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Friday,
May 16, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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SC gives HP college a year to improve PM’s day out with school
kids
PM to be apprised of HP’s fiscal position |
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Concern over Chinese move to build dams Need to fix limit for raising loans: BJP Allottees demand probe into flats’ construction Cement shortage hits PWD
activity Fill posts of sub-judge by Aug 16: court 75 contraband deodar
sleepers seized De-addiction course for cops begins Married woman driven to
suicide HC directions in death case
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SC gives HP college a year to improve New Delhi, May 15 “To protect the interests of the students by keeping in view the improvement made by the administrator and have a check
against maladministration (by the management) at least for one year, we direct that the present nominee of the administrator... should be allowed to oversee the running of the institute,” a Bench comprising Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and the Justice P.V. Reddy said in an order. Restoring the management of the IITT College of Engineering to the society running it, the court said the administrator’s nominee would continue to give necessary instructions to the management in the interests of the academic atmosphere on the campus and keep in view the financial position and obligations by the college to maintain the necessary standard of education. The order came on a petition by the IITT, challenging the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s directive to appoint an administrator to oversee the functioning of the college, which allegedly had taken Rs 90,000 from each student as security money. Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) had withdrawn affiliation to the college following the report of a committee appointed by the apex court, pointing out “glaring” deficiencies in the infrastructure required for technical education. The administrator had nominated state’s Technical Education Department Joint Director S S Sen to act as principal of the college as the management had failed to protect students’ interests. Taking into account the committee’s report, the court said “It is open for the AICTE and the HPU to ask the college to remove the deficiencies that may be persisting at the time of granting affiliation and approval to it.” The AICTE had given ad hoc approval to the college on the condition that it would improve the facilities in due course. The apex court warned that if any irregularity or instance of mismanagement or non-compliance of the directions given by it were noticed by the administrator’s nominee, he would be free to approach the High Court for taking appropriate action against the management under the law. After one year, the High Court would review the situation to decide whether the administrator should continue to monitor the functioning of the college or not, it said. Regarding the admission process for the 2003-04 academic year, the court said it would be finalised by the college in consultation with the administrator’s nominee and any objections pointed out by him would be considered. “Nothing should be done by the
management to disturb the existing conditions of service of faculty members and non-teaching staff which is to the detriment of their interests,” the Bench warned. It also ordered the management to put back in the college account the entire money, withdrawn by it from its fund after the High Court order. The college has an annual intake of at least 140 students in various disciplines. However, the students given admission in the IT course had to be shifted by the state government to other institutes as the college failed to provide them with basic facilities. |
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PM’s day out with school
kids Manali, May 15 The Prime Minister, looking quite charming and relaxed, assured the villagers of every possible help and funds for the further extension of the school building. He promised to provide computers for the schoolchildren, adding that it was a computer age and computer education was essential today. Stressing that no progress was possible sans education, he said education up to primary level had been made compulsory in the country. He stressed the need to educate children, particularly from poor families and importance of art, music and vocational education to go ahead in life. “We have to build up a strong and prosperous nation. Children should get education since literacy could only pave the path for progress and prosperity”, he maintained. Mr Vajpayee asked the schoolchildren sitting in front of the dais to put questions to him. A student asked him, “Aap hume Lok Sabha kab dikhaengey”. “Jab aap chahengey, tab di khaengay”, Mr Vajpayee replied. To a question by another child, “Sir aap kitna parhe hein”, the Prime Minister said “Kala akshar bhains barabar”. He was born in a poor family and used to study in the light of a kerosene lamp, he added. Mr Vajpayee, too, did not miss the chance and jovially put a counter question to the child, “Kya aap ko lagta hai ki mein parha likha hoon”. On the demand of a child Mr Vajpayee recited a few stanzas of one of his poems, “Kadam mila ker chalna hoga. Badhaen aati hein aur pralaya ghor ghataen sar par barse”. Whether he would announce any special package for Himachal Pradesh this time, the Prime Minister said the Centre had always been extending help to the state some package would also be announced this time too, he added. |
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PM to be apprised of HP’s fiscal position Shimla, May 15 Talking to mediapersons here today, he said he would apprise the Prime Minister of the financial hardships being faced by the state and seek special assistance in view of the fact that Himachal Pradesh was a special category state. He said development activities in the hills required much more funds because of the difficult topography. The Chief Minister said that the government had taken measures to ensure the supply of potable water to the people of the state during summer. Special care was being taken of the drought-prone areas. He said that four new tubewells had been added to augment the water supply to Shimla town. He said the state government would encourage entrepreneurs with financial and technological competence to undertake mini and micro hydel projects. In the past a number of companies had failed to prepare the detailed project reports within the stipulated period and it delayed work on the projects. He said the government would welcome the setting up of high-quality vocational educational institutions in the private sector. |
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Concern over Chinese move to build dams Dharamsala, May 15 In a statement issued here, the TCHRD said the main aim of these dams was to generate electricity and supply water to mainland Chinese cities, which were facing a major water scarcity. All these projects were envisaged to be completed by 2006. The centre alleged that since 1999 many such developmental projects launched by the Chinese authorities had failed to provide the local residents with meaningful ways to earn livelihood, while hampering their traditional ways. In December 2001, the Chinese authorities had displaced 60 families in the Tibetan Autonomous Region without any plans for their rehabilitation and even the promised compensation had been denied. These families had been forced to seek employment in Lhasa and other places to eke out a livelihood. The TCHRD alleged that the current five year plan envisaged a massive transfer of resources out of Tibetan plateau to eastern China, which violated the Tibetan people’s right to livelihood. |
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Need to fix limit for raising loans: BJP Shimla, May 15 Mr Ganesh Dutt, spokesperson for the party, said here yesterday that the party would seek special assistance from the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is on a six-day retreat in Manali, for the uplift of the poor. However, at the same time it would demand curbs on wasteful expenditure by the Congress government. The state was in a financial mess and the government has decided to raise loans to the tune of Rs 500 crore. This would further add to the outstanding loans, which stood at over Rs 13,000 crore. The annual interest liability alone was over Rs 1,350 crore as against the income of Rs 900 crore. Mr Dutt alleged the Congress government was transferring employees on political consideration and an atmosphere of fear had been created. The government was pre-occupied with transfers and it had not given any thought to the development of state over the past two months. |
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Allottees demand probe into flats’ construction Shimla, May 15 The allottees’ welfare society has drawn the attention of the government towards the deplorable condition of the colony. The society has, in a representation to Mr Mukesh Agnihottari, Chief Parliamentary Secretary and in charge of housing, demanded action against the supervisory officers who have given a false completion certificate. The flats handed over to the allottees are incomplete. The walls have not been plastered, the ceilings have not been painted and false ceilings have not been fitted at many places. The doors cannot be bolted and shutters cannot be fitted on the wardrobe slabs. There is seepage due to defective fittings and rain water enters the rooms from balconies. The allottees have not been provided with the list of fittings and fixtures despite repeated requests. The allottees have pointed out various deficiencies in the flats, but to no avail. Many paths and pavements in the colony have not been metalled and heaps of excavated earth are lying in the colony. Drainage is in a bad shape and pipes dangle and leak. The allottees have been paying lakhs as charges to the board annually. Inflated water bills have been issued to the residents on the pretext that the Irrigation and Public Health Department has demanded Rs 4 lakh for water supply. The board has not been taking the meter reading. |
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Cement shortage hits PWD
activity Palampur, May 15 Most of the PWD divisions in the district have not received cement for the past two months. Contractors executing civil works in the department, have been visiting the offices of the PWD daily for cement, but the department is not in a position to say when the cement would be provided. Official sources said here yesterday that PWD had no funds to purchase cement, so the supply of it was delayed. ACC and Gujarat Ambuja, two major suppliers of cement to the PWD in the state have told the government that supplies of cement to PWD could not be restored without advance payment. Metalling of roads in various parts of the district too has also been hit in the absence of bitumen. Metalling and tarring of roads were in the full swing, but department had no bitumen in godowns for the past 10 days. The department has been compelled to hand over small roads to private contractors for metalling causing leading to burden on the state exchequer.
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Fill posts of sub-judge by Aug 16: court Shimla, May 15 A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta and Mr Justice K.C. Sood further directed the government to ensure that the advertisement for the vacant posts of sub-judge be published within a week. The court also directed the government to set up a judicial academy for training the appointed persons. These directions were issued by the court on a public interest litigation filed by a lawyer. He prayed that the posts of sub-judge were not being filled for a long time resulting in the accumulation of arrears and inordinate delay in the dispensation of justice. The Supreme Court had fixed the deadline to complete the selection process latest by March 31, 2003. The court further directed the state and the Secretary,
HPPSC, to file an affadavit about the schedule at the next hearing. |
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75 contraband deodar
sleepers seized Mandi, May 15 Stating this the Divisional Forest officer, Mr Harsh Vardhan Kathuria, said today that a naka was set up here at a point where the Kataula road joins the National Highway following a tip-off that a Swaraj Mazda truck carrying deodar timber was coming towards Mandi. A notorious forest mafia kingpin of Kataula valley was piloting the truck in a black car. While he escaped unnoticed, the truck was intercepted. On search, the timber was found hidden under bags of maize. A squad of officials headed by two Range Officers seized the timber and handed over the custody of driver Pankaj Rana to the police. A case has been registered and will be tried in the court of the DFO, who is empowered as an authorised officer under Section 52 of the Indian Forest Act. Under the Forest Act, the vehicle involved in smuggling of timber or other forest crimes is vested with the government after the trial of the case. The police has also registered a case under Sections 41 and 42 of the Indian Forest Act and under Section 379 of the Indian Penal Code. |
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De-addiction course for cops begins Dharamsala, May 15 Inaugurating the first de-addiction course for policemen organised with the help of the District Red Cross Society here, Mr Puri said though the service rules were strict about such cases, yet efforts should be made to cure the addict. He said 117 policemen with addiction problems had been identified. He said addiction should be treated as an ailment. He also emphasised the need for ensuring that those who come forward for treatment should be encouraged. He appreciated the effort made by the Kangra police in this direction. Earlier, Kangra SP Zahoor H. Zaidi said it required courage to come forward for treatment. He said the identity of those who volunteered for treatment would be kept secret. Mr Zaidi said 22 policemen had volunteered for treatment. Mr Zaidi said the 20-day course had been finalised with the help of the District Red Cross Society. The volunteers would undergo medical check-up and would be trained in yoga, and meditation. He said group therapy and self-help programmes could be helpful in such treatment programmes. They would also be taken around to places like Chinmaya Ashram. He said after the completion of the programme, the cured persons would be given regular counselling for six months. |
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Married woman driven to
suicide Mandi, May 15 Mr K.D. Sharma, SHO Sadar yesterday morning said that Jeet was arrested and remanded in police custody for three days for forcing his wife to commit suicide. A case under Sections 306 and 342 of the IPC was registered against him. According to investigations Neelam wanted to go to her parents. Her husband refused her permission, and locked her in a room. Later when the room was opened, she was found hanging from a fan. She was taken to the hospital by her husband where she was declared brought dead. Her parents told the police that the marriage of Neelam had been solemnised fraudulently and she was being ill-treated. |
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HC directions in death case Shimla, May 15 These directions were passed by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta and Mr Justice Arun Kumar Goel on a petition filed by Kala Devi mother of the deceased. She had alleged that her son Khem Ram died on March 9, 2000 in a mysterious circumstances. She further alleged that he was murdered and the police had not conducted the investigation properly. While issuing directions the court observed that the proper investigation was required in this matter, and directed the state to have the case probed by the CID. |
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Leopard fear grips village Mandi, May 15 Forest officials have set up a cage in the village to trap the beast. Wildlife officials are concerned over the loss of forest cover and frequent forest fires, which are driving the leopards into human settlements. Experts say when leopards do not get wild animals in the forests, they kill and eat animals in villages. Leopards are shy by nature, they say adding that old, ailing and injured beasts have the tendency to attack humans in self-defence. |
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Water supply scheme sanctioned Mandi, May 15 He said various drinking and irrigation sources in the Sanor valley had been dried up because a number of tunnels had been excavated beneath the valley. He said according to a survey conducted by the Irrigation and Public Health Department the damage caused by the tunnels to the water sources had been assessed at Rs 30 crore.
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Protest against arrest of villagers Nurpur, May 15 Mr Anup Anand and Mr Sanjay Anand, owners of the shop, were injured and electronics goods in the shop were damaged. The police had booked 20 villagers in this connection. Fifteen other accused were still at large.
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