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Students clash on HPU campus, six hurt
Poll promises to be kept, says CM
Water quality monitoring through computerisation
Hail hits crops in lower dists
Hailstorm hits apple crop in higher reaches
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Leaking roofs irritate ITBP men
Village girl takes to the skies
Expansion of old units on in Baddi
Worker escapes after murdering wife
Lawyers extend stir against tax
2 houses burgled
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Students clash on HPU campus, six hurt
Shimla, May 10 According to the police, trouble started when five youths from the nearby Shangti village picked up a fight with ABVP activists while the cultural programme being
organised by the latter was going on in the auditorium. Later, SFI activists joined the clash as one of their member was beaten up in the fight. Later, SFI students gheraoed the Vice-Chancellor, demanding registration of cases against the ABVP activists for clashing and vitiating the academic atmosphere of the campus. The police, headed by ASP, Asif Jalal, rounded up some youths and brought them to Summer Hill police post. With the ABVP activists already present at the police post in a large number, there were further clashes between the student groups as the police tried to bring the situation under control. The police has registered a case and arrested 10 boys. The medical test of all the six injured have been done. In another incident, the police arrested four girls and a representative of a private company from a hotel near Naldehra, near here. The police said the girls who had been booked under the Immoral Trafficking Act, had specially been brought here from Delhi to entertain the participants at a dealers and distributors meet being held at Whistling Pine Resort. The police also registered a case under the Excise Act as liquor was being served there without the hotel having a bar licence. The Tourism Department has been asked to take action against the hotel for violating the rules. The representative of the company has also been booked while the parents of the girls have been summoned from Delhi. |
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Poll promises to be kept, says CM
Shimla, May 10 He was presiding over the meeting of the Cabinet subcommittee for the implementation of the Election Manifesto-2003, here today. “The work relating to the fulfilment of the election manifesto must be taken up in a time-bound manner so that before March 31, 2007, all promises are fulfilled,” he said. He said the government headed by him had a track record of implementing the promises made in its election manifesto. “Education, health and road are on the priority of the government besides the ensuring overall and uniform development of the state,” he stated. He stressed the need for filling vacant posts of teacher, doctor and para-medical staff in the difficult and tribal areas on a priority basis so that people did not face inconvenience. He added that every panchayat of the state would be connected by road in the next three years and directed the authorities to undertake the construction of bridges and roads in a time bound manner. Cabinet Ministers, Chief Secretary, Secretaries, Heads of Department and senior officers attended the meeting. |
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Water quality monitoring through computerisation
Shimla, May 10 The project being funded by the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission will enable the IPH Department to go online as data about any scheme or project being implemented in any part of Himachal Pradesh can be accessed at the click of a mouse. The department has already bought the computers and training of the second batch of the staff is in progress. Apart from the consumers being extended the facility of computerised billing, the biggest advantage would be the provision of having ready data about the available quantity and quality of water at a given point of time. “It is during the peak summers when certain parts of the state face an acute drinking water shortage that being online would help us regularly monitor the position and in case of a possible scarcity take preventive measures well in time,” informed Mr R.N. Sharma, Chief Engineer (South). All the 17 laboratories of the IPH Department would also go online once the project is completed over the next eight to 10 months. “With the water analysis results being online daily there would be no scope for manipulation and this way the quality of water would be ensured,” point out officials. The higher-ups in the department feel that being online will keep the entire staff on their toes, bringing about efficiency as the data can be accessed by the Union Ministry of Water Resources and the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission at any time. Though the internal functioning of the circle, zonal and head offices of the IPH Department had been computerised in 1998 at a cost of Rs 74.88 lakh, in the absence of the online facility it did not serve the purpose of interlinking every office. “In due course of time, the department also proposes to launch its own website so that anybody wanting information about the department can access it directly,” said Mr Sharma. He says going online will save a lot of time, cost and manpower in preparing and providing this data every now and then. Water billing, accounts, stock inventory and every other information about the department would be computerised. A total of 2,500 employees of the department will have to undergo a preliminary computer exposure training programme before the project can be launched. The training will be for various sections of the staff right from the grassroots level to the engineers. |
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Hail hits crops in lower dists
Shimla, May 10 The high altitude areas received fresh snow while the lower areas were lashed by high velocity winds followed by hail and rain. Mandi district, particularly the Balh valley, was the worst affected where standing wheat, barley and other crops were damaged after a hailstorm last night. Residents of Mandi recall that it was after over two decades that the area was hit by hail at this time of the year. Trees were uprooted and roof-tops were blown off due to the high velocity winds. Besides, telephone and electricity services were badly hit, a report from Mandi said. The apple and other fruit crop also was damaged. In Shimla and its surrounding areas, the weather remained cloudy today. There have been reports of drizzling from the adjoining areas. According to the weather office, isolated rain and snow may occur at some places during the next 24 hours.
— UNI |
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Hailstorm hits apple crop in higher reaches
Mandi, May 10 In the lower valleys of Naggar, Manikaran, Banjar in Kulu district and Karsog and Jhenjheli in Mandi district, the farmers have reported a “moderate fruit” this time as against last year’s bumper crop. In the middle and higher altitudes of Dalash, Ani and Manali in Kulu district and the Chopal-Kotkhai-Kotgarh-Kumarsain -Tikkar and Spail valley in Shimla district, the apple crop has been hit by hailstorm during the bloom time, said Mr Rajiv Bragta, an orchard owner from Maroag in Chopal. The farmers rued that the hailstorms hit the crop in Parshal- Nihari-Kadwali in Kotkhai and at a few pockets in Kumarsain and Pujarli-IV in the Rohru belt in Shimla district. The same holds true for Thachi, Bali Chowki and Pajain in Mandi district last week. “The fruit will not withstand the summer months as its buds are week as pollination has been poor this time in the apple belt, said Mr Sanjay Chauhan, an orchard owner from Kotkhai, who is also a leader of the Kisan Sabha. The pollination, which is crucial for the good fruit, was hit due to the absence of honeybees, which were driven away by the high velocity winds. “The honeybees are the best facilitator of pollination for the apple crop,” said Mr Nakul Khullar, an orchard owner near Naggar. |
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Leaking roofs irritate ITBP men
Chamba, May 10 The issue has been taken up with the state government for replacement and repair of posts as ITBP officials fear that the problem could eventually dampen the spirits of the force deployed on the forward locations if not fixed immediately. Confirming this to The Tribune, Mr Asis Chakervarty, second-in-command, ITBP, said the posts for the troops consisted of pre-fabricated huts and “gujjar khanas”. Since there was still heavy snow deposited on the roofs of these posts, these had started leaking. “The joints of some pre-fabricated huts have given way to excessive seepage and it has become difficult for troops to stay there in such conditions,” he said. The ITBP force guards an inter-state boundary of 175 km with Jammu and Kashmir in the higher reaches, where there has been heavy snowfall this year, which is still covering most of the posts, resulting in leakage. “The accommodation to carry out our operations across the state is provided by the Himachal Police and we have, therefore, taken up the matter with it,” he said. The Superintendent of Police, Chamba, Mr J.P.Singh, said the matter had been taken up with the state government for repair and replacement of the pre-fabricated huts so that the troops did not have to worry about leaking roofs. Work was expected to start soon, he said. He, however, said presently there was virtually no infiltration of terrorists from across the boundary. The infiltration has become a thing of the past and although rumours are spread every now and then, it is very difficult to cross over into Himachal with nefarious designs, he said. The ITBP carried out a special week-long joint operation with the Chamba police along the boundary with Jammu and Kashmir from April 18 to 23 to take stock of the situation. The ITBP has its posts at over a dozen locations in the area, with many if its companies in forward locations. “While THQ is in Chamba, there are deployments in Sappa Cholu along the Doda area, besides posts in Mangli, Thanood, Koti, Dapun, Tissa, Galai and Langera. As soon as snow starts melting, the posts are shifted to forward locations. For instance, the post in Chachul would move 3 km ahead to Dapun in summers,” he said. |
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Village girl takes to the skies
Mandi, May 10 The 19-year-old, Ms Monika Sharma had been selected by Yemini Airlines during a campus interview by company officials, while she was still undergoing one-year training course as air hostess from Frankfin Institute, Chandigarh. She has been offered Rs 70,000 monthly salary by the airlines. The principal of the institute, Mr Kamal Saini, said it was a matter of pride that Monika was selected, along with Kirandeep Kaur of Punjab, Ragni Gill and Tamanna Sehgal of Chandigarh. They were all selected while still undergoing training. Monika hails from the sleepy village of Bagsiad in the Janjehli area of this district and she did her matriculation from BBMB School, Sundernagar, and completed her plus two from a private school. Mr T R Sharma, father of Monika, a postal employee, said his joy knew no bounds when he learnt about the selection of his daughter. ‘’She was a brilliant student right from the early years and we reposed confidence in her and she has made us proud’’ he said. Monika joined her duty and boarded her first flight today.
— UNI |
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Expansion
of old units on in Baddi Baddi, May 10 While this fetches an additional revenue to the state exchequer, it also provides scope for more employment to the state’s youth. An investment of Rs 29.64 crore has been made by expansion alone and an additional employment of 1043 has been generated in the district in the past about two years. As many as 60 small units and 16 medium and large units having investment of more than Rs 1 crore have expanded their existing units in the district. The officials said the units were required to enhance their production by at least 25 per cent to avail the benefits of excise and income tax exemption under the central industrial package. The GM, district industries centre, Mr Lokender Chauhan, said a committee headed by the GM, DIC inspected expansion cases of small scale units every week while those of medium and large scale units were overlooked by a state level committee. Such cases were being regularly received he added. The district has drawn the highest number of pharmaceutical investors with as many as 178 units getting registered with the Industries Department. As many as 40 have already begun operations. The officials were, however, worried at the slow pace of investment. Despite hundreds of units getting registered only 37 in the medium and large category and 298 in the small scale category had initiated their operations in the district. This has brought an investment of Rs 8072 lakh and an employment of 2889 to the district.
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Worker escapes after murdering wife
Nahan, May 10 Mr S.R. Sharma, Superintendent of Police, Sirmaur, said that the body of Sita Devi had been handed over to her elder son after conducting a post-mortem examination. Her husband, possibly due to some domestic quarrel, hit her on the neck with some sharpedged weapon around 6 this morning. She succumbed to her injuries before she could be shifted to some hospital. The accused was absconding.
— OC |
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Lawyers extend stir against tax
Nurpur, May 10 According to Mr K.B. Sharma, spokesman of the agitating Bar, the strikers would follow the decision of the Kangra District Bar Association which had scheduled a meeting for May 13 to chalk out its further line of action in support of its demands. The local and Jawali Bar Associations have been observing the strike with a demand to withdraw the profession tax for the past over one month. |
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2 houses burgled
Parwanoo, May 10 Dr Ashwini, who runs a clinic, was not at home when the theft took place. Ms Sandeep Kaur, who teaches in Sophia Convent School Pinjore discovered the theft after she came home in the afternoon from the school. A case has been registered.
OC
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