different slogans were displayed at various locations. Leaflets and booklets on oil and gas conservation with tips and message were also distributed.

The best performing students of painting, slogan and essay competitions were also awarded. Earlier, senior regional manager Sanjay Kaushik welcomed all gathered to celebrate the event. — TNS

Kurukshetra February 7
There is a need to involve women in the development process of the country, to make them understand their constitution rights and empower them to let them take their own decisions. This was stated by Prof Reicha Tanwar, director, Women Studies Research Centre, Kurukshetra University, at a three-day workshop, which concluded here recently.

Prof Tanwer said the motive of the workshop was to sensitise the citizens about gender discrimination, to improve the status of the women and to save them from various social evils that they confront in their everyday life. The participating volunteers were trained in the workshop to make women aware of their rights, to make them understand and use various programmes being run by the government, and to prepare them to participate in the democratic processes of the nation, she added.

Prof. Neera Verma, chairperson, Department of Economics, Kurukshetra University, delivered a lecture on the relevance of self-help groups. She gave an inspirational and informative talk about how to frame self-help groups and make them economically self-reliant.

Vandna Dave, research officer of the centre, gave a talk on female foeticide and measures needed to be taken to control it. Twenty representatives of literate women groups from all divisions of Jind district participated in the workshop.

Ambala, February 7
The Unity House of Sohan Lal DAV College of Education, Ambala City, organised a cultural programme on National Integration and Communal Harmony. Former MLA Jasbir Mallour was the chief guest of the occasion.

Vivek Kohli, principal of the college, while addressing the students, said there was internal danger of the disruption of national unity and solidarity in the country because casteism, communalism and provincialism were prevalent in society. It was only the teacher who was in a position to inculcate national spirit and create Indian values among his students.

Pawan Kumar, associate professor of the college and coordinator of the house, gave an introduction of the programme by saying that the programme focused on the promotion of national integration rather than narrow nationalism which evokes the deplorable feelings of hatred, jealousy and contempt for other countries and nations. A short play depicting the theme “honour killing” was enacted by the students of the Unity House. The play was enacted in an excellent manner followed by the lesson that even after 62 years of Independence, people are not free from the clutches of narrow nationalism which results in the destruction of peace, conflict and hatred among masses.

Mallour presented his views on the practical aspect of the theme by saying that national integration indicates a wider scope of loyalty than patriotism.

Panchkula, February 7
There is a considerable decrease in the number of fatal accidents as only 192 cases have been reported in the state in January this year as compared to 263 cases reported during the same period last year.

Stating this in a press release here recently, the spokesperson for the Police Department said the Haryana police was sensitising the people, especially autorickshaws, truck-tempo, heavy goods carrier vehicle unions and transporters and their drivers/cleaners, school-going children, factory workers and labourers and factory owners, etc., about the road safety measures during the Road Safety Month being observed by the state police.

He said several road safety measures were being taken during the month and the department was holding blood donation camps and first-aid training camps in every district of the state. He further said a blood donation camp was organised recently at the Community Centre, Sector-7, here, in which 24 people donated 30 units of blood. Similar camps were organised in other parts of the state and about 1,948 units of blood were collected till date, he added.

He further said the Road Safety Organisation in Panchkula district was doing yeoman service by sensitising the general public and the road users about the traffic rules and regulations. The organisation was also conducting lectures and distributing pamphlets about the motor vehicle rules and road-safety regulations to the public.

Ram Chander Rathee, DSP, and eminent persons from the city, including Subhash Kapoor, president of the RSO, Dr Kailash Jain, Sr. vice-president, Pawan Singhal, Sunita Anand, Ankur Kapoor and senior police officials were among those present at the camp.