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July 12, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Clarify stand on quota, Stokes urged HP ‘to produce’ 15,000 mw by 2012 Rallies, functions mark World Population Day Chaos in IGMC as patients pay for services Arid land turns green
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Price advisory panel not set up Drug purchase rules not adhered to: survey Excise inspectors’ plea on promotion PDS to cover IT assessees District & Sessions Judge dead Arrest of mother, son: employees protest Workshop on agriculture held Insurance company told to pay Rs 1 lakh Intermittent rain triggers landslips One dies of enteritis
in Solan Teachers await revised pension Monograph of Sobha Singh planned 3 held for robbing businessman
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Clarify stand on quota, Stokes urged Shimla, July 11 Taking strong exception to her reported remarks that reservation had become a means for “political blackmailing”, he said the other backward classes (OBCs) were demanding reservation because of socio-economic disparities in the country. He alleged the Congress never supported the cause of OBCs and it was only the Janata government which set up the Mandal Commission. Its report was not implemented by the successive Congress governments for 10 years. The Dhumal government had not only launched the scholarship schemes for meritorious students belonging to the backward classes but also increased the income limit of creamy layer from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. Yet another bus fare hike was in the offing in Himachal Pradesh, if the assurance given by the government to private bus operators was any indication. The government had already set up a committee to consider the demand for increasing bus fares which was likely to submit its report shortly. An appropriate decision would be taken as soon as the report was received. An official spokesman today asserted the government had taken the decision to impose special passenger tax from January 1 which was taken in consultation with private bus operators. He said the main objective was to bring transparency in tax payment and get rid of the inspector raj. However, the special passenger tax was considerably reduced on the demand of private bus operators twice. Clarifying the factual position of the passenger tax, the spokesman said that on the national highways the government had reduced the charges to Rs 5.75 paise per km on 30 per cent occupancy from Rs 9.57 on 58 per cent occupancy. Likewise, on state highways these charges were Rs 8.61 on 45 per cent occupancy which were reduced to Rs 5.75 on 30 per cent occupancy and further to Rs 4.79 on 25 per cent occupancy. The spokesman further said that under special tax exemption these charges were reduced up to 20 per cent on 40 per cent occupancy in minibuses which had economically benefited the private bus operators. The private bus operators had been provided 33 days’ tax holidays. As a result of this they had to pay tax only for 10 months and 27 days. This had provided the private bus operators tax concession up to 4 per cent. On the demand of the private bus operators the state government had exempted them from toll tax which was being charged from them for entry on bridges and other local bodies, ridding them further of monetary burden, he added. The government had already provided sufficient tax exemption and the demand for further exemption had no justification at all. He clarified the government had fixed a joint time-table for both the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) and private bus services. Besides, they had been provided with the facility of booking counters. The prices of tyre-tubes, lubricants and spare parts had registered a considerable decrease which had resulted in reduction of repair and maintenance cost of vehicles, the spokesman added. The government had already set up a bus stand management and development authority for construction of new bus stands as well as for reconstruction of the old ones. The spokesman said the present government had taken effective steps for repair and maintenance of roads in the state which had made the plying of vehicles smooth, reducing their wear and tear. |
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HP ‘to produce’ 15,000 mw by 2012 New Delhi, July 11 Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, who was here in connection with a function to mark the beginning of commercial production at the 86 mw Malana Hydro-electric Power Project, said his government had set a target of adding 5,000 mw by 2007 and another 5,000 mw in the next four-five years. Himachal Pradesh has a hydro-electric potential of 20,376 mw which is nearly 25 per cent of the total hydel power potential of the country. Mr Dhumal said a three-pronged strategy had been chalked out to generate an additional 10,000 mw of power in the next 12 years. While 10 projects were being executed in the state sector, three big projects, including the 2,015 mw Parvati project, were being executed by the Central PSUs. The 1500 mw Naptha-Jhakri Project was being completed in the joint sector. Fourteen projects had been taken up by the private sector. Talking about the incentives being given by his government to develop the state’s power potential, Mr Dhumal said the third-party sale of power was being allowed in the state, industry had been allowed to use captive power within the state, land transfer had been simplified for hydel projects and independent power producers (IPPs) were being encouraged to develop tourism sites for which there was a 10-year holiday on entertainment tax in the state. Complimenting the LNJ Bhilwara Group for completing the 86 mw Malana project (Kulu district) in a record time of two-and-a-half years as against the accepted time of five years, Mr Dhumal said the project had encouraged the government to formulate a hydel power policy based on incentives and disincentives. The power generated from the Malana project was being supplied to the Delhi Vidyut Board at present. Mr Ravi Jhunjhunwala, Chairman of the LNJ group, said the successful completion of the project would help break the existing myths and misconceptions that have discouraged growth of hydro power projects in the past. Mr A.B. Giri, Executive Director, Malana Power Company Ltd, said the future plans of the group included a 192 mw venture at Allain Duhangan in Himachal Pradesh. The Malana project was set up with the technical assistance of the Indo-Canadian Consultancy Services. |
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Rallies, functions mark World Population Day Shimla, July 11 Mr Roop Dass Kashyap, Urban Development Minister, flagged off the run from the historic Ridge. Addressing the gathering, he said every section of society must come forward and supplement the efforts of the government for controlling population. He said besides implementing the family welfare programme, the government had taken a decision to debar those having more than two children from contesting panchayat elections. The run was organised by the state Education Department in collaboration with the state Council for Education, Research and Training. UNA: World Population Day was celebrated here on Wednesday in the Town Hall. Mr J.P. Nadha, state Health Minister, while addressing family health workers and doctors, urged them to motivate masses to adopt small families so that the nation could progress. He said Himachal Pradesh had achieved its target of family planning. Mr Nadha also distributed prizes to health workers and doctors who did commendable work in family planning. BATHINDA: A function was held on Wednesday at the local Government Senior Secondary School on the occasion of World Population Day. Mr R. Venkatratnam, Deputy Commissioner, was the chief guest at the function. Students of various schools of the city presented a cultural programme on the occasion. Mr Venkatratnam while addressing the gathering said the day was meant to ponder over the tune of increasing population. The development made by the country in the past 50 years was negligible as compared to the pace of increase in the population, he added. Mr Major Singh Sandhu, District Education Officer, said there was an urgent need to educate the poor and illiterate sections of society regarding the ill effects of increasing population on their lives and on the future of the country. Students of various schools also held a huge rally on the
occasion. |
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Chaos in IGMC as patients pay for services Shimla, July 11 Initially, a fee was levied only on x-rays last month, but since yesterday the IGMC has started charging fee for all laboratory tests and other services. Only cancer and TB patients have been exempted from these charges. The new system has caused problems for the patients and attendants as the staff of the IGMC were unaware of the fee. Even the time for depositing the fee has not been fixed. There was a great rush of patients outside the x-ray theatres where only one window has been established for payment of a fee of Rs 14 per x-ray. Patients cried saying that first they stood in a queue for their turn to come, then they had to queue up for getting x-rayed. Yesterday evening patients and their attendants had to wait as there was only one counter for depositing fee for laboratory tests. They raised slogans against the government. Moreover, the fee was an odd amount and many patients did not get the balance. According to an IGMC official, the fee for urea, sugar and proteins test has been fixed at Rs 15 each, TLC, DLC, blood grouping and urine test will cost Rs 8 each. The patient will have to pay Rs 24 for cholesterol, Rs 23 for uric acid and Rs 150 for thyroid tests. ECG will cost Rs 30, echo and TMT Rs 200 each, ultrasound, barium and IVP Rs 60 each, plain CT-scan Rs 300 and contrast CT-scan Rs 750. He said that a fee of about Rs 25,000 was collected for the laboratory tests and x-rays yesterday. The employees of the IGMC held a protest rally against the appointment of a society to run the affairs of the hospital. The government had recently set up hospital development societies for all hospitals in the state for imposing users charges. The decision has been criticised by the people as well as the Opposition parties. On the other hand, the authorities claim that the step has been taken to loosen the control of the government on the hospitals. The government will play the role of a facilitator while the local societies will take care of improvement in the services of the hospitals and the amount collected through users charges will be spent on development of the respective hospitals. Certain hospitals have already started purchasing equipment with the amount collected through user charges. |
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Arid land turns green Kasauli When the Chief Minister, Prof P.K. Dhumal, expressed the desire to organise a state-level vanamahotsava in this division in August last year on a mountainous tract along the National Highway, the Divisional Forest Officer, Mr S.K. Sharma, took it as a challenge. He not only made the steep southern slope of Kothon, 8 km from Solan, suitable for supporting plantations but also made a number of sustainable changes to replace the existing xerophytic species like cacti growing there with useful plants. The biggest challenge came in the form of transporting mineral-enriched soil from the oak forest in the Shilli area, 5 km away, to this arid tract where the steep slope made the task arduous. Deep pits were then dug to ensure the retention of moisture for saplings of the broad-leaf variety. The efforts paid rich dividends when after 11 months the 2,200 planted saplings, including those of pomegranate, kachnar, tunni, ritha, kainth and
wattle, showed amazing growth. This despite the fact that an eight-month-long drought affected plantations in the state. The main focus of the plantation plan was on attaining a survival rate of 100 per cent and this was made possible through the joint efforts of the entire staff, said Mr Sharma. The area was developed under the Parishram Hamara, Van Hamara Yojna. Boundary walls would be built to keep away wild animals and ensure the optimum growth, said the DFO. The efforts of this forest division were lauded by the Forest Minister and the Principal Chief Conservator during a surprise visit to the area. |
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Leaders start gunning for Sukh Ram Shimla, July 11 This has also upset the applecart of those Congress leaders who were trying hard for his return to the party with a view to countering the influence of the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh. The development has led to the demand for his ouster from the chairmanship of the Employment Generation Committee by virtue of which he enjoys a status of a Cabinet Minister. Mr Mohinder Singh, a former minister was the first to come out today with a statement urging the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, to remove Mr Sukh Ram from the chairmanship of the committee as the court has framed corruption charges against him. He said Mr Sukh Ram should immediately quit his official position as he had been accused of amassing wealth when he was a minister at the Centre on moral ground. Movable, immovable assets and cash worth over Rs 6 crore was recovered by the CBI during raids at his houses at Mandi and Delhi on August 16, 1996. Mr Mohinder Singh demanded that Mr Sukh Ram should also resign from his assembly seat. Mr Devinder Bushahri, president of the Himachal Yuva Lok Janshakti Party, accused Mr Sukh Ram for having brought bad name to political leaders in the state by allegedly indulging in corruption. Interestingly, the development came at a time when Mr Sukh Ram was pressurising Mr Dhumal and the centre leadership of the BJP to expedite the CBI inquiry against his political enemy. Mr Virbhadra Singh. He had publicly been critising Mr Dhumal for not taking steps for expediting the inquiry. The HVC has prepared a “charge sheet” against Mr Virbhadra Singh which was forwarded to the CBI by Mr Dhumal for inquiry about two years ago. Mr Sukh Ram, who was earlier holding the important portfolios of PWD and Power in the Dhumal Ministry, was asked to resign when charges were framed against him in another case. Thereafter, he was made Chairman of the Employment Generation Committee and given the status of a Cabinet Minister because of which he was enjoying all government facilities. Certain BJP leaders have also demanded the ouster of Mr Sukh Ram. |
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Price advisory panel not set up Shimla, July 11 Under the Act it was mandatory to set up a price advisory committee before the commencement of every financial year for fixing the prices of various kinds of produce. However, this was not being done as a result of which the government had been arbitrarily fixing the prices at the fag end of the year when the growers had already sold their produce. The growers had moved the High Court which directed the state government to fix prices well in time. But, the directives were not being complied with forcing the growers to initiate contempt proceedings against the government. As per the policy the working period of private sale lot in district was two years from the date of issuance of felling orders but this policy was also being flouted by field officials. It cited the instance of the Theog forest division in this regard where the DFO issued felling orders on March 29, 2001, which were valid till March 31, 2001. This was not only contrary to the provisions of the Act but also intended to harass the growers. In this case extension was granted by the Principal Chief Conservator on April 19, 2000, but the DFO deliberately withheld orders till March 29, 2001. Consequently, the validity of the felling order expired even before it could be communicated to the department. Moreover, the growers had not been paid for the past one year even though the entire produce had been sold off and the department had also received the payment. It was mainly due to the mismanagement on the part of the department. The department had also not been able to work on the fallen and dried trees lying in various forests unmarked. It demanded that the government should set up a committee to detect unmarked trees and fix the responsibility for the lapse. It also wanted the department to hike the labour charges which had not been revised since 1997-98. Due to the non-working of salvage lots the department was losing money as the cost of extraction was increasing and the quality of timber was deteriorating, it alleged. |
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Drug purchase rules not adhered to: survey Kangra, July 11 Dr Walter Soeliner, GTZ project manager, today said health staff complained that though procurement procedures were laid down, they were not adhered to. There were complaints that only 30 per cent of the total supply of drugs was in the hands of districts and the remaining 70 per cent fell under the standardised supply scheme which was not need-based and led to shortage of drugs. He said the survey indicated that doctors allegedly prescribed antibiotics for shorter duration or prescribed irrelevant drugs instead of the required drugs. He said shorter courses led to drug resistance leading to complications and increased cost of health care. He recommended to calculate the required quantities based on the number of expected cases and advised standardised treatment in hospitals. In another survey, the GTZ investigated the affects of treatment practices on cost and quality of care. The survey revealed that the per unit cost of the facility-based services was higher in primary health centres than at secondary level. It revealed that the total expenses on drugs and supplies covered more than 50 per cent of the total hospital-related expenses. The state spent only 7 per cent of the total health budget (including CSS) on drugs. Dr Walter said the findings suggested refocusing of service delivery, taking into account the utilisation rates and availability of equipment and staff. A restructured drug purchase and procurement system, along with the introduction of standard treatment guidelines by doctors would contribute to considerable savings. |
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Excise inspectors’ plea on promotion Shimla, July 11 According to Mr Somdutt Sharma, president of the association, their charter of demands was discussed at the meeting. He said the government had agreed to upgrade and redesignate 60 posts of Inspectors as Assistant Excise and Taxation Officers. They are also demanding that the ban on their transfer to their hometowns be lifted. |
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PDS to cover IT assessees Dharamsala, July 11 During his recent visit to Shimla, he said, it was brought to his notice that income tax assessees were not getting sugar in the state. After finding out the factual position, the Food Secretary, Himachal Pradesh, had been asked by the Directorate of Sugar, not to exclude these categories from getting sugar. Reiterating his ministry’s decision to distribute levy sugar in hill states of the country on universal coverage basis, he said in view of the larger consumption of sugar in the hills, the per head levy sugar quota had also been enhanced from 425 gm to 700 gm per month. He informed that Himachal was being allocated levy sugar on the basis of the projected population as on March 1, 2001, and with effect from February 1, 2001. As such the monthly sugar quota for a population of 67.11 lakh was 4698 metric tonnes. |
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District & Sessions Judge dead Hamirpur, July 11 He is survived by his wife and two children. His body was cremated at Hathlikhud this evening. The cremation was attended by district and judicial officers and other prominent personalities of the town. Deputy Commissioner Anuradha Thakur and other district officers visited the house of the judge and consoled the bereaved family. Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, has expressed grief over the death of Mr Gobind Ram, District and Sessions Judge, Hamirpur. In a condolence message to the bereaved family, the Chief Minister praised the services rendered by Mr Gobind Ram in the legal
profession. UNI, TNS |
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Arrest
of mother, son: employees protest Bilaspur, July 11 They protested against the
“illegal” arrest of an employee, Manmohan Sharma and his mother
Anti Devi on July 8 in the town by a Haryana police party. The mother
and the son were reportedly dragged out of their house and carried
away on the basis of an FIR, which was registered at Hisar by Manmohan
Sharma’s wife. Monika, who had got married to Mr Sharma on October
17 last year, stayed with him for six days only and returned to her
parents. She allegedly never joined her husband again despite his
frantic efforts. The deputation demanded action not only against the Haryana police personnel but also against a Head Constable and an SHO of the local police station who cooperated with the police party. The Superintendent of Police gave an assurance to them saying that he had already started investigations. Meanwhile,
Mr Verma is learnt to have sent a Head Constable on forced leave for
having failed to inform his superiors about the arrival of the police
party from Haryana. Meanwhile, the Haryana police again came to
Manmohan Sharma’s house to collect items of dowry. Manmohan Sharma,
who is in police custody, was also accompanying them. |
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Workshop on agriculture held Shimla, July 11 Inaugurating the state-level workshop organised under the World Bank-funded project here yesterday, he said the Agriculture Technology Management Agency had been delegated adequate powers to take prompt decisions on issues relating to farmers’ needs at the district level. He said for deciding policy issues and monitoring the progress of the project an inter-department working group had also been constituted in the state. Mr V.V. Sadmate, Additional Commissioner of Agriculture, said the project for integrating the research, extension and farmers’ organisations and interest groups had been launched in six states. Dr P.L. Gautam, national Director of the project, said in all Rs 950 crore would be spent on the project in the country. About Rs 22 crore had been provided to Himachal Pradesh under the project, he added. Dr J.C. Rana, Director, Agriculture, said Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Kangra had also been included in the second phase of the project. |
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Insurance company told to pay Rs 1 lakh Dharamsala, July 11 A but met with an accident near Palampur in 1998 and was damaged. A sum of Rs 1. 22 lakh was spent on repairing the bus. The insurance company, with whom the bus was insured, repudiated the claims of the bus owner. It raised preliminary objections, saying that the petition was not maintainable without impleading the financer, India Lease Development Ltd., Chandigarh. No survey of the bus in a damaged condition was done from the company and the driver was not holding valid licence, it added. The insurance company also disputed the amount spent on the repair of the bus and said it had been found that the licence issued by the Dehra Dun Licencing Authority was found fake after investigation. It placed on record the report of the surveyor wherein he specified that Rs 29,000 had been spent on repair. The complainant filed an affidavit of Sunil Kumar, a mechanic at Jassur workshop, that Rs 1,22,734 was spent on repair. Original bills from different suppliers of auto parts were also provided. The court observed that the petitioner had incurred a heavy amount but had failed to obtain the certificate of dismantling of the bus when it was parked at the workshop. It said the petitioner had incurred
expenditure of Rs 1.22 lakh on getting the bus repaired and the report of the surveyor was incorrect. It also said the onus for proving that the driving licence of the bus driver was fake lay on the insurance company and the complainant had filed an affidavit, stating that the licence was valid and effective. The court awarded Rs 1 lakh in favour of the complainant, with an interest of 12 per cent from the date of filing of the petition. An amount of Rs 2,000 would also be given by the company within 30 days. |
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Intermittent rain triggers landslips Shimla, July 11 Heavy rain pounded Shimla and its surrounding areas, bringing a sharp fall in temperature. The rain caused landslides at some places in the interior areas of Shimla district and on the 320-km Hindustan-Tibet road. However, the road was open for vehicular traffic. Traffic on the Palampur-Jogindernagar road was disrupted following a landslide at Tharu village, near Paprola, in Kangra district following heavy rain. All rivulets in Kangra valley were in spate. Reports of rain were also received from Mandi, Kulu, Sundernagar, Solan and Sirmaur.
UNI |
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One dies of enteritis
in Solan Solan, July 11 The man who died belonged to Takrota village of the same panchayat. While the district authorities denied any gastroenteritis death in the district, the pradhan of Banasar panchayat, Hardev, confirmed that the man died after a severe bout of vomitting and upset stomach. He said a large number of persons of the area also suffered from gastroenterites during the past few days. As per records of the zonal hospital, 186 persons were treated between June 30 and July 10. Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Murthy said he had deputed a team of district administration and health department officials, including the SDM Mr L.R. Jhamta and the Block Medical Officer Dharampur, Dr A.K. Singh, to visit the affected areas and ensure that all drinking water sources were chlorinated. Chief Medical Officer J.P. Nadda said there was no cause for concern about the spread of gastroenteritis, adding that adequate steps had already been taken to contain the disease. He described the situation as under control. He said over seven lakh chlorine tablets had been distributed in the rural areas prior to the setting in of monsoon. Mr Nadda said the medical officer (health) had collected water samples from some water sources of the Banasar panchayat area which had been sent to the Government Food Testing Laboratory, Kandaghat, for analysis. A large number of residents complained of unclear and foul tasting water. |
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Teachers await revised pension Shimla, July 11 The Union Human Resource Development Ministry had issued instructions for raising the pensions of teachers of these schools from Rs 350 to Rs 1,250 per month with effect from January 1996, in December, 1998, but no action had been taken so far. Some of the 90 retired teachers who were to benefit from the revision have already expired. The pensioners have urged the government to implement the decision without any further delay. They were too old to go to the offices or move the court to get the benefit. |
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Monograph of Sobha Singh planned Dharamsala, July 11 A four-day workshop for young artists commenced at Andretta near Palampur to mark the birth centenary celebrations of the artist. A score of artists from all over the state are participating in the workshop. Inaugurating the workshop, the Vice-Chancellor of Palampur Agriculture University, Dr Tej Partap, called upon the artists to take note of the stark realities being faced by the common man. “The artists should not just confine themselves to a make-belief world but should play an active role in the fast-changing scenario arising out of the technological revolution,” he stressed. Dr S.S. Joshi, former Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University, asked the artists to follow the example of Sobha Singh in bridging the gulf between life and art. Mr K.L. Vaidya, a well-known art critic, talked about Sobha Singh’s paintings. The Secretary-General of the Sobha Singh Memorial Art Society said a Sobha Singh art festival would be held in November. |
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3 held for robbing businessman Nahan, July 11 Stating this, Mr S.P. Singh, Superintendent of Police, Sirmour, said here today last night around 9.30 p.m. Mr Anil Kumar Bansal, a leading businessman of the Paonta area, was robbed by the four youths who fled in their car. Mr S.P. Singh said Mr Bansal was rescued by a local resident passing through the area. The SDM Paonta Sahib, who was returning to Paonta Sahib after attending a meeting at Nahan informed the police post at Majra about the incident. The SP said the robbers were intercepted at Kala Amb police naka. One of them was on parole at present. The arrested gang members were identified as Vijayender Sharma, alias Bunty, Kanti Grover, alias Tinku, both from Ambala Cantt and Rajinder Singh from Ambala City while the fourth member of the gang, Sanjeev Rai of Ambala Cantt was absconding. |
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Probe into power theft ordered Shimla, July 11 The Chief Engineer (Operation), North, has been asked to complete the inquiry within a week so that action could be taken against the guilty. |
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Foundation stone
vandalised Jaisinghpur, July 11 |
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Secy of CPI state council nominated Mandi, July 11 |
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