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Stokes rules out
HPSEB privatisation
HP focuses on private
investment in education
Crime on rise: police for registration of migrant labour
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Man seeks action against ‘negligent’ doctor
Govt orders merger of 50 pc DA
One killed as jeep falls into gorge
2 booked under cruelty against
animals Act ITBP cop’s honest
gesture
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Stokes rules out
HPSEB privatisation
Shimla, June 13 She said it had been erroneously published in a section of the Press that the process of privatisation would be completed within six month, which was patently wrong. She further said that trifurcation was being done as per the policy of the Government of India which had to uniformly implemented by all the states in the country. Mrs Stokes said that the Centre had given extension for six months to complete the process of trifurcation of the board for which a proposal was being prepared. The minister said that the government was aware of the interest of the employees of the board and was committed to safeguard them. She said trifurcation would not affect the services of the employees and, moreover, the employees of the board would also be given the opportunity to form societies so that they could take up mini and micro hydel power projects up to 5 MW. The state government would give guarantees to enable such societies to raise loans. Mrs Stokes said that the state government had no scheme under trifurcation for compulsory retirement of electricity board employees, but if they desire they could opt for it under the voluntarily retirement scheme.
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HP focuses on private
investment in education
Shimla, June 13 The process of industrialisation has taken off with projects involving an investment of Rs 10,500 crore in various stages of implementation. All these projects have come over the past two years after the announcement of the industrial package. The government has now shifted focus to education and health sectors for which there is vast scope. The government wants private sector to set up professional institutions of international standards, like medical, engineering, nursing and law colleges so that students from all over the country come to the state for higher education. “I want to make Himachal Pradesh the Manipal of North,” says Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, who has gone with his team of senior officers on a five-day tour to Southern states to woo the private sector and attract investment in the new thrust areas. Along with outstanding educational institutions, the government wants high value health care institutions, to come up in the private sector. At present, the state has very few health institutions in the private sector. The government has also opened the doors to private builders and decided to develop a new township with private sector investment. Some mega infrastructure development projects like the Shimla-Kalka Express Highway and Kangra-Una Express Highway are to be implemented in the private sector. Since all projects may not become viable immediately, the government had come out with a viability gap funding mechanism to ensure that the private sector is not shy of taking up projects in the hill state. The government has adopted such a approach as unlike the plains, most of the projects in the hill areas are economically unviable and, thus, unattractive for the private sector. The concept of viability gap funding will enable it to give practical shape to ambitious projects, which could not be implemented because of lack of funds. The state infrastructure development board will function as the nodal agency for the implementation of the mega projects to be taken up under the innovative public-private partnership programme (PPP). The board will scrutinise the proposals, study their viability and get the detailed project reports prepared. It will take care of the project development stage and then assign it to private parties for implementation. The board will hire consultants to carry out techno-economic feasibility studies and in case a project is found technically feasible but economically unviable it will take recourse to viability gap funding to ensure implementation of the project in the private sector. The entire expenditure on the development of the project will be initially borne by the board, which will recover it from the private party which is assigned the project. An amount of Rs 300 crore has been earmarked for the purpose, which will take shape of a revolving fund as the projects get under way. |
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Crime on rise: police for registration of migrant labour
Solan, June 13 The request of the police assumes significance in the light of an incident of looting where a Subathu-based family was looted and injured on May 30 by three persons. The Dharampur police today nabbed two of the three men involved in the incident. Superintendent of Police Gyaneshwar Singh said here today that efforts of the Uttar Pradesh police helped trace the youths. All three have been booked in various cases in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and now were residing in Baddi before this crime. Hailing from Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh the police formed joint police parties to nab these offenders. Help from Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh police was sought to nab the offenders. The police arrested the main accused Deva hailing from Dadri village on June 12 from Kabari Bazaar Choraha and later his other accomplice Deepak hailing from Dadri Janpath was also arrested from Metro-plaza. The third accomplice Ajay is still at large. Rupees 29,500 in cash and two mobile phones have also been recovered from them. The SP said nine policemen of Dharampur police station led by SHO Kanwar Guleria, who arrested the miscreants would be recommended for a special award to the Director-General of Police. Other policemen recommended for the award include Mr Mool Raj, Mr Deva Nand, Mr Dharam Singh, Mr Padam Dev, Mr Jeet Ram, Mr Rajesh Kumar and Mr Manoj Kumar.
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Man seeks action against ‘negligent’ doctor
Solan, June 13 Dr Atul told The Tribune that his ailing father was taken to the community health centre at Nalagarh on April 28 at 2 a.m. Not only was the behaviour of the doctor on duty, Dr Kapil Virender, uncaring and irresponsible, but there was no oxygen cylinder there. This is despite the fact that there were 16 oxygen cylinders allotted to the hospital. All were reportedly empty. He was directed to fetch an oxygen cylinder from a nearby private clinic by Dr Kapil. No hospital employee went to get the cylinder and later the patient was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, in the hospital ambulance. Dr Atul alleged that seeing his father’s condition deteriorate, he asked the doctor to provide him endo-tracheal intubations but the woman doctor there said no such tube was available in the hospital. Finally, the patient was rushed to the PGI at 2.40 a.m. It had barely gone 4 km that the driver had to stop for refueling and charged Rs 7.50 from Dr Atul. This wasted precious 15 minutes and the patient collapsed before reaching the PGI. Lamenting the lack of medical emergency services, Dr Atul said as per the rules at least half of the oxygen cylinders were supposed to be filled at all times in the hospital. As per information available it was learnt that the ward sister had apprised the BMO on April 6 that out of the 16 cylinders, nine had finished and on April 26 the BMO was further informed that all cylinders had been exhausted. Despite this nothing was done. Dr Atul also alleged that the doctor did not give any first-aid treatment to the patient and simply referred him to the PGI. This negligence, he avers, cost his father his life which is an irreparable loss to the family. The CMO, Dr R.P. Sahni, said since the BMO had retired on May 31, the present BMO had been entrusted to inquire into the matter. An inquiry, meanwhile, had been conducted by the SDM. The SDM, Ms Rupali Thakur, said since the contents of the first inquiry report were not satisfactory, she had stressed for an in-depth departmental inquiry. This, she said, had been necessitated since no responsibility had been fixed. The BMO on the other hand had passed the buck on her negligence by asserting that since a Parwanoo-based oxygen supplying unit had refused to fill the cylinders it took some time to make alternative arrangements from Ambala. Denying that all oxygen cylinders had gone out of stock, she said one cylinder present in the hospital was being used by a critical patient.
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Govt orders merger of 50 pc DA
Shimla, June 13 As per the order, the dearness allowance equal to 50 per cent of the existing pay will be merged with the basic pay and shown distinctly as dearness pay, which would be counted for calculating retirement benefits and dearness allowance and non-practising allowance to doctors. Consequently, dearness allowance from April 1, 2004, will be payable at the rate of 11 per cent. The benefit will be paid in cash with the salary for the month of June, 2005, and arrears for the period from April 1, 2004, to May 31, 2005, will be given in three instalments. The arrears for the first five months each will be paid in August, 2005, and for the next five months in October, 2005. The arrears for the remaining four month will be paid in March, 2006.
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Pensioners welcome DA merger
Solan, June 13 The association
expressed the hope that the Chief Minister would ensure that the orders for
payment would include both the categories of employees and pensioners for receiving this benefit, according to Mr O.N. Dullo, president of the Solan
District Pensioners Association. |
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One killed as jeep falls into gorge
Nahan, June 13 According to police sources, the jeep loaded with sand arrived at Shillai at about 6.30 p.m. The driver of the jeep, Netar Singh, failed to control the vehicle near the Civil Hospital and it rolled into a deep gorge. Two persons, Sant Ram, a resident of Millaha village, and Balbir Singh, a resident of Kusenue village, in Shillai tehsil, were hurt in the accident. They were rushed to the Civil Hospital late last evening where Sant Ram succumed to his injuries. The Shillai police has registered a case.
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2 booked under cruelty against
animals Act Baddi, June 13 The driver and the owner of the truck escaped. Only 15 to 18 cows were found alive when the police reached the site. The accident had been caused by rash and negligent driving by the truck driver, stated police officials. |
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ITBP cop’s honest
gesture Baddi, June 13 The purse which contained Rs 7348.50 and gold and silver ornaments, was returned by Sikander to police station Nalagarh today afternoon. The police later traced the owner from the documents found in the purse. The Head Constable hails from Garan village of district Kangra. |
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