Rohtak :
You want to withdraw cash from your bank account but are not able to move out of your home? Don’t worry, just give a call or send an SMS and your postman will come equipped with a smartphone and a biometric device and deliver cash at your doorstep.

“Yes, this is going to become a reality soon. The Department of Posts is launching as many as 3,900 branches of the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) across the country from September 1. The number of the branches will go up to 1.55 lakh by the end of the year,” said Adarsh Mishra, Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Rohtak Division.

 He said the Centre had sanctioned Rs 1,435 crore for the project, adding that of the 3,900 branches, 120 will be located in different parts of Haryana. Of these, 20 will be district-level branches and 100 branches – or access points – will be located in villages.

“The underlying idea behind the exercise is to reach out to the people residing in remote, rural and tribal areas and connect them with the banking sector so that gradually, the dream of a cashless economy can be achieved,” said Mishra.

He said online payment of bills, mobile recharge and other facilities would also be provided by the IPPB at the consumers’ doorstep. The IPPB would also tie up with other banks and insurance companies to widen its service network.

“A Quick Response (QR) card will also be provided to our customers to facilitate simple, secure, easy and risk-free transactions and online payments. It will operate in tandem with a biometric device to eliminate the possibility of fraud,” he added.

Kurukshetra :
Hurt over the Haryana Government’s inability to address her “social cause” of checking the alleged charging of arbitrary dakshina (religious fee) by pandas (priests), veteran BJP leader from Amritsar Laxmi Kanta Chawla does not want her post-funerary rituals to be performed at Pehowa town.

The former Health Minister of Punjab told over the phone that in the past year, she had written several times to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Women and Child Welfare Minister Kavita Jain without getting any response.

 “After the death of my brother, I visited Pehowa for rituals on May 13 last year. Two women were crying at the Saraswati tirtha area as the pandas demanded Rs10,000 as dakshina. The women told me they did not have enough money, but the pandas were adamant on not reducing their fee,” said Chawla. She clarified that the pandas did not overcharge her.

Hindus visit Pehowa, about 40 km from here, for rituals after the death of a family member. They also get entered their personal details in the bahis or record registers maintained by the pandas.

Chawla said the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) and the district authorities should prominently display dakshina rates at Pehowa to ensure that no common man is fleeced in the name of rituals.

Her representation to the Deputy Commissioner was included in Thursday’s monthly public grievances meeting chaired by Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Karan Dev Kamboj.

However, the complaint could not be resolved in the absence of the complainant.

“I feel pained at the indifferent attitude of the authorities in Haryana and at the inhuman and commercial activities at the religious place in the name of rituals. Offices of the CM, whom I know as a party colleague for decades, and minister Kavita Jain did not even acknowledge my petition. I have strictly told my family members not to visit Pehowa for any ritual after my death,” she said.

Meanwhile, DC SS Phulia said he had recently convened a meeting of the purohits of Pehowa where they denied charging arbitrarily.

“We will again interact with the pandas to find a solution to the issue. Pehowa should definitely not reflect that visitors are cheated,” said the DC.

Rohtak :
The state health authorities have perhaps devised a solution to tide over the shortage of doctors at government hospitals: To entrust the job of conducting medical procedures to Class IV employees.

In a recent instance, Laxman, a 40-year-old migrant worker, got injured in a road accident and sustained a head injury. He was rushed to the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Sampla township in the district.

There, despite a medical officer being present at the centre, the stitching of the wound was carried out by a ward attendant, who is a Class IV employee.

Local residents allege that medical procedures like stitching of wounds and administration of injections etc are routinely carried out by such employees.

Taking cognisance of the matter, Rohtak Civil Surgeon Dr Anil Birla has told the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) in charge of the Sampla CHC, Dr Renu, to probe the matter.

A preliminary inquiry conducted by the SMO found that the lapse had indeed taken place. She, however, let off the Medical Officer, Dr Sanjay, as well as the ward attendant, Ravi Kumar, with a warning “not to commit such error in the future”. She maintained that their intention was bona fide and it was a rare instance.

The Civil Surgeon maintained that it was just a preliminary inquiry and a regular inquiry would soon be instituted under a Deputy Civil Surgeon.

“Strict action will be taken against any official who is found guilty,” Dr Birla asserted.

Chandigarh :
The All Haryana Roadways Workers’ Union announced that it would hold a statewide ‘chakka jam’ on September 5 against the gradual privatisation of the Haryana Roadways after its talks with Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar failed here on Wednesday.

Union general secretary Balwan Singh Dodwa, said the government was adamant on its stand to introduce 700 private buses on various routes which was being opposed by the union. “We have urged the government to buy their own buses and assured them of better facilities to the commuters. However, they refused to listen to us and stuck to their stand,” he said. He said it would deprive the unemployed of job opportunities. “Further, these private players cannot compete with the kind of service the state roadways provides. So, we have decided to go ahead with the strike call on September 5,” he said.

Karnal :
The anti-power theft unit of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) has arrested three more persons, including a lineman, for allegedly tampering with electric meters in the district. One meter reader has already been arrested in this connection.

An external meter-tampering device was also recovered from their possession. As per the authorities, the accused took less than one minute to tamper with the meter with the help of this device.

As of now, the team members have detected 12 tampered meters and the loss has been assessed at Rs 31.92 lakh.

“We have imposed the loss as fine on the owners of the meters,” said AK Raheja, Superintending Engineer (SE), UHBVN.

The SE said that the accused have been identified as Gaurav, a resident of Karan Vihar in the city who is also a meter reader with a private company, Rakesh, a regular lineman of the UHBVN and a resident of Gheer village, and Surinder, a resident of Mayapuri in the city.

The team members had already arrested meter reader Sunny of Randeva village in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

While interacting with mediapersons at his office, the SE said that the lineman has been suspended. About the modus operandi, he said that the gang members made the display of the meter disappear by using this device. The process also damaged the internal memory of the meter.

After doing this, the gang members told the consumer to file a complaint of damaged meter with the UHBVN, he added.

“We got all the meters checked from the laboratory and found all had been tampered with,” he added.

DSP Vigilance Satish Vats said that during interrogation, the accused admitted that they took Rs 20,000-30,000 for tampering with a meter.

“It was a big challenge for us. My whole team, including DSP Satish Vats, XEN city Dharam Suhag, XEN enforcement RL Kamboj, SDO Rajiv Dhillon and others, worked day and night to crack this case,” said the SE.