Gurgaon, July 23
Haryana Health Minister Rao Narender Singh has stated that the misuse of 3-D and 4-D ultrasound for pre-natal sex determination was a cause of serious concern and the state government would take up the matter with the Union Government.

The Tribune had published a news report on Saturday, exposing how the 3-dimensional and 4-dimensional ultrasound procedures were being misused for exhibiting the sex of foetus to the pregnant women and their family members due to which the PNDT (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 had been rendered redundant and practically ineffective.

Endorsing the issue highlighted in the report, the minister asserted that he would actively pursue the matter with the authorities concerned in the Central Government.

“It is indeed a cause of concern that the 3-D and 4-D ultrasound techniques are being misused for pre-natal sex-determination, which is illegal in the country. We will approach the Central health authorities to evolve concrete policy measures to check the misuse,” Rao Narender said while talking to this correspondent today.

He observed that though the new technology of 3-D and 4-D ultrasounds was beneficial in some diagnostic aspects, but its misuse was detrimental to the effective implementation of the PNDT Act.

The minister maintained that he had already consulted the medical experts and state health authorities regarding the matter and effective steps would soon be taken in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Cell of the state BJP has urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to ensure effective implementation of the anti-foeticide laws and if required, recommend a fresh legislation to curb the misuse of 3-D and 4-D ultrasound techniques for prenatal sex determination.

In a letter addressed to the NHRC Chairman, the state convener of the cell, RP Malhotra, has requested him to take cognisance of the report published in The Tribune in this regard and review the matter in human rights perspective.

Panipat, July 23
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda dedicated the mini-secretariat (constructed at a cost of Rs 22 crore) to the public at an inauguration ceremony organised here today.

Hooda said a special emphasis had been laid on the development of infrastructure during the tenure of the Congress government in the state. Quoting official figures, the Chief Minister said during the last six years Rs 2,750 crore had been spent on developing 884 government buildings and 971 residential houses in the state since 2005. A sum of only Rs 285 crore was spent on construction of 91 such buildings and 186 residential houses during the six-year tenure of the previous INLD government.

Hooda also laid the foundation stones of various projects, including railway overbridge at Sector 7-8, HUDA office building at Sector-18 and housing complex at the mini-secretariat. He announced a grant of Rs 11 lakh for the bar association library from his discretionary grant and Rs 5 lakh on behalf of MP Arvind Sharma.

Hooda also unveiled statues of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar and freedom fighter Desh Bandhu Gupta on the mini-secretariat’s premises. He also laid the foundation stones of Aggarwal Bhawan at Sector 24 and Ramgarhia Bhawan at Sector 13-17.

The function was also attended by Mahender Partap Singh, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management; Dharam Singh Chokkhar, MLA; Virender Singh, political advisor to Chief Minister; Sunder Pal Singh, media advisor; Sunil Parti, additional media advisor; Prasanni Devi, Raj Rani Poonam and Bachan Singh Arya, former MLAs and Hari Singh Nalwa, former MP, along with senior officials of the district administration.

Panchkula, July 23
Their mothers had not known what lay beyond the mountains. Beautiful though, the highest desert in the world, Ladakh, kept them confined to its arduous topography that would not let them aspire beyond struggles of survival.

But things changed for the daughters of these women. Today, about 60 girls live in a hostel on the outskirts of Chandigarh, at Ramgarh, to get higher education, so that they could carry the development of the outside world to their beautiful homeland. It all became possible with the efforts of a dedicated Buddhist monk who wondered what made European women travel across the globe with just a back-pack, without a chaperon, whereas their local women could not cross the boundary of the village. He realised the whole thing boiled down to education.

A former soldier of the Indian Army, Bhikku Sanghsena, who hails from Timisgang, Ladakh, was influenced and impressed by the betterment brought about by modern education in the world outside. He resolved to help people from the poorest and remotest regions of his land by bringing education to them, when he retuned to Ladakh in 1986. Without a penny and loads of goodwill, he started Mahabodhi Residential School, in Devachan, Leh, in 1992, with just 25 girls from the far-flung areas of Ladakh. Five years later, boys, too, were taken in. Today, affiliated to the CBSE, the residential school houses about 480 students, and one of the girls from its first batch, Tsewang Dolma, is the Principal of the school. All children get education free of cost.

After the first batch of students cleared high school from Mahabodhi, Sanghsena, with donors’ help, sent these girls for higher education to Bangalore. Soon he realised that the expenses of transportation were eating up the opportunity for more girls to get higher education. And, so, Chandigarh seemed to be the second best option.

With sky-rocketing rates of land, he could not afford to build a hostel for them in the city. Padmaloka Girls Hostel, which can house about 40 girls was built in 2008, at Ramgarh, with the help of some local donors. Despite limitations of resources, these girls aspire to aim high.

If Dolma has gone back to teach at her alma mater, another one has joined her as a yoga teacher.

Sirsa, July 23
with the arrest of a father-son duo, both close kin of the victims, the police today claim that it has cracked the mystery of the quadruple murders at Peepli near Kalanwali that had rocked the district in September last. Hunt for the third accused was on.

It is for the second time that the police claims to have solved the case. Earlier, the police had arrested wife and father-in-law of one of the victims only to discharge them later after they were found innocent.

Hardev Kaur (55), widow of a farmer Saudagar Singh, and her three sons Jaspal Singh (26), Darshan Singh (22) and Hardeep Singh (20) were strangulated to death on the night of September 30 last. The police had registered a case of murder on the complaint of Saudagar Singh’s brother Surjit Singh.

The SP Satinder Kumar Gupta today revealed that Surjit Singh, whom he described as the mastermind behind the four murders, has been arrested along with his son Ugar Singh, while his brother-in-law Amarjit Singh, an accomplice, is absconding.

He said that when the police quizzed him, Surjit confessed the crime and told the police that his son Ugar Singh and a brother-in-law Amarjit Singh also helped him in committing the crime.

The SP said that Surjit, whose house is adjacent to that of the victims, entered their house with two others when the victims were asleep at night. The accused allegedly made the victims unconscious by using chloroform and then strangled all the four to death. The motive behind in order to grab their property.

The police had earlier arrested the victim Jaspal Singh’s estranged wife Sunita, her father Surjit Singh, residents of Bathinda, Randhir Singh, a patwari, and Balvinder Singh, a property dealer in connection with murders and forgery under sections 302, 406 and 420 of the IPC on October 8 year.

The police had claimed that the accused had also prepared forged documents in connection with the victim’s 12 acres land by obtaining thumb impression of the dead bodies in the mortuary of the general hospital.

However, Sunita and her father were discharged from jail through a court order.

Interestingly, the police took the help of a “private detective” in solving the case.

The SP said a police officer, who retired from the state police as DSP, helped the district police to crack the case.

He maintained that it was not the case of hiring the services of a “private detective”, though he admitted that remuneration had been paid to the retired officer.

Rohtak, July 23
The local Government Dental College has made a mark at the national level by getting seventh place in the country among dental colleges. This has been stated recently in the national-level survey published by a weekly magazine published from New Delhi for the year.

The survey gives it the seventh rank in the country in the matter of overall performance and quality of services provided. The college had been placed at the ninth spot last year in a similar survey.

According to a detailed report published recently in the magazine, the college gets the sixth place in academic excellence while it has been given the fifth ranking among the best dental colleges of India regarding the quality of infrastructure, PG selection and employment.

All 291 dental colleges across the country had been included in the survey. Though the college came in existence in 1981.

The college which has an annual budget of Rs 11 crore receives 800 patients daily in its OPD for treatment. The rural pockets and far-flung areas are covered by a mobile team of doctors.

Dr SS Sangwan, the Vice-Chancellor of Pt BD Sharma Health University, here has congratulated the dental college for its achievement.

Sonepat, July 23
The Haryana government under the stewardship of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has taken lead over states in the country in empowering the three-tier panchayati raj institutions by introducing number of new initiatives, claimed the Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS), Jaiveer Balmiki while addressing a press conference here today.

The government had increased the administrative, planning and financial powers of these institutions to ensure that the development works at village level were executed speedily, he said and added that this decentralisation of powers would bring the villages at par with the municipal areas in having basic civic amenities.

Reiterating that there had been no discrimination with Sonepat region regarding development activities, he said the opening of two universities, setting up of Rajiv Gandhi Education City, undertaking the projects of a girls medical college and the Sonepat-Gohana-Jind railway line, sanctioning of an ROB at level crossing in Sonepat, construction of bypasses around Gohana and Kharkhoda and several other projects were ample proof to bely the allegations of the opposition parties.

He flayed former Chief Minister and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala for adopting double standard on Hansi Butana link canal saying that INLD’s stand in this matter was against the interests of the people of Haryana.

Panipat, July 23
After quizzing ex-Minster for Transport and Tourism Om Prakash Jain this week, the investigators today questioned ex-Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Zile Ram Sharma at the Madhuban Police Academy.

Sources, who form a part of the investigating team, confided with The Tribune that the ex-CPS was quizzed for over three-and-half hours in the presence of senior officials of a special team.

The sources said the officials posed around 35 questions to Sharma pertaining to the allegations levelled against him by Karam Singh and his family.

The sources said it was a preliminary questioning of Sharma, who had been asked to appear again before ADGP (Crime) Sharad Kumar at crime branch headquarters in Panchkula on Monday. He was also handed over a 40-point questionnaire, similar to the one which had been given to Jain.

Jain and Sharma are facing charges under Sections 7, 13 (1) D and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988.

Karnal, July 23
Krishan Mohan, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, said here that steps had been taken to contain damage caused by floods in the district.

Krishan Mohan, who held a meeting with officials of the Irrigation and Public Health Departments, said the authorities were ready to deal with any flood-like situation

He said the officials concerned had been asked to maintain vigil during rainy days and take appropriate steps in case there was any chance of floods in the district. Officials had also been asked to clean drains so that flow of water was not restricted during a downpour. — TNS

Chandigarh, July 23
The state government has decided to reschedule the timings of its veterinary hospitals and dispensaries with immediate effect.

While stating this here today, a spokesman of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department said now there would be a single shift instead of double shifts in government veterinary hospitals and dispensaries.

He said during summers (from April 16 to October 15) veterinary hospitals and dispensaries would open in a single shift from 7.30 am to 2 pm without lunch break. Similarly, in winters (from October 16 to April 15) the single shift of these hospitals and dispensaries would be from 8.30 am to 3 pm without lunch break.

The spokesman added earlier these hospitals and dispensaries used to open in two shifts from 7.30 am to 2 pm in summers and from 8.30 am to 3 pm in winters. — TNS

Hisar, July 23
Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University has conducted a survey to take stock of the incidence of various pests on cotton crop in Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts.

According to a survey report, the number of pests affecting the crop adversely are very small. However, the farmers need to be vigilant.

The team comprising entomologist RK Saini and Dr KK Dahiya conducted the survey in about 24 villages of Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa and found that the number of leaf hopper and white fly was negligible.

The presence of mealybug was registered only in 60 per cent fields and its incidence was noticed only on those plants grown along the roads or water courses where it is breeding on parthenium popularly known as congress grass and on yellow herbs.

As of now, farmers need not worry about mealybug as presence of anacius parasite has also been noticed with it. The anacius parasite is destroying mealybug.

Meanwhile, keeping in view the current weather conditions, scientists of the university have advised the farmers to do hoeing in cotton crop for conserving moisture and removing weeds. They have also been advised to keep the change in weather in mind while spraying pesticides or weedicides on cotton crop.

The farmers have also been advised to prepare the field and complete the sowing of pearl millet and guar after getting sufficient amount of rain with certified seeds.

Rewari, July 23
Activists of the youth wing of the INLD from Bawal, Kosli, Rewari and other parts of the district took out a candle march from the main markets of the town here last evening.

Raising slogans against the UPA government’s policies that had given rise to unprecedented rise in prices of essential commodities and rampant corruption, they wrapped up the march at the Agrasen Chowk here. — OC