H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Governor’s letter puts VC in the dock
Shimla, August 22
While the Vigilance probe into the affairs of Himachal Pradesh University has failed to make headway due to procedural wangles, the stinker sent by the Governor, Mr Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje, has put the Vice-Chancellor, Dr S.D. Sharma, in the dock.

Apple growers resent payment of commission
Shimla, August 22
Apple growers of Himachal are being made to pay six to eight per cent of commission to the “arhtias” (middlemen) at the Azadpur market even two years after the Delhi Agriculture Produce Market Act was amended to make it a charge on the buyers.

3 Chandigarh MC officials get police remand
Nahan, August 22
A court at Paonta Sahib today sent three officials of the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, on a day’s police remand. These officials were arrested yesterday by the Paonta Sahib police from Chandigarh in connection with a case of killing of 22 cows by throwing them in the Lal Dhang khud on July 25.

Student killed in Pin valley cremated
Shimla, August 22
Somyajit Guha, a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University who died while trekking in the snow-bound Pin valley in September last, was cremated here yesterday after conducting a second postmortem examination.

Power project shutdown for 37 days
Chamba, August 22
The only micro hydroelectric project of 300 KW capacity at Killaur, the tribal subdivisional headquarters of mountainous Pangi subdivision in the district, will be under renovation from September 3 to October 9 and there will be electricity shutdown from this power project for about 37 days.

• Four hurt as truck overturns
• Students call off fast

Governor’s letter puts VC in the dock
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 22
While the Vigilance probe into the affairs of Himachal Pradesh University has failed to make headway due to procedural wangles, the stinker sent by the Governor, Mr Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje, has put the Vice-Chancellor, Dr S.D. Sharma, in the dock.

It is unprecedented in the history of the university that the Governor has not only referred to the allegations regarding mismanagement of funds, indiscriminate use of emergency powers, irregular and unauthorised expenditure, unauthorised appointments, bunglings in setting and printing of question papers and hiring properties outside the state without necessity and at exorbitant rates, but also asked the Vice-Chancellor to convene a special meeting of the executive council to consider and decide all issues in which emergency powers of the Vice-Chancellor or any other authority were used but were otherwise to be decided by the council

In the letter sent to the Vice-Chancellor by the Governor, concern has been expressed that the university had not been functioning strictly in accordance with the mandate of the University Act and the statutes and ordinances.

Intriguingly, the letter was not taken up at the meeting of the executive council held here yesterday on the plea that the meeting had been convened only to decide the programme for elections to the Students Central Association. When some members raised a hue and cry, it was decided to convene another meeting on August 30 to discuss the issues raised in the letter.

The specially convened meeting will also finalise the annual accounts so that these could be placed before the Vidhan Sabha.

The letter has provided much ammunition to the student bodies which are gearing up for elections to the Students Central Association to be held in the first week of September. The Students Federation of India and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad have made removal of the Vice-Chancellor as their main election plank.

While Mr Manoj Chandel, state secretary of the SFI, said the Vice-Chancellor had no moral right to remain in office in view of the observations made by the Governor on the functioning of the university, Mr Bihari Lal, organising secretary of the ABVP, demanded the Vice-Chancellor’s immediate removal.

All eyes are now set on the August 30 meeting of the executive council which could have serious repercussions for the Vice-Chancellor.

Apple growers resent payment of commission
Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 22
Apple growers of Himachal are being made to pay six to eight per cent of commission to the “arhtias” (middlemen) at the Azadpur market even two years after the Delhi Agriculture Produce Market Act was amended to make it a charge on the buyers.

There is resentment among the growers on the issue as their returns from the produce has been reduced due to increasing cost of production and transportation of the produce.

The state government has been pursuing the issue for the past several years but to no avail. It succeeded in persuading the Delhi government to amend the Act but the new provision could not be enforced because of opposition from traders.

According to the amended law 6 per cent commission is to be charged from the buyers on the sale of the produce. However, commission was not only being charged from the growers but also at a higher rate of eight per cent. Mr Madan Lal Verma, member of the Shimla Zila Parishad, said that two per cent extra commission was being recovered under miscellaneous charges.

The officers of the Horticulture Department maintain that the extra charges were recovered mostly from the growers who take advance from arhtias.

In case the growers, who are wrongly charged, bring the matter to the notice of the marketing committee the extra amount paid by them is reimbursed to them. However, growers do not have time to approach the marketing committee for the redressal of grievances. The growers have already brought the matter to the notice of Mr Virbhadra Singh, Himachal Chief Minister, who is likely to discuss it with his Delhi counterpart.

3 Chandigarh MC officials get police remand
Our Correspondent

Nahan, August 22
A court at Paonta Sahib today sent three officials of the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, on a day’s police remand. These officials were arrested yesterday by the Paonta Sahib police from Chandigarh in connection with a case of killing of 22 cows by throwing them in the Lal Dhang khud on July 25.

Mr S.P.S. Verma, SP, Sirmaur, said here this evening that yesterday the police had arrested the Veterinary Superintendent of the cattle pound of the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, Dr M.S. Kamboj, a driver, Bhupinder, and the caretaker of cattle pound, Roshan Lal. These officials were produced in the court at Paonta Sahib where the police sought their remand as many links were yet to be traced in the case.

According to a police report, the cows were brought in trucks from Chandigarh by municipal officials on July 25. About 26 cows were thrown into the khud on the Paonta-Yamunanagar road. Out of these, 22 cows died on the spot and four injured cows were taken for treatment by villagers. Many Hindu organisations had threatened to launch an agitation against the killing of the cows.

Student killed in Pin valley cremated
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 22
Somyajit Guha, a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University who died while trekking in the snow-bound Pin valley in September last, was cremated here yesterday after conducting a second postmortem examination.

The body was first taken to Kaza, where the first postmortem examination was conducted two days ago. Relatives of the deceased in Kulu were not satisfied with the report and wanted a second autopsy, for which the body was brought here. As the body had been highly decomposed, doctors said they would be able to give a report only after going through the report of the first postmortem examination. The final report might take a day or two.

Power project shutdown for 37 days

Chamba, August 22
The only micro hydroelectric project of 300 KW capacity at Killaur, the tribal subdivisional headquarters of mountainous Pangi subdivision in the district, will be under renovation from September 3 to October 9 and there will be electricity shutdown from this power project for about 37 days.

According to an official press note issued here yesterday, Mr Suresh Kumar Thakur, Senior Executive Engineer of Pangi valley electrical division of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB), said during this period, the electricity supply to the entire Pangi tribal valley would be made available from the Thirot Power House of Lahaul- Spiti district so that the residents of the valley did not face problem of power supply. — UNI

Four hurt as truck overturns
Our Correspondent

Dharamsala, August 22
Four persons were injured when the truck in which they were travelling overturned at Dehra in Kangra district today.

The truck (PB-11C 9017) overturned as the driver, Mangal Singh, was driving rashly. A case was registered.

Students call off fast
Our Correspondent

Chamba, August 22
A three-day fast observed by three members of the local unit of the Students Federation of India (SFI) in support of their demand to fill vacant posts of lecturer was called off today in the presence of Additional District Magistrate (ADM) J.M. Pathania and the Principal of the college. The students have been referred to the Zonal Hospital.