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Limca record: 195-foot Ravana’s effigy burnt at Barara
People burn an effigy of Ravana at Vishkarma School near Jhajjar Chungi in Rohtak district on Dasehra. Photo: Manoj Dhaka
Moral policing
Rs 30-crore NREGA funds scam |
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Special campaign to mark 3 years of Hooda regime
Not officially told about probe panel: Khemka
Old Gurgaon roads to have dividers, trees
Hooda, Pawar inaugurate dairy at Dharuhera
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda shares a word with Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar at the inauguration of a dairy at Dharuhera village in Rewari on Wednesday. Photo: Manoj Dhaka
Toll free numbers for eye donation
Builders ‘usurp’ land for
low-income residents
DLSA appoints woman lawyer to aid victimised women, kids
Compulsory Internship
Protest against cancellation of Jairam’s visit
Kaithal-Delhi train soon: Jindal
Creating Nuisance
Ram Utsav
Rs 9-lakh burglary in electronics store
Rs 80-lakh cotton burnt in factory fire
Ambala MC staff work on holiday
Subsidy for garlic farming
Football tourney
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Limca record: 195-foot Ravana’s effigy burnt at Barara
Ambala, October 24 Last year, an around 185-feet tall effigy of Ravana was burnt in this ground and the name of Ramlila Club Barara was entered in the Limca Book of Records. This year too, the name of the club has been included in the Limca Book of Records for making world’s tallest effigy of Ravana. A team of the Guinness Book of World Records also visited Barara a few days back and would inform its decision later. The president of the club, Tajinder Singh Chauhan, said around 50 members of the club and an effigy manufacturing expert of Agra, Usman Khan, had made the effigies of Ravana, Kumbkaran and Meghnad in around 40 days. Rs 15 lakh has been spent on its manufacturing. Around 50 quintals of bamboo and a few quintals of crackers have been used in it, he added. The height of the effigies of Meghnad and Kumbhkaran is around 90 feet. Chauhan said the club had initially made a 20-foot Ravans’s effigy in 1987. Since then, the process of increasing the size has continued every year to lodge its protest in symbolic way against violence and terrorism enhancing day by day in the country. He told that this festival had become a symbol of communal harmony in the town as Muslims, Hindu and Sikhs celebrated it jointly. Kurukshetra: Dasehra was celebrated with religious fervour on Wednesday. Depicting the triumph of good over the evil, the effigies of Ravan, Meghnad and Kumbhkaran were consigned to flames at the Theme Park and the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) Ground. The INLD state president, Ashok Arora, was the chief guest at the Theme Park function while the Haryana Brahman Chhatrawaas and Dharamshala, state president, Pawan Sharma Pehalwaan, presided over the function held at the KDB Ground. People drawn from in and around Kurukshetra witnessed the crumbling of the effigies at both functions. |
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Villagers thrash youth for dropping girl on bike
Tribune News Service
Fatehabad, October 24 The shocking incident occurred on Monday evening when some village youths first overpowered the youth, put him in a Canter and took him to the house of sarpanch Kashmiri Lal, where he was beaten up mercilessly and kept hostage. Even a police party from Bhuna that rushed to the village after a village elder informed it, failed to rescue the youth from the angry villagers. But for the intervention of some saner villagers and action by deputy superintendent of police Shamsher Singh Dahiya, the youth could have been lynched by the villagers. The victim, along with another youth from Khajuri village, had come to the village to drop a village girl on their motorcycle. When they were returning after dropping the girl, a group of villagers chased them in a Canter. While one of the youths managed to escape into the fields, the villagers caught the other and took him in their Canter. Thrashing him mercilessly, the youths took him to the sarpanch Kashmiri Lal’s house, where the villagers beat him up again. Later, the police took away the victim, who had injuries all over his body, to Bhuna police station and let him off the next morning and handed him over to his kin. Dahiya said no one had lodged a complaint with the police and hence no action had been initiated against anyone. Jagga Jaildar, a former sarpanch, who informed the police, said some hooligan youths from the village were behind the incident. Sarpanch Kashmiri Lal said the victim’s kin had brought a panchayat from Khajuri village, which resolved the issue with village elders from Gorakhpur. The sarpanch said that both the parties had decided against seeking any police intervention in the matter.
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Slow probe reduces chances of strong outcome
Manish Sirhindi Tribune News Service
Ambala, October 24 As per the records, it had come to light that officials responsible for the implementation of the National Rural Employment Generation Act (NREGA) had allegedly embezzled Rs 30 crore from the centrally sponsored scheme for providing 100 days of guaranteed employment to youths residing in rural areas during the years 2006-07 to 2008-09. After the matters started to get exposed, two inquiries were marked, which were conducted by the then additional deputy commissioners of Ambala, who immediately after submitting their reports, got transferred from here. A demand by the local legislator to hand over the investigations to the CBI was turned down by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who entrusted the investigations to the state Vigilance Bureau in 2010. Sources reveal that out of the total Rs 30 crore sanctioned for the district, Rs 6.60 crore was spent in 2006-07, Rs 13.73 crore in 2007-08 and Rs 3.80 crore in 2008-09. This amount was passed on to the District Forest Department for spending on welfare schemes and generating employment opportunities in the rural areas. However, the officials concerned allegedly manipulated the documents and showed that several development works had been undertaken in the rural areas on which the funds were spent. But, a scrutiny of the documents and the actual works undertaken revealed otherwise. As the complaints started to come in, the then Deputy Commissioner of Ambala Sameer Pal Srow asked ADC Sanjeev Verma to look into the matter. In his report, which was submitted after two weeks, the ADC noted a large number of irregularities which pointed towards the misuse of funds in implementing the NREGA scheme in the district. Verma was transferred from Ambala within a week of submitting the investigation report. As the news regarding embezzlements hit the headlines, the newly transferred ADC, A.S. Goel, was asked to reinvestigation the matter. This time too, the ADC found several irregularities and immediately got his marching orders. However, the next ADC, Renu Phulia, carried out the probe and confirmed that forest department officials had misused the funds. In her report, the ADC found that instructions were violated and no records related to the developmental works, number of persons employed and the identity of persons appointed had been maintained. It was also concluded that receipts towards the expenses and salaries disbursed to the employed persons under the scheme had not been maintained properly. Inquiry report
During the inquiry, it was also found that payment had also been made to forge account (AC No 387302010016837 of Union Bank of India), whereas salaries under MNREGA can only be disbursed in joint accounts. As per a letter no. M-12014/8/2006-NREGA of the Government of India, the disbursement of the salaries to labourers should be made via bank accounts or post offices only. But the report tells that cash money had also been given to the labourers and forged job cards had also been issued. |
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Special campaign to mark 3 years of Hooda regime
Gurgaon, October 24 The State Department of Information and Public Relations will launch the special publicity campaign tomorrow to mark the completion of three years of the second consecutive term of the Hooda regime. Folk media units of the department, including bhajan and drama parties, would publicise the policies and programmes of the state government during the month-long drive. According to official sources, an effort would be made to reach out to every village and tell the people about the ambitious plans and welfare policies of the state government. Empanelled bhajan troupes and drama units would also be roped in to overcome the shortage of publicity units. The folk media units would tell the people about various government schemes through folk songs and bhajans in local dialect. The drama units would present entertainment
programmes, including skits and plays based on the government policies. The drama units, having 10 to 15 members each, will cover the big villages, while the bhajan parties, comprising three to five members, would cover the smaller ones. Special features and articles would also be inserted in newspapers to highlight various projects undertaken by the state government.
Gurgaon district has 210 villages, for which an elaborate publicity plan has been prepared. In order to keep tabs on the field functionaries, these parties have been asked to duly inform the village
sarpanch, nambardar or some prominent person of the village and bring a certificate from him that they had performed in that village. The officers from district and state headquarters would also conduct surprise checks. The Congress government got a second consecutive term in 2009. Hooda was sworn in as Chief Minister for the second time on October 25, 2009. |
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Not officially told about probe panel: Khemka
“I have not been officially intimated about the formation of the committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary Krishna Mohan,” Khemka said. Reiterating that no government-appointed committee can review his order cancelling the mutation of the DLF-Vadra deal, he asserted that only the Punjab and Haryana High Court could give a ruling on the order if any of the affected parties moved the court. The Haryana government had formed a committee headed by Krishna Mohan and comprising Additional Chief Secretary KK Jalan and Prinicipal Secretary Rajan Gupta to probe the issues raised by Khemka in his two orders. While Khemka has been claiming that he was transferred after he initiated a probe into the Manesar land deal between Vadra and DLF, the state government had claimed that there was no link between the probe and Khamka’s transfer since “transfer is the prerogative of the state government.” On October 15, Khemka, who was allegedly transferred from the post of Haryana’s Director-General of Land Consolidation and Land Records-cum-Inspector-General of Registration, for probing land deals involving Vadra, had cancelled the mutation of a 3.5-acre plot of land in Shikohpur (Manesar) that Vadra had sold to DLF for a whopping Rs 58 crore. Earlier, on October 12, Khemka ordered an inquiry across four districts of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Palwal and Mewat into the “alleged under-valuation of some properties registered by Robert Vadra or his companies as vendor or vendee.” Incidentally, Vadra was transferred by the state government on October 11 night but joined office in the afternoon of October 15 after passing the Shikohpur land cancellation order. |
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Old Gurgaon roads to have dividers, trees
Gurgaon, October 24 This was stated by Sukhbir Singh
Kataria, Haryana Minister of State for Sports and local MLA, while addressing a gathering at the inauguration of a boosting station in the Rajendra Park locality of the old city today. “With the inauguration of the canal-based water-supply boosting station, the residents of Rajendra Park colony and nearby areas will get potable water instead of saline water,” the minister said. The minister also heard grievances of the residents. The boosting station has been constructed at a cost of Rs 12.33
crore. Its foundation was laid by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda last year. The station has been divided into three zones. The residents of Rajendra Park would get 52 lakh litres of potable water daily from this boosting station, catering to a population of nearly 30,000. Kataria said the state government had also sanctioned Rs 2 crore for the purchase of modern equipment for cleaning the sewerage. “The facility of door-to-door garbage-lifting is also being provided in some areas of Gurgaon city,” he added. The minister greeted the people on
Dasehra. He exhorted the people to shun fire-crackers on Divali as they are harmful for
environment. |
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Hooda, Pawar inaugurate dairy at Dharuhera
Rewari, October 24 Hooda said while Haryana was all set to hike the present milk production augmentation rate of 5 per cent to 9 per cent, he wanted the management of the dairy to procure at least 10 lakh of litres of milk daily from the milk producing peasantry of the region to encourage them to increase their milk production and gain economic uplift as well. He said while Haryana owned only 2 per cent of the total livestock of the country, the milk production here was about 6 per cent of the aggregated milk produce of the country. Further stating that while the per capita availability of milk in Haryana was 708 gm in contrast to the national average of 262 gm, he asserted that it amply complied with the old aphorism that there had been an abundance of milk and curd in Haryana since times immemorial. |
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Toll free numbers for eye donation
Rohtak, October 24 The director of the PGIMS, Dr CS Dhull, said the toll free numbers of 212300 and 1919 had been released as helpline numbers across the state for those who want to donate cornea. He said, “The cornea is removed from the body of a dead person within four to six hours of death and it can be donated to the eye bank of any hospital within the stipulated time period.” He said the blind could get sight if a donor
was available. He said about 150 persons benefited from the cornea transplant during the past 12 months and over 400 persons were in the waiting list at present at the PGIMS. Stating that the PGIMS was the only government hospital where such a facility was available, he said the operation and transplantation charges in the private sector could be at least Rs 20,000 per eye, while it was free of cost in the PGIMS here. He said the helpline number of 102 of the ambulance could also be contacted by anyone for donating cornea. He added that while the country required around one lakh corneas each year, the number of donations was just half at present. He said the PGIMS had launched a campaign to create awareness among the residents in both the rural and urban areas regarding the need of such a donation. |
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Builders ‘usurp’ land for
low-income residents
Gurgaon, October 24 The project, aimed at providing affordable dwelling units to people from the low and middle income categories, was supposed to be completed within three years, but has not yet taken off. The Gurgaon Citizens Council
(GCC), a consortium of local residents’ associations, has questioned the progress of the project and raised apprehension that certain builders who had taken licences to construct such dwelling units had usurped the land meant for the purpose in connivance with government officials. In a letter written to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh
Hooda, the GCC has sought information on details like the land earmarked for the purpose, builders who had taken licences to construct the houses and how many dwelling units had been constructed/handed over to the eligible residents. Copies of the letter have been marked to Congress MP from Gurgaon Rao Inderjit Singh, local MLAs Sukhbir Kataria and Rao
Dharampal, the Haryana Chief Secretary, top bosses of the TCP Department and other senior government functionaries. |
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DLSA appoints woman lawyer to aid victimised women, kids
Nuh (Mewat), October 24 Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-DLSA Secretary Narinder Kaur said advocate Manju Lata Singh had been appointed to help and guide the victimised women and children approaching police centres in the Nuh, Tauru and Rozka Meo areas. Narinder Kaur said to spread legal knowledge and awareness, legal literacy clubs had been set up at four private schools in the district. “Special classes are also being held at colleges as part of the legal-literacy campaign,” the DLSA secretary said, adding that legal literacy camps were also being organised in villages. Legal literacy clubs have already been established at the government schools of the district. Now, these clubs have been set up at Nancy Modern School in Bawla village, Maria Manzil School and Hindu Varishth Madhyamik Vidyalaya in Nuh and Bharti Uchh Vidyalaya in Uleta Hassanpur. The club is headed by the school principal, while a senior teacher is its member-secretary. Its other members include two representatives of parents, mothers of two students, the local sarpanch or municipal councillor, a woman panch, a male teacher, a woman teacher, a legal volunteer and two boys and two girls of the school.
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DEd students resent govt’s
guidelines
Sushil Manav/TNS
Fatehabad, October 24 Students who have completed their DEd course this year alleged that while offering them admissions in August 2010, there was no condition of internship, as it was not mentioned anywhere in their prospectus. However, now the government has made it compulsory for them to complete internship for 180 working days after the course. The internship will begin in November this year and the students will be able to complete it by September 2013. “While seeking admission to the DEd course after our plus two exam in 2010, we thought that we will pursue our degree course by seeking admission to colleges in 2012-13 session. But the way we will have to continue our internship till September 2013, we will not be able to get admission into any college next year either,” alleged some students. “Practically, this two-year course will take away four precious years of our careers,” they added. The teachers alleged that to avail services of teachers for free, the state government was ruining the careers of DEd students.
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Protest against cancellation of Jairam’s visit
Sonepat, October 24 They alleged that Jairam’s programme had been cancelled under the pressure from Hooda, Sonepat MP Jitender Singh Malik and Rai MLA Jai Tirth Dahiya and it had spread resentment among farmers. They explained that the Jairam was to be handed over a memorandum demanding incorporating some new provisions in the proposed new Land Acquisition Bill of the Central Government and to apprise him about their ongoing agitation against land acquisition. However, Malik strongly refuted the allegation and said the Union Minister was to visit not only Rai but three places in Haryana today and all meetings had been cancelled. SDM Sonepat Jag Niwas informed farmers that Jairam was forced to cancel his programme due to his hand injury. Probably, the Union Minister was likely to visit next week. |
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Kaithal-Delhi train soon: Jindal
Kaithal, October 24 It is learnt that the chairman told the MP that the General Manager, Northern Railway, had been asked to get a report for introduction of this train via Narwana Jind. The board would provide necessary rakes and other required facilities. Jindal had already raised this matter in the Lok Sabha. Meanwhile, Sat Parkash Gupta, president of the Sangharsh Samiti, had welcomed this move and said the people of the Kaithal area would be so happy if this train service was introduced and they would remain indebted to the MP for his positive efforts. |
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Girl among 5 engg students nabbed
Tribune News Service
Rohtak, October 24 A police spokesperson said a drive to curb the anti-social activities had led to awareness over the issue and fear among those who indulge in such activities. Claiming that perhaps it was first time a girl has been arrested by the police on such charge, he said the accused who was among the five accused nabbed on Monday night near the Delhi bypass here, are students of a local engineering college and were found creating nuisance after consuming liquor in a street. A medical examination of the accused also proved the charge, he added.
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Sthal building inaugurated
Our Correspondent
Kaithal, October 24 Shamsher Singh Surjewala, president of the All-India Kisan Khet Majdoor Congress, presided over the function. Randeep Singh said on this historic festival of Dasehra, we all should take a pledge to eradicate social evils from society. He said besides holding Dashera, this site could be used for holding social and religious functions at a nominal fee of Rs 1,000. He said roads around this place would be constructed at cost of Rs 3.10 crore. The minister also announced construction of the Maharishi Balmiki Community Centre.
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Rs 9-lakh burglary in electronics store
Hisar, October 24 The theft was noticed when the owners arrived at the store this morning. The police is investigating. Another theft was reported from a boutique in Model Town. There has been a spate of thefts within a radius of 1 km during the past two weeks. Several shops in the Urban Estate II Market were targeted a few days back. So far, the police has failed to solve any of these cases. |
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Rs 80-lakh cotton burnt in factory fire
Fatehbad, October 24 A guard noticed the fire at about 12 in the night and informed the factory owner and the fire brigade department. Four fire engines worked through the night and the fire was controlled by 8 in the morning today. The owner, Krishan Goyal, claimed that over 450 bales of cotton worth Rs 80 lakh were gutted. The cause of the fire is not yet known. The police has registered a case and begun investigations. |
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Ambala MC staff work on holiday
Ambala, October 24 Besides the clerical staff, the secretary and joint commissioner of the corporation were also present in the office. The public did not come to the corporation office as they were aware of the holiday. Secretary of the corporation Virender Sahran said no employee was forced to come to the office. |
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Subsidy for garlic farming
Chandigarh, October 24 Stating this today, a spokesman of the department said under the National Horticulture Mission, subsidy at a rate of Rs 5,000 per acre was being provided to the farmers engaged in garlic farming. |
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Ambala, October 24
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar inaugurated a newly established Moti Sagar Milk Dairy at Dharuhera today.
This dairy will have a capacity of processing 30 lakh litres of milk daily and it will supply Amul milk, curd and other such milk products to consumers of the National Capital Region and Delhi. The company’s another milk dairy is already functioning at Manesar in Gurgaon district.
To provide legal aid to the crime-affected women and children, the District Legal Services Authority
(DLSA) has appointed a woman lawyer who would guide them in lodging complaints at the police station and getting justice at the
court of law.
Chandigarh, October 24