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Saturday,
November 9, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Delimitation panel ends first phase of work
Administration goes back on promise? Lawyers’ strike hits work HP hikes MSP for citrus fruits 3 killed as truck falls into Ravi |
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| Honorarium row in Parmar varsity Solan, November 8 The YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry authorities at Nauni, near here, have yet to recover lakhs paid to some of its scientists for training programmes. Palampur varsity’s
review panel HP doctors to launch stir Teachers postpone agitation Shimla-Kalka track is 100 today 2 minor girls missing Services of 853 regularised
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Delimitation panel ends first phase of work Shimla, November 8 The meeting was attended by all nine associate members, four MPs and five legislators, who suggested several changes in the initial proposals circulated by the commission. The objections pertaining to Kangra and Chamba districts were discussed today, though a few concerning other districts also came up during the meeting. According to informed sources, the objection to the scrapping of the Sulah constituency to reduce the number of seats in Kangra district from 16 to 15 was rejected. Similarly, all objections and suggestion regarding the Baijnath constituency, which is proposed to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes, also did not find favour with the commission. Mr Shanta Kumar, Union Minister for Rural Development, made several suggestions for redrawing the boundaries of the Baijnath constituency but they were not accepted as these could not be implemented without affecting several other constituencies. While objections and suggestions pertaining to Nagrota Bagwan, Kangra, Dharamsala and some other constituencies in the district were accepted there were no objections to the proposals for Chamba district. The commission will now finalise the draft proposals over the next few days which will be published to invite objections and claims from the public. Thereafter, it will conduct public hearings at three places in the state. |
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Administration goes back on promise? Hamirpur, November 8 At that time, a blueprint of the proposed complex was released to the press by the then officers of the Public Works Department posted here. In that paper there was a provision for roads and parking, park, arboriculture and statue of the late Jagdev Chand Thakur library and 11 booths along the bazaar road for those who were to be dispossessed from the outer part of the then Animals Hospital, where the new complex has been constructed. However, a huge wall has been constructed at places where booths were to be constructed for small rehriwalas. No booths have been constructed for them. Instead, they have been moved to the eastern side of the road. When contacted, Mr G.R. Kaundel, Superintending Engineer, Public Works Department, said he had no knowledge about any plan to construct booths to rehabilitate 11 rehriwalas. He refused to say anything to the document prepared by and released to the media at the time of the laying of the foundation stone of the complex. Mr Raj Krishan Sharma, Executive Officer of the local civic body, said there was such a plan at the initial stage, but was shelved later. Meanwhile, Mr Mukesh Kumar, secretary of the CPI, has demanded rehabilitation of all rehriwalas as per the promise made to them by the Chief Minister. |
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Lawyers’ strike hits work Shimla, November 8 The call for the strike was given by the Bar Council of India and the National Action Committee of Lawyers. The members of the High Court Bar Association, Consumer Forum Bar Association and State Administrative Tribunal Bar Association also participated in the fast and as a result of which the court work, particularly in the district courts, was affected. Mr Ajay Kumar, Chairman of the State Bar Council, said the draconian amendments impinged upon the fundamental rights of citizens instead of providing relief to the poor. The amendments had struck a blow to the working of the consumer courts and given arbitrary powers to the non-technical members of the Lok Adalat. DHARAMSALA: Advocates in Kangra on Friday abstained from work in protest against the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and the Legal Services Authorities (Amendment) Act 2002, which debarred them from appearing before the Lok Adalats. Advocates at Palampur led by Bar Association president Harnaik Singh held a dharna demanding the deletion of Sections 19 and 22 A of the Legal Services Authorities (Amendment) Act 2002. NURPUR: Members of the local Bar Association on Friday observed a strike and held a dharna in front of the Court of Judicial Magistrate. Five members of the Bar also went on fast on the court premises. The association decided to boycott the Lok Adalat scheduled to be held on Saturday in the Court of Sub Judge, Nurpur. BILASPUR: Led by District Bar Association president R.K. Handa, a large number of advocates held a dharna and went on fast demanding withdrawal of the amendments here on Friday. The association also decided to boycott Lok Adalats and all activities relating to the Legal Services Authorities Act until the new amendments were withdrawn. |
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HP hikes MSP for citrus fruits Shimla, November 8 The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet held under the chairmanship of Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister. As per the scheme approved, the support price for “B” grade kinnow, malta and orange will be Rs 4.60 per kg and Rs 4 per kg for “C” grade fruit. The support price for all types of galgal will be Rs 2.85 per kg. Giving details of the decisions, Mrs Rajendar Bhattacharya, Chief Secretary, said the scheme would be implemented from November 20 to February 15 by opening fruit collection centres in fruit-producing areas. Out of 51 collection centres, 20 would be opened in Kangra, 11 in Mandi, five each in Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur, two each in Sirmaur and Solan and one in Kulu district in the first phase. Procurement under the scheme would be made only from farmers possessing horticulture cards and not from contractors and others involved in the trade. She said the procurement of citrus fruits under the scheme would be done through the HPMC, HIMFED and the state Agriculture Industries Corporation. She said to meet evapo-transportation losses, 5 per cent more fruit would be taken from the growers. The Cabinet also approved the lease agreement with MESCO Airlines for hiring a helicopter for a year. The agreement envisaged 44 flying hours per month instead of 50 hours approved in the last agreement. The arrangement was based on calculation for the optimum use of the helicopter based on previous records. This would result in an annual saving of Rs 42 lakh. The total expenditure on this account would be Rs 5.76 crore for a year as against Rs 6.18 crore last year. The Cabinet also approved the release of a grant of Rs 23 crore to the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation to ensure its smooth functioning and directed the committee set up under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to review the functioning of the corporation. The Cabinet also decided to enhance the honorarium of the members of the Himachal Pradesh State Commission for Backward Classes from Rs 250 to Rs 600 per sitting. |
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3 killed as truck falls into Ravi Chamba, November 8 According to official sources, the truck was on its way from Chamba to Bharmour and was loaded with bricks. The deceased have been identified as Rattan Chand, driver of the truck, and Raj Kumar and Amar Singh of the nearby villages of Bharmour tribal belt of the district. The bodies of the deceased have handed over to their legal heirs after an autopsy. The sources said Nasib Kumar, who was injured in the accident, had been admitted to a nearby health centre. |
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Honorarium row in Parmar varsity Solan, November 8 The Auditor General of Himachal Pradesh has also made a mention of the additional payment in its report sum of Rs 50,000 is to be recovered from the scientists for the inadmissible honorarium paid from 1997 to 2002. However the Audit Department maintains that in case the scientists conduct training programmes the honorarium was not admissible to the scientists as per the guidelines of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research and Training to the practice in the university has been just the opposite. The Deputy Controller of Audits, Mr Vinod Gupta, said the Extension Department scientists were supposed to conduct such training courses. It was inappropriate to give them additional money for conducting such trainings. Charges thus collected should be deposited in the university accounts and shown as university income. The university Audit Department in its memo issued in April this year had also directed the director extension to make recoveries from the individual officers who were paid honorarium under the national watershed development programme from 1997 to 2002. Despite this the director extension did not show any keenness to pay heed to the letter. When asked about this laxity in recovering the amount shown to have been paid in violation of the guideline laid down by the director, Extension Education, Mr Jagmohan Chauhan, stated that the scientists were being paid as per the procedure for schemes like the DRDA, NWDP and no credence could be accorded to the audit reports. He also stated that the 15 per cent institutional charges were already being paid to the university and the scientists were paid what was approved for them. The Deputy Controller of Audits on the other hand lamented that their department had been reduced to an information desk. It has no powers to take action against the erring officials in case the audit reports were not abided by. He however stated that he would issue fresh instructions to the director extension in this regard. |
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Palampur varsity’s
review panel Dharamsala, November 8 The Vice-Chancellor, Dr Tej Partap, said here yesterday that the committee had been constituted as per the directions of the Board of Management which had approved the matter at its meeting on April 2 this year. Mr RPS Katwal, Director-General, Indian Council of Forest Research and Education, Dehra Dun, had been appointed chairman of the committee. Dr R.C. Thakur, Director, Research was member of the committee. The committee would work on the terms of reference as stipulated by the Board of Management, he added. |
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HP doctors to launch stir Shimla, November 8 The decision was taken at
at meeting of the association held here yesterday. The association also announced the action programme according to which members will stage a dharna in front of the state Secretariat on November 26. They will observe a pen-down strike from November 27 to December 2 daily from 9.30 am to 11.30 pm. All members will go on casual leave on December 3. However, emergency services will be maintained. If no action is taken to redress the grievances, the emergency services will also be discontinued as doctors will stick to six hours of duty. The main demands include the grant of advance increment to postgraduate doctors as announced in the Budget, fixed duty hours as the facility of rent-free accommodation to those performing emergency duties has been withdrawn and immediate release of rural allowance on the Punjab pattern. Meanwhile, members of the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) have decided to go on mass casual leave on November 14 to protest against the “callous” attitude of the state government towards their demands. Dr Dinesh Sharma, president of the RDA, said the government had failed to implement the decision on increased stipend and PG increments for resident doctors. The government’s decision to have 12-hour duty shifts and night off for resident doctors and house surgeons was also yet to be implemented, he alleged. The RDA sought more posts of resident doctor and house surgeon. It threatened to call for an indefinite strike if the demands were not met. |
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Teachers postpone agitation Shimla, November 8 Consequently, the protest rally at Bhoranj, the constituency of Mr Dhiman, will not be held on November 11 and the planned indefinite fast from November 25 has also been deferred. Mr Roshan Lal Sharma, president of the union, said the minister assured them that the demands of the union would be implemented in a time-bound manner. The main demands include increments after 20 years of service, financial benefits to teachers appointed on a tenure basis on a par with ad hoc teachers, rural allowance on the Punjab pattern, end to disparity in pay scales of Shastris and teachers and inclusion of home science and music teachers in the classical and vernacular teachers category. |
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Shimla-Kalka track is 100 today
Shimla, November 8 The objective of the walk, along the 96.5-km long track, is to focus on heritage tourism and get World Heritage status for the 99-year-old toy train, said Billy Malhans, convener of Himachal Pradesh chapter of Intach, an NGO. The railway line was opened to traffic on November 9, 1903. He said besides Intach, representatives of three other NGOs — Sages, Himalayan Environment Society and Save Our Shimla (SOS) — would participate in the walk. The tour would be completed in four days with night-halt at Vintage railway rest houses at Kaithalighat, Barog and Jabli-Koti. He said a similar walk was also being planned for November 9, 2003 from Kalka to Shimla to mark the completion of 100 years of the train which had been described in the Guiness Book of Rail Facts and Figures as the “greatest narrow gauge engineering feat.”
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2 minor girls missing Kumarhatti, November 8 According to reports, the parents of the girls aged around 12 years got suspicious when their daughters did not return home in the evening. Later it was found that both girls did not attend the school. The parents of one of the girls received a phone call from their daughter from Delhi who told them that they were in the custody of the Delhi police. The parents of both girls left for Delhi this morning. |
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Services of 853 regularised
Shimla, November 8 They include 145 clerks, junior engineers, chowkidars, guards and draughtsmen while the remaining 708 are technical workers. All of them will be regular employees from next month.
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