Rohtak, September 20
A 60-year-old man died of suspected dengue here last night. He was admitted to the PGIMS Hospital a few days ago and was undergoing treatment for pneumonia.

This is the first such death this year in the district, which has seen a late surge of monsoon rains, leading to stagnation of stormwater at various places.

Hundreds of cases of malaria have surfaced in the district during the last couple of weeks.

The deceased has been identified as Satyawan, a resident of Bahu Akbarpur village of Meham subdivision.

The victim was admitted to the PGIMS Hospital on September 14 with symptoms of pneumonia. The patient had reportedly become a victim of dengue fever due to the menace of mosquitoes in the hospital and the staff attending on him, perhaps, failed to detect the symptoms of dengue and he died last night.

The hospital has two patients undergoing treatment for dengue at present. While this was reported in The Tribune a few days ago, the authorities concerned are yet to take up the matter seriously.

Dengue fever is caused by the dengue virus with symptoms that include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains and a skin rash that is similar to measles. In a small number of cases, the disease develops into life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma leakage, or into dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure occurs.

The Medical Superintendent of the PGIMS, Dr Ashok Chauhan, claimed that the patient had been admitted with symptoms of pneumonia and could have died due to it. He said the investigation into his death was on. The number of malaria patients in the district has gone up to several hundred, though no official figure has been released by the department concerned.

Ambala, September 20
With the inclusion of the dairy complex at Kanvala village in the Master Plan-2025 (for Ambala district), a large number of milk dairies operating from the residential areas of the twin cities of Ambala are set to be shifted out.

Aware of the fact that these dairies played havoc with the sanitation system of the city, the state government had chalked out a plan to shift the dairies outside the city limits for which a dairy complex was planned at Kanwala village in 2004.

For the project, the government had acquired 3 acres of land which was later transferred in the name of dairy owners at subsidised rates. Following this, the owners had started construction of their dairies at the new location. The civic body had been allocated Rs 1.48 crore for providing basic amenities at the dairy complex.

However, in 2008 the district town and planning department refused to acknowledge that the diary complex being developed at Kanvala village was included in the Master Plan for the district. Following this, the construction of the complex was halted and dairy owners, who had already spent lakhs of rupees on the construction of new dairies, were left with no other option but to continue operating from within the city limits.

But, again the state government included the dairy complex in the 2025 Master Plan, which was recently approved by the government to ensure planned development of the twin cities of the district in a phased manner.

Senior officials of the district administration said with the inclusion of the dairy complex in the latest plan, all dairies were now likely to be shifted outside the city limits, bringing down the pressure on civic amenities in the district.

DC Shekhar Vidyarthi said the administration was aware of the gravity of situation and the process of shifting of the dairies would be started soon.

Chandigarh, September 20
The tax holiday is over for commercial vehicles plying between Delhi and Gurgaon. Making it clear that private vehicles travelling on the expressway can still enjoy free rides, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the charging of toll tax from the commercial vehicles from 6 this evening.

The court also gave Delhi-Gurgaon Super Connectivity Limited (DGSCL), the toll plaza operator, two days to increase the number of toll lanes from 32 to 53.

As the case came up for hearing this morning, the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice R K Jain also appointed Punjab and Haryana High Court’s former Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal as local commissioner to inspect the area and submit its report by Monday. Justice Mudgal will report to the High Court, if the concessionaire has implemented the decongestion plan submitted by it.

The Bench also directed DGSCL to implement the proposals submitted by it to decongest the expressway by Sunday.

The case will come up for further hearing on Tuesday.

The Delhi Municipal Corporation had earlier moved the High Court, seeking directions for imposing toll tax on commercial heavy vehicles. The corporation asserted that commercial vehicles were entering Delhi from the Gurgaon side to avoid toll tax. As a result, the rush had increased on the expressway and its effect could be felt right up to Dhaula Kuan in Delhi. It added that a dedicated lane could be earmarked for commercial vehicles for the purpose of collecting the toll tax.

Karnal, September 20
With the rendition of a raagini (Haryanavi folk), “Jayunga school mein, anpad ka zamana pachu ja liya”, and explaining its meaning in English, “I will go to school, illiteracy is a thing of the past”, South African national lodged in the Karnal jail for the past five years starts his English classes for fellow inmates.

This raagini has been scripted and composed by Keshta, a South African national undergoing 15 years’ sentence in a case under the NDPS Act. He has turned a raagi and starts his English classes for the inmates with it. Keshta has developed a unique technique of “teaching by learning” and the language adopted is Hinglish (Hindi and English). “As I started with common words and explained their meaning in Hindi, Haryanavi students showed interest,” says Keshta, a graduate in public administration and management.

A school has been opened in the jail where the prisoners are taught seven languages -- Hindi, English, Punjabi, Haryanvi, Urdu, Spanish and Pharsee. The inmates have taken the lead in educating their companions.

The emotional impact of raaginis sung by Kestha was so deep that people who heard this foreigner on Independence Day were moved to tears when he recited, “Na koi goti, na koi nati, kise yahan maa baap kahun, mein aaya paraye desh” (No one of my gotra, no friend, whom should I call mom and dad in this foreign land).

“I always had an inclination towards local folk. Moreover, learning the local language was mandatory to be able to communicate,” says Keshta who now speaks Hindi, Haryanavi and Punjabi also.

Jailor Sher Singh said, “Keshta is a role model for the inmates. He is the most sought-after teacher as students connect with him for his unique style of teaching. He is responsible for the success of our literacy mission in jail.”

A resident of Capetown in South Africa, 39-year-old Keshta was on a business trip to India when he was intercepted by the police at Panipat while he was on his way to Delhi from Chandigarh on November 3, 2007 and 4 kg of smack was seized from him. Booked under the NDPS Act, the court convicted and sentenced him to 15 years of jail.

However, Keshta pleads innocence and says that he was “cheated” by his friend who handed over the bag to him and he was ignorant about the material in it. “Breach of trust by a friend transformed my life and my message to all is to stay away from drugs and bad company,” he says.

Sirsa, September 20
The police today arrested the man who allegedly murdered his wife, his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter and six-month-old son and burnt their bodies after packing them in a trunk at Natar village in Sirsa.

Malkiat Singh, a property dealer-cum-moneylender, allegedly killed his wife Amarjit Kaur (32), daughter Navdeep Kaur and son Sahaj by hitting them on their heads and then torching their bodies after packing them in a ‘sandook’ (box) near Natar village late on Tuesday night.

The police said that the reason why the accused killed his wife and children would be known only after investigations.

A case of murder has been registered against the accused on the complaint of the victim’s brother, Randhir Singh. He has also named the victim’s father-in-law Bhagat Singh, brother-in-law Bhola and a woman for the crime.

Randhir Singh has alleged that Malkiat Singh’s illicit relations with the woman had led to the crime.

Hisar, September 20
The family of the man who committed suicide yesterday after his daughter was allegedly gangraped in Dabra village has refused to get the post-mortem conducted, demanding that the rapists be arrested first.

A large number of villagers were sitting outside the Civil Hospital here when reports last came in. Superintendent of Police Satish Balan assured them that the suspects had left Haryana, but they would be caught.

A minor girl was gangraped on September 11 following which her father committed suicide yesterday.

Gurgaon, September 20
A recruitment fraud has been unearthed in Toyota Motor India Ltd following an FIR citing charges of cheating and violation of the IT Act.

Th fraud was brought to fore by a Gurgaon-based doctor who alleged that he was duped of Rs 40,900 on the pretext of being offered a job in Toyota Motor in an email from Bangalore. The two accused had mailed him and asked to deposit money.

Dr Milan Sen Gupta (62), in his complaint lodged with the Sector 29 police station said he had got an email about two months ago saying that his resume had been selected for the post of senior doctor by Toyota Motor India Ltd. The mail also mentioned that 45 candidates had been selected all over India for the job in the company.

New Delhi, September 20
Hundreds of farmers from nine villages of Mewat district whose lands have been acquired will get enhanced compensation. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda met the farmers at his New Delhi residence who thanked him for the increase in the compensation amount for the land acquired for the proposed IMT at Roz ka Meo in Mewat.

The compensation has been enhanced from Rs 24.85 lakh per acre to Rs 46 lakh per acre. This will cost the state exchequer Rs 315 crore. Hooda assured the farmers that they would get the full amount within two months of the agreement between the HSIIDC and the farmers.

As much as 1,601 acres of land of nine villages — Roz ka Meo, Kanwar Sika, Kheri, Revasan, Badhelaki, Khor Basi, Dheer Dhoka, Rupaheri and Mehraula — was acquired in 2009.

Hisar, September 20
Three days after a youth died in police custody, the police has registered a case against him and seven others for abduction and conspiracy under Sections 363, 366A and 120B.

The youth, Praveen, was the driver of the taxi in which a runaway couple from Talwandi Rana village, near here, had travelled to Delhi after eloping.

Praveen had been illegally detained by the police and was kept in custody without the registration of a case for three days. He was found dead in the bathroom of the Sadar police station here on Sunday. The police maintained that it was a case of suicide.

Chandigarh, September 20
The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam has formulated a new time schedule to supply uninterrupted eight hours power supply to the agricultural tubewell consumers.

A spokesman of the nigam said the electricity would be supplied in three groups to the tubewell consumers of Ambala, Panchkula, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Rohtak, Jhajjar and Jind.

The first group would be fed from 2.30 am to 10.30 am, the second group from 10.30 am to 6.30 pm and the third group from 10 pm to 6 am daily.

He said the time schedule would be changed every third day to avoid complaints of the consumers regarding the time schedule. He said that rural domestic consumers were being supplied power for nine hours instead of eight hours daily since September 11.