Gurgaon, July 5
When it comes to publicising its welfare plans, policies and achievements, the state government depends upon the Department of Information and Public Relations. However, when it comes to ensuring the welfare of the public relations officials, the state authorities tend to look the other way.

Resentment is brewing among the public relations (PR) officials of Haryana over their pay anomalies.

In fact, the state PR officials are a disappointed lot ever since the Haryana government announced its decision to implement the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission in the state.

The PR officials resent that they are being paid much less than the officials of other government departments despite having more sensitive responsibilities to discharge and more working hours.

They maintain that many a time, they have to work at odd hours for safeguarding the interests of the government, whereas highly paid officials of other departments are free after their designated duty hours. Haryana PR officers have been seeking the band and grade pay of Rs 15,600-39,100+5,400 with Class-I status similar to other officers having professional or technical qualifications.

Assistant Public Relation Officers want the pay band of Rs 9,300-34,800+4,200, while Deputy Directors (PR) demand the pay band of Rs 15,600-39,100+6,000.

A delegation of the state PR officials met Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at his residence in Chandigarh in December last. On being apprised of the matter, the Chief Minister assured them of taking prompt corrective action.

A copy of their representation was given to the committee constituted under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Dharamvir for the removal of pay anomalies.

According to a spokesperson for the PR officials, the Commissioner and Director of the Public Relations Department, KK Khandelwal, pleaded their case before the committee and gave supportive proofs and rules to convince the committee that their demand was justified.

As a result, it was approved in principle on file to remove the longstanding anomaly and provide relief to the PR officials. But then, the parliamentary elections were announced and the decision could not be implemented in view of the model code of conduct.

As of now, a notification of the pay grades approved on the file remains to be issued.

Six months have elapsed after the Chief Minister’s assurance to the PR officials, but any concrete action is still awaited. In the meantime, the government revised the pay scales of private secretaries hurriedly before the elections, while the scales of HCS officers have been revised afterwards.

This has raised speculations among the PR officials about the fate of their case.

Gurgaon, July 5
In an initiative aimed at ensuring active community participation to address ecological issues of global concern, delegates from the United Nations and Sikh leaders from various parts of the country as well as abroad met to chalk out an eco-friendly plan.

They met at an event titled EcoSikh Conclave, which was organised at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on July 4.

At the conference, they endorsed a five-year “greening” plan, which includes a long-term commitment to transform gurdwaras and schools into ecologically sound buildings in terms of energy and the types of building material used, besides incorporating environmental education into Sikh education curricula.

The summit on environment, organised by the USA-based Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE), was attended by UN Assistant Secretary-General Olav Kjorven and Victoria Finlay of the UK-based Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), among others.

“EcoSikh”, a five-year plan crafted by SCORE, envisages the dissemination of environment-related knowledge among the Sikh community in India and abroad to develop environmental activism.

The UN Assistant Secretary-General, who is also the UNDP Director of Development Policy, said: “Throughout history religions have helped people and civilisations interpret and understand events around them and to respond to new challenges in the light of their spiritual heritage and moral compass,” and added that “Now, when we’re facing the challenge of securing a livable planet for our children and safeguarding creation as we know it, the leadership of religions is indispensable.”

“Sikhism teaches us to be environmentally conscious and this conference with the UN was an opportunity for the Sikhs to demonstrate to the world that we are ready to translate our beliefs into action,” said Dr Rajwant Singh, the chairman of SCORE.

Dr Singh said they had also launched a website www.ecosikh.org to initiate worldwide participation of Sikhs in this movement.

Among those who attended the conclave were a Union Cabinet member, Dr Manohar Singh Gill, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) secretary Dilmegh Singh, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Paramjit Singh Sarna, a former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Kuldeep Singh, MP Tarlochan Singh, Manjit Singh, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) - Delhi president, Maj-Gen MS Chadha, and Sikh Forum secretary RS Chatwal.

Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, Baba Sewa Singh of Khadoor Sahib, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, former Jathedar Manjit Singh and Punjab secretary DS Jaspal were honoured for their environmental activism. Dr Farooq Beg from Pakistan, who has documented trees associated with Sikh Gurus, was also present.

Sirsa, July 5
Personnel at the Kariwala police post in this district are in the dock as villagers of the nearby Bani village are pointing an accusing finger at Sub-Inspector Om Parkash, in charge of the police post, in connection with the “disappearance” of a young woman who had come to the village on June 29.

The woman in her early twenties appeared to be from Bihar from her accent and was allegedly taken to the police post by Om Parkash on June 30 on the assurance that she would be sent to Nari Niketan. However, since then, villagers allege, the cop has not been giving a satisfactory reply regarding the whereabouts of the woman.

The villagers met Additional SP Sajjan Singh in this connection on Friday who marked an inquiry by DSP, Ellenabad, Balbir Singh.

While the villagers have threatened to launch an agitation if the woman was not produced before them, Sub-Inspector Om Parkash maintains that he had left the woman near Sirsa railway station on the same day.

“The woman, who looked mentally upset, came to our village on the evening of June 29 and after shops started closing, we informed the neighbouring Kariwala police post. Later, the woman was handed over to a village woman, Laxmi, who was to look after her for the night with the consent of the police,” said Girdhari Lal, a son of Ram Chander, sarpanch of Bani village, who informed the police.

Girdhari Lal alleged that Om Parkash came to the village the next morning, dragged the woman from her hair and took her away on the assurance that she would be sent to Nari Niketan after producing her before the SP.

However, the woman was neither produced before the district authorities nor sent to Nari Niketan.

“When we went to Om Parkash to inquire about the woman, he was evasive,” alleged Girdhari Lal and said he was feeling guilty about informing the police and feared the poor woman might not be in safe hands.

“The woman appeared to be mentally ill and was unable to answer questions put to her. I made her stay with a village woman as we do not have policewomen at the police post. The next morning I took her to Sirsa and left her near the railway station when she signalled in that direction,” Om Parkash maintained, when contacted.

He alleged that some villagers, who had liquor shops in the area, were trying to harm his reputation due to extraneous reasons.

Balbir Singh, DSP, said he had received the complaint of the villagers and would probe the matter.

Sirsa, July 5
Unemployed physical training instructors (PTIs) and drawing teachers today held a demonstration against the state government’s alleged stepmotherly treatment with them. The unemployed teachers today assembled in the local town park and raised slogans against the government.

“The Congress government had promised to start recruitment of PTIs and drawing teachers before the 2005 Assembly elections, but had conveniently forgotten it after coming to power,” alleged Suresh Kumar, an unemployed teacher.

He alleged that Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced to recruit 1,500 physical training instructors in Haryana, while attending a yoga camp of Baba Ramdev in Kurukshetra in 2006, but the announcement proved hollow.

The agitating teachers said they were convinced that the government was not going to accede to their demands without an agitation and hence they would soon launch a statewide agitation on this issue.

The agitating teachers said today’s meeting had been organised in all districts of Haryana in order to prepare the ground for a statewide agitation and in case the government did not take a decision to start fresh recruitment of their cadre, they would announce the dates of the statewide agitation next week.

Rohtak, July 5
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has made it clear that the state assembly elections will be held in February 2010 and there is no possibility of early elections. He was addressing a gathering at a state-level Balmiki Sammelan organised by the Balmiki Sabha, Haryana, to honour the Chief Minister here today.

Hooda announced that five Congress party tickets in the next Assembly elections would be allotted to candidates belonging to the Balmiki Samaj.

“Balmiki Samaj has always supported the Congress. Whenever people belonging to the Scheduled Castes did not support the Congress, it had to face a humiliating defeat in the elections,” said Hooda, alleging that atrocities had been committed on these communities during the previous regimes in the state.

The Chief Minister claimed the state government had formulated a number of policies and programmes for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and poor.

A unique scheme costing Rs 500 crore to grant scholarships to the Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes category A and students living below poverty line had also been launched in the state.

Indira Gandhi potable water supply scheme had been launched in the state under which water connections would be given free of cost in the Scheduled Castes localities and about five lakh water connections had been given to people belonging to the Scheduled Castes so far.

Paying reverence to Maharishi Balmiki, the Chief Minister said Maharishi Balmiki had shown the way to the humanity.

He urged the Balmiki Samaj to give unstinted support to the Congress in the Vidhan Sabha elections also as they had given full support during the recently held Lok Sabha elections.

Referring to the demand of the Balmiki Samaj, Hooda assured that full share would be given to them in the government. He said at present there were two Balmiki MLAs in the Congress and hoped that their strength would be four during the next Vidhan Sabha elections.

The Chief Minister also inaugurated mobile dental clinic services for rural areas in Haryana.

Hisar, July 5
The surcharge waiver scheme, launched by the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) and the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, has evoked a good response.

A spokesman for the DHBVN said here today that about 20,000 defaulting consumers availed of the benefit of the waiver of surcharge amounting to Rs 3 crore by paying a capital amount of pending bills amounting to Rs 12.5 crore.

The nigams had launched the scheme for all categories of consumers in urban as well as rural areas to give the last opportunity to the defaulters to clear the arrears of bills without paying the surcharge.

The scheme, which will continue till July 31, was applicable to only those connected and disconnected consumers who were defaulters on March 31 last and continued as such. Hundred per cent surcharge of such consumers would be waived off on liquidation of the total outstanding principal amount in lump sum.

He said the defaulting consumers, whose theft cases were pending in courts, would also be covered under this scheme. However, they would have to give an undertaking for withdrawal of their cases from the courts. Those cases would not be covered under the scheme where consumers were detected stealing power for the second time.

In case of wrong billing, the bills would be corrected as per the existing instructions of the nigam. In case of disconnected consumers, reconnection would be made on the payment of the outstanding principal amount.