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Sunday,
May 18, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Water shortage hits Mandi Residential schools up in arms on power tariff Pacchad samiti chief voted out Chamera oustees
hold protest HC administrator to oversee HP engineering
college |
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Residents oppose shifting of Kol Dam office Produce bonded labourers, HC tells SP Notice served on Katwal Roerich’s works showcased Administrative reshuffle in HP
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Water shortage hits Mandi Mandi, May 17 Some water sources have completely dried up while in others the water discharge has been reduced by 50 to 75 per cent. The situation is bound to worsen during the coming weeks if the dry spell continues. The Dharampur segment of Sarkaghat, the most arid subdivision of the district, is currently reeling under acute shortage of drinking water. Many villagers have shifted, along with their cattle wealth, to the banks of the Beas. In six panchayats of Dharampur natural sources have dried up to 90 per cent. People allege that the main cause of drying up of water wells, handpumps and water springs is reckless mining being carried on illegally in the area. Some lift-drinking water supply schemes have also become non-functional. People of Mandap and the surrounding areas have urged the authorities to immediately press tankers into service. The drinking water problem has also worsened in the Gopalpur belt of Sarkaghat where the people of Matyar, Baldwara, Khundwar, Bhambla, Sulpur, Paur and Paunta panchayats have been forced to fetch water from a far-off Kalthar Khad where they have themselves excavated a well in the bed of the rivulet. Scarcity of drinking water is also being faced by the people of Chuhar valley. In Tikkar panchayat the taps have been dry for the past many days. Parts of Joginder Nagar an Sundernagar subdivisions are also experiencing severe water shortage. There has been a marked decrease in sources feeding the gravity mainlines of Mandi town, says Mr D.K. Gupta, XEN, IPH. The daily water discharge in the Maigal water supply scheme has come down from 12 lakh litres per day to 6 lakh per litres a day. The water source feeding Bhiuli drinking water supply scheme of the town has virtually gone dry. Its daily water discharge has been reduced from 2.5 lakh litres to mere 25000 litres. Mr B.D. Thakur, S.E., IPH, said the problem of water shortage in Mandi town would be over within days now. Additional 25 lakh litres of water was available daily from the Mandi drinking water augmentation scheme now nearing completion. The water of Maigal would now be supplied exclusively to Jawahar Nagar, Purani Mandi and Bhiuli. The Bhiuli water supply would also be augmented by adding additional water from the Kangni Dhar. He said the overhauling of the distribution system of the town would be taken up later as it was a tough and complicated work. |
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Residential schools up in arms on power tariff Solan, May 17 While a number of these schools, which have been in existence for the past more than 100 years, have been categorised as unrecognised schools, making them liable for commercial tariff, Lawrence School Sanawar, near Kasauli, has been given the exemption by being branded as a government-recognised school. As per the latest notification of the board dated October 2002, it was notified that commercial rates would be charged from private unrecognised educational institutes and non-domestic non-commercial (NDNC) rates would be charged from the government-owned or government-recognised educational institutes in the state. The headmaster of Pinegrove School near Kasauli, Mr A.J. Singh, asked that when a school is affiliated to a Central board, under what pretext is their school considered unrecognised? More so, when the school has been granted affiliation after getting a due NOC from the state government there is no question of the school being an unrecognised institute. This, he adds, is a step towards commercialising education and imposed arbitrarily. He has filed a case in the HP Electricity Regulatory Commission, opposing the new directions. He also stated that officials of the board were themselves not aware of the definition of a recognised school. It is indeed interesting to note that a letter received by the headmaster of the school from the Secretary, HP School Education Board, clearly states that the board does not issue any recognition certificate, and further all schools affiliated with the CBSE are recognised by the Central Government after obtaining an NOC from the state government. It was also learnt that the 146-year-old Bishop Cotton School Shimla has also been categorised as a non-recognised school and directed to pay commercial tariff, following which the matter was taken up in consumer forum. The school authorities stated that they failed to understand why Lawrence School Sanawar, instituted in 1847, was categorised a recognised school. The Superintendent
(electricity), Mr JS Chandel, clarifying the matter, said the matter had been referred to the Chief Engineer (Commercial) and they had received a letter from Lawrence School issued by the Secretary, Education, Government of India, stating that their school was a government-recognised institute. According to information, even government schools like Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodya Vidyalayas, military schools and army schools have been categorised as unrecognised schools and directed to pay commercial tariff. Officials of residential schools said the decision would involve an extra expenditure of 50 paise per unit on power and burden the bills by lakhs. |
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Pacchad samiti chief voted out Nahan, May 17 Deputy Commissioner Sirmaur, O.C. Sharma, in a notification here today declared the post of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Pacchad Panchayat Samiti vacant. The Vice-Chairman of the Samiti, Ms Kiran Bala submitted resignation from the office on May 3, 2003, the day when notice of no-confidence notice was served, by the Congress members. Pacchad was one of the Constituency where the BJP was claiming to be strong but toppling of the BJP ruled Panchayat Samiti has again brought factionalism in the party to the fore. The BJP heavyweight Chandermohan Thakur who heads one of the BJP faction in the district was already been removed from the post of Chairman of Zila Parishad of Sirmaur on May 14. He hails from the Pacchad area. The Congress toppled Panchayat Samiti Nahan on April 3, Zila Parishad Sirmaur on May 14 and Chairman of Panchayat Samiti Shillai has already been dismissed by the Deputy Commissioner for violating two children norm on April 29. According to Mr M.S. Negi, District Panchayat Officer both posts of Panchayat Samiti Shillai have been declared vacant as Vice-Chairman of the Samiti has resigned from office. He said that the Deputy Commissioner Sirmaur, Mr O.C. Sharma, has asked the S.D.M. Paonta to hold the election of Panchayat Samiti Shillai at the earliest. Till today Congress has captured four out of six Panchayat Samitis. Mr Negi also informed that June 12, 2003, has been fixed for the election of new Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Zila Parishad Sirmaur by the D.C. |
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Chamera oustees
hold protest Chamba, May 17 The District Magistrate said he was constantly in touch with the top brass of the state government and waiting for directives from them. In the meantime, the Additional Superintendent of Police here, Mr N.D. Sharma, has alerted the police to keep a watch on the situation arising out of the agitation by the oustees so that nobody damages government property of the Chamera project. Meanwhile, members of the ousted families of the project, on the second day, gathered in front of the office of the General Manager of the Chamera project and held a demonstration. They also raised slogans in protest against the delaying tactics of the NHPC in not releasing the financial packaged approved by the Government of India. The General Manager of the Chamera project, Stage-II, Mr Parminder Singh, said since the Union Government had set a deadline of June 30 for releasing the financial package of Rupees 8.76 crore to about 312 families affected by the Chamera project, stages-I and II, the agitation by the oustees was uncalled for. He said the project was nearing commissioning and the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was expected to dedicate this project to the nation in the near future. He
further said that in the case of the Chamera project, stage-I, the
National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) had already given
employment to 590 out of 782 persons — one member of each affected
family as per the recommendations of the state government. |
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HC administrator to oversee HP engineering
college New Delhi, May 17 A Bench comprising Mr Justice
K.G. Balakrishnan and Mr Justice P. Venkatarama Reddi said the Joint Director of Technical Education, Himachal Pradesh, appointed as nominee by the administrator, “should be allowed to oversee the functioning of the institution and give necessary instructions to the management in the interests of creating a proper academic atmosphere on the campus, while keeping in view the financial position and obligations to be discharged by the management.” Disposing of an appeal by the IITT College of Engineering against an order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, the apex court said to protect the interests of the students by keeping up the tempo of improvements made by the administrator, its nominee would have a check against “mal-administration (by the management) at least for sometime.” The Joint Director should be allowed by the management to have “access to material information, including the financial position and transactions,” the court said, while giving necessary directions to be complied with by the management in an order passed last week. The court, however, said a reasoned order on the issue would follow later. “In case any irregularities or an instance of mismanagement or non-compliance with the directive given herein are noticed, the Director of Technical Education may approach the high court for appropriate orders,” the Bench said. It would be open to the All-India Council of Technical Education
(AICTE) and the Himachal Pradesh University authorities to call upon the college to “remedy” the deficiencies that may be persisting at the time of granting affiliation/ approval in the future and in case of non-compliance, take such action as is open to them under law. “The need or otherwise of the nominee official (Joint Director, Technical Education) to continue to be associated with the administration (of the college) on the lines indicated may be reviewed by the high court after the expiry of at least one year,” the apex court said. The court said the management and administration of the college “shall” be restored to the “appellant
(IITT)” within a month. For 2003-2004, the list of the admissions “shall be finalised” only after consultation with the nominee and any objections pointed out by him should be duly considered by the management, the order said. |
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Students a
worried lot Students
of Engineering College at Kala Amb, near Nahan, have more than the
examinations to worry about. The recent apex court verdict, handing over
the management to the old hands is giving the students sleepless nights as
they apprehend return of chaotic days.
Set up in 1997 as a private institute, it has been a long struggle and
legal fight both for the students as well as the management of the
International Institute of Telecom Technology as the institute remained
embroiled in controversy for one reason or the other.
Eversince the news of the recent Supreme Court order, restoring the
administration to the old management has appeared in media, the office of
the Director Technical Education at Shimla, has been flooded with calls
from worried parents of the students. It was on the orders of the Himachal
High Court that an Administrator had been appointed in September, 2001, to
create proper infrastructure, keeping in view the career of students.
“We are unable to concentrate on our studies, as we know that the
moment the old management returns, instead of improving, things would go
from bad to worse,” says Varun Sehegal, a student of first year at the
college. The girl students say that during the tenure of the government
administrator, things improved a lot in terms of buildings, laboratories,
library and staff strength and their salary.
“We are still awaiting the Supreme Court judgement and once we
receive it we shall follow the directions,” said Mr B.R. Verma,
Director, Technical Education, Himachal Pradesh. Sources in the department
said the Audit report till March 31, had already been prepared so there
would not be much delay in handing over of the institute.
The Chairman of the College Management Committee, Mr S.K. Sood, said
they had already written to the Director, Technical Education, to inform
them as to when the handing over of the institute can be done. “The
institute had been running very smoothly but unfortunately due to change
of government in Himachal, we became victims of political
victimisation,” he alleged.
As if in anticipation of the bad times to come, the students are
already preparing themselves to cope up with the ensuing problems. Almost
90 per cent of the boys living in the boys’ hostel are planning to move
to private accommodation. “We know that the hostel charges will be
raised back to Rs 12,000 annually, as compared to Rs 3,600 that we have
been paying during the tenure of the Administrator,” says Varun Sehegal.
Interestingly, while the college is in Himachal the hostel, located at a
distance of 3 km falls in Haryana.
“The electricity supply is so erratic and at times when the college
bus is not available we have to trudge 3 km to and fro in the heat and
rain,” complains Subhash Sharma.
“Since the college was started without raising proper infrastructure,
even after 6 years we are living in the staff quarters, that were made for
the factory staff,” rues Shivani Mahajan, student of 4th year. Though
two girls were made to stay in the kitchen in every staff quarter
initially, yet even now some of them have a kitchen for a study room.
The students feel that 90 Information Technology students who had to be
shifted to other colleges of Haryana due to affiliation for the course
being withdrawn were very lucky, as at least now they are in proper
institutes. “We dread to think how we will complete our studies here,”
say the worried students. |
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Residents oppose shifting of Kol Dam office Sundernagar, May 17 According to the residents this decision has been on political grounds to oblige the Congress minister of Bilaspur district. The residents have appealed to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, who is holidaying at Manali, to intervene. Mr Vajpayee had laid the foundation stone of the Dam project on June 5, 2001, at Kangoo (Sundernagar). At that time it was declared the office of this project would be situated at Sundernagar but later the office was shifted to Bilaspur. Now the government had decided to shift the office of the L.A.C. to Bilaspur too on “political grounds”. The government has issued a notification giving the charge of the L.A.C. (Kol Dam) to the S.D.M. Bilaspur. As per the earlier notification, the charge of this office was to be given to the SDM, Sundernagar. But the government has modified the notification and now the SDM, Bilaspur, will hold the charge of LAC (Kol dam). As many as 37 employees serve in this office. All do not want the office shifted to Bilaspur. Mr Baldev Thakur, SDM, Bilaspur, who holds the charge of LAC (Kol dam) said he was faced with the problem of running the office at Sundernagar as it was not possible to him to visit the town everyday . Mr Sohan Lal, local MLA, said the office would not be allowed to be shifted in public interest. He would take up the matter at the highest level. Former Forest Minister Roop Singh termed this decision as “cheap politics” being played by the ruling Congress. According to senior citizens, the move is politically motivated. They demanded either the charge be given to the SDM, Sundernagar, or to any H.A.S. officer in the district, or an officer be appointed for this purpose. Traders and bankers are also against the move. |
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Produce bonded labourers, HC tells SP Shimla, May 17 In a petition it was alleged that the owner of a brickkiln at Naulakha (Sundernagar) Mr Nikka Ram had illegally detained the workers and was not making payment to them. Even for medical assistance the detainees were not allowed to leave the premises. They are being threatened and beaten up by the henchmen hired by the owner of the kiln. A division bench of the court comprising Chief Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta and Mr Justice Arun Kumar Goel issued notice to owner of the kilns and asked the S.P. Mandi and the S.H.O. Sundernagar to produce the alleged bonded labourers before the court on May 21. |
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Notice served on Katwal Hamirpur, May 17 SIT sleuths today grilled Mr Katwal for the second day at the local Circuit House. Mr G.D. Bhargava, SP, is heading the team. Mr Sanjay Kundu, another senior IPS officer, has also reached here to supervise the operation. Sources in the Enforcement Department said Mr Katwal might be taken into custody as the department had procured vital evidences against him. However, no official briefing about the outcome of the interrogation was given to reporters by the SIT. Mr Katwal was not available for comments at his residence this evening. |
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Roerich’s works showcased Shimla, May 17 The Governor said that Roerich had deep love for art, culture, archaeology and the Himalayan culture, in particular. He said that Roerich spent almost 20 years at Naggar village in Kulu, pursuing his creative activities. He portrayed vast lands of Central Asia, Himalayan peaks, its people, their legends and spiritual traditions. Mr Kokje said that works of Nicholas depicted the harmony of composition and an amazing consonance of the colours. His works, comprising about 7000 paintings and sketches, could be found in many famous museums around the world. Mr Kokje lauded the department of Language, Art and Culture for organising the exhibition, which provided art lovers the opportunity to view the works of the great artist. |
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Administrative reshuffle in HP Shimla, May 17 Mr B.S. Chauhan, Secretary, Health, has been given additional charge of Secretary, Personnel. Mr Ashok Thakur, Principal Secretary, Tourism, will also hold charge of Town and Country Planning. |
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