Haryana Diary: Govt on defensive over b’ball players’ death

Rohtak: The deaths of two minor players after basketball poles collapsed during training in Lakhan Majra village and Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar) have sent shockwaves across the state and put the BJP government in an embarrassing position. Leaders of Opposition parties are attacking the government over the poor state of sports infrastructure across the state. Although the issue was raised earlier too, it was largely ignored. Now, facing mounting criticism, the government this time appears defensive, offering assurances to improve sports facilities in a bid to defuse public outrage and counter political attacks.

Quietest room at Trauma Centre

Karnal: The District Civil Hospital has been running without a permanent Principal Medical Officer for more than one-and-a-half year. The post has remained vacant ever since the previous Principal Medical Officer retired on April 1 last year. However, the senior-most SMO is juggling double roles – managing his full OPD load and also managing the hospital’s day-to-day administration. Long-term planning and major proposals keep gathering dust because there is simply no full-time captain at the chair. The Opposition leaders have been raising the issue repeatedly, but nothing has happened. With no appointment in sight, the Principal Medical Officer’s office remains the quietest room on the first floor of the Trauma Centre.

Rift among BJP leaders deepens

Ambala: As the elections of the Ambala Municipal Corporation are approaching, the differences between the sitting BJP Mayor and a section of the BJP leaders, including the Deputy Mayor and several elected members of the House, are growing rapidly. In a recent episode, the Deputy Mayor of the corporation, Rajesh Mehta, along with several other members accused the Mayor of not supporting them on several public issues, including the regularisation of illegal colonies. Mehta gave the credit of getting public works done to former MLA Aseem Goel. Meanwhile, Mayor Shailja Sachdeva has also criticised the BJP leaders for targeting her and sent a complaint to the state president to mark her unhappiness. She said that some BJP leaders were making wrong statements against her which was unfortunate.