Haryana withdraws teacher eligibility test

CHANDIGARH: Faced with a large number of writ petition filed against the legality of eligibility test, scheduled on July 27, for recruiting teachers to state-run high and higher secondary schools, the Haryana government in a timely realization of the deficiency in its own rules, announced to scrap the test and to notify fresh prospectus and dates later. Announcement about the cancellation of eligibility test was made by Haryana advocate general Hawa Singh Hooda before the division bench of justices Jasbir Singh and Jitendra Kumar Chauhan of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, during the resumed hearing on the writ petitions filed by Vijay Kumar, Vinod Kumar and others, challenging validity of the test. The state government had made the eligibility test compulsory for all those, who wanted to take up teaching in the state-run high and higher secondary schools. Hooda also submitted that the fee of Rs 500 submitted by the candidates for the now-cancelled test, could either be withdrawn, or adjusted against the future test. Hooda stated the authorities were working out the new schedule for the test. Inquiries revealed the state education department had on May 20, 2008 announced this test with June 30 as the last date for submission of forms contained in the prospectus. However, it was only yesterday that the amendment in the rules was effected to provide for such an eligibility test, because the validity of the test had been the main ground of challenge in the high court. However, with the announcement to scrap the test due to be held on July 27, the writs became in fructuous. Status report sought With less than two months to go for expiry of the two-year period, which the Punjab and Haryana High Court gave to the Punjab government to complete cleaning the Kali Bein river, besides demarcating its area, as it passes through Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala districts, there has virtually been no progress in this respect. The Punjab government had on September 14, 2006 informed the high court bench headed by the then acting chief justice, HS Bedi, about allocating Rs 70 crores for cleaning the Kali Bein associated with Guru Nanak Dev. However, the affidavit filed in the high court on behalf of the government on Friday by DS Gill superintending engineer(SE), drainage circle, Jalandhar, pointed out that requisite funds have not been received implying work on the Bein has made no progress.
26 Jul 2008, 0356 hrs IST,TNN
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com