|
|
|
|
JNNURM fund allocation biased, allege Faridabad councillors
Civil Surgeons told to implement PNDT Act strictly
Five lakh to attend Devi Lal’s birth anniversary celebrations
|
|
|
|
Pollution level likely to remain higher in Rohtak this Diwali
Hand over administration of pvt colonies to MC, demand Gurgaon residents
Discussion on improvement of technical education
Dip in guar seed price worries farmers
Manch exhorts Punjabis to work for nation’s growth
4,500 students participate in 'Rendezvous-2013'
|
|||||||||||||||
|
JNNURM fund allocation biased, allege Faridabad councillors
Faridabad, October 31 A BJP member and leader of the House, Om Prakash Rakshwal, said the JNNURM was a Central government’s scheme aimed at the holistic development of the city. He alleged that a coterie in the corporation led by Mayor Ashok Arora was biased in allocating funds to the wards. The councillors concerned will urge the Union Government not release funds under the JNNURM as these were not properly utilised, Rakshwal added. The flashpoint is a Detailed Project Report on works worth Rs 495 crore in the wards which was passed at the meeting in spite of their protest against it. Out of 26 members present, only 14 voted in its favour. Councillors from the Old Faridabad Zone alleged that their wards were ignored in the report. Subsequent to the voting on the report, they staged a walk-out from the meeting. During the debate, they criticised the Mayor for showing “undue haste” in adopting the “controversial” report. The House resolution through which the report was adopted will be sent to the state government for ratification. A major chunk of the funds under the JNNURM is provided by the Centre and the money is routed through the state government. Major works mentioned in the report are related to the four-laning of city roads, including the Neelam-Bata and the Bata-Hardware Chowk-BK Chowk stretches. Senior deputy leader of the corporation Mukesh Sharma rebutted allegations of bias in the allocation of the funds. Recently, works worth Rs 110 crore were allocated to the wards in the Old Faridabad Zone, he added.
|
|
Civil Surgeons told to implement PNDT Act strictly
Gurgaon, October 31 The State Advisory Committee formed for efficient and effective implementation of the Act, however, feels that Civil Surgeons, who are supposed to ensure its implementation, are not doing enough in this regard. The advisory panel discussed strategies to enforce better implementation of the Act and improve sex ratio in the state at a meeting held here recently. Prof Daya Sirohiwal from PGIMS, Rohtak, who heads the committee, chaired the meeting. World Health Organisation (WHO) sub-regional team leader Dr Vishesh Kumar maintained that the Act is strong in itself, but the onus of practically implementing it in letter and spirit at the grass-roots level was on the Civil Surgeons, who are district
appropriate authorities in this regard. The committee members asked the civil surgeons to enforce the provisions of the Act strictly in their respective areas. The meeting discussed the case of Dr SS Wadhwa of Narender Hospital and Ultrasound Centre at Taraori, Karnal, wherein a court of Judicial Magistrate First Class had convicted the doctor for two years and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him. The committee asserted that the Karnal Civil Surgeon-cum-District Appropriate Authority should have given a show-cause notice and opportunity of hearing to the doctor and recommend the cancellation of his licence to the state medical council if so required. The committee took a strong view of this case and decided to seek explanation from the civil surgeon as to what prevented him from taking action for so long because as per the Act, action have been taken merely after framing of charges. “Not only did the Appropriate Authority of Karnal not act on conviction, it also sought advice from the state advisory committee on whether to act against another ultrasound centre being run by the same doctor,” the panel observed. It pointed out that as per provisions of Section 23 (ii) of the PC and PNDT Act, a doctor or ultrasound centre operator convicted for the first time would not be allowed to practice for five years. If he/she is held guilty for the second time, he/she loses the licence for the entire life. The committee maintained that the state supervisory board should also review the performance of district appropriate authorities from time to time. Prof Sant Prakash from PGIMS, Rohtak; local medical practitioner Dr Balraj Singh, representative of the Haryana Child Welfare Council Indu Dahiya and representative of the Haryana Director-General of Information and Public Relations RS Sangwan attended the meeting. Director (Health) Haryana Dr Praveen Garg, who looks after the PNDT Act implementation, along with Deputy Director PNDT Haryana Dr Renu, law officer Renu Pathania, Gurgaon Civil Surgeon Dr Pushpa Bishnoi and Deputy Civil Surgeon Dr Saryu Sharma were also present.
|
|
Five lakh to attend Devi Lal’s birth anniversary celebrations
Kurukshetra, October 31 The party has also deputed INLD state secretary Surender Dahiya to assist him. Besides, a committee has been constituted for making district-level arrangements. The erection of pandal is going on at war footing. Arora said seating arrangement for five lakh people under the pandal was being made. To avoid traffic jams 15 cranes would be pressed into service. Ambulances would be parked on all main routes, he added. He said the helipad on the university campus will be used for the VVIPs. The lunch comprising Haryanvi, Punjabi and South Indian dishes would be served to the VVIPs at the International Guest House of the university, he added. As many as three daises would be erected at the rally site. The VVIPs would share the main dais, while the press gallery dais would be adjoining the main dais. On the other side of the main dais, a stage would be erected for the presentation of the cultural programme. The whole city has been given a green look by hanging green buntings, fixing green lights on all crossings and erecting green gates. The flyover here will be decorated with green electric lights. Cutouts of Chaudhary Devi Lal, Om Prakash Chautala and Ashok Arora will be erected on all main routes. Final touches are being given to around 400 welcome gates, while 5 lakh water pouches have been arranged at the rally site. Dharamshalas and marriage palaces have been booked for the stay of outside workers. Arora said, “Minimum one third of the gathering will comprise women, who had been invited by the INLD women cell. INLD’s backward women wing district vice-president Sangeeta Panchal and other women party workers, including Prasanni Devi, Dyalo Devi, Prameshawari Devi, Vidya Sharma, Satya Devi and Karnalo, are going from door-to-door to invite the women folk to join the rally.”
|
|
Hoardings for political rallies dot state
Fatehabad, October 31 Though there is a ban on erecting hoardings, particularly on the National Highways, a scant regard is being paid to it and the rules are being flouted with impunity. Every small and big leader is vying with others in putting up hoardings. Installing hoardings seems to have become a fashion for politicians now. Gone are the days when one got to see life-sized hoardings of film actors and actresses as a part of promotion of their movies being filmed in local theatres. Their place has now been taken by politicians that too with a vengeance. Hoardings of politicians of all hues are a common sight on both sides of the highways, bus stands, railway stations, public parks and other places where people could have a glance at their popular leaders. Though the trend of installing the hoardings started a few years ago, it has assumed alarming proportions ever since flex boards, a cheaper and better type of hoarding, have come into the vogue. Hoardings have become such a fad among politicians that every time a political party releases its list of office-bearers at the district or halqa (constituency) levels, markets and roadsides are flooded with hoardings of the newly-appointed leaders announcing their acquired status. Hoardings of women politicians are less in comparison with that of men. While the fad for hoarding continues , the authorities, it seem, prefer to look the other way when the rules are flouted. With the elections for the parliament as well as the state assembly not very far, the people of Haryana should be prepared for more hoardings till the Election Commission cracks a whip.
|
|
Pollution level likely to remain higher in Rohtak this Diwali
Rohtak, October 31 As many as 230 persons had been issued licences to stock and sale crackers for four days (from October 31 to November 3), said sources in the department concerned. The authorised stalls would come up at six places in the town from where the residents could purchase crackers. The number of stalls and the stock is likely to be higher than that of last year due to an increase in the demand of crackers and a constant rise in traders' profits, claimed the sources. It is revealed that while the cost of crackers that could be put on sale could be around Rs 1.5 crore, the total value of crackers that could be used this time be around three crore. " The trend of using crackers to celebrate the festival of lights appears to be either constant or on the rise, said claimed Dr Manvender Gehlot, a Professor . He said though a large number of people wanted to have a cracker-free Diwali, the things seem to be on other side due to the lack of efforts and initiative on the part of the residents and NGO's. According to Akshay, a student, the authorities should check the sale of polluting crackers and launch a campaign to have a safe and pollution-free Diwali. He said special areas be earmarked for those who wanted to use crackers. SDM Amardeep Jain claimed that the number of cracker stalls and the duration of sale had not been increased this time. He said while six spots had been earmarked for the sale of crackers between 8 am and 8 pm, the ban on crackers would remain effective from 10 pm till 6 am in the morning.
|
|
Hand over administration of pvt colonies to MC, demand Gurgaon residents
Gurgaon, October 31 The residents have expressed shock and surprise at the state’s recent move of seeking the implementation of the Punjab Scheduled Roads and Controlled Areas Restrict of Unregulated Development Act, 1963, instead of more relevant and updated Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994. The Gurgaon Citizens Council (GCC), a body comprising local residents and welfare associations, has maintained that the move smacked of the state authorities’ high-handedness and a nexus with private builders. “What else can be the logic behind giving the control of private colonies to the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), and not the democratically elected Municipal Corporation,” questioned GCC president RS Rathee. The council has written a letter to the Haryana Chief Minister, urging him to get the final completion certificates released and handed over the colonies’ administration to the MCG in the larger interest of the residents. “The view that only the provisions of the 1963 Act can penalise for the violations of building regulations does not hold water. The Municipal Act of 1994 evolved to correct the flaws and inadequacies of the 1963 Act. The Municipal Act has vast regulations to penalise the violators. In fact, the Act includes all relevant provisions of the 1963 Act and many more, including strict penalties, which seem imperative for the systematic development of an urban area,” the letter states. It further maintains that the contention that implementing the Municipal Act of 1994, and not the older Act of 1963, would lead to haphazard development is also devoid of logic. This implies that all Municipal Corporations of the country should be superseded by government departments. In an order dated August 23, 2012, Punjab and Haryana High Court had maintained that the Director, Town and Country Planning shall have no jurisdiction to initiate proceedings in the erstwhile controlled area now forming part of municipal area, the council asserted. It pointed out that on January 6, 2012, the MCG passed a resolution regarding takeover of the licensed colonies within its limits. This proposal was sent to the Director-General, Housing Department. However, despite the said resolution and several reminders thereafter, no decision in this regard has been received from the state government.
|
|
Discussion on improvement of technical education
Kurukshetra, October 31 The aim of the conference was to provide a platform to technocrats, engineering faculty and students to share their research experiences. The conference was inaugurated by Prof Ashoka Chandra, former Special Secretary to the Ministry of Human Resource Development. In his inaugural address, Chandra laid stress on the improvement of quality in technical education. He said knowledge economy would create greater share of high-tech industry and services in the market, greater percentage of persons engaged in knowledge-based occupations, increase better educated and skilled population, increase percentage of consumer knowledge. The technical education system in the country would need a lot of improvement to develop learning and problem solving skills in particularly, he added. During valedictory session, chief guest Dr Ram Prakash, Member Rajya Sabha and Chancellor, Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, emphasised that the research should be need based and in the interest of mankind and the society. Engineers should find solutions to problems faced by the industry and the community, he added. Er DK Gupta, Managing Director of the GIMT, said teachers had great responsibility to develop technical human resource to face challenges of economy, particularly of turning India into the world’s largest selling market from the present buying market. Prof Akhtar Kalam from the School of Engineering and Science, Victoria University, Melbourne, Prof Ashok Deshpande from University of Calfornia, USA, Prof DP Kothari, Director Research, MVRS Engineering College, Hyderabad, and Prof Rajan Srivastava from IIM, Rohtak, also gave special presentations. Gupta welcomed the chief guest and highlighted the salient features of the GIMT. Prof (Dr) LN Mittal, Director, Quality Improvement Programme of the GIMT said the institute received 450 research papers.
|
|
Dip in guar seed price worries farmers
Sirsa, October 31 Guar seed (cluster bean), which has been providing remunerative prices to the farmers ever since guar gum’s demand had increased in countries like the USA in shale energy
in the past three to four years, sold for as high as Rs 35,000 per quintal in 2011-12. However, the crop is fetching Rs 5,200 per quintal to the farmers in Haryana today. Owing to high prices of Guar last year, the crop has been grown on 1.05 lakh hectares in Sirsa and 33,000 hectares in Fatehabad this year. The area under Guar is at least 40 per cent higher corresponding to last year. “I had sown guar in the hope that the crop will provide me good returns of Rs 7,000 to 8,000 per quintal, but the present trends are disappointing for me,” said Kulwant Singh, a farmer in the Sirsa grain market. Gurjeet Singh Mann, a progressive farmer from Kirpal Patti in Sirsa, however, said, though the prices are much lesser than what the farmers had been expecting, they should not repent their decision, because even cotton is not showing signs of an increase. Haryana Guar Powder Association state secretary Pankaj Khemka said it is all about demand and supply. “Guar is the only commercial crop in our region and its storage does not involve any technical know how. Farmers need to be educated to choose the right time to bring their produce in the market. If they sell their
crop when all others are selling, it is bound to slash the prices,” he said. “Wait till December or January and you will see
the prices spiraling to double the current rates,” Khemka said.
|
|
HUDA fails to allot shops in Transport Nagar
Kaithal, October 31 Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has spent crores on laying roads and installing streetlights. The project was conceived by HUDA on local residents demand to shift auto workshops and spare part shops out of town’s busy area. Besides shifting of shops, HUDA had planned to set up other facilities at the site, including a petrol station, dharamshala, dhabas, a fire station and a police post. Despite acquisition of land, laying of roads, installation of electric poles and streetlights on the earmarked site years ago, the project has not made much headway. The delay in shifting of workshops and shops has put a question mark on the efficiency of officials at the helm of affairs. Transport Nagar remains a distant dream for town residents, who continue to face inconvenience due to auto workshops in every nook and corner of the town. These workshops have become a major irritant as these not only pollute the atmosphere, but also congest many roads.As there is not much space in these shops for repair of vehicles, owners fix vehicles on roads. Surprisingly the premix on roads had been completed in 2004 and the construction wing of HUDA had informed the then Deputy Commissioner and Kaithal Estate Officer about laying of sewer lines and water supply pipes in this area. The HUDA authorities wanted to auction commercial sites of the Transport Nagar in 2008, but had to cancel the auction after facing wrath of those already running shops. These shopkeepers wantedallotment of shops and booths at reserved price as they could not afford to purchase sites at high rates in the auction. In the recent past the HUDA authorities had interviewed over 300 shopkeepers, who had been running auto workshops or spare part shops in the town. But the slow pace of allotment process had delayed shifting. SDM Nar Hari Bangar holding additional charge of Estate Officer, HUDA, said the survey of existing auto workshops and spare parts shops had been completed. He said the allotment process would be completed soon after receiving a nod from the higher authorities. A committee of officials headed by the City Magistrate had also been constituted to monitor allotment process, he added.
|
|
Manch exhorts Punjabis to work for nation’s growth
Faridabad, October 31 The manch, an umbrella body of a number of organisations related to the Punjabi community, has decided to lay emphasis on the point at its December 15 Jan Ekta rally in Rohtak. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP KD Singh, who hails from the state, former Army chief VK Singh and head of Punjab Kesri group (Delhi) Ashwani Chopra will be the guests at the rally. Manch office-bearer Mallick Tirath Dass said the decision to campaign for the welfare of the community was taken in the wake of inputs from Punjab leaders. He said the community must act as an “engine of a train” and carry forward all sections of society. The manch said the community would support the political party which gave 25 Assembly and two Lok Sabha tickets to Punjabis. Senior Punjabi leaders observed that the community had displayed its dynamism, courage and resilience by emerging on the top of the ladder even after the Partition. INLD state president Ashok Arora said his party wanted to dispel the thought that it was against the Punjabis and the urban areas.
|
|
4,500 students participate in 'Rendezvous-2013'
Ambala/Yamunanagar, October 31 Vishal Garg, treasurer of Maharishi Markandeshwar University Trust, said the MM group had regularly been organising such events with an objective to hone the skills of students and to provide them an appropriate platform to display their skills. Events like declamation, quiz , spin-a-yarn, spellathon , folk dance, dance, group songs, skits, mime, kavita vaachan, best out of waste, rangoli and painting etc. were organised.
— TNS
|
|
KRISSH 3 Directed by: Rakesh Roshan The much-awaited “Krissh 3” is ready to take the centre stage on November 1, two days before Diwali. This superhero flick has all the qualities of a super hit film which could be a money spinner for the filmmaker and distributers. Those who have gone through the rushes predicts it another blockbuster for the Roshans. The buzz is that “Krissh 3” matches up to the standards set by several international projects like ‘Avengers’, ‘Superman’ and ‘Iron Man 3’. Hrithik Roshan essays the role of a super hero. Vivek Oberoi plays the antagonist. Kangna Ranaut’s cat woman avatar will left viewers gasping. The movie promises to be an edge of the seat flick with some jaw dropping action sequences. Directed by Rakesh Roshan, the film has an melodious music by Rajesh Roshan. Dharam Pal
|
|
||
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
