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Bid to prop up new Cong leadership
Health scheme in doldrums due to shortage of docs
Centre aid revives tunnel project
Another body of Army jawan recovered
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HP’s equity in Khab, Luri projects raised
Snowfall in Kinnaur
Increase lease period to 99 yrs: shed owners
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Bid to prop up new Cong leadership
Shimla, September 17 Most of the leaders have been inducted into the state executive or accomodated as special invitees. The relatively younger lot has been included in the team of office-bearers. Besides the supporters of the rival camps headed by Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, and Mrs Vidya Stokes, Power Minister, Mr Sukh Ram and his son, Mr Anil Sharma, have also been accommmodated. The ministers who were axed during the downsizing exercise have been included in the executive. The six general secretaries are indicative of the effort at bringing about a generational change in the leadership. Mr Ajay Mahajan, a son of veteran leader, Mr Sat Mahajan, has been made general secretary along with Mr Anil Sharma, Mr Kuldeep Rathore, Mr Harbhajan Singh, Mr Satya Prakash and Mr Kuldeep Pathania, the other four general secretaries, also represent the upcoming leadership. The lot of vice-presidents is a mixed one and representative of various regions. Mr Milkhi Ram Goma, Mr Yogendra Chandra, Mr Rajinder Zar and Mr Mast Ram represent the politically significant districts of Kangra, Shimla, Hamirpur and Mandi, respectively. Of the remaining two vice-presidents Mr A.N. Vidyarthi is from tribal district of Lahual - Spiti Mrs Kunjana Singh is from Sirmour. Senior leaders like Mr Sukh Ram, Mr S.C. Nayar, Mrs Anita Verma, Mrs Krishna Mohini and Mr Natha Singh have been included as special invitees. Besides four MPs, — Mr Anand Sharma, Mr Chander Kumar, Mrs Pratibha Singh and Dr Dhani Ram Shandil — Mrs Shanta Singh and Mrs Gita Negi have also found place among special invitees. Mr Budhi Ram, Kailash Prasher, Mrs Manbhari Devi, Mr Hoshiar Singh, Mr Arun Sen, Mr Virender Sud and Mr S.P. Katyal have been made secretaries and Mr Ran Singh Negi the treasurer. |
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Health scheme in doldrums due to shortage of docs
Mandi, September 17 Though the RHM, funded by the Central government, aims at improving the diagnostic, paramedical and health care delivery facilities in the rural areas, the mission faces an acute shortage of doctors. “Over 200 posts of doctor are lying vacant over years”, revealed the health officials. What concerns the health department is that though the government has enhanced the salaries for the fresh MBBS entrants to Rs 16,000 per month and Rs 25,000 with TA/DA for the specialists, but there are almost no takers for the vacant posts so far, the officials said. The Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital(IGMC), Shimla, produce a batch of over 53 fresh MBBS every year. But most of them prefer the private hospitals, which offer bigger pay packets than what they get in government hospitals, they informed. The Principal Health Secretary, Ms Harinder Heera, who was here on Wednesday to address a seminar on RHM attended by the Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) from the different districts on the RHM programme, said the department is trying to rope in fresh MBBS batch of 53 doctors and appoint them in the zonal hospitals as per the demand of the hospitals. “But the problem they do not want to join the district or block-level hospitals. If we get stricter he/she leaves the jobs”, she explained the piquant situation the government is facing. Ms Heera said that the state is facing a shortage of specialists. “We will rationalise the recruitment of staff in the each district and then appoint them where they are needed most”, she replied to a query how the department would fill up the posts and implement the RHM. Ms Heera said that the hike in salaries for fresh MBBS and specialists has stopped at least the exodus of doctors from the government to the private hospitals. “To make the RHM work, the state government is making a policy that the fresh MBBS will serve in the rural or district level hospitals at least for period of five years”, she added. Ms Heera said that the state government is appointing 100 nurses, 75 pharmacists, 26 radiographers, 53 drivers, and 650 class IV in various hospitals to strengthen the rural health care. “The panchyati raj institutions along with the community health and primary health centres will be involved to provide the better health care in the rural areas so that burden on the district hospitals will be taken care of there itself”, she claimed.
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Centre aid revives tunnel project
Mandi, September 17 The tunnel will provide an all-weather alternative route to the Leh-Ladakh sector through Manali. This would end the age-old miseries of tribesmen of snowbound Lahaul valley, which used to remain cut off from the rest of the world for six months in winters. Talking to The Tribune today, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Commander K. Butchi Raju said the Centre had approved a budget of Rs 1,324 crore for the construction of the state-of-the-art Rohtang tunnel and the double-lane Manali-Leh NH-21. “This highway will cut the Manali-Keylong distance short by over 45 km and will provide an all-weather link to Lahaul and Leh,” he said, adding that the present Manali-Rohtang-Koksar part of the highway would be maintained as an alternative route for an emergency and for tourists. The BRO sources revealed that over eight companies, including the Delhi Metro company, had been shortlisted by the Centre for the global tenders for the construction of Rohtang tunnel. The tunnel would be the longest in the country. The Rohtang tunnel will be equipped with the latest automatic equipment to de-exhaust the carbon monoxide and sound emissions to maintain the optimum healthy level within the tunnel, said Mr Raju. The tunnel would also be equipped with safety equipment that would give warnings about the faults and other snags. |
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Another body of Army jawan recovered
Reckong Peo, September 17 This is the second dead body recovered ever since the tragedy struck 18 Engineers regiment. The search operation will continue for a few days more to recover the dead bodies, said Dr Amandeep Singh, District Magistrate of Kinnaur. Earlier, only one dead body of Havaldar Ravi Selvan was recovered by the rescue team with the help of British rafters who were here on a private tour to Himachal Pradesh. An army official told The Tribune that the dead body of the jawan recovered today was identified as S. Vuthu Raj, a native of Tamil Nadu. The body was spotted near Puari early this morning. “The body will be taken to Chandigarh from where it will be transported to his native place with honours”, said Army official. Despite incessant rains during the past 24 hours, the rescue team comprising jawans of Army, Indo-Tibetian Border Police Force, state police and the state Home Guards managed to pull out the dead body from Sutlej amid many natural obstacles. Two dead bodies of army jawans were also spotted in Sutlej near Garm Pani three days back but the rescue team failed to pull them out. |
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HP’s equity in Khab, Luri projects raised
Shimla, September 17 The Centre finally agreed to raise the state’s equity participation the 434 MW Rampur, 650 MW Khab and 700 MW Luri projects to 30 per cent. The state has 25 per cent equity in the 1500 MW project but it was agreed that equity ratio of the Centre and the state will be maintained at 70 is to 30 in the three projects. The state’s existing equity of 25 per cent in the SJVN will be increased accordingly after calculating its share in the proposed projects on 30 per cent basis. The state will get the benefit of resultant overall increase in equity in the returns from the Nathpa jhakri project too. The issues were thrashed out yesterday at a high-level meeting presided over by Mr R.V. Sahi, the Union Power Secretary, at which Mr S.S. Parmar, the Chief Secretary and senior officers of the Centre, state and the SJVN were present. The Centre also agreed to retain all the employees of the state electricity board who were on deputation with the Nigam on the day agreement for Rampur project was signed. In all 910 employees will be retained on deputation or permanent absorption basis. Earlier, the Centre was insisting on permanent absorption of the deputationists in the Nigam. The relaxation has been allowed only for the existing lot of deputationists. The employees from the board, who opt to join the Nigam in future, will be either allowed a three-year term on deputation basis or will have to get absorbed in the Nigam permanently. The state’s plea for making the condition of maintaining a minimum of 15 per cent discharge in the river a part of the agreement was not accepted. Instead, it was agreed that the terms and conditions laid down during environmental clearance will be adhered to in this regard. The agreements for the two projects will signed shortly. |
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Snowfall in Kinnaur
Reckong Peo, September 17 The road link to Reckong Peo, district headquarters of Kinnaur, was cut off for more than six hours from the rest of the country in the morning on Saturday as landslides were witnessed on the National Highway 22 at many points. The rain has also hampered the ongoing restoration work on the national highway. The road link from Reckong Peo to Pooh and Kaza in Spiti valley through the Old Hindustan-Tibet Road was also disrupted during the past 24 hours. High mountain ranges in the upper areas of Kinnaur also witnessed moderate snowfall during the past 24 hours. Kinner Kailash (6,500 metres) and its adjoining ranges, near Reckong Peo, also witnessed fresh snowfall. Meanwhile, a revived monsoon has disrupted life in Hamirpur, Shimla, Solan, Kulu, Mandi, Kangra districts of the state, while light to moderate snowfall was reported in higher reaches of Kinnuar and Chamba districts during the past 24 hrs. Sources said Kinner Kailash and higher mountains of Sangla Valley in Kinnaur district received mild snowfall during the past 24 hours following which the maximum and minimum temperatures in the district have plummeted. |
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Increase lease period to 99 yrs: shed owners
Parwanoo, September 17 Industrialists, who have been occupying the sheds for the past about 27 years, said initially the government had offered these sheds to them as per a higher purchase scheme. The nitty-gritty of this arrangement had been worked out, but the sudden decision of the government to suspend this scheme landed the shed owners in a piquant situation. Two options were then made available to these shed owners after the state’s new industrial policy was announced last year. These investors could either continue on a lease basis or a 10 per cent rental could be effected every third year. The lease was, however, provided to them for a period of 20 years. They said an amount of Rs 2.5 lakh had been worked out for each shed. They lamented that when investors in other parts of the state were extended lease arrangement for 99 years why were they being discriminated against. The Industries Minister has assured the delegation that the matter will be examined and the needful done to grant them a fair deal. Initially an arrangement to reduce the 27-year period from the 99 years lease period, too, had been worked out but it was suspended later as no parity could be arrived at on the amount to be paid for securing the lease, said officials. |
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Sat Mahajan honoured
Nurpur, September 17 At the reception ceremony, the local block development committee, block Congress committee, municipal council, a large number of government employees unions representatives, and voluntary organisations honoured Mr Mahajan. Underlining the need to fight the growing problem of unemployment, Mr Mahajan said the government could cope with the situation with industrial revolution coming up in the state. |
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Transferred cop guilty of indiscipline
Shimla, September 17 An official spokesman termed the allegation as baseless, unfounded and politically motivated and asserted that she had been transferred in a routine manner on purely administrative grounds. He said there were a number of complaints against her and she was guilty of gross indiscipline. To give a political twist to her transfer was undesirable as attempts could create indiscipline in the uniformed forces, besides politicising them. |
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ISU sweeps varsity polls
Solan, September 17 The students welfare officer, Dr A.S. Chandel, said 307 students turned up for the elections today. Yoginder Chauhan, an MBA student , was elected the president. He secured 290 votes. Munish Sharma was elected the vice-president by securing 291 votes. Puja Kalmotia of Ph.D second year won the post of general secretary by securing 278 votes. The post of joint secretary was won by Mithlesh Kumar who got 268 votes. The ISU has created a history by winning for the fifth time in a row.
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Transporters seek relief
Solan, September 17 |
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