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Tuesday,
October 23, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Controversy over HCS exam Workload on judiciary concerns SC NTPC tariff charge from Nov 1 IN FOCUS HP to supply power to other states |
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Registration of nursing homes with ultrasound machines opposed Women exhorted to develop intellect 2 cops booked in rape case One falls sick after opening envelope Nursing home building collapses BJP leaders boycott
function
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Controversy over HCS exam Chandigarh, October 22 Perhaps, the only time the HCS examination was conducted without raising any dust within living memory was when Mr M. Ramsekhar, at present the Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh, supervised the examination in his capacity as the Secretary of the HPSC. The commission started interviewing 193 candidates who were declared successful in the written examination from today. The interviews are being held at Red Bishop, a Haryana Tourism complex at Panchkula. The interviews will continue till November 10. The irrepressible RPI MLA, Mr Karan Singh Dalal, alleged here today that among the 10 candidates who had topped the written examination were wards of influential persons. He said these candidates had been given such high scores in the written examination as would place them in the list of successful candidates even if they were awarded a low score in the interview. There are nine posts of HCS for the general category candidates. Mr
Dalal claimed that among the top 10 candidates were the daughters of
the serving Director-General of Haryana police, Mr M.S. Malik, and a
former DGP, Mr S.P.S. Rathore. He alleged that this was a reward to
the police officers by the Chief Minister for implicating his
political adversaries in “false” cases. He said a son of Mr Sher Singh Badshami, Political Adviser to the Chief Minister, as well as a sister of the Managing Director of the Haryana State Industries Development Corporation, Dr Harbaksh Singh, also figured in the list. He said the person who had topped the list was the co-author of a book on the HCS examination. The other author of the book, he alleged, was the Secretary of the commission, Mr Hardeep Singh. Other
candidates, Mr Dalal alleged, were also either related to influential
persons or had “bought their success”. The Chairman of the commission, Dr K.C. Bangar, denied the allegations. He told TNS that the record of the successful candidates would be preserved by the commission for 10 years. Any aggrieved candidate could examine the record after following the procedure, which was to approach the courts, under whose directions the commission would make the record public. Dr
Bangar said his functioning was absolutely “fair and transparent”.
He would resign his post if any irregularity was detected or proved.
One candidate, who was caught using unfair means in the written
examination, had been disqualified for 10 years by the commission. He
would not be able to appear in any competitive examination to be
conducted by any state public service commission. Dr Bangar said even his wife was a candidate for the HCS examination and she had sent her application when he was abroad on an assignment. But after he took over as the Chairman of the HPSC, he thought it proper not to allow her to sit in the examination so that its sanctity could be maintained. Similarly, blood relations of three HPSC members also sat in the examination. These members were not associated with the selection of examiners. Incidentally, the blood relations of the members had failed to qualify the written examination. Should
not the Secretary, whose co-author was a candidate, have been
dissociated from the conduct of the examination? Dr Bangar did not
agree. “Anyone can write a book,” he said, adding that this
particular candidate had cleared the written examination of the HCS
four times in the past as well as the written examination of the IAS
on two occasions. He was already in the state allied services. Mr Dalal said the
answer sheets should be re-evaluated under the supervision of the Union Public Service Commission because meritorious candidates were feeling cheated. He also wanted a CBI probe. |
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Workload
on judiciary concerns SC Yamunanagar, October
22 Giving statistics, he said in India
there were 11 judges for every one million persons, whereas, in the
USA, there were 100 judges for every one million persons. Mr Bhan
lauded the contribution of the lawyers to the independence struggle
and exhorted them to serve society in the same manner. He said the
public had great expectations from the judiciary but cooperation of
lawyers was essential to meet its expectations. He asked the lawyers
to work with devotion to meet the challenge. Mr Bhan said Bar and
Bench are parts of one judicial system and are inseparable. Mr Ram
Kumar Radauri lauded the role played by Mr Bhan as President of the
Bar Association, Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh. He also
thanked the Haryana Government and the Chief Justice of the Punjab and
Haryana High Court for upgrading Yamunanagar as sessions division. He
also appreciated the assistance of the state government in the
construction of judicial complex here. Later talking to reporters, Mr
Bhan said retired judges were not answerable to high courts whereas
appointee judges were. Therefore, the latter would be considered for
the fast-track courts. Mr Bhan also planted a tree in the judicial
complex. Mr Dhani Ram Yadav, Mr V.K. Lakshi, Mr B.S. Sheoran, all
additional district and sessions judges, were among those present on
the occasion. |
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NTPC tariff charge from Nov 1 Rohtak, October 22 The NTPC has reportedly taken the decision to discourage Haryana and other power-starved states from overdrawing electricity during the low-frequency hours. It will, however, charge standard tariff upto 49.6 Hz frequency but the charge will be much higher if Haryana and other states draw power when the frequency is lower. The Chief Engineer, UHBVN, Rohtak Zone, Mr Prem Sagar, told The Tribune that Haryana would not purchase power from the NTPC at a higher tariff than it was paying now. This means that the power consumers in Haryana should be prepared to face unscheduled power cuts during the peak load hours in the coming months. Mr Prem Sagar claimed that the UHBVN was supplying between 450 to 550 lakh units (LU) of electricity to its consumers every day. This was nearly 8 to 10 per cent higher than the previous year. It has supplied 624 LU on a single day in the paddy growing region as against 525 LU the previous year. Mr Prem Sagar said while the quantity of energy received had gone down, the figures for energy sold were on the six. For instance, he said, the energy received by the Industrial Subdivision, Sonepat, had declined from 75 LU to 60 LU, the energy sold had increased from 37 LU to 41 LU. This
had become possible following installation of new electronic meters.
The consumers, too, he said, had become more conscious about the power
consumption and a large number of them had installed ‘energy savers’
at their residences. The Chief Engineer dismissed reports that the
new electronic meters were fast as baseless. He said these meters were
tested by the department along with other meters and it was observed
that the new meters were most accurate. Moreover, the UHBVN had set up
an “electronic testing bench” at Karnal and Yamunanagar to
eliminate human errors in the testing of meters. More such benches are
proposed to be commissioned at Rohtak, Kaithal and Dhulkot. He said revenue collections by the UHBVN had also increased after a campaign was launched against power theft and new meters were installed. During September, the revenue collections were Rs 37.16 crore as compared to Rs 27.94 crore last year. This was possible because of a slight increase in the tariff, availability of more power and decline in the incidence of theft. The department has detected 5,645 cases of power theft in the Rohtak zone comprising Rohtak, Sonepat, Jhajjar, and Jind districts. The department had imposed a penalty of Rs 457.12 lakh on account of theft of power and recovered Rs 201.95 lakh. The department had also lodged FIRs against 1,106 such consumers, including 69 industrial and nine agricultural consumers, he said. The electricity bills outstanding against the rural consumers had increased by nearly 20 per cent, he said. While the outstanding bills amounted to Rs 214 crore in August, 2000, these have risen to Rs 247.12 crore by the end of August this year, he added. |
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IN FOCUS Ambala The table and chairs are used whenever meetings are held here. The furniture retains the old world charm and its distinct character with the table having a solid wooden top. The Office Superintendent, Mr Jagmohan Sharma, says that the table and the chairs in the Cantonment Board office were rushed to Shimla before the historic meeting. “Only a verbal order was issued and the table, which can be dismantled into four parts, and the chairs were taken to Shimla in a truck”, he said. The furniture was returned to Ambala after some time. “I was in service when the furniture was sent to Shimla. After it came back, we used to introduce new officers to the Cantonment Board, saying that this table and these chairs were used during the historic Shimla Agreement,” he said. The table and chairs are said to be about 50 years old. Two carpenters, Santokh Singh and Kan Singh, are stated to have prepared the oval shaped table and the chairs for the Cantonment Board. The Executive Officer of the Cantonment Board, Mr S.S. Chahal, says there is no official record to show that these chairs and the table were indeed taken to Shimla before the Mrs Gandhi-Bhutto meeting. He, however, stated that he had turned down a proposal for putting a laminated top on the table. “We have retained the original nature of the old furniture. There is no question of changing its original character. Except regular polishing, we do not allow anything else,” he said. Perhaps the solid old table and chairs at the Cantonment Board may have a tale to tell of how leaders from India and Pakistan managed to reach an agreement even though a similar attempt three decades later had failed at Agra.
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HP to supply power to other states Yamunanagar, October 22 He claimed that there was not a single house left in Himachal Pradesh where there was no power connections. He admitted that in few areas there were some problems regarding power supply, but he was sure that very shortly the problem would be solved. He said in per capita income Himachal Pradesh was number six in the country. He said that there was short fall of teachers in the state but in near future all vacancies would be filled. Mr Suraj Bhan said he had proposed to convene a meeting of industrialists of Himachal Pradesh and would persuade them to start one educational institution in the state to impart free and better education to deserving students. He said he already had a discussion with the Chief Minister and Education Minister of the state regarding this issue. |
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Registration of nursing homes with ultrasound machines opposed Ambala, October 22 The doctors while opposing this move said there was no provision in the Act to register the nursing homes having ultrasound machine for diagnostic purposes. In fact the registration was made compulsory for genetic counselling centres, genetic laboratories and the genetic clinics where prenatal diagnostic techniques were carried out for the purpose specified in the Act. The president of the Haryana unit of the IMA, Dr D.S. Jaspal, said the association was against the sex determination test of the unborn child and its state council has already directed all its members not to involve themselves directly or indirectly in this unholy act. He said that IMA has formed vigilance committees of its own to keep an eye over it. He said the members have been advised to get their ultrasound machine registered. He, however, said that the demand of Rs 3,000 for the registration was not appropriate. Dr Jaspal also strongly objected that even though the Act do not provide any rule for the registration of ultrasound machines, the authorities concerned were getting the statutory forms meant for genetic counselling centres and genetic laboratories filled up for ultrasound machines. When there was no provision for form and fees for the registration of ultrasound machines’ the authorities cannot provide any form and cannot demand any fees for the same, he added. One of the senior doctors running a nursing home in Ambala city said since there was no provision in the Act which prescribe any procedure for registration of ultrasound machines, even then the department was harassing the private nursing homes. According to the information, the IMA has already suggested the Union Government for several amendments in the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act. It has suggested that the ultrasound units should be incorporated in the Act as a separate category and the privilege of evaluating the pregnancy from conception to delivery at any stage should be allowed for the well being of the unborn child since the unborn child has every right to access to advance medical technology for his survival. Meanwhile, one of the senior officers of Haryana Health Directorate said recently the government had issued a letter directing them to make the registration of all the nursing homes running in the state having the ultrasound machines since such machines can be misused for the sex detection of unborn child.
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Women exhorted to develop intellect Fatehabad, October 22 Ms Nanda regretted the fact that even after a lot of development in every sphere, women in most of the societies remained a neglected lot. She said the birth of a girl child was still considered unwelcome in many of the Indian societies. She called upon people to encourage their daughters to go to schools. She also exhorted the women to wake up to their rights and get benefit from various government schemes. She also inaugurated a water storage scheme in the village. The SP, Mr Hanif Qureshi, ADC, Mr C. R. Rana, SDM, Mr R.K. Chouhan and other senior officers of the district were present on the occasion. |
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2 cops booked in rape case Rohtak, October
22 The
Sadar police here has registered a case under Sections 376, 342, 506
and 34, IPC, against both constables of the Railway police station
here. No arrest, however, has been made as the accused are reportedly
absconding. The girl has alleged that while being taken from Nari
Niketan at Karnal to the court of the CJM here on July 12 last, the
constables got off from the bus on return journey between Rohtak and
Gohana and she was raped. On reaching Karnal, the girl reported the
incident to the in charge, Nari Niketan, who got her medically
examined. When the doctor confirmed rape, the girl was produced before
the Deputy Commissioner, Karnal, who referred the matter to the CJM.
Incidentally, the girl had been sent to the Nari Niketan after she
had lodged a complaint with the Railway Police here that she was raped
by Manoj, a resident of Delhi, and his accomplice.  |
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One falls sick after opening envelope Ambala, October 22 The employee, Mr Masood Mahmood Shamsi, is working as section officer in the receipt and despatch department in the Punjab Wakf Board. This morning, after he opened a registered envelope, he felt nauseated and began vomiting. Mr Shamsi was rushed to a local doctor from where he left for his home in Muzaffarnagar. Enquiries revealed that the letter was registered and had reportedly been sent from Ladowal. The registered letter contained a photocopy of a Madhya Pradesh based newspaper. The photocopy was reportedly of a page containing advertisements, among others, of sleepers and fan. Although the registered envelope did not contain any powdery substance, there was no letter accompanying the photocopy which made the other employees suspicious. Chief Executive Officer Sahibzada Akhlaq Ahmed Khan opined that there was nothing wrong with the envelope. Incidentally, besides Mr Shamsi, two other employees had also handled the envelope and at the time of filing the report, nothing was wrong with them. The Chief Postmaster-General, Haryana Circle, Mr T.R. Sharma, said that the incident had not been brought to his notice. “The international mail does not come directly and the international mail is being scrutinised these days,” he said.
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Nursing home building collapses Kaithal, October 22 The incident occurred when the neighbours of Dr Chhatwal started digging an adjoining plot to construct a basement. A portion of the nursing home, which did not fall has cracks and was posing danger to passersby. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Phateh Singh Dagar, the SP, Mr A.S. Chawla visited the site. A large number of residents also visited the site. |
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BJP leaders boycott
function Sonepat, October 22 According to a report, Mr Sangwan and other BJP leaders expressed resentment at the lack of information about the function by the Sports Department of Haryana and the Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs. Ms Uma Bharati, Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs it may be recalled, had laid the foundation stone of the academy. Meanwhile, the district unit of the BJP has condemned the authorities of the state Sports Department for not inviting Mr Kishan Singh Sangwan, MP and other BJP leaders and urged the party high command to take a
serious note of the matter. They lodged a protest with the Haryana Chief Minister in this regard. |
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2 cops caught taking bribe Sonepat, October 22 According to a report reaching here, Raju was going to Panipat by car when he was stopped by the two policemen for checking the documents. When Raju presented the documents, the duo said those were fake and he would be challaned. If he gave Rs 5,000 to them, he would be let off, they conceded. |
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Ten buffaloes stolen from dairy Sonepat, October 22 According to a report, the members of the gang were armed with countrymade pistols, lathis and iron rods and came in Canters. They tied the son and servant of the dairy owner before escaping. The Sadar police has registered a case in this connection. |
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Sangharsh Vahini holds demonstration Ambala, October 22 The activists of the vahini raised slogans and said it would be a burden on the common man. They demanded continuation of the old house tax policy. The convener of the Sangharsh Vahini, Mr Hira Lal Yadav, said they will continue to hold demonstrations against the new policy till it is withdrawn. He alleged that the state government was pursuing an anti-people policy.
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Aggarsain Jayanti celebrated Shahabad, October 22 The Tehsildar, Mr Ashok Garg, the SMO of the local Civil Hospital, Dr Pravin Garg, Dr P.C. Garg and Mr Suresh Kansal Ismailabadi were honoured at the function.
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Paddy arrivals Chandigarh, October 22
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