The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

KMP Expressway: Many deadlines gone, work still incomplete
Sunit Dhawan
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, September 5
The ambitious Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway project, which was originally supposed to be commissioned much before the commencement of the Commonwealth Games, is still far from completion.

The 135-km-long expressway, being constructed at a cost of Rs 1,830 crore, will connect four national highways - NH-1, NH-10, NH-8 and NH-2.

Tall claims about expediting and promptly completing the project notwithstanding, the work on it is still going on it at a snail’s pace.

The state government as well as the authorities have completely failed to rein in the concessionaire for the project, which has been missing one deadline after the other with impunity.

The project, which was slated to be accomplished in 2009, is given a new deadline every few months after the previous one is over.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda as well as top local officials have personally visited the construction sites of the KMP Expressway project and pulled up the representatives of the concessionaire on several occasions, but to no avail.

After having lost hope of the completion of the entire project in near future, it was decided to commission the 53-km Manesar-Palwal stretch of the project by May last.

Then, the deadline was extended and it was re-slated to be over by the end of August. However, the work is nowhere near completion even till date.

The consortium of banks financing the project are also stated to have taken a strict notice of the inordinate delay and written to the state authorities to direct the concessionaire to pull up socks or face action.

Besides causing inconvenience to the public by not delivering the due service within the stipulated time, the slackness on part of the concessionaire is also expected to lead to a sharp escalation in the project cost.

As of now, the concessionaire has claimed that at least the Manesar-Palwal stretch of the expressway would be completed by November, although in view of the current rate of progress, it is most likely to miss this deadline as well.

It seems that the authorities concerned have no control whatsoever on the concessionaire, which has scant regard for deadlines, reminders and reprimands.

‘Posh’ HUDA sectors lack amenities
Residents threaten to launch agitation
Suman Bhatnagar

Ambala, September 5
Most of the HUDA sectors in Ambala City, particularly sectors 8, 9 and 10, are lacking basic amenities. The residents of these sectors are now coming on to the streets to press upon the authorities to fulfill their long pending demands.

Neeru Vadhera, president of the Welfare Association Sector-10, has announced that he would sit on an indefinite fast from October 2 if the problems of their locality were not sorted out by the HUDA administration. He along with other residents of the sector recently submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner who has summoned a joint meeting of HUDA officers and office-bearers of the association on September 8 in this regard.

Similarly, residents of sector 9 have decided to move the court as their genuine problems are being ignored the HUDA authorities despite repeated requests. The Senior Citizen Welfare Society of the sector has filed a petition with Ambala Lok Adalat in this regard.

R N Bakshi, president of the society, and SL Sharma, secretary, said before auctioning the plots in the sector, the HUDA authorities had assured that all basic amenities and essential services would be provided to the plot holders, but the promise remained unfulfilled even after two decades and the residents have been facing a numbers of problems.

They say most of the roads in the sector are in bad shape and require immediate repair. Similarly, the drainage system in the sector is faulty as there is no proper outlet for rain and sewer water. In the rainy season, waterlogging and blocked sewerage are the common problems, which pose a serious health hazard to the residents.

The residents say the supply of water is not regular. Besides, streetlights, green belts, parks and the playgrounds are poorly maintained. “It seems that we are living in some slum colony instead of a so-called posh HUDA sector,” they rue.

Meanwhile, the residents of sector 8 are also planning to raise their problems before the administration.

With 596 institutes, state boasts of qualitytechnical education
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 5
To provide quality technical education to the students and skilled manpower to the industries, the state government has added 96,310 seats by opening 435 new technical institutions in the state during the period from 2005-06 to 2010-11.

Technical Education Minister Mahender Partap Singh said the total number of technical institutions in the state had increased to 596 in 2010-11 from 161 in 2005-06. Similarly, total seats in the technical institutions had increased to 1,24,705 in 2010-11 from 28,445 in 2005-06. The plan budget of technical education has also been increased from Rs 50 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 171 crore in 2010-11.

He said two more technical universities, namely Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, and YMCA University of Science and Technology, Faridabad, had been established in the state during this period. The government had decided that from the academic session 2011-12, all technical institutions located in Sonepat, except B.Pharma institution, would be affiliated to Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, and all technical institutions located in Hisar, Sirsa and Fatehabad districts, except B.Pharma institutions, would be affiliated to Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar.

The minister said four state-of-art institutes, namely State Institute of Fashion and Design, State Institute of Film and Television, State Institute of Fine Arts and the State Institute of Communication were also being set up at Rohtak at a cost of Rs 200 crore. Besides, the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology was being set up at Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, and the Indian Institute of Information Technology at Kilrod village, Sonepat.

Painting contest to create awareness among schoolkids
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 5
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency and the Haryana School Education Department have joined hands to create awareness among schoolchildren about energy efficient technology.

Painting competitions will be organised in all schools of the state for students of classes IV, V and VI on either of the three topics, “Save electricity to avoid power cuts”, “use energy with care”, and “Less you burn, the more you earn”.

According to Vijayendra Kumar, director, School Education, the students can use pencils, crayons, colour pencils and water colours. While painting, they should keep in mind the relevance of the theme depicting the selected topic, execution of the concept or theme and overall visual appeal, handling of the given space and the use of appropriate colour combinations.

He says the school headmasters or principals have been asked to select two best paintings and send them along with information on the number of students participated at the school-level competition to the State Nodal Officer by October 4, 2011. The back of the painting should carry the name of the student, his or her standard, school name and address, state, father's or mother's name, roll number, school located in the urban or rural area, telephone or mobile number of parents, e-mail ID of the student, if any, school telephone number or mobile number or e-mail address and the signature of the school head.

Paintings not signed by the school principal or sent directly by student's parents will not be accepted.

Vijayendra Kumar says all participating students would get a certificate of participation and the best two selected paintings would get certificate of merit, which will be signed by the school principal or head master as the case may be and the director-general of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). The names of schools recording 100 per cent participation will be included in the painting competition booklet to be prepared by BEE.

He clarifies that the first, second and third prize winners of the state-level painting competitions of the 2009 and 2010 are not eligible to participate in this year’s competition. However, consolation prize winners of these competitions might participate, but they will be considered for prizes only if they win the first, second or the third prize at the state level.

Nigam to regularise load without penalty
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 5
The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) has conducted random load survey of consumers of Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Rohtak, Jhajjar and Jind districts. It has been observed that most of the domestic and non-domestic consumers had extended their load. The record of the nigam was being updated accordingly. Simultaneously, the Voluntary Disclosure of Load Scheme has been launched for these categories of consumers.

While stating this here today, a spokesman of the nigam said that the nigam would regularise the load without penalty. The procedure of regularisation of unauthorised load had been simplified. The consumers coming forward for declaring their extended loads would be required to submit an application and agreement form giving details of load. There would be no need to submit any terms and conditions forms or affidavits. However, the consumer would give an undertaking that he would abide by all the terms and conditions of the power supply. There would be no need to submit a test report up to an extension of 20 KW of load.

The applicant would be required to certify that the wiring for the extended load had been carried out by an authorised contractor and the same had been tested as per the provisions of the relevant Act. The load more than 20 KW would be regularised after having a fresh test report, he added.

He said the applicants would have to deposit consumption security at the new rates. The non-domestic supply consumers would be required to deposit fixed service charges, etc. The extended load would be considered as regularised with immediate effect after the procedure was completed.

The nigam would also allow change of category from domestic to non-domestic and LT industries on completion of formalities provided that the applicants deposit the consumption security at prevailing rates, service connection charges, etc. The scheme would also be available to the consumers who have applied for extension of load and the applications were under process.

The spokesman urged the consumers to declare their load voluntarily to avoid penalty and help the nigam in strengthening the distribution system.

Monsoon takes its toll on roads
Hemant Kumar

Kalka, September 5
The monsoon has wreaked havoc on roads in Kalka, Pinjore, Parwanoo and the nearby areas. The National Highway-22, which passes through the area, is in the worst condition. So is the stretch from Gandhi Chowk in Kalka to Kalka-Parwanoo Barrier and the main bazaar of Pinjore. Due to this, motorists have been facing a serious threat. A number of accidents have already taken place on the Pinjore-Nalagarh NH-21-A, which have claimed several lives in the past couple of months.

Similar is the condition of the link roads from Gandhi Chowk to Tipra via Khatik Mohalla, which approaches the Pinjore-Kalka-Parwanoo road (under construction) and the link road from Kalka to Khera Sita Ram.

Besides, the link roads which fall under the jurisdiction of the Railways have been turned into deplorable state for the past couple of years due to apathetic attitude of the department of Inspector of Works (IOW). Locals allege that these link roads have not been repaired for the past more than five years. They allege that the railway authorities never bothered about the maintenance of the roads.

These link roads approach the NH-22 to Railway Station, Diesel Shed, Railway Workshop, Kalka GRP Police station, Kalka Railway Hospital, RPF office, Railway Sports Ground and Railway Institute. Besides, the residents of Khatik Mohalla, Kalka, in the foothills of Balaji temple adjacent to the historic Kali Mata temple have urged the administration to take safety measures as the overflowing Sukhna river is posing a threat to their houses. They told the Tribune that a part of the retaining wall of the locality had been washed away.

In 2008, more than six houses in the colony were washed away in the rainy season.

Importance of yoga stressed
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, September 5
A three-day VIth Haryana State Women Yoga Championship concluded on the premises of Technology Education and Research Integrated Institutions (TERII), 9 km from here, recently.

Addressing the valedictory function, the chief guest, Haryana Krishak Samaj president, Shamsher Singh Surjewala, said: “Yoga has its own importance in our life and it is advisable that yoga should be a part of curriculum in schools”.

“In today’s scenario, youth can make career by demonstrating better performance in the field of yoga where employment opportunities are also there,” he added.

The guest of honour Ashok Jain, member, SSS Commission, Haryana, said: “Yoga plays a vital role in removing stress in today’s hectic life”.

Encouraging the participants, district police chief Parul Kush, who is also the president of the District Yoga Association, Kurukshetra, urged upon women to make yoga an essential part of their life. She thanked everyone on behalf of the Kurukshetra Yoga Association.

MP Gupta, a former director, Technical Education, Haryana, acclaimed that it was only through yoga that one could develop a good concentration to achieve efficiency both mentally and physically. He thanked the chief guest and other dignitaries for participating in the closing ceremony of the championship.

Aditya Gupta, secretary, TERII, Kurukshetra, assured the dignitaries and the audience that the institution will always be a pioneer for uplifting students and engineers in the country.

The championship was inaugurated by Haryana Health and Medical Education Minister Rao Narender Singh, who highlighted the importance of yoga in overall development of girls, while the guest of honour Sumita Roy, deputy general manager, Punjab National Bank, stressed upon the importance of yoga and sports for strong mental and spiritual growth.

As many as 435 yoga students from different parts of Haryana participated in the championship.

Results

Five to seven years: Jyoti, Yamunanagar, and Yashika, Kurukshetra: 1; Sakshi, Yamunanagar: 2; and Yashsvani, Ambala: 3

Eight to 10 years: Sarita, Kaithal, and Riya, Kurukshetra: 1; Komal, Bhiwani: 2; and Nikita, Rohtak: 3

11 to 15 years: Nandni, Doon Public School, Sonepat, and Jeetu, Rohtak: 1; Himanshi and Aanchal, both from Kurukshetra: 2; and Preeti, Yamunanagar: 3

16 to 18 years: Geeta, Rewari, and Bhawana, Kurukshetra: 1; Suman, Rohtak, and Reena, Karnal: 2; Diksha, Kurukshetra, and Dipika, Bhiwani: 3

19 to 25 years: Geeta Miglani, Kurukshetra: 1; Meenakshi, Rewari, and Diksha, Kurukshetra: 2; Rupali, Yamunanagar: 3

26 to 30 years: Satvinder, Ambala, and Sudesh, Yamunanagar: 1; Neelam, Kurukshetra: 2; and Manya, Jind: 3

31 to 40 years: Rita, Kurukshetra: 1; Indu Bala, Jhajjar: 2; and Surem Rohila, Kaithal: 3

41 to 50 years: Parminder, Kurukshetra: 1; and Sarita, Bhiwani: 2

50 to 60 years: Kamla Devi, Rohtak: 1; and Neeru, Yamunanagar: 2

Above 60 years: Vidya, Bhiwani: 1; and Parsobti, Jind: 2

Ghosh takes charge as Indian Oil director
Tribune News Service

Panipat, September 5
Rajkumar Ghosh has taken over as the director (refineries) of the only Indian Fortune 100 Company, Indian Oil, after the incumbent director BN Bankapur superannuated on August 31. Prior to his new posting, Ghosh was working as executive director (in charge) at the Refineries Headquarters in New Delhi.

Earlier, he was executive director (I/C) at the most modern PSU refinery of the country at Panipat and was responsible for all functions of the refinery, naphtha cracker and other downstream polymer units.

Ghosh led the commissioning of Panipat refinery expansion from 12 to 15 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) and India’s largest Naphtha Cracker, which ushered in a new era of industrial development in Haryana.

A graduate in Chemical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur, he has over three decades of experience in Hydrocarbon Industry.

He has worked in various positions at Barauni, Mathura, Haldia, Guwahati and Panipat Refineries as well as at Refineries Headquarters in New Delhi.

In addition to this, he successfully led the commissioning teams of more than 15 process units, including RFCC, Hydrocracker, Diesel Hydro Desulphurisation Unit, CCRU, Catalytic De-waxing Unit for Lube production and MS Quality Improvement Units.

He was also associated with the Design and Engineering of the first Hydrocracker Unit in the country at Gujarat Refinery.

Ghosh, who would be heading the Refineries Division of the largest refiner of the country, is known for his technical knowledge, dynamic leadership and clarity of vision and strongly believes in strengthening the refining industry with revamping, de-bottlenecking and modernisation of process units at low cost brown field expansions with yield and energy improvement projects.

Gurgaon DC suspends patwari, kanoongo
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, September 5
Deputy commissioner PC Meena has suspended a patwari and a kanoongo for concealing facts regarding the partition of a chunk of private land at Ullawas village in the district. The case was being heard at the court of Assistant Collector Grade-II, Sohna.

Chargesheets have been issued to both officials under Rule 7 of the Haryana Civil Services Rules (Punishment & Appeals), 1987, and during the period of suspension, their headquarters will be at the office of SDM, Gurgaon (South).

According to the deputy commissioner, a case of partition of private land in revenue estate of Ullawas was filed in the court of Assistant Collector Grade-I (Tehsildar) of Sohna and at that time, the land was not under acquisition.

But subsequently, notifications under Section 4 and 6 of the Land Acquisition Act were issued and part of that private land also fell in the area under acquisition.

As per the rules in a case of partition, it is the patwari and kanoongo who draw the map of the land, showing how it is to be divided. But if the land is under acquisition, they are supposed to give a note in this regard below the map.

However, patwari Sunder Singh and kanoongo Sher Singh allegedly did not mention on the map that a portion of the said land was under acquisition. Folowing this, the tehsildar passed an order of partition of the land.

Will be merged into normal increments
Tribune News service

Chandigarh, September 5
The Haryana Government has clarified the issue of grant of two advance increments to Junior Engineers on acquiring AMIE or an equivalent degree during service stating that advance increments so granted or to be granted shall be merged into the normal increments and would not count for pay fixation on promotion during intermediary period.

While stating this here yesterday, an official spokesman said that advance increment would also be admissible to those employees who might have reached the maximum of their pay scales. The cases of employees on deputation would be decided by their parent department. The rate of increment for the purpose of calculating the amount of advance increment would be taken to be that which was last drawn in a post held on the date of eligibility or in a post which would have been held by an official under the State Government (Parent department) on the date of being eligible but for his deputation.

He said that advance increment allowed to an employee under the instructions would cease on his appointment to a post for which the minimum qualification was such as had entitled him to the grant of advance increment. If on the date of eligibility an employee is holding a post for which the minimum qualification was such as he had acquired after entering into government service, he would not be entitled to the benefit of advance increment. However, where for any reason he ceases to hold such a post, his right to the benefit of advance increment would revive. All such cases which have already been decided before the issuance of these clarifications and were in-consistent with these clarifications would be reviewed and pay be re-fixed in accordance with these instructions without effecting recovery, if any, up to the date of issuance of the letter.

Woman power rises at Dera Sacha Sauda

Sirsa, September 5
A wind of change seems to have started blowing in Dera Sacha Sauda as women have started playing much bigger role in its day-to-day affairs .

Women, particularly young educated girls, have been given key positions in the dera. Vipassana Insan(28) recently took over as chairperson of the Dera Sacha Sauda. This is the topmost post in the dera.

Inder Sain, an old and trusted manager of the dera, earlier held this position Vipassana Insan, MBA in international business, is pursuing her PhD programme, She looks after nearly 25 departments, including education, health, welfare works, media, and management of congregations, langars among others.

Before assuming this assignment, Vipassana was looking after "Shahi Betiya Basra" (a home for destitute girls adopted by the dera). Shobha (31), a master's degree holder in English literature and public administration, has taken over as senior vice-chairperson of the dera. Like Vipassana, Shobha too is pursuing her PhD degree from Kurukshetra University.

Women like Vipassana and Shobha have brought a wind of change in the Dera Sacha Sauda, with educated girls elegantly dressed in pants and shirts manningthe administrative block of the dera, where decisions on all key matters, including financial transactions running into crores, are taken.

All these girls are "Brahmcharis", who have vowed not to marry and serve the dera throughout their lives.— TNS

State forms panels at village level
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 5
Haryana has constituted sub-committees at the village level to ensure effective implementation of all schemes introduced by the state government for the welfare of women and children.

According to Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Geeta Bhukkal, the objective of these committees is to ensure the smooth implementation of the welfare schemes and also to ensure that the benefit of these schemes must percolate to every eligible beneficiary. Each committee comprises the sarpanch, all women panchs, a school woman teacher, multipurpose health worker, president of the village mahila mandal, ASHA worker, war widow, three educated adolescent girls, workers of NGOs and the village chowkidar.

The committees have been given administrative and financial powers so that these can monitor all schemes and ensure that the benefit of each scheme must reach every eligible beneficiary.

Bhukkal says it will be the duty of the committee to inspire all eligible beneficiaries to take benefit of the welfare schemes. These committees will also cooperate with the department in the effective implementation of various welfare schemes. The detailed account of the activities of the committee will be presented in the meetings of gram sabha. The committee will also open a bank account, which will be operated by two women panchs and one Anganwadi worker. The details of the expenditure of the committee will have to be presented in the monthly meetings.

The department will deposit three-month advance amount for the nutritious food to be given to pregnant women, lactating mothers, adolescent girls and children in the bank account of the committee. The committee will get the food prepared from members of self-help groups, mahila mandals and mothers of the children. The committee will keep full record regarding health and nutritious status of all children in the village up to the age of six years. The members of the committee will also play an important role in the eradication of social evils like dowry, female foeticide, child marriage, atrocities against women and their exploitation.

The committee will meet once in a month.

Sonepat wins school wrestling trophy
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, September 5
Sonepat district was adjudged the overall champion of the 46th Haryana State School Wrestling Championship concluded at Pratap Singh Memorial Senior Secondary School, Kharkhoda, recently.

The district won the overall trophy in the under-14 and under-17 weight categories and remained at the third position in the under-19 weight category.

In under-14 weight category, Sonepat remained at the first position with 19 points, Hisar at the second place with 16 points and Rohtak remained at the third position with nine points. In under-17 weight category, Sonepat with 27 points secured the first position and second and third positions went in favour of Hisar and Rohtak with 17 and 11 points, respectively.

Jhajjar with 19 points and Sonepat with 14 points were placed at the first and third places; whereas Bhiwani and Rohtak jointly shared the second position with 16 points each.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Jaiveer Balmiki distributed prizes among the winners. Speaking on the occasion, Balmiki said as a result of the new sports policy of Haryana government, youths from the state had started giving commendable performances at the national and international-level competitions. The new policy had also given a number of incentives to the sportspersons in the shape of cash prizes, government jobs and other scholarships, he added.

Following were the final winners of the championship:-

Under-14: Abhimanu of Fatehabad (32-kg), Anil of Hisar (35-kg), Satish of Bhiwani (38-kg), Amit of Jhajjar (41-kg), Prateek of Sonepat (45-kg), Praveen of Sonepat (49-kg), Jai Bhagwan of Rohtak (55-kg) and Jasbir of Hisar (60-kg).

Under-17: Anil of Sonepat (42-kg), Sunny of Sonepat (46-kg), Sonu of Sonepat (50-kg), Sandeep of Rohtak (54-kg), Sunil of Jind (58-kg), Kuldeep of Rohtak (63-kg), Vikas of Jhajjar (69-kg), Amit of Sonepat (76-kg), Braham Dev of Jhajjar (85-kg) and Rahul of Sonepat (more than 85-kg).

Under-19: Bittu of Jind (42-kg), Pankaj of Sonepat (50-kg), Vinod of Rohtak (74-kg) and Sunil of Jhajjar (84-kg).

DC warns of strict action against corrupt officials
Attar Singh
Tribune News Service

Ambala, September 5
Deputy Commissioner Sameer Pal Srow has warned officers of the district against accepting bribe and said stern and disciplinary action would be taken against any employee found indulging in corruption.

Srow issued warning at a meeting of district officers of different government departments. He has notified toll-free numbers 0171-2553520 and +91-9729990001 for complaint to the SP and 0171-2530100 and +91-8059444401 for complaint to the Deputy Commissioner.

“People can call at these numbers to lodge their complaints if someone demands bribe from them,” he said. The Deputy Commissioner also ordered the officials to be present in their offices during the working hours. He said the officers found absent without leave would face action.

The Deputy Commissioner has also announced a time frame for issuance of documents like driving licence, ration cards, birth certificates, etc, and said any delay in this time schedule would not be tolerated. The officials found guilty would face stern action, he added.

He also appointed nodal officers, including SS Phulia, additional deputy commissioner, Mukesh Ahuja, SDM, Ambala, OP Sharma, SDM, Naraingarh, Sushil Kumar, SDM, Barara, and Dharmveer, RTA, Ambala, for supervising the disbursement of pension. The nodal officers have also been directed to check the lists of people prepared with the help of sarpanches and BDOs eligible for pension under various schemes.

Srow gave strict instructions that all the services should be provided in the allotted time frame. The beneficiaries who could not go to banks would get their pension cards made by the bank employees on their doorstep.

He said a new ration card would be issued within 15 days, whereas Scheduled Castes, Backward Class and domicile certificates would be issued within seven days. A learner’s driving licence would be issued within five days and a permanent driving licence and registration of vehicles would be done within seven days. The Deputy Commissioner further said a new water and sewerage connection would be released within 12 days.

Video lectures invited
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 5
UTKARSH Society has invited quality video lectures for the classes I to XII based on Haryana school syllabus for its EDUSAT programme.

The society said the video lectures should be filed with animation or usage of teaching aids reflecting creative teaching techniques and clear vocal delivery so as to keep the interest of the students alive throughout the lesson, a spokesman said.

Any person having command over their subject could submit his video product. The speaker should also ensure that besides teaching the lesson, he was able to evaluate and show through questions or suggestions, etc. whether the children have understood the topics or not. A person could submit only one video product, he added.

He said lesson prepared should be as per Haryana syllabus which could be downloaded from website www.schooleducationharyana.gov.in. School textbooks were also available in digital pdf format on the website. The duration of video lesson should be only 40 minutes and it should be recorded before a live class of students. For submitting video, an account on website www.youtube.com <http:// www.youtube.comh> should be created and video naming the subject, class and chapter should be uploaded and web link should be sent to the society for accessing the video product. The spokesman said the video would be viewed by committee of experts on each subject and the selected or shortlisted videos would be shown to a select audience and an appropriate classroom of children and the highest rated video would be put on EDUSAT for telecast across the state. A cash reward of Rs 5,000 per video lesson would be given by UTKARSH Society.

Legal literacy camps at Bhiwani from Sept 17
Shiv Sharma

Bhiwani, September 5
In order to create awareness regarding legal rights among people on their doorstep, the District Legal Services Authority will organise 10 mobile lok adalats-cum-legal literacy camps from September 17 to September 30 in the district. Advocates will impart knowledge about legal rights in detail to the people in these camps.

Rajesh Kumar Bhankar, secretary of the authority and the chief judicial magistrate, said here recently that these camps would be organised under the guidance of the president of the authority and sessions judge, Anita Chaudhary.

He said advocates would make the people aware of the Labour Law, Domestic Violence Act, Motor Accident Claim Act, Hindu Marriage Act, Food Processing Act, RTI Act, Child Welfare Act, Consumer Act, Arms Act, etc.

The people would also be made aware of the 158 CrPC, Panchayati Raj Act and the Education Act in these camps, he said.

He said these camps would be held at Paluwas on September 17, Gujrani on September 18, Jatu Luhari on September 19, Devsar on September 20, Biran on September 21, Chang on September 22, Kaluwas on September 23, Tigrana on September 24, Baliali on September 28 and at Bapora village on September 30.

The secretary of the authority urged the people to come to the camp and get knowledge about laws so that no one could harm them legally. He said: “The authority also provides the facility of free-of-cost legal service to poor and underprivileged”.

MLA asks UHBVN to stop charging advance security
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, September 5
Local MLA and INLD state president Ashok Arora met TK Mahajan, superintending engineer, (OP) Circle, UHBVN, Kurukshetra, here recently and expressed anger over charging advance security equivalent to four months’ electricity bill charges from the consumers by the Nigam.

Arora, who was accompanied by municipal councillor Vivek Mehta, INLD urban president Ram Swaroop Chopra, Kurukshetra Beopar Mandal president Fateh Chand Gandhi and the local shopkeepers, demanded that the realisation of advance security should be stopped immediately. He said advance security was being realised from those consumers who were paying their bills in time.

He alleged that the Electricity Department was neither realising advance security nor electricity bills from those consumers who were not paying their bills.

He further alleged that dues of Rs 300 crore were yet to be recovered from Kaloi, the Assembly Constituency of the Haryana Chief Minister, and no efforts were being made to recover the amount. Instead of encouraging those who were paying bills well in time, advance security was being realised from them, he added.

Earlier, Arora also called upon Deputy Commissioner GC Rajinikanthan and lodged a protest against the poor condition of sewerage, supply of drinking water and sanitation in HUDA sectors here. Making him aware of the problems of the local HUDA residents, Arora asked the deputy commissioner to get these problems solved without further delay.

According to Arora, the deputy commissioner has ordered the executive officer of the municipal committee, Thanesar, and the HUDA estate officer, Kurukshetra, to get these problems solved immediately.

NSS holds function on communal harmony
Our Correspondent

Kurukshetra, September 5
A function on communal harmony was organised by the National Service Scheme (NSS) group of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kurukshetra, at its campus here recently.

Describing the meaning of communal harmony in the modern world and society, NIT director Prof. Anand Mohan said: “India is a country in which people of various faiths and religions live. There is a need for harmony among them for the fast development of the nation”. He also appreciated the students for organising this function.

A number of cultural events were also organised on the occasion. The event concluded with the vote of thanks by Atul, group leader of the NSS.

Anna’s campaign dominates debate in Sirsa varsity
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, September 5
Anna Hazare and his drive to root out corruption from society remained in focus during an open debate in the seminar on “Vision - 2020” organised by the Public Administration Department of Chaudhary Devi Lal University here recently.

Dr Manoj Siwach, registrar of the university, who was the chief guest of the seminar, said the role of society, which had come forward to bring in transparency in the administration, was laudable and our youths had come in support of society in large numbers.

Dr Siwach said at a time when developed countries like Britain, Spain, Portugal, Germany, France and Japan were battling with the slowdown, India had emerged as a strong country in the world. He said the day was not far when India would be leading the whole humanity on the globe.

The registrar said: “The “Vision - 2020” as envisaged by former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam could become a reality if we put in sincere efforts in our work”. He said transparency in the functioning of the administration and quality education was the key to achieve the targets of the “Vision-2020”.

Dr Raj Kumar Siwach, chairperson of the Public Administration Department, said when some policy failed in the US, the administration of that country took help of teachers and professors. However, unfortunately things were different in India, which, he said, was a matter of concern.

Dr Siwach said it was regrettable that what our government should have done was being done by society and social organisations. He said every problem had a solution, but that needed a lot of thinking and research.

He said there were a plethora of problems before the nation, which were pushing the country backward and these needed immediate attention of the policy makers. Dr Rajbir Singh Dalal, a former chairperson of the Public Administration Department, said it was unfortunate that students bunked classes in large numbers in every educational institution. He said every student aimed at getting a government job and none wanted to work in other fields.

Dr Vishnu Bhagwan, Dr Sultan Singh and Dr Satyawan Dalal, all teachers of the Public Administration Department, and Dr Abhay Godara, chairperson of the Economics Department, also expressed their views.

A large number of students also participated in the open debate.

Hostel owners told to install CCTV cameras
Ravinder Saini

Jhajjar, September 5
Taking a serious view of a recent incident where a girl student went missing under mysterious circumstances from a hostel, the district police authorities have issued some vital guidelines to all hostels for girls in Jhajjar and Bahadurgarh.

As per the guidelines, owners of the hostels have been directed to install close circuit TV cameras at the main entrance and external section of the hostels so that a close tab could be kept on the visitors. Besides, they have also been asked to depute sufficient number of security personnel in the premises to maintain discipline.

Disclosing this, Jhajjar SP Patram Singh said these guidelines had been issued to ensure the security and safety of hostel mates.

He maintained that the CCTV camera was a good option to keep surveillance in hostels.

“The owners have also been directed to inform the police immediately if they observe any suspected activity outside the hostel or notice any suspected person roaming near the hostel,” said the SP, adding that some untoward incidents were reported in the past which could have been curbed had the hostel owners intimated the police in time.

The owners have also been asked to get telephone and cell phone numbers of police control room (PCR) and fire brigade written at the main places of the hostel so that they could be used in emergency, he maintained.

“Since the security and safety of girls residing in hostels is the responsibility of its owners, they should ensure that any girl could not go outside the hostel during prohibited hours,” said Patram Singh.

Besides, policemen, especially woman cops, in civil dress had also been deputed outside the hostels, he added.

‘Sufis present liberal shade of Islam’
Sunit Dhawan
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, September 5
Haryana Minister for Excise and Taxation Kiran Chaudhary has said the Sufis had enriched our composite culture by propagating the essence of religion as a liberating, unifying and uplifting force in society. She maintained that the poetry of Sufis was based on the commonalities of all faiths and promoted communal harmony and peaceful coexistence.

The minister was addressing a gathering at the launch of “The Sufis of Punjab”, a coffee-table publication of Rumi Foundation, here recently. She pointed out that the need for peace and tolerance in our lives had resonated for years in Sufi poetry, music and art.

“The Sufis occupy an honoured place in the cultural, religious and spiritual tradition of Punjab. Because of their transcendental approach to life and nobility of purpose, the Sufis endure in popular imagination and command respect from all sections of society,” she observed.

Earlier, Muzaffar Ali, the executive director and secretary of the foundation, said both Punjabs (of India and Pakistan), had been a vital gateway to the Indian subcontinent and had opened minds to create seekers of truth amongst those who came in and those who went out.

Former Union minister Saifuddin Soz remarked that the world had become a monolithic socio-cultural entity and if one part of the world was in trouble, the other was also affected.

He noted that the Sufis of Punjab and Kashmir presented a liberal shade of Islam and hoped that they would play an instrumental role in strengthening the unity and integrity of the country.

Gurgaon deputy commissioner PC Meena, MCG commissioner Sudhir Rajpal, DCP (Gurgaon-East) Maheshwar Dayal, SDM (Gurgaon-North) Satender Duhan and civil surgeon Parveen Garg were also present.

Be systematic in crime probe, SP tells officers

Hisar, September 5
SP Vivek Sharma has directed investigating officers to adopt a systematic approach to solving crimes in their respective areas. A police spokesperson said here that the SP had asked them to investigate each crime deeply and personally and not to depend on their subordinates. He said if each crime was relentlessly investigated into, there could be stunning results.

For instance, he said, if the investigating officers tried to know what circumstances led to the crime that they were investigating, they could easily solve the mystery. Asking them to investigate such cases scientifically, he said they should monitor the progress of investigations daily and also seek progress reports from their subordinates.

Sharma said every in charge of a police station or a chowki should know about every complaint lodged there to ensure personal involvement. This would help them use their manpower more efficiently and effectively. The SP said he would expect officers to ensure better coordination among themselves. — TNS

Workshop on investors’ awareness held
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 5
The Ludhiana Stock Exchange organised a one-day workshop on “investors’ awareness” at the SRM Institute of Management and Technology, Bhurewala, in Panchkula district, recently.

The purpose of the workshop was to make MBA students aware of the importance of the capital market in the economic development of any country. Over 200 MBA students from SDD Global; Government College, Naraingarh; and Government College, Barwala, participated in the workshop.

Roshan Lal Jindal, chairman-cum-managing director, SRM Global, who presided over the workshop, told the students about the usefulness of such workshops on investments, which were the key input for starting any enterprise.

Dr Baljeet Kapoor, director-general of the SRM Global Group of Institutions, in his keynote address, emphasised the importance of investment, both direct and indirect, which formed an important constituent of capital raising. He said it would be very useful for the students and the faculty to learn how the share market worked as it was a complex subject.

The other key speakers included DP Gandhi, chairman, Academic Committee, Rakesh Gupta, chartered accountant, and Sadhu Ram from the Ludhiana Stock Exchange.

Earlier introducing the subject, Dr Gurcharan Singh Ghotra, additional director of the SRM Global, said the capital had become a market in itself where borrowings from the international as well domestic funding agencies had come to play a vital role in determining the investment pattern in any economy.

Ambala entrepreneur gets national award
Suman Bhatnagar

Union Minister for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Virbhadra Singh gives away the National Award to TC Kansal, an entrepreneur of Ambala, in New Delhi. Tribune photo

Ambala, September 5
The Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises has awarded the National Award for manufacturing quality products in pharmaceutical formulations for 2010-11 to an entrepreneur of Ambala TC Kansal, chairman, Crystal Pharmaceutical, at a function at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi recently.

President Pratibha Patil was the chief guest on the occasion, while Union Minister for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Virbhadra Singh gave away the awards.

Prem Gupta, another entrepreneur of Bahadurgarh, was also offered the similar award. As many as five pharmaceutical manufacturers were given this award throughout the country.

Kansal was also awarded the National Award for his outstanding performance in pharmaceutical field in 2009-10. He is general secretary of the Haryana Pharmaceutical Manufacture Association and has been associated with various social and trade organisations.

He said pharmaceutical industries had a bright future in the state, but the state government should offer incentives to this industry for its upgradation.

Rice exporters pin hopes on GoM meeting
Bhanu P Lohumi/TNS

Karnal, September 5
With rice production expected to increase by more than 6 per cent, touching a new record of 102 million tonnes in 2011-12 against the highest production of 95.32 million tonnes last year, the rice exporters are pinning their hopes on a meeting of Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on food, scheduled for September 6, to discuss a proposal for allowing exports of two million tonnes of both wheat and non-basmati rice.

The rice prices in international markets are favourable at present and allowing export of superior non-basmati rice with reasonable minimum export price (MEP) will not only benefit the country but also ease the problem of storage after the procurement of rice starts in the next two weeks.

The president of the All-India Rice Exporters Association, Vijay Setia, had been demanding lifting of ban on export of superior non-basmati rice which is not procured for distribution under the Public Distribution System (PDS) to enable the exporters to recapture the market of non-basmati rice lost to Pakistan and some other Asian countries.

The EGoM had given in-principle approval for export of 1-million tonne of non-basmati rice in July this year but the shipments were put on hold following a Delhi High Court order.

The government godowns are overflowing with wheat and rice stocks and the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is facing a storage crunch.

In February this year, the government had lifted a nearly three-year old ban to allow exports 1-lakh tonne of three premium varieties of non-basmati rice, namely Ponni, Rosematta and Sona Masuri, mostly grown in southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. However, it did not yield the desired results and the government had to cut the minimum export price (MEP) in August by $250 a tonne from $850to $600 a tonne to boost exports.

The area under paddy cultivation increased by 6 per cent from 24.47 million hectares last year to 26.03 million hectares till August 5 this year and there has been a marginal increase in the area under basmati rice.