The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	DIET to become functional in Jhajjar from July Ravinder Saini Jhajjar, April 19 The District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), which is being set up at Machhrauli village here with an aim to further improving the educational facilities in the district, will start functioning from the current academic session and classes will begin from July this year. DIET is the second prestigious educational institutions of the district which will be functional this year. Earlier, a Teacher Training Institute (ITI) to train the teachers about new trends, development and aspects of modern education has already been established at Silani village here, as per the district authorities. According to the information, as many as 50 seats have been finalised by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) for which the admission procedure would start soon. “Five of the 50 seats have been kept reserved for the children of Machhrauli village in every academic session. This incentive has been given by the Education Department to the village for providing its land for the institution on lease for 33 years. As many as 10 acres have been transferred to the Education Department by the village panchayat for the construction of the DIET building,” said the authorities, adding that the coeducational institute would provide classes for D.Ed course. In the preliminary phase, the classes would be conducted on the campus of Government Senior Secondary School, Machhrauli, till the construction of new building for DIET. Eight rooms have been made available in the school for D.Ed classes. “The process of appointment of staff members for DIET has been initiated by the National Council of Educational Research and Training and it will be completed by the end of June so that classes can easily start from July,” said the authorities, adding that the Teacher Training Institute and DIET would turn out to be a landmark to give a fillip to educational activities in the district. Notably, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had made announcement for the setting up of these two institutions at a Congress rally held at Badli village here over a year ago.
	Soon, Gurgaon to have no water but overflowing sewage: CSE study Sunit Dhawan/TNS Gurgaon, April 19 Gurgaon may have to pay a heavy penalty for messing with the environment. If the city-dwellers continue to exploit groundwater the way they have been doing, they may soon face the twin trauma of no water and overflowing sewage. According to a report released by the Centre for Science and Environment here on Wednesday, generation of misleading data on the demand and supply of water in the city has played havoc with resource planning, resulting in horrific prospects. In 2006, the water level in Gurgaon had fallen to 51 metres below ground level. The Central Groundwater Board had projected that if the water table hit the 200-metre mark, Gurgaon would be left with nothing but dry rocks. An analysis done by the CSE suggests that something like that might happen sooner. By 2011, the millennium city of the National Capital Region had over 30,000 tube wells sucking out up to 230 million litres of groundwater a day, leading to a decline in the water table by 1.2 metre every year. The CSE presented its analysis here at a media briefing and workshop to release, discuss and debate the findings of Excreta Matters, its extensive study on water and wastewater management in 71 Indian cities, of which Gurgaon is one. Fashioned as the CSE's seventh State of India's Environment Report, Excreta Matters is a two-volume publication that provides a detailed examination of the problems urban India faces on water and sewage management. Nitya Jacob, programme director of the CSE's water team, said, "The report maps where Indian cities get their water from and where their waste goes, and seeks to find a sustainable and affordable paradigm of urban growth with regard to water and sewage." The CSE report states that our sources of water are depleting and whatever little remains is getting increasingly polluted and unclean. Bigger cities mean more people, more demand for water, and concurrent hike in water use, which adds to the pressure on the scarce resource. "What it also does is lead to more generation of waste water. About 80 per cent of the water we consume ends up discharged as waste water. A fairly large proportion of it enters our water sources, polluting them," Jacob maintained. The system of estimating demand and supply is rudimentary, and leads to poor assessment and poorer planning, points out Jacob. In all this, finds the CSE report, sewage gets the raw deal -- most cities do not care, and hence forget to plan effectively, for the sewage that they generate. Gurgaon is no exception. According to official estimates, in 2021 the NCR township, with a population of 3.7 million, will have a water demand of 666 million litre per day (MLD). From where will it get this water? Even with the upcoming Chandu Budhera plant, Gurgaon will only be able to treat and supply 573 MLD. Additionally, by 2021, the township will be generating 533 MLD of sewage. But it will have a capacity to treat a mere 255 MLD, presenting the frightening prospect of sewage overflows - literally, a city drowning in its excreta. The shortfall in water supply will be met by groundwater, dependence on which will grow manifold. The estimates vary: while officially, in 2005-06, groundwater constituted just 6 per cent of Guragon's supply, according to the Central Groundwater Board, almost 70 per cent of the city's supply came from ground sources. Sewage data is as skewed. While a 2006 Central Pollution Control Board report puts the generation of sewage at 80 MLD, water supply and groundwater withdrawal figures point to a generation of 130 MLD of sewage. The municipality claims that all the sewage that it collects - about 50-60 per cent of the total generated - flows into the Najafgarh drain and through it, into the Yamuna. Nobody knows what happens to the remaining 40-50 per cent. The solutions will rest on using the correct technology; making precise cost assessments; planning for cost recovery and resource sustainability (by using meters, for instance); building and renewing local water resources; designing sewage systems differently - and finally, providing that necessary legislative push for our right to clean water.
	State to become polio-free soon, says minister Sunit Dhawan Tribune News Service Gurgaon, April 19 Health Minister Rao Narender Singh has stated that Haryana was close to becoming a polio-free state as no polio case has been detected in the state in the past two years. Addressing a gathering at the Primary Health Centre of Gurgaon village recently, the minister said the last polio case in the state was reported from Mewat district in January, 2010. He said no case had been reported after that; and if the situation remained intact till January, 2014, Haryana would get the certificate of being a polio-free state. He hoped that with the active participation of the people in the pulse-polio campaign, the state would be able to achieve the target. No polio case had been reported in the country for the past 15 months, he added. The minister said nearly 42 lakh children were given anti-polio drops in the state from April 15 to 17. As many as 16,669 booths were set up across the state, which were manned by more than 60,000 vaccinators drawn from the Health, Integrated Child Development Scheme and Education Departments, besides volunteers from NGOs, IMA, self-help groups and community. The minister said during this round, special attention was paid to high-risk areas like slums, isolated hutments, brick-kilns and construction sites, where usually floating or migrant population works. He claimed that about 1,000 teams were constituted for covering the children in these areas. Referring to the Gurgaon village PHC, the minister said the state government had recently sanctioned Rs 7 lakh for taking up repair work and any further requirements would also be considered. Haryana Sports Minister Sukhbir Singh Kataria, who hails from Gurgaon village, and Gurgaon civil surgeon Dr Praveen Garg were also present.
	1,26,079 children covered under polio campaign DR Vij Kurukshetra, April 19 A three-day polio campaign concluded here recently. Dr Vandana Bhatia, civil surgeon, Kurukshetra, said about 1,26,079 children up to the age of 5 years were administered polio drops. She said under the supervision of health authorities, along with the representatives of the World Health Organisation, 614 booths were established and 2,162 vaccinators, including mobile units, were deputed to cover the people living in the far-flung areas. Over 1,62,455 houses were covered during the campaign. While reviewing and monitoring the campaign with the representatives of the World Health Organisation and supervisors on duty, these figures were confirmed by district immunisation officer Dr Anupama Singh. Deputy Commissioner Mandip Singh Brar said the campaign was conducted smoothly with the help of 123 supervisors. The success of the campaign entirely depended upon the community participation and awareness among the people boost up the programme, especially in the rural areas. As many as 503 booths actively worked and 111 booths in the urban areas got decent coverage, the Deputy Commissioner added.
	Panchayat samiti to get fee for ad boards, mobile towers Tribune News Service Gurgaon, April 19 Companies and individuals putting up their display boards/hoardings in the villages falling within the jurisdiction of the Gurgaon Panchayat Samiti will have to pay a fee of Rs 100 per sq ft per month to the samiti. Also, a fixed amount will be charged for private as well as government mobile towers installed in the area of the samiti. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the samiti, which was presided over by the Badshahpur MLA, Rao Dharampal, and attended by the Gurgaon Block Panchayat Samiti chairman Hoshiyar Singh and Block Development and Panchayat Officer Virender Singh, among others. The members present at the meeting thanked the state authorities for providing about Rs 3 crore for the development of 20 villages in the Gurgaon area.
	First village to have colony for poor landless Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service Karnal, April 19 It was a dream come true for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and members of BPL families of Chhapra village in Karnal district, who were handed over the possession of their new houses in a residential colony, built on 100 sq mt plots allotted to them free of cost by the government. Chhapra village also became the first village in the state to have a colony for the poor landless under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Housing Colony Scheme as Deputy Commissioner Neelam P Kasni performed “grah pravesh”. As many as 32,000 families were allotted 100 sq mt plots free of cost in Karnal district and the construction of houses was taken up, but Chhapra earned the distinction of constructing houses on 132 plots. Twelve families have started living in their new houses. Kasni said the allottees under the scheme were required to construct the houses within five years, failing which the plots would be resumed by the government. Kasni urged the allottees to keep the environs clean and grow plants and flowers on vacant land to beautify the area.
	Towns in state set to get a facelift Sushil Manav/TNS Sirsa, April 19 Haryana towns are set to get a facelift during the current financial year. Haryana Urban Local Bodies Minister Gopal Kanda has said that the 13th Finance Commission has made a provision for spending Rs 534.41 crore on the beautification of towns and cities in the state and the construction of roads therein in 2012-13. Talking to mediapersons here recently, Kanda said the Urban Local Bodies Department would spend the funds on the construction of roads, installation of lights, development of parks and other works for giving a facelift to the towns. The minister, who represents Sirsa in the Assembly, said a number of development activities would be taken up in the town in the current financial year. These included the installation of streetlights from Arorwansh Chowk to the Air Force area, Sirsa, and from the Delhi Bridge to the bus stand at a cost of Rs 1 crore. He said in 2010-11, Rs 3.02 crore had been spent on development activities in Sirsa town. In 2011-12, Rs 11 crore had been already spent.Work on some contracts for the year 2011-12 was still in progress. Kanda said that despite giving several relaxations to residents in taxes, the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led government in Haryana had been ensuring the all-round development of towns. The government, he said, waived interest and surcharge on pending house tax, sewer and water bills and reduced tax on rehris and rickshaws to a token Re 1. He said the government had also hiked the monthly remuneration being given to the president, the vice-president and the councillors of municipal bodies from Rs 1500, Rs 1000 and Rs 500 to Rs 2500, Rs 2000 and Rs 1500, respectively.
	Highest voter registration recorded Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 19 Chief Electoral Officer, Haryana, Sumita Misra has said that the state has recorded one of the highest registration of electors in any year and this includes a record over 73 per cent youth. Also, the electors gender ratio of total enrolment made since 2011 touched the mark of 846 which is more than the gender ratio of total electors in the state ( 838). She said a total of 866316 electors got their names registered in two campaigns conducted in the state from January 5, 2011, to February 29,2012, and a special campaign for youth from February 1 to 29, 2012. Misra said the total registration included 469366 males and 396950 females with 73.03 per cent under the age group of 18 to 29 years. She said the campaign launched from February 1 to 29, 2012, had recorded the highest number of women voters (25,454) and only 19,515 males were registered in this campaign. She said now the state had a total of 13887514 voters, including 7554050 males and 6333464 females. However, the names of 228223 electors had been deleted from the voters’ list. She said now the registration of electors would be a continuous process as a result of which the eligible electors could get their names registered any time. She said under a special campaign conducted for the youth from February 1 to 29, 2012, as many as 44969 electors got themselves enrolled as voters, which included 25454 females and 19515 males. As many as 40408 electors in the age group of 18 to 39 years had enrolled themselves. This included 80.8 per cent of the age group of 18 to 29 years. Misra said that Fatehabad district with a registration of 10,064 electors ranked at the top among the districts. It was followed by Jind with a registration of 3805 and Panchkula was placed third with a registration of 3591. She said under a special campaign for youth from January 5 to 15, 2012, as many as 151503 electors were added. They included 81834 males and 69669 females. As many as 123029 electors in the age group of 18 to 39 years were enrolled which included 64.2 per cent in the age group of 18 to 29 years. Among the districts, Fatehabad recorded the maximum registration of 36790 electors followed by Sonepat district with 18637. Jind district was ranked third with a registration of 10182 electors. Misra said in the final electoral rolls published on January 5, 2011, there were 13249421 electors, including 7211154 males and 6038267 females. In the final revised electoral rolls 2012, there were 13691042 electors, including 7452701 males and 6238381 females. She said with these revisions, the elector population ratio had increased from 51.6 to 53.75.
	Chaos rules Jhajjar roads Delay in construction of bypass road to blame Bijendra Ahlawat Tribune News Service Jhajjar, April 19 Jhajjar seems to be in a complete traffic mess these days due to delay in the construction of a bypass road and movement of heavy and commercial vehicles in the town. The movement of large number of vehicles has resulted in severe inconvenience to the local residents for the past one month. There seems to be no relief in sight for another few weeks. “Over a thousand vehicles move on the Circular Road daily as commercial and heavy vehicles coming from the Gurgaon and Rewari side and going towards the Rohtak and Dadri side are allowed to move inside the town for the past several weeks leading to severe problems for the locals,” said Prakash, a shopkeeper on the Circular Road. He said the city roads were unable to bear the traffic load of this nature. “The roads have been left damaged due to the movement of heavy vehicles,” said Balraj Singhal, a local resident. He said the delay in the repair and construction of the bypass road was responsible for the traffic chaos. “Our business is adversely affected due to the heavy movement of traffic. Frequent jams have become the order of the day for the past four weeks,” said Om Saini, a local trader. “The lack of traffic policemen and management at important points has led to the rampant violation of traffic rules,” he added. Deputy Commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi admitted the delay in the repair of about 400-m stretch on the bypass road, which, he said, would be completed in the next 20 to 25 days. He said while several heavy and commercial vehicles were using the bypass road, there could be other vehicles which were passing through the town leading to traffic chaos at times. He said traffic was more or less smooth at present and the movement of heavy vehicles on the bypass road could be ensured only after the completion of the carpeting work on the Ring Road.
	Flood relief training camp inaugurated Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, April 19 A seven-day state-level flood relief training camp organised by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Haryana, was inaugurated by RP Gupta, Commissioner, Ambala division, on the banks of the Brahmsarovar here. Nearly 125 trainees of various districts are participating in the camp. While addressing the trainees, Gupta said the training would be very helpful and prove to be a boon for flood-hit people. The commissioner said private agencies or volunteers should be included in the training. “Twentyfive master trainers have been deputed by the state government to impart effective training to the participants,” he said. Earlier, Mandip Singh Brar, Deputy Commissioner, said the trainees should work hard and learn the best methods of effective flood relief. Ashok Malik, District Revenue Officer, who is the nodal officer of the training programme, said during floods, those who had the best training would be able to handle the situation by using materials available in villages. Vinit Mahajan, Under Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Haryana, said the training in flowing water would be introduced from next year at such camps.
	Red Cross Society, industries body to construct mental healthcare institute Ravi S Singh/TNS Faridabad, April 19 The Faridabad Red Cross Society and the Faridabad Industries Association (FIA) have decided to collaborate to construct a mental healthcare institute here. The foundation stone for the institute will be laid by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda during his scheduled visit here on April 22. The FIA and the Red Cross Society have already signed an MoU for the joint venture. Faridabad Red Cross Society secretary DR Sharma said the society would provide 3,500 sq ft land owned by it for the proposed institute. The FIA will bear the entire cost of the construction of the building. The running cost of the institute would be shared equally by both the organisations. A spokesman of the FIA said the organisation would spend Rs 60 lakh for construction of the building and purchase of medical equipment and logistics for the institute. The target was to make the institute, which would be jointly administered by the FIA and the society, functional before the end of the year. “The FIA wants to dedicate the institute to the residents of the city during its ongoing Diamond Jubilee Year celebrations,” the spokesman added. A senior functionary of the FIA said the institute would have only OPD service. Meanwhile, the proposed public-private enterprise has come in for appreciation from wide-ranging quarters. The society, though autonomous, is controlled by the government. While the Deputy Commissioners are chairpersons of the district units, the Governor and the Chief Minister are the chairperson and vice-chairperson, respectively, at the state level.
	Hisar, Sirsa districts top in MNREGA implementation Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Sirsa, April 19 When the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was first introduced in 2005 as a pilot project in the country, Sirsa and Mohindergarh were the two districts in Haryana chosen for the purpose. Later, the scheme was launched throughout the country. Now, Sirsa is among the top performing districts of the state in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), the new name of the NREGA. “A sum of Rs 44.90 crore has been spent till March 31, 2012 in the year 2011-12 under MNREGA,” said J Ganeshan, Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa. With this, Sirsa is ranked second, first being Hisar, in Haryana in performance under the MNREGA scheme. The Rania block of Sirsa tops in this matter, where works worth Rs 8.44 crore were completed under the MNREGA. Among others, Rs 5.96 crore each have been spent in the Baragura and Dabwali blocks, Rs 5.87 crore in the Ellenabad block, Rs 6.23 crore in the Nathusari Chopta block, Rs 7.71 crore in the Odhan block and Rs 4.04 crore have been spent in the Sirsa block of this district. In 2011-12, the authorities have already completed 2,316 works in Sirsa, while work on 1,383 others is in progress. Under the MNREGA, as many as 15,62,326 workdays of employment was provided to people. As many as 1,597 families have been provided jobs for 100 workdays in the year that ended on March 31, 2012. Families belonging to the Schedule Castes got 9.252 lakh workdays of employment, while others got jobs for 6.371 lakh workdays. Women got employment for 5.711 lakh workdays in Sirsa during the year 2011-12. Under the MNREGA, the authorities have taken up works like conservation of water, plantation, rural development, flood-control measures and several other types of works. Under the MNREGA, any poor family living in the rural areas can apply for 100 workdays of job every year as of right. After the receipt of application, the panchayats issue job card to the applicants. The payment of wages for work done under the MNREGA is made on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
	HC differentiates between 2 courses Saurabh Malik/TNS Chandigarh, April 19 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that sanitary inspectors’ course is not the same as multipurpose health workers’ training course. The High Court has also upheld Haryana’s action of rejecting the candidature of applicants possessing sanitary inspector diploma for appointment to the posts of multipurpose health workers. The ruling by Justice Augustine George Masih came on a bunch of two petitions filed by Dharamender Singh and other petitioners against Haryana and other respondents. The petitioners had approached the Court claiming appointment to the posts of multipurpose health workers advertised on June 7, 2008. The petitioners had claimed the rejection of their candidature on the grounds that they do not possess multipurpose health workers’ training course diploma. Counsel for the petitioners had contended that they possessed sanitary inspectors’ diploma, which was equivalent to multipurpose health workers’ training course. Counsel for the respondents, on the other hand, submitted that the diploma possessed by the petitioners was of one-year duration, whereas the multipurpose health workers’ course was of one and a half years. He said: “Specific educational qualification has been sought for by the employer, which cannot be substituted at the asking of the petitioners”. Taking up the matter, Justice Masih said: “Perusal of diplomas will indicate that the said course (sanitary inspectors’ diploma) is only for one year, whereas the multipurpose health workers' course is of one-and-a-half-year duration, which is apparent from the letter dated December 12, 1976, wherein one-year sanitary inspectors’ course is sought to be converted to one-and-a-half year’s multipurpose health workers’ course. “If multipurpose health workers’ course is for a period of one and a half years, the same cannot be equated with that of sanitary inspectors’ course. Finding no merit in the writ petitions, the same stand dismissed,” he added.
	Movies This Week Vicky Donor Directed by: Shoojit Sircar Cast: Ayushmaan Khurana, Yamini Gautam, Annu Kapoor. John Abraham turns producer with this comedy film “Vicky Donor”. The film tackles the ticklish subject of sperm donation. VJ Ayushmaan Khurana and TV actor Yamini Gautam make their acting debut with this movie. Promising a super entertainer, “Vicky Donor” will give the issue of sperm donation a lot of credibility. John Abraham has a cameo in this movie which opens today at Fame Shalimar (Panchkula), Giltz - Kurukshetra, Harsha (Karnal), Dimple -Jagadhri, Satyam, Bangar (Rohtak), PVR MGF, PVR Ambience, PVR Sahara, DTCC, DTMM, DT Star Mall, SRS Omaxe, Big Palam (Gurgaon), INOX, Q Cinema, PVR Crown Plaza, SRS Pristine, SRS Shubham (Faridabad), Fun, Cinemax (Panipat), Fun - Ambala. Hate Story Directed by: Vivek Agnihotri “Hate Story” is a woman-centric film set in the corporate world. The movie revolves around Kaavya (Paoli Dam) and her transformation from a simple journalist to an erratic socialist. Paoli Dam, the dusky beauty from Bengal, makes her Bollywood debut with this film. She portrays an ambitious woman who is wronged by her mentor. The film also stars Nikhil Dwivedi and Gulshan Devaiah. The story and screenplay has been penned by Vikram Bhatt and the dialogues are written by Rohit Malhotra. The actions have been directed by Abbas Ali Moughal. The melodious music has been composed by Harshit Saxena, whereas the lyrics have been penned by Kumaar. “Hate Story”, produced by Vikram Bhatt, will hit the screens today at Fame Shalimar -Panchkula, Glitz - Kurukshetra, BMG - Rewari, Sun City - Hisar, Satyam, Bangar (Rohtak), Fun, Cinemax (Panipat), PVR MGF, PVR Sahara, PVR Ambience, DTCC, DT Star Mall, Big Palam (Gurgaon), Q Cinema, INOX, SRS OMAXE, SRS Pristine, PVR, Crown Plaza (Faridabad), Harsha, Movie Time (Karnal), Fun, Minerva (Ambala). — Dharam Pal
	Architecture school to be set up in Rohtak Chandigarh, April 19 The state government has decided to set up a school of Urban Planning and Architecture on the Rohtak campus. Its building and other infrastructure would be ready for use by July, an official spokesperson said. The State Institute of Fine Arts, State Institute of Fashion Design and State Institute of Film and TV are already functioning on the campus. The School of Urban Planning and Architecture would be developed in a phased manner, the spokesperson said. The school would cater to the needs of qualified urban planners in the country, he added. — PTI
	Placement drive held Our Correspondent Kurukshetra, April 19 The Kurukshetra Institute of Technology and Management (KITM), Kurukshetra, organised a placement drive for MBA students here recently. Interviews were conducted by The Voice Mobile, a multinational telecommunication company, in which 63 students from various colleges, including KITM, Kurukshetra, NIT, Kurukshetra, University School of Management, Kurukshetra, and DAV Postgraduate College, Karnal, participated. JL Tuli, training and placement officer, KITM, said 25 candidates were selected on the basis of written test and interview. The director, principal and the management of the KITM congratulated the selected candidates and wished them a bright future.
	Kurukshetra institute holds singing talent hunt DR Vij Kurukshetra, April 19 A mega audition of Surtarang, a national singing talent hunt, was organised by the Geeta Institute of Management and Technology (GIMT), Kurukshetra, on its premises, 12 km from here, recently. The event is promoted by the Sangam Kala Group, an international organisation which aims at promoting and nurturing the unseen and unheard singing talent in the country and abroad. The group has been working for the past 40 years in this direction and has 55 chapters across the globe. While addressing mediapersons, Ashwani Goel, Public Relations Officer of GIMT, said 200 participants from all over Haryana came for audition. “It was a star-studded evening. The six finalists of the contest performed outstandingly,” he added. Dr LN Mittal, founder member and regional promoter of the Sangam Kala Group, Kurukshetra chapter, announced that all the six finalists would compete in the national mega final scheduled to be held in Delhi on April 18-19. Prof NK Batra, Dr Naveen Chawla and Vibhas Arora, who are well-known names in the field of music, were the judges of the event. VSK Sood, national president, Sangam Kala Group, DK Gupta, managing director, GIMT, Raman Gupta, director-principal, GIMT, and Deepali Gupta,dean, Academics, GIMT, were also present. Results Juniors (5 to 12 years), Film Category: Shubham Kumar Juniors (5 to 12 years), Non-Film Category: Ritika Soni Sub-Juniors (12 to 18 years), Film Category: Puneet Kaur Sub-Juniors (12 to 18 years), Non-Film Category: Sukhjinder Seniors (18 to 28 years), Film Category: Purnima Seniors (18 to 28 years), Non-Film Category: Sonu
	Banaras comes alive on canvas Sunit Dhawan Tribune News Service Bhondsi (Gurgaon), April 19 Bhuvneshwari Kala Kendra, a creative-cultural centre set up here in 1995 under the aegis of late Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, is holding an exhibition of paintings titled ‘Banaras - A Spiritual Quest’, from April 15-22. Through his paintings, Dr Sanjay Singh brought alive the memories of the spirituality of Banaras. Dr Sanjay, a PhD in fine arts from Banaras Hindu University, presented a host of his creations in oil, acrylic and charcoal media. The evening also witnessed a pantomime performance by jagran, a theatre-group run by a non-profit organisation, working in the sphere of development communication. “The underlying idea was to convert his vision into reality,” said Kiran Singh, wife of the late PM’s nephew Praveen Singh, who now plans to revive the centre by organising more national and international art exhibitions, art festivals and workshops in the near future. Spread over 7 acres, the Bhuvneshwari Kala Kendra, is located at Bhondsi village in Gurgaon. It has an amphitheatre for plays, experimental theatre and informal gatherings, a museum for permanent displays, a temporary exhibition space and sculpture courts. The centre also has residential accommodation for artists and is in the process of building a library, a reading room, a bookstore-cum-stationery shop and a canteen. “We are trying to create space for 30 artists with various facilities for painting, sculpture and print-making,” said Kiran.
	Seminar on contemporary Hindi poetry held SD Sharma Panchkula, April 19 “Mein itna khon gya tha khudaaon ki bheed mein, asli khuda pe meri nazar hi padi nahin” or “jab dost keh diya hai toh khaamiyan na dekh, tukadon mein jo kabool ho voh dosti nahin…” and many more poetic gems from versatile Urdu poet Ramendra Jakhu Sahil wafted across the Haryana Akademy bhavan hall much to the delight of poetry lovers. A senior Haryana bureaucrat and eminent poet Sahil was speaking at a ru-ba-ru session at the national seminar on contemporary Hindi poetry organised by the Haryana Granth Akademy here today. Sharing his passion for poetry, classical music and other fine arts, Ramendra Sahil said poets were the omniscient persons who were born and not made. “Like others, I also learnt from ustads like Mohan Sapra, Josh Malsiyani, Aziz Parihar and above all GK Shafaq in order to attain perfection in the art,” said Sahil. He had to abandon poetry for a long period many a times but you could not afford it so easily and today many of his books on poetry and an album of musical rendition of his own ghazals were quite popular. Credited with participation in international mushairas, his ghazals had been sung by Ustad Ghulam Ali, Vinod Sehgal, Penaj Masani and others. Sahil discussed the changing scenario to commensurate with the milieu. In another ru-ba-ru session, senior Haryana bureaucrat and accomplished poet Dheera Khandelwal delved deep into the fast emerging genre of Haiku poetry which, she said, was gaining popularity in Japan and other countries. She read out Haiku poetry from her published books in Hindi, Punjabi and English. Earlier the main speakers, Dr Chander Trikha and Lakshmi Shanker Vajpayee, director, AIR Delhi, traced the genesis of Urdu ghazal from the period of Amir Khusro to Ghalib and the emergence of Hindi ghazal pioneered by poet Dushyant. Both read out their choicest poetry. Professor Moham Maitrey conducted the seminar. Akademy chairperson Dr Mukta and Naresh Kaushal honoured the speakers. IPS Rajbir Deswal and poet, Sukhchain Bhandari, Dr Shayam Sakha Shyam, VPS Rao and others graced the function. The audience rued the inordinate delay in the start of the programme.
	Suicide Note Replaced? Police on tenterhooks Our Correspondent Rewari, April 19 The reported replacement of a suicide note of the deceased, Ashok Kumar (42), with a "fictitious" suicide note by the police personnel concerned has caused resentment among the family members and villagers while putting the police administration of the region on tenterhooks. Ashok Kumar of Nimbhedi village, Mahendergarh district, committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance on April 2 following alleged harassment from a financier Rajesh Yadav, advocate of Rambas village, from whom he had borrowed Rs 14 lakh on a loan in May, 2011. Ashok had left a suicide note in which he had stated that he had already returned Rs 14 lakh to Rajesh that he had borrowed from him after executing an agreement on May 9, 2011, with Rajesh's brother, Kuldeep Yadav, regarding the sale of his agricultural land to Kuldeep or Rajesh. He also stated that even after the return of Rs 14 lakh, Rajesh continued to threaten him that if he did not pay him Rs 30 lakh more, he would be deprived of his land. Under such circumstances, he was committing suicide, he added in the suicide note. Thus, on a complaint filed on April 3 by the deceased's brother, Parikshit Singh, the Mahendergarh police registered a case of abetment to suicide under Section 306, IPC, against Rajesh Yadav and deputed ASI Suresh Kumar as Investigation Officer (IO) of the case. However, things came to a boil after having learnt that the suicide note had been replaced with a fictitious one, irate villagers held a demonstration late on Tuesday evening at the Mahendergarh police station demanding stringent action against "guilty" police officials, who had allegedly replaced the suicide note to save the accused from punishment. Thus, while senior police officials somehow mollified the villagers, the IO was placed under suspension along with the registration of a case to save the accused from legal punishment, causing disappearance of evidence of offence, criminal breach of trust by police official (s) and forgery under various sections of the IPC. The villagers went one step further when they along with senior BJP leader Prof Ram Bilas Sharma met IG PR Dev here on Wednesday and demanded a high-level probe into the replacement of the original suicide note, stringent action against the guilty police officials and immediate arrest of the accused responsible for the tragic end of Ashok Kumar.
	Warm welcome for young wrestler Our Correspondent Sonepat, April 19 Amit Dahiya, a young wrestler who has qualified for participation in the London Olympics, received a warm welcome by residents of Nahra village. The village has produced international-level wrestlers over the past four decades. The villagers, including women and youth, gathered to give a warm reception to the wrestler. Women showered petals and others danced during the function held at the girls’ school of the village. On behalf of the villagers, Ranjit Singh handed over Rs 1.15 lakh and Amit’s grand maternal uncle welcomed him with cash of Rs 21,000 and a murrah buffalo. Mahabali Satpal Singh, renowned international wrestler, Hansraj Brahmchari, coach, Ajit Singh Antil, Ranbir Khewra and other wrestlers were also present.