 |
Tuesday,
February 19, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
Doctors to study
Rohru rats 4 AIDS control centres set up Doctor goes on indefinite fast Search launched for ‘armed men’ Intruder enters
Oakover, escapes |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Manch accuses BJP MLA of bribery Jubilation in Virbhadra camp Substitute hits ‘kattha’ units 137 plots for dam
oustees: CM Economy growth rate impressive: experts Centre seeks report on Israeli convict Aided school staff intensify stir Plan to import virus-free rootstocks
|
|
Doctors to study
Rohru rats Shimla, February 18 Announcing this here today, the Health Minister, Mr J.P. Nadda, told mediapersons that the joint surveillance would be undertaken in May and September when rodent activity is the maximum. He said that the measure was being taken on the suggestion of the NICD which had sent a three-member team to the affected areas. A detailed report about the disease and steps taken to control it had been sent to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, who has taken a personal interest in combating the problem. The Health Minister said on the recommendation of the NICD, various short and long-term measures were being taken to prevent recurrence of the
disease. These include strengthening of the microbiological facilities in the IGMC and imparting special training to doctors in fighting plague. He said that there was no trace of plague bacteria on the rats which were trapped by the NICD team in Gallu village, to which the first victim of the disease belonged. Mr Nadda said the problem was under control now as no new patient had come in the past 96 hours. He said all persons who had come in contact with the first victim had been traced and given the necessary treatment. At present eight patients were undergoing treatment in the PGI, four at Rohru and one in the IGMC here. The condition of two patients in the PGI was causing concern. He said a close watch was being kept on the situation and the villages of Gallu, Jubbal, Chandanpur, Kelvi, Logga, Kotgarh, Darkoti and also Banpur in Uttaranchal had been covered by the doctors who have provided preventive medicines to the residents and disinfected these areas. As many as 6.75 lakh antibiotics and other medicines have been distributed. The Health Department has undertaken a special programme to educate the people about the prevention of the disease and there was no panic in the area. He said that the deputy commissioner, Solan, provided a relief of Rs 50,000 to the attendants of the patients who have been admitted in the PGI. |
|
4 AIDS control centres set up Shimla, February 18 A 20-day awareness campaign on AIDS is in full swing in the state, which started on February 1. It is learnt that female participation in these campaigns have been more than male. After laboratory test, 342 HIV positive patients have been detected in the state till January 2002. These include 12 babies who have acquired this virus through their mother. At least 91 per cent cases of AIDS are from Hamirpur district. Five targeted intervention project for truck drivers have already been set up in Kangra, Shimla, Barmana cement plant, Kalka highway Bilaspur and Paonta Sahib. Four other projects for the migrants workers have been set up in Chamba, Kinnaur, Bhawa Nagar and Kala Amb. The project will also involve non-government organisations (NGOs) and training is being imparted to NGO staff. Most of the HIV positive patients are drivers and migrants who indulge in unsafe sex. From highly literate districts of Hamirpur, Shimla, Mandi, Kangra and Bilaspur over 80 per cent cases have been detected. These cases have also been detected in rural areas among women and children. No case of HIV positive has been detected from Lahaul-Spiti. The State Programme Officer, Dr C.D.Sharma said a major reason behind these cases were unsafe sexual behaviour. At the state and district level involvement of panchayti raj institutions has been sought through workshop. There are more than 4000 estimated HIV positive patients in the state. |
|
|
Doctor goes on indefinite fast Una, February 18 In a note which was distributed to mediapersons, Dr Pathak alleged that the CMO had misused his office and harassed him besides changing programme officers on his own, sidelining officers already appointed by the higher authorities. It was also alleged that the CMO had allotted government accommodation out-of-turn. Dr Pathak said during the past three years, he had been issued transfer orders on three occasions and his salary was also withheld thrice. The CMO when contacted, said Dr Pathak was transferred to Solan on September 4, 2001, and was relieved on October 6. In the meantime, he got his transfer orders cancelled and rejoined duty at the same institution without giving a joining report. He said neither his office nor the office of the Thanakalan BMO was aware of his presence at Sohari Takoli and, therefore, his (Dr Pathak) salary for two months could only be claimed if he applied for leave. |
|
|
Search launched for ‘armed men’ Dharamsala, February 18 The police had launched a combing operation in the Bhade Roah forest near Damtal after LeT militants had
gunned down two Army personnel on January 1 at Dhangu Pir. Following some arms and ammunition found hidden in the forest by the militants and
intelligence reports that the militants were using this state as a safe haven, the police is not taking any chances. It is learnt that three armed men were seen alighting from a vehicle by some locals who intimated the police yesterday. The police has launched a search operation in the Tipri-Lodhwana area of Nurpur. The SP, Mr Sanjay Kundu, has visited the area and the Nurpur DSP, Mr Sanjeev Gandhi, is camping in the area. Senior police officials, who are tight-lipped about fresh reports, confirmed that the locals had informed the police about the armed men. The IGP Mr K.S.Rana, arrived at Nurpur today to take stock of the situation. The police force of Himachal and Punjab are exchanging intelligence inputs and are in constant touch with each other. This area in Nurpur falls on the border between the two states. In fact, the earlier combing operation in the area had been jointly undertaken by the police force of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh and the ITBP. |
|
|
Intruder enters Oakover, escapes Shimla, February 18 The youth aged around 25 years, vanished after some residents of the adjoining building raised an alarm. He retraced his steps in a
huff, leaving behind the bag he was carrying. It contained some clothes and a photograph. The security man, who was on guard, reached the spot immediately, but by that time the intruder had disappeared. Senior police officers including Deputy Inspector-General of police, reached the residence with a dog squad to look into the incident. However, no headway could be made towards solving the mystery of the intruder by the time of filing the report. All that the police could gather was that the youth was wearing blue trousers and matching shirt. Mr A.K. Puri, Director-General of Police, said it was not a security lapse as the intruder could not enter the residence and barely managed to scale the barbed wire. However, the police was taking the incident seriously and all efforts were being made to trace the youth. Senior officers feel that the intruder could be someone new to the town and had scaled the fencing looking for a short cut without knowing that it was a high security area. |
|
|
Manch accuses BJP MLA of bribery Hamirpur, February 18 The press conference was arranged by Mr Dhian Chand Sharma, the convener of the manch. Mr Jagjit Singh while talking to mediapersons said the MLA had neither provided him a licence for the crusher nor had returned the money. He also released to the press a copy of an affidavit in this connection. The manch will submit this affidavit to the Lokayukta for inquiry. Mr Jagjit Singh, alleged that Mr Sharma had demanded a sum of Rs 1 lakh from him for providing him a no objection certificate from the Department of Environment and a loan from the HP Khadi Board for installing a crusher at Shukker Khud near his village Lafran. He said he had paid Rs 60,000 to Mr Sharma at the residence of his brother Mr Raghu at Shimla in July 1998. He further alleged that when he demanded money back from the MLA, he was asked not to highlight it in the press and instead compromise with him in shape of adjusting his brother in the ensuing JBT course. Mr Sharma, the convener of the manch demanded that the Chief Minister should sack Mr Baldev Sharma from all party and government posts in view of the charges of graft. He said, when Mr Bangaroo Luxman , the All India BJP chief could be removed from the party posts for accepting the money why not Mr Baldev Sharma. |
|
|
Jubilation in Virbhadra camp Shimla, February 18 Their inclusion has been approved by the AICC chief, Mrs Sonia Gandhi. Both are considered confidants of Mr Virbhadra Singh. With these inclusions, the strength of the committee has increased to eight. Mr Virbhadra Singh, Mrs Vidya Stokes, Thakur Ram Lal, Mr Sat Mahajan, Mrs Chandresh Kumari and Mr Anand Sharma were earlier appointed members of the committee. |
|
Substitute hits ‘kattha’ units Shimla, February 18 With the imported gambier, a substitute for “kattha”, flooding the domestic market, the prices of “kattha” continue to
decline. The khair growers are getting even less than last year’s price for their produce. The average price for a 60 cm diameter tree has come down from last year’s Rs 1700 to Rs 1600 this year. The government had lifted the ban on the demand of growers who alleged that they were being exploited by local “kattha” manufacturing units, as they had no option but to dispose of the produce with in the state because of the ban on export. It was certainly a reason for low returns until gambier had not hit the domestic market. The unrestricted import of gambier under the WTO agreement is posing a serious threat to the “kattha” industry in the country as its price almost one-third the price of “kattha.” The prices of “kattha” has crashed from Rs 390 a kg to Rs 310 a kg over the past six months. The difference in the prices of “kattha” and “gambier”, which is available in the domestic market at Rs 90 to Rs 100 per kg, was still too large. Gambier was primarily being required by the tanning industry as a pigment dye but it is being increasingly used in place of “kattha” by various industries. Most of the “kattha bhatti” operators have also wound up their business and were now sending khair wood to units outside states. In a bid to help the growers, the government replaced the 30 per cent sale tax on khair wood with 8 per cent purchase tax so that the tax burden was not passed on to them. However, the decision had not been implemented so far. Moreover, the ground reality was that the khair contractors had not been evading the sale tax and were paying only a paltry amount, though they were charging it from the growers. As such the returns to growers were not likely to increase even after the implementation of the decision, sources in the Forest Department point out. The root cause of declining khair wood price, the “kattha” manufactures assert, was the import of gambier, which had been put on the OGL (Open General Licence) list under the WTO agreement. The industry wants the government to impose maximum permissible import duty to save the domestic “kattha” industry and the khair growers as had been done in the case of coconut oil. Unrestricted import of gambier will spell doom for the industry. The only saving feature was that the state government had imposed a export fee of Rs 250 per quintal on khair wood. They also want that the Centre takes some steps to ensure that gambier was used only for the purpose it was imported. It could be injurious for health if used in edible items and as such the government should take this issue seriously. |
|
137 plots for dam oustees: CM Shimla, February 18 He said 56 plots had been allotted to the oustees by the present government during January this year. Prof Dhumal said his government was poised to rehabilitate the Bhakra dam oustees and had taken various steps in this direction. He said in addition to the 56 allotted plots. 137 more plots were being identified to allot these to the oustee families. He said the previous government had never bothered to solve the long pending problems of oustees in Bilaspur district and did not take any concrete steps to rehabilitate them. He said the government was aware of the problems of oustees of not only Bhakra dam but also the Pong Dam as well. He said the state government took up the matter of Pong dam oustees with the Rajasthan Government and soon plots would be provided to Pong Dam oustees also. Prof Dhumal today announced at Bilaspur that henceforth there would be no hike in domestic power tariff in the state and the consumers would be getting the power at the minimum for their domestic use. He said the state was heading towards becoming the power state of the country. He said that memorandums of understanding on hydel projects with generation capacity of over-1000 MW projects would also be signed with various parties soon. He said time-bound programme was being made so that in time the generation cost could be minimized. Prof Dhumal said sports were essential for overall development of the individual. He said sports activities provide opportunity to develop fellow feeling and work as a team which ultimately reflects upon their working. He said the board was organising its annual meet after a gap of five year and said that the events must be organised regularly. Prof Dhumal said necessary funds would be provided for organising such events. He said a revolving fund needed to be created for such activities and said that the ACC, Barmana, had agreed to donate Rs 2 lakh for the fund besides Rs 51,000 by HP State Cooperative Bank. He also said the board would give 3 per cent reservation to sportsmen for recruitment in contract posts besides the 3 per cent being provided by the state government to the outstanding sportsmen. Mr Shamsher Singh, Chairman, H.P. State Electricity Board, welcomed the Chief Minister and said the board was committed to implement the policies and programmes of the government towards making the state a power state of India. Mr Harinder Thakur, Vice-Chairman of the Sports Organising Committee said 600 employees from various projects and zones were participating in the event.
PTI |
|
Economy growth rate impressive: experts Shimla, February 18 He said industrial revolution in India did not pass through the cycle of primary, secondary and then service sectors. It jumped from primary to service sector and now more than 50 per cent GNP comes from service sector. The manpower requirement of the service sector was providing the basic need for change in the curriculum and pedagogy of management education in the country. Prof M.K. Sharma highlighted the need for restructuring of course curriculum in view of globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation and the ground realities of the economy. Prof Yoginder Verma, Director, Academic Staff College and Institute of Management Studies, said teachers occupy vital position in the development of a country. The students should always be encouraged for active participation and efforts should be made to bring out their hidden talent. Prof Verma was of the opinion that today technology had become a major determinant of economic growth and there was a dominance of information technology. Prof Verma said a huge change has been noticed in the field of commerce and management education over the past two decades. Prof Suresh Kumar, coordinator of the programme, said the main thrust area of the programme was management education in the new millennium. He emphasised that the effectiveness of the programme depended on the active interaction of the participants. Dr Kulwant Pathania, Deputy Director, Academic Staff College, said till today the college had organised 58 orientation programmes and 106 refresher courses in which more than 5,000 teachers had got training. He further added that the induction training programme in management was being organised in collaboration with the All-India Council of Technical Council. As many as 22 teachers from universities and colleges in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are participating in this programme. |
|
Centre seeks report on Israeli convict Shimla, February 18 Shirki along with another Israeli girl, Cohen Berta, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh was imposed on her for being involved in smuggling of narcotics somewhere in Kulu district. The authorities fear that the newly born child could also be carrying the disease. Shirki was brought to the medical college hospital early this month for delivery. Her mother, Mazal Shirki, has also reached Nahan and was camping in a local hotel. It is learnt that her mother wanted her to stay in the Nahan jail instead of shifting to Shimla where the weather was cold. However, she was reportedly afraid of the rats which keep running in the jail premises. It is learnt that some senior functionaries of the Israeli Embassy recently visited here to personally know about the case. |
|
Aided school staff intensify stir Dharamsala, February 18 The president of the union, Mr Ranjendra Sharma, said since the state government had failed to respond to its demands, the union had decided to intensify the agitation. “In case the government does not accept our demands by February 28, we will start a fast unto death,” he stated. The schoolteachers from all over the state took out a procession here and marched to the Deputy Commissioner’s office. They regretted that despite the Supreme Court orders, the state government was not giving full aid to the private schools whose teachers were not getting their salary for months together. |
|
Plan to import virus-free rootstocks Shimla, February 18 Quarantine was essential to prevent the entry of pests and diseases, if any, from exporting countries. Dr Sharma said the imported plant variety would be available in 2002-2003 |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
