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Friday,
April 27, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Accreditation
of 50 scribes to go Govt to
improve work culture: CM Mismanagement
led to crisis: Mahajan Cong
leaders urged to sink differences |
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HPUTA
submits memorandum Plea
against newspaper dismissed Memo
planned on graft Assembly
panels’ meeting on May 1 Contempt
notice to PWD Secy Adopt
poor pupils, suggests Dhumal
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Accreditation
of 50 scribes to go Palampur, April 26 A senior correspondent representing an English daily said that he was given press accreditation in 1978 but all of a sudden the government had decided to withdraw his accreditation. He said government had not framed rules in this regard, but had stated that since he was sitting in subdivisional headquarter, therefore he was not eligible for the accreditation. He said the state government had failed to consider the significance of sub-divisional headquarters, like Palampur, which are much more important than district head quarters of the state. Similar is the case of another senior reporter representing the Hindi daily for the past 30 years. Meanwhile, the Palampur Union of Journalists at an emergency meeting held here today criticised this decision of the Prem Kumar Dhumal government and said this decision of the BJP-HVC government was politically motivated taken to teach a lesson to those reporters who had not been following dictates of BJP-HVC government. Mr Suresh Sood, president of the union said that the Chief Minister should review the decision otherwise they would be forced to resort to direct action. He alleged that in the state and at various district headquarters the government had accredited a number of dummy reporters who had nothing to do with the press and there was no newspaper was represented by them. He said the accreditation committee and the government had adopted pick and choose policy. He also quoted examples of adjoining states of Punjab and Haryana where reporters working in the sub divisional headquarters had been granted accreditation. He regretted that instead of working journalists the government had included the persons in the state Accreditation Committee who were in active government service. He demanded overhauling of the press accreditation committee and asked for the inclusion of senior journalists and editors of the newspapers. |
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Govt to improve work culture: CM Shimla, April 26 Inaugurating a new block of the police residential quarters at the Kaithu Police Lines here today, Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, said his government believed in completing projects in a time-bound manner. To improve work culture in government offices, it was essential to reward good performance and penalise those who failed to deliver. He complimented the State Housing Board for constructing 906 houses for the police within a year. He said the previous government had failed to start work on the police housing scheme even though the Tenth Finance Commission had given Rs 14 crore for it. By the time the BJP-HVC came to power, the cost had gone up. However, his government had spared about Rs 8 crore for the purpose to complete the project at a cost of Rs 22 crore. He announced a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh for the Police Department for making contribution to small savings. Mr A.K. Puri, Director-General of Police, said the shortage in residential accommodation was the bane of the police. As per the police rules, at least 40 per cent of force should have residential accommodation and the remaining should live in the barracks. However, in Himachal residential quarters were not available for even 10 per cent of the force. |
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Mismanagement
led to crisis: Mahajan Dharamsala, April 26 Addressing a Press conference here today, he said it was due to a badly presented case that a cut of Rs 326 crore had been made in the Rs 1720 crore plan for this year. Mr Mahajan said within a period of three years, the BJP government had raised the loan limit of the HPSEB from Rs 900 crore to Rs 2,000 crore. He said even the
Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) report had pointed out that money was being diverted to other purposes. Mr Mahajan said the finances of the state were in a mess and he failed to understand how the Chief Minister would meet a deficit of Rs 2,400 crore. He said a sum of Rs 92 crore had been advanced for ways and means while there was an overdraft of Rs 180 crore. The Congress leader said while the coffers of the state were empty, the government was spending extravagantly on the use of helicopter. He said during the Congress regime this figure did not cross Rs 1.5 crore, but now it stood at over Rs 6 crore. He said the credibility of the state government was so low that the Centre had so far not even replied to its request for help for the Rs 400 crore damage due to drought. He said the Centre had not bothered to extend help to Himachal for the Rs 2000 crore losses due to the devastation caused by the Sutlej flood. |
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Cong leaders urged to sink differences Dharamsala, April 26 Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Mankotia said it was a common feeling among the grass roots Congress workers that the two top leaders should sort out whatever differences exist between them. “In fact, it is some top leaders like us who want to keep the rivalry between Mr Virbhadra Singh and Mrs Vidya Stokes alive, for our own vested interest,” he stated. Mr Mankotia said it would be their endeavour to bring all the Congress leaders on one platform at Hatwas where the AICC general secretary and in charge of Himachal Pradesh, Mrs Mohsina Kidwai, address a rally on April 30. Mr Mankotia said Mr Virbhadra Singh was a mass base leader who just could not be ignored while at the same time one had to accept Mrs Vidya Stokes as the PCC chief. He warned that any leader, howsoever strong, would not be allowed to weaken the party for his own selfish end and if need be, party workers, who do not belong to any of the two camps would go to Delhi, to seek the intervention of the AICC President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi. Mr Mankotia said the main issues at the rally would be rampant corruption in defence deals and the grave crisis arising due to unemployment. A major issue at the rally would be the total neglect of Kangra district by the present BJP regime in the state, he added. Mr Mankotia, also expressed concern over the killing of Indian security personnel by the Bangladeshis and demanded that those responsible for the gruesome killing should be brought to the book. |
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HPUTA submits memorandum Shimla, April 26 The memorandum signed by Mr Rajinder Singh Chauhan and Mr Shiv Raj Singh, president and secretary, respectively, of the association, expressed resentment over the failure of the university to hold interviews under the carrier advancement scheme
(CAS). All other universities, it pointed out, had promoted eligible lecturers and readers but in Himachal Pradesh University even those who had completed more than 20 years of service were awaiting promotions. The association said the university authorities had not even released selection grade to lecturers with Ph.D degrees, imposing on them the condition of facing the selection committee to release selection grade, which was contrary to the UGC guidelines. The university authorities also did not comply with the UGC guidelines of granting benefits of extra years of service. The association alleged that statutory posts such as Registrar, Controller of Examination, Dean of Colleges, Planning and Development Officer, Secretary to Vice-Chancellor were being filled from the non-teaching incumbents without interviews, on ad hoc basis, for long periods whereas these posts were to be filled through interviews by a statutory selection committee and with the approval of the executive council as per the provisions of the University Act. The HPUTA has demanded that these posts be filled up from among the teachers. |
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Plea against newspaper dismissed Shimla, April 26 The application to implead Hind Samachar Pvt Ltd in place of Punjab Kesari was opposed by the defendant newspaper counsel Ravi Bakshi on the ground that the suit was against a name of the newspaper which was non-juristic entity. He further contended the suit was not being properly constituted. A non-juristic entity could not be substituted by Hind Samachar Pvt Ltd, which was a juristic person. While dismissing the application the Judge held the plea raised therein was not for the rectification of misdescription of the parties but was for substitution of the name of the real person in place of Punjab Kesari. The court further held the case against the newspaper had become time-barred in the meantime. An application of amendment which may destroy the newspaper’s right which cannot be compensated by cost should not be allowed. The application for impleading the owner company was filed after an objection was raised by the editor of the newspaper that the suit filed against the name of the newspaper was not maintainable. |
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Memo planned on graft Dharamsala, April 26 Stating this here today, the president of the confederation, Mr Subhash Sharma, and the general secretary, Mr O.P. Sharma, said that although a special audit and an inquiry had been conducted, no action had been taken against the guilty. “Since we feel that the guilty are being shielded, we will bring the matter to the notice of the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the national BJP President,” Mr Sharma said. They said that although the irregularities in the Health Department had been highlighted extensively by the media and the court had taken suo motu cognizance of the matter, nothing had been done so far. Mr Sharma said the government should frame transfer rules at the earliest to help check allegations of political victimisation by the employees. He said the confederation would submit the transfer rules framed by it to the Chief Secretary by May 15. Other employees organisations were free to either give their transfer rules to the confederation or directly to the Chief Secretary, Mr Sharma said. The employee leaders alleged that due to complete financial mismanagement by the state government, employees were not being given their salaries. They demanded that the state government give the old GPF interest rates to the employees. They also objected to the trifurcation of the HPSEB and demanded that the employees be taken into confidence on the matter. |
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Assembly
panels’ meeting on May 1 Shimla, April 26 The meeting of the ethics committee has also been convened on the same day. |
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Contempt
notice to PWD Secy Shimla, April 26 Taking suo motu notice in the matter the bench directed Mr Sood to file a reply and appear before the tribunal along with entire record of promotions effected last month on May 16. The tribunal had passed an order not to promote any assistant engineer who was appointed on an ad hoc basis and regularised in 1995 till the disposal of the writ. |
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Adopt poor pupils,
suggests Dhumal Shimla, April 26 He also expressed concern at the mushroom growth of public schools in the recent past. The Chief Minister, who inaugurated a four-day debate at Bishop Cotton School here, lauded the school for maintaining high standard, since it was established in 1859. Emphasising
on the need for inculcating a spirit of nationalism among the students, Mr Dhumal suggested introducing “Vande matram” in public schools, besides adopting poor students. |
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