The detection of cases of dengue in some new areas of the state has become a cause of concern for the health authorities.

Dengue, which is spread by the bite of aedes mosquitoes, was common in the national capital region of the state till recent years.

However, this year several other districts of the state like Fatehabad, Sirsa, Bhiwani and Hisar have come under its grip.

Tohana town in Fatehabad district has been the worst hit where as many as 87 cases of suspected dengue have been detected this year.

Its good news for the farmers of Haryana, who have to bear burgeoning losses, amounting up to Rs 55,000 crore per year, due to lack of proper post harvest management system in the state. The Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) has planned to develop collection centres, commodity hubs and terminal Markets across the state to reduce these losses and increase the price realisation for the farmers.

With about 20 biomass-based power projects generating 183 MW at Sirsa, Panipat, Karnal, Hisar, Fatehabad, Bhiwani, Nilokheri, Jagadhari, Khanesar and Dabwali, the people of Haryana can be assured of lesser power cuts. As the projects are being set up at the sites of the load centres, the power supply is expected to increase in these blocks, with transmission losses going down in a big way. Confirming this, officials of Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) said since the state is purchasing massive power from other states, it has to bear huge transmission losses.

Chandigarh In the agrarian states of Punjab and Haryana, power cuts have been the order of the day for years. This, in turn, has affected economic development in these states. While the two states have decided to spend almost one-third of their five-year Plan for 2007-12 on power projects, they have also realised that the immediate need was to save energy. With that in mind, Punjab has tied up with a US major, Econoler International, to light the streets of municipal areas of the state.

Aarti Dhar

NEW DELHI: Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh on Thursday recommended a moratorium on new units at 43 highly polluted industrial areas in the country.

CHANDIGARH: Energy efficiency measures will be implemented in six more municipal council areas of Haryana through the Energy Service Company route, State Chief Secretary Urvashi Gulati said on Tuesday after presiding over a meeting of the State level monitoring committee for implementation of energy conservation measures and Energy Conservation Act-2001.