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Dispute with UP over Yamuna waters
Sex ratio: Jhajjar residents blame ultrasound clinics
Panchayat seeks action against
doctors
Strawberry growers in a jam |
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Report bares grim picture of govt schools
Quota In Schools
Punjabi writers honoured
INLD opposed to nuclear plant, says Chautala
Hoax call sends police in a tizzy
Transfer Orders
Bishnois seek representation on panel
Ambedkar remembered
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Dispute with UP over Yamuna waters
Chandigarh, April 13 Haryana Irrigation Minister Ajay Singh Yadav today asked the UP government to immediately restore the state’s legitimate share in the Yamuna waters upstream of the Okhla barrage. Yadav has sent a letter to his UP counterpart Nasimuddin Siddiqui, stating that the denial of Haryana’s legitimate share in the Yamuna waters has resulted in a lot of suffering to the people of Faridabad, Palwal, Mewat and parts of Gurgaon. The area under irrigation in these districts has shrunk and the agricultural produce affected. Yadav pointed out that channels of the Agra canal in Haryana received significantly less discharge, ranging from 31 per cent to 70 per cent, than the discharge shown in their water accounts. Worse still, the discharge released into the channels was not on a regular basis for a pre-determined period/rotational programme. It was highly erratic. As a result, the water failed to reach the middle and tail reaches of the channels. For instance, canal supplies in the Modal and Hassanpur distributories had reached up to the tail-end for only 22 days and 17 days, respectively, during the past 15 years. Yadav wrote: “The point of concern is the fact that the methodology used for computation of shareable water at Okhla by the UP irrigation authorities is based on the discharge in the Agra canal at mile 11. The quantum of water through the Hindon cut canal is subtracted to calculate the discharge into the river upstream of Okhla Barrage. The formula used results in negative discharge.” Yadav has asked as to how Haryana’s share could be in the negative when there was sufficient inflow in the Delhi territory. The methodology was challenged by the Haryana Irrigation Department at a meeting with the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB). The location of the discharge measurement site on the Yamuna to calculate the inflow upstream of the Okhla barrage was decided at a meeting held on November 27, 2009. However, the decision was yet to be implemented. Yadav alleged that the UP irrigation authorities seemed reluctant to act on the decision. The regulatory and administrative control of the Okhla barrage as well as that of off-taking channels downstream (Agra canal, head Gurgaon canal feeder and channels off-taking from Agra canal but serving Haryana in Palwal district) rested with the UP irrigation authorities and Haryana could not intervene in the matter.
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Sex ratio: Jhajjar residents blame ultrasound clinics
Jhajjar, April 13
In a sombre mood, they offer a seat to this reporter while sharing their views on the issue. “The ultrasound facility is the root cause of foeticide. Earlier, there was no means to know the gender of the unborn child. Everything was left to the almighty,” observes Ram Chander. His views are endorsed by Bhoop Singh, Dhanpat and Roop Singh. All of them blame the government for not dealing with owners of ultrasound clinics with an iron hand. When approached, some women also blame the ultrasound facility for the widespread prevalence of female foeticide. Sunita Dhankhar, Principal, Karan Public School, Jhajjar, says the number of girl students in private schools is much less than the boys because “couples from rural areas prefer to send their sons to reputed schools and send their daughters to government schools in the vicinity.” Dr Rambir Singh, a veterinary surgeon, says that youths in the district are forced to bring brides from faraway places after paying a substantial amount. Many others have no option but to remain single. A senior health functionary says the preference for a male child has a lot to do with safety concerns for girls and social practices like dowry.
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Panchayat seeks action against
doctors
Jind, April 13 The sarpanch of the village met the Deputy Commissioner here today and submitted a memorandum seeking action against the doctors concerned. The Deputy Commissioner has asked the Additional Deputy Commissioner to inquire into the complaint and submit a report in this regard. According to a complaint lodged by the panchayat, three residents of the village, who had got critically injured in a road accident that took place near Jamni village on April 10, were rushed to the emergency ward of the Civil Hospital here. However, the doctors on duty allegedly referred the injured to the PGIMS hospital in Rohtak “without providing” them the required aid or attention. Claiming that the kin of the victim met the CMO for his intervention, but no help was provided to give treatment to the injured at the hospital. Two of the victims identified as Dinesh and Maman succumbed to their injuries in a private hospital, where they were rushed in a critical condition. Blaming the doctors of the Civil Hospital for the gross negligence, they said had the victims were given the required treatment at the emergency ward of the hospital, they could have survived. He alleged that it was due to their apathetic attitude that caused the untimely death of two persons. A delegation of the villagers headed by sarpanch Khazani Devi took up the matter with the DC at an open darbar of the district administration here today and demanded legal action against the doctors. The ADC has been directed to probe the matter, it is claimed. |
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Strawberry growers in a jam
Rohtak, April 13 “I have been growing strawberries for the past about 12 years on four acres of land. But there has been hardly any help from the agriculture department or any government agency,” says Kailash from nearby Sunarian village. “We procure the seedlings from farmers of Himachal Pradesh and transplant these in our fields here. The crop thus prepared is now getting less productive,” he said. “The better alternative is plants acquired through tissue culture, but this facility is not available here. Some farmers have imported plants from the US but this is a costly affair,” said Ashok Kumar who has grown strawberries on eight acres. “The government ought to provide procurement, packing and marketing facilities so that the growers are not forced to market the crop themselves. None from the department concerned has visited the farms here so far,” claimed Zile Singh who has been growing strawberries on 10 acres. “Transporting the fruit to places like Delhi or Chandigarh is not only costly but results in damage to the fruit too,” he added. The fruit is mainly cultivated between October and March each year. Besides Sunarian village, the other areas where strawberries are grown are Sadua village in Hisar, Dadri in Bhiwani and a couple of villages in Sonepat district. The total area under strawberry cultivation in the state is over 150 acres, say sources.
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Report bares grim picture of govt schools
Chandigarh, April 13 An evaluation of the data released by the ASER shows that only 46.2 per cent students from Class I to VIII know how to solve division sums while 3.8 per cent of the children know nothing of the subject. Arithmetic and English have long been considered “problem subjects” in Haryana where 28.1 per cent kids aged three do not attend any kind of pre-school or school.
Mewat, with 5.3 per cent out-of-school children ( 6 to 14 years), topped the charts among the districts. As many as 69.7 per cent schools do not conform to the student-teacher ratio norms laid down by the Right to Education Act though 21.2 per cent schools are “above the norms”. According to the RTE, there should be one teacher for ever 30 students at the primary level and one teacher for every 35 students at the secondary level. The report, which analyses the facilities in schools on the basis of the RTE “prescription”, points out that 35 per cent schools have no libraries while in 33 per cent schools the library is not being used by the students. While there are 10 per cent schools with no separate toilets for girls, 13.6 per cent of these were locked and another 17.4 per cent were not useable. While 17.7 per cent schools had no drinking water facility, 7.7 per cent had the facility but no drinking water was available. The report bases its findings on visits made to 528 primary and upper primary schools. The learning standards and teaching standards may not come as a surprise to the School Education Department which, towards the end of the last session, conducted teaching tests for its teachers. Says Education Minister Geeta
Bhukkal, “We are trying to implement the Right To Education Act. Of late, we have recruited a number of teachers to fill the existing vacancies while guest teachers are continuing to teach to meet the shortfall.” In the new academic session, the minister adds, the department’s main focus will be to strengthen monitoring in the field. “We have given the task of monitoring teaching in government schools to the parents themselves with the formation of school management committees. These will comprise 75 per cent parents of which 40 per cent will be women. We are providing books, education and uniforms free of cost, and stipend not only to SC students but also to those excelling in sports. We hope to raise the standard of education in the times to come with our initiatives,” Bhukkal maintains. |
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Quota In Schools
Sirsa/Fatehabad, April 13 Now, the Director of Secondary Education has sought information from all District Education Officers and District Elementary Education Officers as the government needs to submit a report to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the matter. Rule 134-A of the Haryana School Education Rules:2009 states that all private recognised schools are under an obligation to reserve 25 per cent seats for meritorious students belonging to the economically weaker sections. However, the rule is being flouted in Sirsa and Fatehabad with impunity. Most schools say they are not aware of the rule. Others say that the rule has never been enforced by the education department. In a letter dated April 11, 2011, the Director, Secondary Education, has sought a compliance report from his district officers. A school owner at Fatehabad said he had been asked by officials to give an undertaking that the school had refunded fee to 25 per cent students. When contacted, Surina Rajan, Financial Commissioner, said any violation of the rule would invite action.
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Punjabi writers honoured
Chandigarh, April 13 Akademi director CR Moudgil gave an overview of achievements of the akademi and future plans. Harmohinder Singh Chatha, who was the chief guest at the function, announced the state government’s endeavour to enhance the prize money for the Sant Taran Singh Vahemi Award to Rs 1 lakh from Rs 51,000. Besides, the government led by Chief Minister BS Hooda has accorded the second language status to Punjabi. He urged the litterateurs to avoid coining of cumbersome phrases in their writings, making it easy for people. Speaking in Punjabi, Dr KK Khandelwal, IAS, observed that Punjabi was spoken by 14 crore persons in 165 countries and by over 38 per cent persons in Haryana. He presented a comprehensive critical appreciation of each literary work of the 17 awardees in chaste Punjabi. DPR Shiv Raman Gaur, IAS, said the state had contributed in a big way to the promotion of Punjabi and called upon the Punjabi writers to contribute for the Punjabi Samvad, the monthly Punjabi magazine published by the state government. He also suggested translation of masterpieces in other languages into the Punjabi language. The Punjabi litterateurs, who were honoured, include Amrik Singh, Sirsa, (Haryana Punjabi Gaurav Award carrying a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh), late Dr Amarjeet Singh Kang (special prize of Rs 1.5 lakh, which was received by his wife Dr Jaspal Kaur), Arkamal Kaur, Faridabad, (Mahakavi Bhai Santokh Singh Award of Rs 1 lakh), Dr Jiwan Bakshi, Kurukshetra (Sheikh Farid Award of Rs 1 lakh), Gurbux Singh Saini, Panchkula, (Taran Singh Vahemi Award for Rs 51,000) and noted Punjabi folk singer Resham Singh Anmol, Ambla, (Lokgayak award of Rs 21,000). Punjabi litterateurs Dr Darshan Singh, Dr Indu Gupta, Gobind Singh, Kanwaljeet Kaur Juneja, Joginder Kaur Agnihotri, Naib Singh Madher, Dr Mukhtiar Singh and Veer Singh Thind were also awarded a cash prize of Rs 21,000 each on their books. Similarly, Manjeet Kaur Ambalvi, Iqbal Singh and Prem Singh Barnalwi got the first, second and the third prize in story writing. Dolly Guleria and Resham Anmol enthralled the gathering with Punjabi songs. |
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INLD opposed to nuclear plant, says Chautala
Sonepat, April 13 He said the state government should take a lesson from the incident of nuclear radiation in Japan and should not put the life of people in danger. “Japan is far ahead of India and one of the leading countries in the world in nuclear technology and even then it could not avert the tragic incident,” he said, adding that the government should concentrate on alternative sources of energy .
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Hoax call sends police in a tizzy
Sirsa, April 13 The phone was attended by an official in the office of the DSP (Headquarters), Puran Chand Panwar. He allegedly disconnected the phone after giving his threat. The call sent the police in a state of panic, as heavy deployment was made in and around the university since morning today. However, no untoward incident happened today. DSP Puran Chand Panwar said the phone details of the caller had revealed that he had procured the SIM card on some fake address. The SIM, he said, remained switched off for most of the time. When the police called up some persons, whom the caller had talked through this SIM in the past, they informed the police that the caller was a mentally challegenge person who spoke in an “inebriated voice”. The DSP said vigil would be kept in and around the university on Thursday too. He said efforts were on to ascertain the identity of the person.
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Transfer Orders
Chandigarh, April 13 For, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, in a significant judgment affecting all state government employees, has made it clear that impending retirement is no ground for an employee to resist transfer. Such orders are passed after taking into consideration “administrative interest”, the High Court has ruled. The ruling by a Division Bench assumes significance as the general impression among the employees is that they cannot be shifted out if they have little time to go before retirement. The large number of petitions challenging the transfer orders on the grounds of impending retirement, pending before the High Court, provides a testimony to this fact. The latest ruling on transfer orders came on an appeal filed by Dharamvir Singh Sandhu against the Managing Director of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam. Taking up the petition, the Bench, comprising Justice MM Kumar and Justice TPS Mann, ruled: “The instant appeal is directed against the judgment dated March 14, 2011, rendered by the Single Judge. Going into the background of the controversy, the Bench ruled: “The matter pertains to the transfer of the appellant from Rohtak to Kalanaur, which is at a distance of 15 km. Setting down the law for times to come, the Bench upheld the transfer orders by ruling: “The transfer orders are always passed keeping in view the administrative interest. The mere fact that the appellant is left with less than one year of service is no ground to interfere in the transfer order”. Refusing to give the employee any relief against transfer, the Bench concluded: “No ground for admission of the appeal is made out and the same is, hereby, dismissed”.
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Bishnois seek representation on panel
Panchkula, April13 In a missive to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, convener of the samiti Akshay Bishnoi said the 525-year-old Bishnoi community was the only community in the world members of which had sacrificed their lives for the protection of trees and wildlife to ensure environment protection. The Bishnoi community was educationally and economically backward with a minority status, he added. He said it was a matter of great regret that during the Jat reservation agitation, thousands of trees were axed by the protesters to block rail lines and roads, but no action was taken against them by the authorities. |
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Ambedkar remembered
Sirsa, April 13 Toor said this while speaking at a function organised in Chaudhary Devi Lal University to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar here today. Paying tributes to Ambedkar, Toor said what he did for the amelioration of the plight of Dalits was unparallel in the history of the country. BHIWANI: The 120th anniversary of Ambedkar was celebrated at Chang village, 7 km from here, on Wednesday. The programme was organised by the Balmiki Samaj Shiksha Samiti. Deepa Tanwar of Tigrana village was the chief guest while former MLA Shashi Parmar presided over the function. |
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Even as an official delegation headed by the Chief Minister is on a visit to Israel to study horticulture practices there, not many know that this district grows strawberries
Chandigarh, April 13
The trends in the perfomance of children studying in private schools, in comparison, is much better, according to the Annual Status of Education Report
(ASER), 2010, prepared on the standards of learning in rural government and private schools of the state.