SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI



THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
H A R Y A N A   E D I T I O N

No free treatment at PGIMS for BPL patients despite govt schemes
Poor made to buy expensive aids worth lakhs from private stores
Rohtak, April 25
Here’s a reality check for the recently launched Mukhyamantri Muft Ilaj Yojna and other welfare schemes run by the government for poor patients.

Raising voice: A relative of a poor heart patient narrates his plight in front of the super-specialty block at the PGIMS in Rohtak on Friday. Photo: Manoj Dhaka

Haryana’s Shame
Faridabad resident booked for raping, blackmailing teenager
Faridabad, April 25
The police have registered a case against a local resident for allegedly raping and blackmailing a 16-year-old girl. In her complaint to the police, the victim alleged that Arush Verma alias Shakir Farooqi, a resident of Sunder Colony, Nangla Road in the NIT area here, befriended her about a year ago.

Govt plans to shut down 4 Panipat thermal units
Ambala/Hisar, April 25
Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) is all set to phase out four units of the Panipat Thermal Power Station (PTPS) as these units have been out of operations since September last year. Citing high cost of generation from these units, the corporation has been contemplating shutting them down.


EARLIER STORIES



Haryana wheat finds way to Rajasthan grain markets
Sirsa, April 25
Wheat produced in Haryana is finding its way to grain markets in Rajasthan. Owing to special bonus of Rs 150 per quintal announced by the Vasundhara Raje government, farmers from villages on Haryana’s border with Rajasthan have been taking their crop to grain markets in that state these days. “I have nearly 750 quintal of wheat on my 40 acres of fields. Selling my crop in Rajasthan fetches me Rs 1.15 lakh. It is more than what I get if I sell my produce in Haryana,” said a farmer from Amritsar Kalan village near Ellenabad.

State government gears up to tackle cyber attacks
Chandigarh, April 25
Haryana has put in place an institutional mechanism to check cyber threats and attacks. To begin with, the Haryana Government has set up the Information Security Management Office (ISMO) to address matters related to information security management.

Boy's death in kurukshetra
Docs shut clinics, seek action against stone-pelters
Kurukshetra, April 25
Many private doctors in the city today suspended their work and demanded action against the people who had thrown stones at a private hospital after the death of a boy yesterday.

Exploitation of farmers, traders in grain markets
HJC to launch statewide stir: Chander Mohan
Sirsa, April 25
Former Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan today announced that the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) would launch a state-wide agitation if the “exploitation” of farmers and traders in grain markets did not stop within 72 hours. Sirsa Grain Market Traders Association president Surinder Minchnabadi alleged that there had been no improvement in market conditions despite several complaints to the authorities.

DC flags off awareness drive on wheat stubble burning
Sirsa, April 25
To stop farmers from burning wheat stubble on the fields after harvesting their crop, the Agriculture Department in Sirsa has started an awareness drive from today. Anshaj Singh, Deputy Commissioner, flagged off a public awareness van of the department from the Mini Secretariat.

DC Anshaj Singh flags off a public awareness van of the Agriculture Department in Sirsa on Friday. A Tribune photograph

Youth hacked to death
Fatehabad, April 25
Tension prevailed in the town after a youth was hacked to death at his residence in Thakur Basti in the afternoon. After Pinki’s death, hundreds of men and women from his Balmiki community attacked houses of the attackers -- Dhanak community, beat up people and ransacked their houses. Both Balmiki and Dhanak communities are Dalits. Sources said an altercation earlier in the day triggered the killing.

Schools to give admission to 10% BPL students in class I
Sonepat, April 25
Though the government had released the list of the students who are to be given admission in classes I and II by the private schools in the district, private school managements have decided to give admission to 10 per cent students belonging to the BPL families only in class I.

Molestation case
Voice clip of complainant goes viral on social app
Hisar, April 25
An audio conversation, involving a woman teacher of the DAV Police Public School who had lodged a complaint of molestation against three staff members, recorded in a mobile phone, has gone viral on the WhatsApp (a social networking application) here.

Deposit tax within 7 days, MC tells property dealers
Ambala, April 25
The Municipal Corporation (MC) has asked the commercial property owners to deposit the arrear of their property tax within seven days or their property would be attached. The tough stand of the MC has forced the property owners to deposit the arrears.

Act on Shivalik manch memo, PMO to CS
Chandigarh, April 25
The Prime Minister’s Office(PMO) has written to the Haryana Chief Secretary to take ‘appropriate action’ on allegations of skewed development in the Shivalik region in the districts of Ambala, Yamunanagar and Panchkula.

Police to counsel KU Vice-Chancellor, wife
Kurukshetra, April 25
The district police will call Kurukshetra University (KU) Vice Chancellor Dr DDS Sandhu and his wife, Sukhjit Kaur, for counselling before taking any further action in the alleged domestic violence case.

College teachers mull state-level protest
Karnal, April 25
Government college teachers are planning to hold a state-level protest against the policies of the Higher Education Department. Haryana Government College Teachers Association (HGCTA) general secretary Ram Partap Singh said the teachers were overloaded with work due to double standards adopted by the department while assigning teaching work to the government and government-aided college teachers.

Housewife robbed of cash, jewellery
Faridabad, April 25
Posing as mechanics, two unidentified youths looted cash and jewellery worth Rs 19 lakh from a housewife in Sector 17 here yesterday. The culprits used a kitchen knife to hold the woman hostage.

APCPL Jhajjar to supply extra power to Andhra
Ambala, April 25
In response to a request made by the Andhra Pradesh government, an additional 276.83 MW of power would be supplied to the state to meet its power demand in the ensuing summer season by Aravali Power Company Private Limited (APCPL) in Jhajjar.

Preparations on for transparent vote count
Sirsa, April 25
The counting of votes for the Sirsa parliamentary seat would be held under the surveillance of close circuit television (CCTV) cameras and the entire process would be displayed on a LED screen installed at the counting hall.

Schools’ body protests stay on fee hike
Karnal, April 25
The Karnal Independent Schools’ Association (KISA) today protested the stay on fee hike ordered by the District Elementary Education Officer and sent a letter to the Director of Secondary Education in this regard.

Woman cop ends her life in Sonepat
SONEPAT, APRIL 25
Neeraj, a woman constable in the Haryana Police, today committed suicide by hanging from a fan at her in-laws’ house in Saragthal village. She was posted at Gharonda police station.

2 youths lose life in bid to see death from close
Jind, April 25
Two young friends jumped before a local passenger train in Narwana last evening to 'see death from close'. They died on the spot. After post-mortem, the police handed over the bodies to their relatives this morning.

Contract permits for vehicles carrying students
Chandigarh, April 25
The Haryana Government has decided to give contract carriage permits, in place of the existing private service vehicle permits, to the owners of vehicles carrying students. Besides, the government has also decided to exempt the owners of these vehicles--- educational institutes or other private persons---from the liability of road tax. A press note said this decision would increase the number of vehicles used to carry students and improve the financial viability of such vehicles. It would reduce the burden of transport charges and ensure safer transportation of children.

Students block road over development funds
Kaithal, April 25
Hundreds of students of the Haryana College of Technology and Management (HCTM) blocked the NH-65 for an hour over charging of development funds. Some students allegedly broke flowerpots on the college premises and deflated tyres of the principal’s car.

Ban revoked on use of wheat stubble in cardboard firms
Fatehabad, April 25
Within days of imposing a ban on the use of wheat stubble in brick kilns and cardboard industry, the district authorities today rescinded its orders in view of the opposition from farmers.

Unauthorised structures demolished in Sonepat
Sonepat, April 25
A demolition squad of the Town and Country Planning Department today demolished 14 boundary walls, 125 DPCs and 13,220 feet brick road network in an area of 20 acres in Safiabad village of the district.

Video conferencing facility started at Madhuban FSL
Karnal, April 25 To save time and money while producing evidence in the courts of law across the state, the Forensic Science Laboratory, Madhuban, has added a new facility of video conferencing system. S N Vashisht, DGP, Haryana, today inaugurated this facility and held a video talk with Sessions Judges of Gurgaon and Faridabad.

810 students get degrees
Karnal, April 25
As many as 810 students were awarded degrees at the convocation ceremony organised by KVA DAV College for Women here today. Merit holders, students who excelled in sports and representatives of the student council were also honoured. Padma Shri Dr SK Sama, vice-president, DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi, was the chief guest. Dr Sama said the students need to prepare themselves to meet the challenges of this globalised world. He said, “We need to make efforts to live up to the expectations and aspirations of society. We must empower our girl students and make them understand the importance of academics, cultures, customs and traditions.” — TNS

Poll code relaxed
Chandigarh, April 25
Relaxing the model code of conduct, the ECI has decided to allow all normal administrative works and development activities in the states and UTs, including Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh, where polling has been completed, except in such districts where a repoll is pending. Shrikant Walgad, Chief Electoral Officer, Haryana, said no officials connected with the conduct of elections could be transferred till the entire election process was completed. — TNS

Advance fee: NIILM varsity students block road
Kaithal, April 25
Students of NIILM University blocked the NH-65 for a few hours today to lodge their protest over the demand of advance fee for the coming semester by the university. They raised slogans against the university authorities for issuing a circular demanding fee of Rs 50,000 in advance for the next semester. Traffic had to be diverted to other routes due to the blockade. The protesters lifted the blockade on university authority’s assurance that their demand would be accepted. The students also alleged that due to their refusal to pay fee in advance, the university staff had refused to issue them roll numbers for the examination beginning April 29. OC

Students of NIILM University protest in Kaithal on Friday. Photos: Satish Seth

HPHC honoured
Chandigarh, April 25
The Haryana Police Housing Corporation (HPHC) today bagged the award for providing highest standard in the housing environment for the year 2013-14 from Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCo). Arun Kumar Misra, secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, conferred the award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, on B S Sandhu, managing director, HPHC, for the construction of green office building of Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency in Sector-17, Panchkula. — TNS

Woman killed, son hurt in accident
Yamunanagar, April 25
A woman was killed and her son was serious injured in a road accident on the National Highway-73(A) this morning. The Jagadhri police said Neelam Sharma and her son Mukul Sharma were coming towards Jagadhri from Chhachhruali on a motorcycle. When they reached near Manakpur village, their motorcycle hit a tractor-trailer and the motorcycle caught fire. The police said Neelam died on the spot, while Mukul was rushed to the civil hospital from where he was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. — TNS

76 students awarded
Sonepat, April 25
As many as 76 students of BPS Women Polytechnic, Khanpur Kalan, were awarded for their outstanding performances in various fields by Prof Asha Kadian, Registrar, BPS Women University, in its annual prize distribution function here today. Addressing the students, Prof Kadian said the university had played a key role in equipping the students with job-oriented skills. — OC

Private school bus overturns
Yamunanagar, April 25
Students of a private school had a narrow escape when their bus overturned this morning. Sadar Police, Jagadhri, said there were nine children in the bus and two of them were injured. The bus overturned after it developed a snag. — TNS






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No free treatment at PGIMS for BPL patients despite govt schemes
Poor made to buy expensive aids worth lakhs from private stores
Sunit Dhawan
Tribune News Service

Rohtak, April 25
Here’s a reality check for the recently launched Mukhyamantri Muft Ilaj Yojna and other welfare schemes run by the government for poor patients. The patients visiting the local PGIMS are made to pay through their nose even for basic medical aids and drugs.

The cost of these aids, especially stents and other such implants/devices, required for angioplasty and other cardiac surgeries/procedures runs into lakhs of rupees. Patients are forced to buy these from specific medical shops.

While the authorities concerned blame procedural shortcomings for the prevailing situation, the fact remains that the patients undergoing treatment at the casualty wing, ICU and wards are required to purchase their own medicines and other medical and surgical aids.

“The doctor treating us has directed us to purchase some surgical implants from a certain medical store…The aids prescribed for the treatment cost more than Rs 2 lakh and we have no money. The doctors as well as representatives of the said store are insisting that we must go in for the procedure,” said a relative of a patient undergoing treatment at the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the PGIMS.

Internal sources maintain that patients as well as their relatives remain silent despite harassment and fleecing by the doctors and store-owners as they believe that the cost of the given surgery/procedure would be even higher in private hospitals.

“We had to sell our house to arrange money for my younger brother’s cardiac surgery recently but the doctors told us that another procedure was needed, requiring surgical aids worth Rs 1.30 lakh more yesterday. We told the doctors that we were not in a position to bear such expenditure, but they went on with the procedure but still could not save my brother,” lamented Jaiveer, brother of a cardiac patient, who died at the PGIMS today. Prof SS Sangwan, Vice-Chancellor, Pt Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences, said anyone found guilty of misconduct would not be spared.

Dr Ashok Chauhan, PGIMS Medical Superintendent, said there were schemes for free treatment of BPL patients, but at times, patients did not have BPL cards to support their claim.

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Haryana’s Shame
Faridabad resident booked for raping, blackmailing teenager
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, April 25
The police have registered a case against a local resident for allegedly raping and blackmailing a 16-year-old girl. In her complaint to the police, the victim alleged that Arush Verma alias Shakir Farooqi, a resident of Sunder Colony, Nangla Road in the NIT area here, befriended her about a year ago.

She alleged that the accused called her to his office in the colony and raped her. The victim said the accused told her that he had clicked her photographs during the act and would upload on the internet if she narrated the incident to anyone or failed to respond to his calls in the future. She said the accused blackmailed and sexually exploited her for nearly a year.

The teenaged girl said she was made to hand over some jewellery to the accused in order to get back her photographs. The girl said he also got a letter signed by her that in case of any eventuality, her parents would be responsible.

However, the victim's mother found the letter. The family reported the matter to the police yesterday. The police registered a case under relevant sections of the IPC and Section 4 of the POSCO Act against the accused.

Man booked for outraging lawyer's modesty

Sirsa: The Sirsa police today booked a person for stalking and outraging the modesty of a woman lawyer practising in Sirsa district courts.

A case of stalking and outraging the modesty of women under the IPC has been registered against Jitender Godara of Kheowali village on the complaint of the lawyer. The woman alleged that Jitender came to her yesterday and said he wanted her help to implicate a government official posted at Kurukshetra in a case of sexual exploitation.

She alleged that Jitender told her that he would pay her heftily if she levelled allegations of sexual exploitation against the official. The victim said she denied the offer and asked him to leave.

“However, the accused kept sitting next to her and made obscene remarks and gestures ,” she alleged in her complaint to the police. The police said efforts were on to arrest the accused.

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Govt plans to shut down 4 Panipat thermal units
Cites higher cost of power generation as the reason
Tribune News Service

Ambala/Hisar, April 25
Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) is all set to phase out four units of the Panipat Thermal Power Station (PTPS) as these units have been out of operations since September last year. Citing high cost of generation from these units, the corporation has been contemplating shutting them down.

Sources said the Haryana power utilities would decide in the regard soon after the Lok Sabha elections.

They said a unit of power generated from these four units, which are of 110 MW capacity each, now costs around Rs 5, while power was available in the open market at a cost of Rs 3.26.

Defending the decision to purchase power from private players, the power utilities stated that a merit order in terms of actual cost of power purchase from the private players was followed to ensure that no additional cost was borne by the end users.

A spokesman for the utilities said there were more than 60 sources from which power was being purchased by the power utilities.

He said the current tariff applicable on power bought from private players was around Rs 3.26, while the average per unit cost of power sold between April 2013 and February 2014, from units No. 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the Panipat thermal plant was Rs 3.51, Rs 3.44, Rs 3.40 and Rs 3.38, respectively.

The spokesman said only the Yamunanagar thermal plant was generating power at a cost of Rs 2.89 per unit and that from the Khedar power plant, the cost was Rs 3.23 per unit during the same period. He said all efforts were afoot to ensure cheaper power to the consumers.

However, Haryana Power Engineers Association president KD Bansal argued that it was nothing but fudging of figures and, in actual, purchasing power from the private sector was much costlier than generating in own thermal plants. “For example, besides paying Rs 3.26 to the Adani Group, the state has to shell out over Re 1 per unit as a fixed cost which includes maintenance of thermal plants even when they remain shut and expenses of the employees like salaries etc. Include this cost and the total cost crosses Rs 4 per unit,” he said.

There are more than 60 sources from which power is being purchased by the power utilities. Only the Yamunanagar thermal plant is generating power at a cost of Rs 2.89 per unit and that from the Khedar power plant, the cost is Rs 3.23 per unit during the same period. All efforts are afoot to ensure cheaper power to consumers. — Spokesperson, power utilities

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Haryana wheat finds way to Rajasthan grain markets
Vasundhara government offers special bonus
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, April 25
Wheat produced in Haryana is finding its way to grain markets in Rajasthan. Owing to special bonus of Rs 150 per quintal announced by the Vasundhara Raje government, farmers from villages on Haryana’s border with Rajasthan have been taking their crop to grain markets in that state these days.

“I have nearly 750 quintal of wheat on my 40 acres of fields. Selling my crop in Rajasthan fetches me Rs 1.15 lakh. It is more than what I get if I sell my produce in Haryana,” said a farmer from Amritsar Kalan village near Ellenabad.

Sushil Parikh, a trader from the Ellenabad grain market in Sirsa, also admitted that wheat from this area was finding its way to Tibbi and Hanumangarh mandis of Rajasthan due to bonus.

Parikh said it was a reverse trend this time, as earlier, wheat from Rajasthan used to come to Haryana mandis.

Jasbir Singh, president of the Grain Market Traders’ Association in Ellenabad, said though the authorities in Rajasthan had made it mandatory for the farmers to show land records before purchasing wheat, people often find a way out. “The Rajasthan government has kept a limit of 60 quintal per hectare for the purpose of bonus, but the actual production in that area is hardly 45 to 50 quintal per hectare. Hence, the traders in Rajasthan markets themselves manage the records for Haryana farmers,” Jasbir Singh maintained.

“For me, J-Form, a document of proof of sale of crops, is more important than the bonus, as it gives me the reason to show my income in books,” Gurjeet Singh Mann, a progressive farmer from Kirpal Patti in Sirsa, said.

He said with the Assembly elections round the corner, there are strong possibilities that Haryana might also announce bonus on wheat.

Ram Avtar Yadav, District Food and Supplies Controller, Sirsa, however, maintained that the quantity of wheat going towards Rajasthan mandis was not very significant.

“There are only three grain markets of Bani, Kagdana and Ellenabad in Sirsa from where the crop is going towards Tibbi and Hanumangarh markets of Rajasthan. Since, there is no restrain on farmers, we cannot stop our wheat going to Rajasthan,” he said.

He, however, said that the earlier practice of Rajasthan wheat coming to Haryana mandis had stopped.

Yadav said the total procurement of wheat in Sirsa was likely to cross the last year’s figures of 8.39 lakh MT, as the authorities were expecting an arrival of 9 lakh MT wheat this time.

However, he said, there was no chance of reaching anywhere near the 2012 season purchase of 11 lakh MT, as that was due to intermittent rains and resultant increase in moisture content.

Rajbir Singh, District Food and Supplies Controller, Fatehabad, said no crop from his district was going towards Rajasthan.

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State government gears up to tackle cyber attacks
Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25
Haryana has put in place an institutional mechanism to check cyber threats and attacks. To begin with, the Haryana Government has set up the Information Security Management Office (ISMO) to address matters related to information security management.

The setting up of the ISMO was finalised at a recent meeting to review e-Governance initiatives with the Chief Secretary in the chair.

It was stressed at the meeting that cyber threats and attacks were carried out not just by individuals but were reported to be far more organised. “The state has decided to make a paradigm shift in addressing security concerns given the dynamic nature of software and its vulnerabilities,” official sources asserted.

The ISMO would create common infrastructure and build capacity and expertise to cater to information security needs of the state.

“The ISMO is positioned as an independent agency under the State e-Governance Society, capable of supporting all departments and agencies of the government. All important e-Governance projects shall be brought under the purview of the ISMO.

The ISMO would carryi out vulnerability assessments and penetration testing as may be required by each project so as to detect security vulnerabilities and address them in a proactive manner.

“However, the ISMO does not intend to carry out certifications or compliance audits as the primary objective is to help plug security issues that are typical of e-Governance applications,” a senior official said.

The departments and projects would be required to allocate between 5% to 10% of their annual IT or e-Governance project budgets for information security.

Cyber security

  • Haryana forms Information Security Management Office (ISMO).
  • ISMO to create infrastructure to cater to information security needs of the state.
  • All e-Governance projects to be brought under ISMO.
  • 5-10% IT budget to be set apart for information security.

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Boy's death in kurukshetra
Docs shut clinics, seek action against stone-pelters
Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, April 25
Many private doctors in the city today suspended their work and demanded action against the people who had thrown stones at a private hospital after the death of a boy yesterday.

Dr Rakesh Bhardwaj, spokesperson for the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kurukshetra, said, “What happened with the boy needs to be looked into but throwing stones and making allegations of negligence against the doctor is condemnable. A medical board should be constituted to probe the case and no action should be taken against the doctor on baseless allegations.”?

The doctors met the Deputy Commissioner (DC), Kurukshetra, and sought action against family members of the deceased.

Bhardwaj said, “We have submitted a memorandum to DC Nikhil Gajraj and asked him to take action against the family members of the deceased as attacking a doctor and damaging hospital property is a non-bailable offence.? The doctors also demanded better security for medical practitioners in view of the increasing attacks. They went back to their duties at 1 pm after getting an assurance of proper action from the DC.

Relatives of Ishandeep (12), who died of alleged overdose of anesthesia during a leg surgery, created ruckus at the clinic, thrown stones and staged a demonstration at Ambedkar Chowk yesterday, demanding registration of a case against the accused doctor.

Ishandeep’s family had accused Dr Suresh Bhola of medical negligence; however the hospital administration denied the allegation and claimed that the appropriate dose of anesthesia was administered by the expert doctor. The boy died of cardiac arrest.

A case has been registered in this regard however no arrest has been made so far.

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Exploitation of farmers, traders in grain markets
HJC to launch statewide stir: Chander Mohan
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, April 25
Former Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan today announced that the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) would launch a state-wide agitation if the “exploitation” of farmers and traders in grain markets did not stop within 72 hours. Sirsa Grain Market Traders Association president Surinder Minchnabadi alleged that there had been no improvement in market conditions despite several complaints to the authorities.

Chander Mohan and HJC candidate from Sirsa Sushil Indora visited grain markets of the district today and alleged that farmers and traders were being fleeced in the mandis due to the indifferent approach of the government.

Speaking to mediapersons at Sirsa, Chander Mohan said the HJC would wait for three days and if the conditions did not improve, the party would launch a state-wide agitation.

Meanwhile, Minchnabadi today alleged that despite several complaints, the authorities had failed to mitigate the problems of traders.

“We have brought to the notice of the authorities several times that contractors, engaged in wheat lifting, were demanding Rs 8 per quintal in collusion with the authorities concerned. But no action has been taken against any one,” he alleged.

He alleged that there was a tacit support of the authorities to the illicit payment of Rs 2.4 crore this season as nearly 30 lakh quintals of wheat are arriving to the grain market.

Denying Minchnabadi’s allegations, the District Food and Supplies Controller, Sirsa Ram Avtar Yadav, said the lifting had improved in Sirsa in the past three days.

He said out of 4.68 lakh MT of wheat procured in the entire district, nearly 35 per cent had been lifted.

He said about 43 per cent of the wheat procured at the Sirsa grain market had been lifted.

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DC flags off awareness drive on wheat stubble burning
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, April 25
To stop farmers from burning wheat stubble on the fields after harvesting their crop, the Agriculture Department in Sirsa has started an awareness drive from today. Anshaj Singh, Deputy Commissioner, flagged off a public awareness van of the department from the Mini Secretariat.

Speaking to mediapersons after the flag off of the awareness van, the DC said burning of wheat stubble on fields was banned in the district by the authorities by promulgation of prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

He said violation of the orders was punishable under Section 188 of the IPC as well as under provisions of the Environmental laws.

He said officials of the Agriculture Department would make villagers aware of the ill effects of burning wheat stubble through public address system installed on the van.

The officials would also distribute publicity material to awaken villagers on this issue.

The DC added that a vehicle was being sent to all the administration blocks of the Sirsa district each.

Stubble burning is not only injurious to human health due to environmental hazards involved in it, the process is also harmful for the crops as several friendly pests that save crops from the harmful ones are burnt in the fire.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in a civil writ petition CWP- 10138 of 2006, Captain Sarbjeet Singh verses State of Punjab and others, regarding non-burning of wheat stubble, paddy straw and dry fallen leaves, had directed the state government to take remedial measures to stop burning of wheat and paddy stubble in the fields.

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Youth hacked to death
Houses of attackers ransacked in Fatehabad
Tribune News Service

Fatehabad, April 25
Tension prevailed in the town after a youth was hacked to death at his residence in Thakur Basti in the afternoon. After Pinki’s death, hundreds of men and women from his Balmiki community attacked houses of the attackers -- Dhanak community, beat up people and ransacked their houses. Both Balmiki and Dhanak communities are Dalits. Sources said an altercation earlier in the day triggered the killing.

Hundreds of men and women from the Balmiki community were present outside the General Hospital where the body was kept.

Sources said two groups had quarreled near a tailor’s shop this morning, resulting in injuries to Sonu and Sunder, both belonging to the Dhanak community.

Sonu and Sunder alleged that Pinki, Jannat, Soniya and Krishan had attacked them with scissors.

Later, a group of youths from the Dhanak community entered the Pinki’s house and attacked him with swords.

Pinki was shifted to the General Hospital with critical injuries, where doctors pronounced him brought dead.

After the postmortem, relatives of the victim refused to accept the body till all accused were arrested.

In the meantime, DSP Naripjeet Singh reached the hospital with a large contingent of the police force.

The DSP said they had already arrested two of the 10 youths named in the FIR. He said the police were making efforts to arrest the remaining accused. Naripjeet said the situation was under control.

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Schools to give admission to 10% BPL students in class I

Sonepat, April 25
Though the government had released the list of the students who are to be given admission in classes I and II by the private schools in the district, private school managements have decided to give admission to 10 per cent students belonging to the BPL families only in class I.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the district unit of the Haryana United Schools’ Association that concluded at Janki Dass Public School here late last evening.

The meeting was presided over by state president of the association Bijender Maan and representatives from 272 schools attended it.

It was unanimously decided that under 134-A of the Right To Education (RTE) Act, such students would be exempted only from the tuition fee and the other charges of the school would be taken from the students.

Taking exception to this move of the private schools, district president of the Chhatar Abhibhawak Sangh Vimal Kishor said the admission process was being conducted under the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the new move of the private schools was in violation of the court’s directions. “We will move the high court door again,” he said.

DEO Parmeshwari Hooda has asked private school managements not to go against the government directions. “They have to give admission to the students as per the rules,” she added. — OC

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Molestation case
Voice clip of complainant goes viral on social app

Hisar, April 25
An audio conversation, involving a woman teacher of the DAV Police Public School who had lodged a complaint of molestation against three staff members, recorded in a mobile phone, has gone viral on the WhatsApp (a social networking application) here.

The woman complainant is heard urging the employee to give a statement in her favour and against three staff members whom she accused of holding her hand and hurling abuses. The employee was, however, reluctant to comply to her demand but she insisted on seeking his favour while also referring to having been in confidence of a senior police official posted in Hisar.

Police spokesperson Harish Bhardwaj said investigation was going on into the two FIRs registered on separate complaints of two women teachers against the principal on the one hand and three staff members, including two teachers, on the other.

While one woman has accused the principal of molesting and harassing her during her service in the school before she left the job in February this year, another woman accused three staff members of similar charges.

The arrest of the three accused staffers had sparked violence on Wednesday when students and teachers went on a rampage and blocked the Hisar-Chandigarh highway. The protesters sided with the accused staff members while arguing that they were being falsely implicated in the case at the behest of the school principal.

The principal as well as the three staff members got bail in the cases. — TNS

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Deposit tax within 7 days, MC tells property dealers
Our Correspondent

Ambala, April 25
The Municipal Corporation (MC) has asked the commercial property owners to deposit the arrear of their property tax within seven days or their property would be attached. The tough stand of the MC has forced the property owners to deposit the arrears.

Reports said the corporation would receive Rs 100 crore if the entire arrear were recovered. The corporation has identified around 28,000 commercial properties in the city and the cantonment area that comes under the commercial property tax. Last year after a survey, the corporation had issued notices to the owners of those properties but only a few had turned up to deposit the tax.

A number of commercial properties, especially in the city area, have been constructed without the approval of the site plan. Some of owners of the commercial properties have approved their commercial structure as residential property. It could create some problem for the corporation.

MC Commissioner Dr Saket Kumar said commercial property owners should deposit the property tax which would be utilised for the development of Ambala City, Ambala Cantt and the villages that came under the corporation periphery.

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Act on Shivalik manch memo, PMO to CS
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25
The Prime Minister’s Office(PMO) has written to the Haryana Chief Secretary to take ‘appropriate action’ on allegations of skewed development in the Shivalik region in the districts of Ambala, Yamunanagar and Panchkula.

In a communication to Vijay Bansal, president of the Shivalik Vikas Manch, the PMO asked the Chief Secretary to redress the grieavances of the residents of the Shivalik region. Bansal had shot off a memorandum to the Prime Minister, alleging discrimination with the Shivalik region in the matters of development and jobs.

In his memorandum, Bansal had demanded a special economic package for the Shivalik region and a judicial probe into skewed development and nepotism in government jobs in Haryana.

Setting up of a medical college, upgradation of Raipur Rani as a sub-tehsil, a mini-secretariat at Kalka, four-laning of the Panchkula-Yamunanagar highway, setting of an IIT and an IIM in the Shivalik region and a special economic package were other demands listed in the memorandum submitted by the manch.

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Police to counsel KU Vice-Chancellor, wife
Nitish Sharma
Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, April 25
The district police will call Kurukshetra University (KU) Vice Chancellor Dr DDS Sandhu and his wife, Sukhjit Kaur, for counselling before taking any further action in the alleged domestic violence case.

Sukhjit Kaur yesterday lodged a complaint against DDS Sandhu alleging that he is not financially supporting her and has thrown her out of the house on the KU campus.

However, Sandhu, who was out of the town, refuted allegations. He said he had been staying in Karnal for the last six months to take care of his ailing mother and the keys of the house were with his wife so how could he throw her out.

He said he was paying her regularly for her financial needs and it had been a long time since he had met her.

Kurukshetra City DSP Satish Gautam said, “Both parties will be called for the counselling to resolve the matter through mutual consent. No FIR has been registered in the case so far.”

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College teachers mull state-level protest
Tribune News Service

Karnal, April 25
Government college teachers are planning to hold a state-level protest against the policies of the Higher Education Department. Haryana Government College Teachers Association (HGCTA) general secretary Ram Partap Singh said the teachers were overloaded with work due to double standards adopted by the department while assigning teaching work to the government and government-aided college teachers.

“Classes taught by a college teacher per week are much more than recommended by the UGC. These recommendations are being followed only by private colleges,” he added.

“The UGC stipulates five hours of mandatory stay for a teacher in the college and recommends 16 and 14 hours of direct teaching-learning process for assistant and associate professors, respectively,” he said.

He demanded rationalisation of their workload in accordance with the UGC norms and increase in the retirement age from 58 to 60 years.

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Housewife robbed of cash, jewellery
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, April 25
Posing as mechanics, two unidentified youths looted cash and jewellery worth Rs 19 lakh from a housewife in Sector 17 here yesterday. The culprits used a kitchen knife to hold the woman hostage.

In her complaint, Seema Arora alleged that at 11.20 am, two youths knocked the gate of her house and told her that they had come to repair their water purifier. When she led them to the kitchen, one of them picked up a knife and the other overpowered her and tied her hands and mouth with her dupatta. While she tried to raise the alarm, the accused forced a piece of cloth into her mouth and threatened to kill her.

The victim, who was alone in the house, was also beaten up. The accused took away Rs 11 lakh in cash and jewellery worth Rs 8 lakh from the house.

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APCPL Jhajjar to supply extra power to Andhra
Tribune News Service

Ambala, April 25
In response to a request made by the Andhra Pradesh government, an additional 276.83 MW of power would be supplied to the state to meet its power demand in the ensuing summer season by Aravali Power Company Private Limited (APCPL) in Jhajjar.

Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan had written to the union power ministry for additional power in the wake of massive shortage being faced by the state during the Rabi season.

Responding to Narasimhan's request, the Centre has asked the authorities to supply power to Andhra Pradesh. A communication in this regard was received on Wednesday.

Accordingly, sources in the Haryana discoms said a formal agreement between APCPL, Jhajjar and the Andhra Pradesh government would be signed for the extra allocation of power. The APCPL is already supplying 226.17 MW to the state and with the extra supply, the Andhra Pradesh would start getting 503 MW from a thermal power plant in Haryana.

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Preparations on for transparent vote count
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, April 25
The counting of votes for the Sirsa parliamentary seat would be held under the surveillance of close circuit television (CCTV) cameras and the entire process would be displayed on a LED screen installed at the counting hall.

The counting process would be saved in systems.

Sirsa Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anshaj Singh, who is also the Returning Officer for Sirsa, said various steps had been taken to make the process transparent.

He said the authorities had placed 10 tables each at counting centres of all Assembly segments of the Sirsa seat.

In all, 180 officials will be on duty for the counting of votes at these centres.

Anshaj Singh said a three-layer security would be in place at the time of counting and no unauthorised person would be allowed to enter the counting centres.

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Schools’ body protests stay on fee hike
Tribune News Service

Karnal, April 25
The Karnal Independent Schools’ Association (KISA) today protested the stay on fee hike ordered by the District Elementary Education Officer and sent a letter to the Director of Secondary Education in this regard.

Association president RS Virk today chaired a meeting and discussed issues such as provisions of the Act 134A and unwanted interruptions by outsiders in day-to-day working of the schools.

RS Virk said all CBSE schools provided the fee structure and the proposed fee hike on Form 6 of the Haryana Education Act to the District Education Officer before December 31, 2013.

He said the CBSE schools should not be blamed for the fee hike as they had submitted their three years’ income and expenditure statements to the committee, constituted by the court. Association spokesperson KMS Batth said, “All schools are committed to provide quality and low cost education and a reasonable fee hike is desirable due to inflation and input costs. It is not possible for the schools to carry on their activities without a proper provisioning of funds.”

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Woman cop ends her life in Sonepat
Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, APRIL 25
Neeraj, a woman constable in the Haryana Police, today committed suicide by hanging from a fan at her in-laws’ house in Saragthal village. She was posted at Gharonda police station.

The Gohana police brought her body to the local Civil Hospital for a postmortem examination.

The police said the deceased was married to Sanjay about eight years ago and had two children. Sanjay looked after farming in the village while Neeraj used to stay with her children at Gharonda. It was suspected to be a case of family dispute .

In another case, Bijender (25) of Kakroi village was found murdered in the village fields today. His body bore injuries inflicted by a sharp-edged weapon. After a postmortem examination, the body was handed over to his family.

In a complaint to the police, the victim’s father stated that Bijender had gone to fields last evening but did not return. A case of murder had been registered in this connection.

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2 youths lose life in bid to see death from close
Tribune News Service

Jind, April 25
Two young friends jumped before a local passenger train in Narwana last evening to 'see death from close'. They died on the spot. After post-mortem, the police handed over the bodies to their relatives this morning.

The police recovered a suicide note from the pocket of one of the deceased, in which they had written that they wanted to "see death from closer and if anything happens to them, no one should be held responsible for their death".

During preliminary investigations, the deceased were identified as 21-year-old Sunil of Khanauri, a student of graduation first year at Narwana college, and 16-year-old Sunny, a school drop out.

"It is a strange case. Call it madness or immaturity, both died together when they attempted to see death from closer. We have handed over the bodies to the families," said the Haryana Railway police.

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Contract permits for vehicles carrying students
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25
The Haryana Government has decided to give contract carriage permits, in place of the existing private service vehicle permits, to the owners of vehicles carrying students. Besides, the government has also decided to exempt the owners of these vehicles--- educational institutes or other private persons---from the liability of road tax. A press note said this decision would increase the number of vehicles used to carry students and improve the financial viability of such vehicles. It would reduce the burden of transport charges and ensure safer transportation of children.

The special terms and conditions have been imposed while granting the contract carriage permit to owners of such vehicles so as to prevent the misuse of the road tax exemption facility. These vehicle owners may be allowed to have a contract with students of more than one school or college.

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Students block road over development funds
Our Correspondent

Kaithal, April 25
Hundreds of students of the Haryana College of Technology and Management (HCTM) blocked the NH-65 for an hour over charging of development funds. Some students allegedly broke flowerpots on the college premises and deflated tyres of the principal’s car.

The police arrived on the spot and asked the students to lift the blockade. However, they raised slogans and expressed resentment against the funds. Later, DP Gupta, director principal, talked to the students and told them that the fund was not levied by the college but was being charged as per university guidelines. He said the college administration had apprised the university authorities of the views of the students. He assured the protesters that the matter would be looked into.

The students lifted the blockade and traffic was restored but threatened stir if their demands were not met.

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Ban revoked on use of wheat stubble in cardboard firms
Tribune News Service

Fatehabad, April 25
Within days of imposing a ban on the use of wheat stubble in brick kilns and cardboard industry, the district authorities today rescinded its orders in view of the opposition from farmers.

In orders issued under Section 144 of the CrPC on April 18, Deputy Commissioner DK Bahera had imposed ban on burning of wheat straw in brick kilns and using it for the manufacturing of cardboard.

The orders said the ban was being imposed in view of the scarcity of cattle fodder in case the monsoon was delayed.

The orders also banned the burning of wheat residue in the fields. Today, the DC issued another order annulling the earlier orders.

Explaining the reasons, an official spokesperson said farmers were facing heavy losses due to the orders, as the brick kilns and cardboard units had stopped the purchase of stubble.

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Unauthorised structures demolished in Sonepat
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, April 25
A demolition squad of the Town and Country Planning Department today demolished 14 boundary walls, 125 DPCs and 13,220 feet brick road network in an area of 20 acres in Safiabad village of the district.

The area falls in the notified Kundli-Sonepat urban belt.

Dilbag Singh, the District Town Planner (DTP), said the demolition drive was carried out successfully with the help of the district administration. Mahender Singh, Rai naib tehsildar, was deputed duty magistrate.

The DTP said the requisite notices and restoration orders were issued under the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975, to the parties concerned, but there was no response. Hence, the department had no other option but to demolish the illegal constructions, he added.

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Video conferencing facility started at Madhuban FSL

Karnal, April 25
To save time and money while producing evidence in the courts of law across the state, the Forensic Science Laboratory, Madhuban, has added a new facility of video conferencing system. S N Vashisht, DGP, Haryana, today inaugurated this facility and held a video talk with Sessions Judges of Gurgaon and Faridabad.

He said it will save the time of scientists and will help in speedy trial of crime cases as it will provide the facility of two-sided face-to-face interactions.

The DGP added that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had allowed recording of evidence of forensic scientists through video conferencing. Vashisht said efforts were being made to establish four regional forensic labs in the state for speedy submission of test reports in courts of law. He said these four labs would help reduce the pendency of crime cases. — TNS

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