 |
Sunday,
June 29, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
|
Shift
capital from Shimla: Dhumal HP to make
education up to Class VIII must Move to
increase study hours in schools UGC
allocates Rs 4.5 cr to HPU Budget
proposals ‘contrary to Cong promises’ |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
BJP
workers block traffic Chief
Secy told to appear before HC Record
Maharani’s statement: HC Young
trekkers climb Indrahara Pass BDC
Chairman, Vice-Chairman take oath Accidental
gunfire kills girl Minorities
corpn not to be merged Bank
robbed of Rs 41,080 Excise
official assaulted Pensioners
seek clearance of medical bills
|
|
Shift capital from Shimla: Dhumal Hamirpur, June 28 The BJP would work on the idea and include it in the next election manifesto of the party, he told reporters here today. He said the Congress was working purely on regional considerations and against the interests of the entire state. As such there was a need to shift the state capital from Shimla to Jahoo, Sarkaghat or Ghumarwin. He said Shimla was becoming hot day by day and losing its charm of a hill station. Time had come when Shimla was allowed to remain a hill station and its load was shifted to other parts of the state. Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, MLA, and Ms Urmila Thakur, former MLA, were present at the press conference. Prof Dhumal sought the help of common people, media, lawyers, intellectuals and others regarding his suggestion for the shifting of state capital from Shimla to the lower belt of the state. The BJP leader blasted the Congress government for resorting to undemocratic means during the opening days of the State Assembly. He alleged that BJP leaders and workers were lathi-charged without any provocations. Prof Dhumal demanded a probe by a sitting judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court into the lathi charge on them by the police at Shimla on June 25. Prof Dhumal lambasted the state government on its statements on the user charges. He alleged that the Congress government gave wrong statements on the floor of the House. Instead of abolishing the user charges, it had increased many charges including the prescription fee. He asked the state government to explain where the money being collected in the name of Rogi Kalyan samitis was going when these Samitis had been abolished much earlier. He said people’s money was being diverted to places for which it was not collected. |
|
HP to make education up to Class VIII must Darlaghat (Solan), June 28 Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, while speaking at a function organised in connection with the upgrading of the Government High School to a Senior Secondary one, at
Navgaon, six km from here, said that even though the Union Government had set a target date for the year 2010 for making elementary education compulsory, the state government hoped to complete the task in the next two to three years. He said that he had already directed the state Education Department to start conducting a statewide survey aimed at assessing the total number of schools required for the purpose. The survey would give top priority to ensuring that the schools were located within easy reach of each village so that the little children did not have to trudge long distance to attend the schools. He said that the government estimated that a minimum of 2500 new middle schools would have to be opened across the length and breadth of the state. Criticising the previous BJP government for having made a mess of the whole educational infrastructure, Mr Virbhadra Singh said that a process for bringing a sea change in the quality of education being imparted in state run institutions had already been started. As a first step it had been decided to provide the requisite teaching and non-teaching staff to each school. It would be followed by making up deficiencies in other, related infrastructure. The whole process would be completed in two years in a time-bound manner. Given the present financial crisis faced by the state, it was proposed to recruit teachers on contract for filling the current vacancies in schools. Education Minister Ms Asha Kumari said that this year, the government had allocated a Rs 1010.70 crore for education in the Budget which was the highest ever allocation for education in Himachal. She said that the government would open seven new degree colleges, 50 high schools, 20 senior secondary schools and 200 middle schools in the state during the current year. Local MLA and Deputy Speaker, Vidhan Sabha, Dharam Pal Thakur thanked the Chief Minister for upgrading the Navgaon school. It would serve at least six panchayats in its vicinity. |
|
Move to increase study hours in schools Dharamsala, June 28 Mr Rahi said the board was studying the possibilities of changing holiday pattern so that it coincided with free time after examinations when teachers were busy with paper checking and students had nothing to do. He said if introduced this would go a long way in helping students perform better in competitive examinations. Mr Rahi said the matter of relaxation in age announced for September JBT entrance examination would be taken up with the government and the Education Department so that students who have passed plus two this year were also eligible for appearing in the examination. |
|
UGC allocates
Rs 4.5 cr to HPU Shimla, June 28 A communication received by the university from the commission in this regard said that Rs 3.87 crore had been allocated for departmental facilities and Rs 18 lakh for central facilities. The commission had also allowed an amount of Rs 27 lakh from the Ninth Plan to spill over to the 10th plan. The commission had allocated Rs 2.70 crore in the Ninth Plan but only Rs 2.43 crore was released to the university. The commission appreciated the fact that the university had introduced several new courses but advised it to give more attention to research activities to attract finance from funding agencies. While the provision of the hostel facility for 1,000 students was laudable, the university suffered from an acute shortage of space because of the hilly terrain. It urged the university to approach the state government to rectify the inadequacy. The commission also appreciated the university’s efforts in promoting inter-disciplinary and integrated academic courses and research studies. The university proposed to establish two more centres, one for South Asian studies and the other for defence and strategic studies, in the near future. The commission observed that such initiatives were good for academic growth and would help the university get additional funding. |
|
Budget proposals ‘contrary
to Cong promises’ Shimla, June 28 Mr Ganesh
Dut, the party spokesperson, said during elections the Congress promised all sorts of relief to people like the withdrawal of user charges and jobs to all but after coming to power it had administered a heavy dose of taxes. Instead of creating jobs it proposed to sign an MoU with the Centre for implementing economic reforms, which would further squeeze employment opportunities. He opposed the decision to reintroduce lottery as it had virtually become a social evil destroying the life of the poor. He said the BJP government had banned it for this reason but the Congress was again reviving it for raising just Rs 10 crore they completely ignoring the cost the poor sections of the society would pay for it. He also demanded an inquiry into the lottery scam. Dr Dut said there were wide discrepancies in the figures given in the Budget. For instance the interest liability for 2002-03 in the speech was put at Rs 1,248 crore and Rs 1,669 crore in the document. He said unproductive expenditure accounted for almost 90 per cent of the Budget and only 10 per cent funds would be available for the development. There was a deficit of Rs 1,320 crore which meant that the government would either raise loans or curtail developmental activities. Mr Dut maintained that the hike in the road tax on cement would make housing construction a costly affair, whereas the increase in the sale tax on diesel would spiral up prices of all commodities. He urged the government to fulfil its promise to abolish the user charges in hospitals by scrapping the notification issued earlier. |
|
BJP workers block traffic Nurpur, June 28 Later, the local BJP mandal submitted a memorandum to the Governor through the SDM, Nurpur, Mr N.K. Lath. The BJP also demanded compensation for the fruit growers of the area who had lost their mango crop due to the draught and frost. Mr Rakesh Pathania, former MLA, who led the protest demonstration said the BJP was forced to hold the demonstration due to dismal performance and vindictive attitude towards the Opposition leaders and workers by the Virbhadra Singh government. He alleged that the government by resorting to the lathi-charge on peaceful BJP leaders had tried to snub the voice of Opposition. Meanwhile, the police has registered a case under Sections 147, 148, 149 and 341 of the IPC against 20 BJP activists including the former
MLA, Mr Rakesh Pathania. |
|
Chief Secy told to appear before HC Shimla, June 28 A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta directed the state government on May 22 this year to constitute a committee to look into the issue of upgrading of the school but the government failed to comply with this direction. The Bench was of the view that such issues should have been decided by experts and not by the court. The Bench passed this order on a petition filed by Mr Dara Singh, who had alleged that the government Primary School Manjholi in district Hamirpur was established in 1966. It was averred that several representations were made to upgrade this school and in 2002 the government conducted a survey for this. It was further alleged that despite the survey and finding it a fit case for upgradation the government was not upgrading the school. |
|
Record Maharani’s statement: HC Shimla, June 28 Counsel for the petitioner contended that there has been zero investigation in the matter as such as the police had completely failed to collect and discover the evidence of the alleged offence, wherein the wealth worth of crores had been stolen from the Royal Palace of Nahan. Taking a serious notice of the issue the court observed that apparently, the machinery of law seemed to have failed all these past 18 years in recording the statement of one witness, because this witness seems to be drawing her lineage to an erstwhile Royal family. The matter relates to theft in the Royal Palace of Nahan, wherein the matter was last registered with the Nahan police on June 29, 1984 and since almost 18 years the case was being investigated by the various investigation officers and “Maharani” Padmini Devi is reportedly not joining the investigation of the case. |
|
Young trekkers climb
Indrahara Pass Kangra, June 28 Disclosing this here today, Mr R.L. Shukla, mountaineering supervisor and in charge of the Regional Mountaineering Centre at McLeodgang, said the trekkers under the guidance of trained mountaineering instructors completed the distance of 150 km within 10 days. They started the trekking in the third week of June from McLeodgang, reached Karri lake via Kerri village on the first leg of the trekking. He said these youths returned to Kerri village back and proceeded to Gunna Devi next day. Mr Shukla disclosed that this was the first group of women trekkers, which climbed successfully this arduous Indrahara Pass. After the successful climb they came back to the base camp yesterday. He said 40 trekkers from Haryana, Kurukshetra University and from Nirma Institute of Science and Technology, Ahmedabad, have left for the trekking from the base camp today to climb the Indrahara Pass. |
|
BDC Chairman,
Vice-Chairman take oath Nurpur, June 28 The SDM, Mr N.K. Lath, administered the oath to them. The Congress had ousted the BJP-supported Chairman and Vice-Chairman on April 21 when 20 out of 29 BDC members took part in a no-confidence motion against them. On April 28, the Congress-supported Chairman and Vice-Chairman were elected by 19 BDC members which sparked off a controversy of the House quorum. |
|
Accidental
gunfire kills girl Mandi, June 28 Parents buried the body of the child. The police got wind of the incident and DSP Shubhra Tiwari reached the village and exhumed the body and sent it for a post-mortem examination. A case has been registered under Section 30 of the Arms Act, and Sections 286, 304A, 201 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. |
|
Minorities
corpn not to be merged Shimla, June 28 Presiding over the 14th meeting of the Board of Directors of the corporation, he said the government intended to strengthen the corporation and expand its activities so that the minorities could derive full benefit from it. He directed the officers to educate the masses about various schemes of self-employment and make the requisite forms available at all block development offices so that the maximum number of eligible people could be helped. The Chief Minister said that the panchayati raj system in the state would be strengthened. |
|
Bank robbed of Rs 41,080 Solan, June 28 According to the police, the robbers who came in an unnumbered white Maruti fled towards Punjab in the same vehicle. Onlookers said all six were carrying revolvers and they entered the bank around 12.30 in the afternoon. On receiving information the police set up nakas in the region and also flashed messages to the nearby Ropar and Una police to nab the culprits. |
|
Excise
official assaulted Nahan, June 28 The police has registered a case against Gopal, driver of the tractor. The tractor was stopped by Excise and Taxation officials at Rampur Ghat at about 8 pm yesterday and was impounded because the driver of the tractor did not possess any document of the tractor. The driver pushed Mr Rana and absconded with the tractor, as per the police report. |
|
Pensioners
seek clearance of medical bills Chamba, June 28 Expressing concern over the desperate fiscal position of the state government, Mr P.C.
Oberoy, district president of the Himachal Pensioners’ Kalyan Sangh urged the government to provide sufficient funds at the disposal of all drawing and disbursing officers
(DDOs) in the state to clear the backlog by passing the bills. Mr Oberoy urged the state government to issue directives to all DDOs in the state to allow passing of pensioners' bills forthwith. |
|
Bank manager may be booked Una, June 28 |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 123 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
