Rohtak, January 17
Patients visiting the PGIMS here are being subjected to harassment in provision of free-of-cost medicines under a recently launched scheme.

The PGIMS authorities had recently implemented a scheme “Mukhyamantri Muft Ilaj Yojana” under which medicines were supposed to be provided free to patients visiting the institute on their prescription cards. However, a reality check revealed that implementation left much to be desired.

While several drugs prescribed by doctors were not available with disbursing staff, the number of dispensing counters was quite inadequate in view of the large number of patients desirous of availing the benefit.

Moreover, patients are routinely made to stand in queues for long to get the prescribed medicines.

Even the critical patients are forced to stand and wait as the PGIMS staffers manning the counters refuse to entertain their attendants.

“We were made to wait for more than an hour to get the medicines, and when our turn came, we were told that only one of the three medicines was not available,” lamented Imarti Devi, who was accompanying her daughter-in-law.

Attendants of several other patients complained that the beneficiaries were made to stand in long queues to get the medicines.

Dr Chand Singh Dhull, PGIMS Director, admitted that all dispensing counters could not be made operational due to lack of skilled manpower. “We have 18 counters and all of these will be made functional once we get qualified pharmacists,” he said.

Asked why medicines were not being handed over to patients’ attendants, he said he was not fully aware of the matter, but it would have been done to avoid the possibility of medicines getting into wrong hands.

Jind, January 17
After receiving complaints of water pollution and lack of action by the authorities concerned, the District and Sessions Judge, along with the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), decided to get first-hand information last evening. The move caught officials concerned napping and the TDS level was found to be above the permissible level at all four places the team visited.

District and Sessions Judge Sant Parkash called a team of the Public Health Department to his office. They were surprised when the Judge and CJM Harleen A Sharma directed them to follow them. The judge led the team to a hand pump at the judicial complex. The water was tested and the TDS level was found to be 1,100 mg per litre.

The judge directed the CJM to lead the team to other places. The team led by the CJM visited the Government Senior Secondary School for Girls near Bharat Cinema, the Government High School at Defence Colony and tube well 10 at Shiv Chowk. The TDS level was above the permissible limit at all four places.

After receiving preliminary reports, the judge directed officials concerned to take immediate action to provide potable water to residents. "After the initiative, we hope to get potable water at the school. A majority of students were unaware of pollutants in water, but came to know after the tests," said a girl student.

When contacted, Dr Ashok Mahla, district consultant with the Public Health Department, confirmed that the TDS level was above than permissible limit at all four places. "We started taking necessary measures after getting reports that the TDS level was above the permissible limit," he said.

Chandigarh, January 17
After the cooperative house building societies, villages included in the municipal corporations and municipal councils are up in arms against the property tax in the state.

The villages seem to be following in the footsteps of the residents who recently launched a state-wide agitation against the “inflated” electricity bills recently.

The recovery of arrears of the property tax from April 1, 2010, seems to have especially irked the residents.

“There is no logic in imposing property tax on the villages and semi-urban areas of the civic bodies when there is hardly any development in these areas,”? rued VK Sharma, a resident of Pinjore, a part of the Panchkula Municipal Corporation.

The Haryana Government recently notified the property tax rates exempting the residential and commercial plots up to 100 square feet (500 square yards for industrial/institutional properties) from the tax. A tax of Rs 0.50 per square yard was levied on residential property owners in A-1 cities of Gurgaon and Faridabad and Rs 0.375 per square yard on vacant residential property owners in other municipal corporations for plots measuring 101 to 500 square yard. The tax rate for residential plots measuring 501 square yards and above would be Re 1 and 0.75 per square yard for A-1 and A-2 cities, respectively.

For commercial plots, the rate would be Rs 5 and Rs 3.75 per square yard for A-1 and A-2 cities, respectively. An amount of Rs 2 and Rs 1.5 per square yard will be charged from the owners of industrial/institutional plots measuring 501 square yards in A-1 and A-2 cities, respectively.

Official sources, however, claimed that the payment of the property, which was nominal for all categories, was a must for the development to take place.

Property tax rates

Residential-up to 300 sq yd

• Re 1/sq yd(A-1 cities)
• Rs 0.75/sq yd(A-2 cities)
• Rs 0.50/sq.yd(Class B cities)
• Rs 0.40/sq. yd (Class C cities)

Commercial (51 to 100 sq yd)

• Rs 36/sq yd(A-1 cities)
• Rs 27/sq yd(A-2 cities)
• Rs 18/sq yd(Class B cities)
• Rs 14.40/sq yd(Class C cities).

Panipat, January 17
Terming yesterday’s announcement about reduction in the power tariff for the domestic and agricultural sectors as inadequate, a mahapanchayat of various organisations today demanded a further cut for industrial and domestic consumers.

Addressing the mahapanchayat held under the aegis of the Samaan Nagrik Sanhita Abhiyan (SNSA), an NGO, here today, representatives of various associations demanded that the tariff should be reduced to Rs 4 per unit for the domestic sector and Rs 5 per unit for the industrial sector.

NGO convener Nem Chand Jain, district BKU president Chur Singh Rawal, industrialists Pritam Singh, Vinod Khandelwal and Roshan Lal Dhiman served a three-week ultimatum on the Hooda government to meet their demand or face an agitation. They formed a 21-member joint action committee (JAC) comprising Chur Singh Rawal as president and Nem Chand Jain as general secretary to spearhead the agitation.

Jain said that charging 77 paise to Rs 1.27 per unit for different slabs in the the name of fuel surcharge adjustment (FSA) was illegal as this was being charged without any approval from the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Authority (HERA).

Demanding immediate withdrawal of the FSA, Jain said he would file a complaint with HERA if it was not done.

Industrialists Pritam Singh and Vinod Khandelwal demanded withdrawal of the charge of Rs 2 per unit from the industrial sector in the name of peak hour load from 6 pm daily.

Demanding audit of the power generation cost in Haryana on the pattern of Delhi, Jain said there was a huge gap between the generation cost and the tariff so that power charges could be further reduced.

Apart from generating power in various parts of Haryana, the state is getting 1600 MW from a Gujarat-based company at Rs2.80 per unit but it is charging high rates from its consumers.

District BKU president Chur Singh Rawal said: “If the power rates are not slashed, the BKU will be left with no option but to launch a statewide agitation.”

Chandigarh January 17
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will give cash awards of Rs 1 lakh each to the districts which have achieved the highest agricultural production in 2012-13 at a kisan sammelan in Jhajjar on January 19.

A spokesman said Panipat would be awarded for highest sugarcane productivity, Sirsa for wheat and cotton, Gurgaon for bajra, Kurukshetra for rice and Rewari for mustard.— TNS

Jind, January 17
The cold wave has caused damage to various crops. Farmers fear that they will suffer total loss if the cold persists for more days.

In a preliminary inspection of horticulture in Jind, it has come to light that the tomato crop has suffered the maximum damage of around 80 per cent. Potato has suffered a damage of 35 per cent, other vegetables 30 per cent and flowers around 40 per cent.

Preliminary reports received in Chandigarh from all over Haryana point to an effect of over 30 per cent on the area under cultivation. The exact extent of loss will be clear in a few days, but experts believe that the loss will be huge.

“The sudden change in weather has caused severe damage to almost all vegetables and fruits. Three days back, the maximum temperature was 16 degree Celsius, but came down to 3 degree Celsius on Wednesday. We can say the damage has started and will continue if the cold conditions do not improve,” said Rajinder Malik, Assistant Project Officer with the Horticulture Department.

Many farmers in villages have suffered huge losses as their vegetables have turned black. At many places, vegetables have been damaged and are unacceptable to vendors in cities.

“I had sown vegetables and flowers on two acres. The cold has damaged almost all crops. I have suffered a loss of more than Rs 70,000. I took damaged vegetables to the vegetable market at Jind, but vendors refused to purchase those even at the lowest rates,” said Ravinder of Ahirka village.

Sukhdev of the same village said the biting cold had damaged his vegetables sown on three acres. “I took a loan of Rs 50,000 to sow the crops. Now I do not know how to repay the loan and manage my house,” he said.

When contacted, BS Sherawat, Joint Director, Horticulture, Haryana, confirmed that preliminary reports from all over the state showed the effect of the cold over 30 per cent crops. “The present cold conditions are detrimental for vegetables. The exact loss will be clear in the coming days” he said.

The weather is helpful to the wheat crop. “The cold conditions are helpful to wheat, but detrimental to mustard,” said Ram Partap Sihag, Deputy Director, Agriculture, Jind. 

Hisar, January 17
A large number of newly recruited postgraduate teachers (PGTs) are in a quandary due to a condition in their joining letters, which stipulates them to complete the Bachelor of Education (BEd) course before April 1, 2015.

The teachers are at their wits' end as it is not possible for them to complete the two-year course through distance education even if they get enrolled in the next academic session.

The Haryana Government started the process of recruiting 14,216 PGTs in June, 2012. Apart from the eligibility criterion of master's degree with 50 per cent marks in subject concerned and Haryana Teachers Eligibility Test, the Education Department introduced the condition of completing BEd course by the deadline.

However, later, the recruitment process got stuck in a legal tangle and the results were declared recently after getting the go-ahead from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Among the teachers selected, around 40 per cent had not obtained the BEd degree, but were allowed to participate in the recruitment process on a conditional basis. The appointment letters to newly recruited teachers include the condition of BEd degree within the stipulated time, which is practically not possible.

“Since BEd through distance mode is a two-year course, it is not possible to complete the course by 2015. Only Kurukshetra University offers the course in distance mode with limited seats and it will not be possible for the large number of candidates to get admission in the first chance,” a newly recruited teacher said.

Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal said the problem seemed to have arisen due to the delayed process of recruitment. “I will consider the issue whenever it comes to me,” she said.

Yamunanagar, January 17
Under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, Jamna Auto Industries distributed scholarships worth Rs 4.62 lakh to about 150 meritorious students in a function held at Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Yamunanagar.

Speaking on the occasion, superintendent of police Sibash Kabiraj said in the age of global competition, the students should choose their careers carefully and prepare themselves in a systematic manner, with equal emphasis on each subjects. Patience, self confidence and continuous hard work were the keys to success.

Chief guest Bhupinder Singh Jauhar, Chairman, Guru Nanak Khalsa Group of Educational Institutions, exhorted the students to inculcate the values of discipline, hard work and honesty in public life. The students of the college had achieved outstanding achievements in the field of academics, sports, blood donation, social service and extracurricular activities and the scholarships were being offered to motivate them, he added. 

Chandigarh, January 17
The government has revised the schedule for hoisting the National Flag on the occasion of Republic Day for six ministers and two Chief Parliamentary Secretaries(CPS).

An official spokesman said Power Minister Ajay Singh Yadav would now hoist the flag at Mahendragarh, Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal at Rohtak, Public Health Minister Kiran Choudhry at Palwal, Urban Local Bodies Minster Savitri Jindal at Fatehabad, Health Minister Rao Narender Singh at Panchkula, State Labour and Employment Minister Shiv Charan Lal Sharma at Panipat, CPS Rao Dan Singh at Hisar and CPS Jaiveer at Yamunanagar.

Chandigarh, January 17
Haryana Tourism has introduced packages for its tourist resorts in the National Capital Region(NCR).

Sumita Misra,MD, Haryana Tourism, said the ‘unforgettable experience’ package for Hotel Rajhans in Surajkund, Faridabad, offered third night complimentary with every two consecutive paid nights. The package is for Rs 2,820 per night for a couple. Then there is ‘Exotic Vacations’ package for Rs 3,820 per night for a couple.

She said the resorts offering other packages included Magpie, Aravalli Golf Course, Badkhal, at Faridabad, Raja Nahar Singh (Ballabgarh) and Hermitage, Lake View Huts and Sunbird, all at Surajkund. The holiday packages priced at Rs 2,199 per night per couple offers accommodation with bed tea and breakfast and another package just for Rs 2,899 per night per couple.

Chandigarh,January 17
Governor Jagannath Pahadia will confer Bhim Award on 17 sportspersons at Haryana Raj Bhawan on January 22.

Amit Jha, Principal Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs Department, said here today that those who would be conferred with Bhim Award included Kavita Chahal (boxing), Rajender (wrestling), Seema (athletics), Sube Singh (volleyball), Harpreet Singh (shooting), Prashant Karmakar (swimming), Geeta(wrestling), Dilbagh Singh (boxing), Anisha Sayyad (shooting), Manjeet Nandal(judo), Bhartender Singh (athletics), Sandeep Singh (hockey), Milanpreet(roller skating), Ritu Rani (hockey), Amit Saroha and Lakshmi (paralympics) and physically-challenged Keshav Malik (badminton).

Sirsa, January 17
AYUSH doctors -- graduates in ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha and homoeopathic systems of medicine -- working in government hospitals are sore at the “step-motherly” treatment they are getting from the state government with regard to their pay scales.

The AYUSH doctors alleged that they were being given pay scales that were not only lower than their counterparts in the state from other systems of medicines, but also from those who are from their own systems but working in the neighbouring states.

“The Central Government as well as governments of some other states have been granting equal salary and status to the doctors of different streams and systems, including the doctors of the AYUSH system, while the Haryana Government has failed to pay heed to the long-standing demand pertaining to salary and status,” said Saroj Bala, president of the Haryana Ayurvedic Medical Association, Sirsa.

She said the entry level grade pay of doctors of different systems and streams was the same (Rs 5,400) in all states, but Haryana had been doing injustice by granting lesser entry level grade pay (Rs 4,800) to its AYUSH doctors.

The association alleged that the government dealt another blow to the AYUSH doctors by allowing them only two assured career progression (ACP) instead of three ACPs given to all other cadre, including the Haryana Civil Services, Haryana Police Services, Haryana Civil Medical Services, Haryana Dental Services and Haryana Veterinary Services and Engineering Services etc.

Dr Saroj Bala said resentment prevailed among AYUSH doctors in Haryana after the state government rejected their demands recently, citing “flimsy” grounds.

Sirsa, January 17
A 22-year-old student was crushed to death near Gudiakhera village of the district last night. The victim, Inder Kumar, was a student of ITI at Nathusari Chopta.

A tractor crushed him to death when he was going towards his fields with his friend Ramesh.

The Chopta police registered a case and took the body to the General Hospital for post-mortem.

In another incident, an Indian Air Force official was injured when a motorcycle hit his bicycle on the Dabwali road today.

Kamal Kant was rushed to the General Hospital.

Yamunanagar, January 17
The police have arrested two doctors of a private hospital here under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.

A case was registered against Dr Nirmal Singh, MD and Dr Anu, BAMS, owner of Nirmal Hospital located on the Radaur Road here, on a complaint lodged by Dr Vijay Dahiya, Deputy Civil Surgeon, PNDT, Yamunanagar.

On getting information that pregnancies were illegally terminated at the hospital, a team comprising Dr Dahiya, District Drug Controller Ravinder Malik, gynaecologist Dr Shelly Goyal and Child Development and Protection Officer Praveen Chhabra raided the hospital last night.

“We have seized and sealed the MRS cannula, an instrument used in MTP, found during the raid,” said Dr Dahiya.

He said neither the doctors were authorised nor the centre had approval for carrying out the MTP.

Investigating officer Yashpal Nehra said a case had been registered against the owner of the hospital at the Gandhi Nagar police post.

Dr Nirmal Singh and Dr Anu, who ran away from the hospital, were later arrested.

Sirsa, January 17
The police have arrested a youth for allegedly raping a 28-year-old mentally challenged woman in a dharam-shala near Nagpal Chowk in Fatehabad last night.

The victim’s sister-in-law lodged a complaint at the City police station here last night. The complainant alleged that her children were playing near Ravidass Dharmashala, near their house, when the victim went there. She said her children told her that accused Gagan had dragged the victim inside the dharamshala.

When she went there, she found the accused sexually assaulting the victim.

Yamunanagar, January 17
A man and his cow were charred to death and three cattle were injured after a fire broke out in a hut at Sallepur village of Sadhaura last night.

The Sadhaura police said the deceased, Hariya Ram (65), was sleeping in his hut and his two buffaloes, a cow and a calf were tied there when the fire broke out at about 11.30 PM.

The police said by the time the villagers were able to control the fire, Hariya Ram had been charred. — TNS

Bhiwani, January 17
A district court has awarded life imprisonment to a man who had tortured his teenaged daughter to death in Umravat village of the district in September, 2012.

Prahalad Singh had brutally battered his 16-year-old daughter, Sangita, to death and secretly cremated her body to hide his crime.

The villagers,however, got a whiff of the incident and reported the matter to the police.

District and Sessions Judge Sarita Gupta also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict.

The victim, who used to stay with her relatives in Rajasthan, and had returned to her father about 20 days before the incident.

The villagers alleged her father used to beat her and keep her hungry for days.

The continuous torture and thrashing resulted in her death and the body was cremated without informing anybody in the village. The police exhumed the remains of the body. The post-mortem revealed that the body had several injury and burn marks.

Kaithal, January 17
The police have registered a case against 40 members of a community in connection with a group clash that took place at Bakal village of the district yesterday. Nearly two dozen persons of the two warring groups were injured in the clash that took place over possession of panchayat land when one group constructed a boundary wall on this land and the other group demolished it.

In a complaint to the police, Ramesh alleged that Jassa Singh, Kabal Singh, Sukhvinder, Sampooran, Avtar Singh, Kulvinder, former sarpanch Anrej Singh, Vichitar Singh, Daler and Kuldeep others allegedly attacked them with bricks and opened fire with guns, resulting in injuries to over a dozen persons from their side.

Investigating officer Rash Pal Singh said the matter was under investigation.

Meanwhile, an uneasy calm prevailed in the village and the police and civil administration were keeping a watch over the situation and have reportedly constituted a 12-member committee to find an amicable solution to the problem.

On the other hand, some Sikh leaders visited the village to take stock of the prevailing situation.

Sirsa, January 17
A local court on Tuesday sentenced three persons to life imprisonment for the murder of a youth in Dabwali town.

RP Goyal, Additional District and Sessions Judge, who sentenced the three accused Vinod, Rohit and Mukesh to imprisonment for life and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each, said the amount would go to the family of the victim.

The victim Jasbir, a resident of Abubshahr village had gone to Dabwali with his friend Ravi on November 24, 2010.

When the rickshaw on which the two were sitting reached near a medical shop in the town, four youths came near them riding on a motorcycle and attacked Jasbir Singh with sharp-edged weapons.

Jasbir’s maternal uncle Darshan Singh, who was passing by, rushed him to the General Hospital in Dabwali.

He was declared brought dead. Darshan Singh told the police that his nephew had an enmity with the accused.

The court acquitted Prakash Singh for want of sufficient evidences. 76