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Norms violated in panchayat poll
Expired stents: FIR against suppliers, manufacturer
Work on Karcham
project begins
Not enough jobs for vocational students
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Tourists head for hills
MC to approach govt on forest issue
Campaign against female foeticide
SC girl raped
Crime graph in Baddi rises
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Norms violated in panchayat poll
Solan, December 31 While a candidate contesting for such elections is supposed to obtain an NOC from the respective panchayat secretary for having cleared all outstanding dues, at least two such cases have been reported from Dhrampur block alone. In one such case, two-term president of the Jabli panchayat D.C. Dhiman has been charged of not only bungling funds to the tune of several lakh but also of having successfully contested the third election after obtaining an NOC from the panchayat secretary. It was on a complaint by the villagers that the district police has instituted an inquiry to look into the matter. Investigations have revealed that the said person not only bungled funds made available under various government-sponsored schemes, but also furnished fake vouchers for various expenditures. Sources said an amount of Rs 20,000 had been shown incurred on construction of a baouri at Shevla village while no work had been executed there. In yet another case, funds to the tune of Rs 30,000 had been drawn twice in lieu of constructing a sports ground at Government High School, Suji, while the ground had been constructed long ago. While some funds had been bungled after drawing these from the government-sponsored schemes, others had been bungled after due panchayat resolutions. Fake vouchers had been affixed in some cases while in other cases no or little work had been undertaken at the respective sites. The villages have alleged that the daily wagers were either not paid or fake vouchers were shown against payments made. Another amount of Rs 60,000 collected as house tax was also not credited to the government funds. The police has seized records from the panchayat office in this regard. The working of the panchayat secretary has also come under a scanner as the NOC was issued by her. Moreover, the funds spent are in due knowledge of the panchayat secretary. Investigations are under way to inspect the records of the past 10 years. In another case, Parminder, a BDC member who contested successfully from Dharampur panchayat, was found to have unsettled dues in lieu of shop rent to the tune of Rs 25,600. A perusal of the audit reports showed that the amount was outstanding at the time of contesting elections. The candidate not only obtained an NOC but also won the election. The officiating BDO, Dr Harish Gajju, said in such cases a time would be given to the candidate to settle the dues but if he failed to do so, his membership could be cancelled as per the provisions laid down in the Panchayati Raj Act. Had anyone filed an objection, he could have been stopped from contesting the election as it was mandatory to obtain an NOC from the panchayat secretary, he added. |
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Expired stents: FIR against suppliers, manufacturer
Shimla, December 31 The Principal Secretary, Health, today got an FIR registered against the German manufacturer of stents, the Delhi-based supplier, Spectrum, and the local supplier, Manchanda. The case has been registered under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 336, 275, 276 and 308 of
the IPC. The High Court, taking suo motu notice of a news report, had directed the Principal Secretary, Health, to get an FIR registered against all those responsible for supplying the expired stents. Police sources said more names might be added to the FIR after investigation. The Director-General of Police, Mr Ajit Narain, has constituted a committee, headed by DIG (South) R.L. Sood, SSP, J.R. Thakur, Additional SP, Varinder Kanwar and Mr Brijesh Sood, SHO, Sadar Police Station. The committee has been asked by the court to submit the status report by March 20
next year. A total of 14 expired stents had been supplied to the IGMC. One of the doctors had noticed that the supplier had pasted a sticker on the stents on the actual date of manufacture, i.e. January, 2005, and written January, 2006, on it. The Head of Department immediately brought the matter to the notice of the Medical Superintendent, who constituted a board to look into the matter. The hospital authorities said following this all unused (12) stents were returned to the Delhi supplier on October 25. It was also decided at a meeting that no supply orders would be placed to the Delhi
supplier. Hospital sources said at the meeting one of the suppliers had claimed that the shelf life of the stents was 18 months and he even produced a letter to that effect. However, with no such mention on the stents the hospital authorities black-listed both suppliers and returned the stents. Doctors at the IGMC said though the quality medicated stents cost anywhere around Rs 1 lakh, a price of Rs 55,000 each was quoted for these expired stents. The order for the supply of stents was placed with these suppliers as they had quoted a minimum price of Rs 55,000. It is for this very reason that the High Court has also directed the Chief Secretary to convene a meeting to review the system of the acceptance of the lowest tender regarding the supply of medicines. |
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Work on Karcham
project begins
Karcham (Kinnaur), December 31 When this correspondent visited the construction site today, dozens of JCB machines, other heavy machinery and labourers were busy cutting the rocks to pave the way for constructing a 98-metre high dam on the river. The project, that was granted sanction on a built-own-operate basis, was proposed to be commissioned by the end of 2009. On the other hand, concerned about the environmental hazards in the mountainous area the local villagers and NGOs have stood up against this project even as the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment and the state government had recently granted no-objection certificate to the firm to go ahead with the construction. The Joint Action Committee of the adjoining villages and local NGOs at a meeting held yesterday had given an ultimatum to the district administration and the firm to stop the construction within one week, otherwise the people would stop the work. The district administration had tried to intermediate between the local people and the firm many times to resolve the issue but no results had come out from these meetings. The amended ‘Himachal Pradesh Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act-1968’ makes it mandatory for private investors to get prior consent of the panchayats/gram sabhas concerned before seeking clearances from the required departments of the state government to initiate work on the project. However, in this case, most panchayats/gram sabhas of the adjoining villages has so far not given consent to set up this project in the area. They had, in fact, passed resolutions against the project. The Tribune talked to many people area, who were anguished over the insensitive attitude of the Union and the state governments for allowing the firm to begin with the construction. They opined that the existence of their villages would perish with the coming up of this project. |
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Not enough jobs for vocational students
Mandi, December 31 Over 1,600 persons who have done these courses, recognised by the State Council for Vocational Training (SCVT) under the Directorate Technical Education (DTE), are jobless. DTE officials disclosed that the private institutes had been asked to send suggestions for the job-oriented vocational courses. In Himachal, demand for pharmaceutical, hydro-power related trades and IT courses had been increased while demand for arts and crafts, stenos etc had reached a saturation point, revealed the DTE sources. The students needed job-oriented vocational courses like dairy and organic farming, medicinal herbal gardening, Ayurvedic pharmacy and similar other trades. The markets for these had increased with the arrival of pharmaceuticals in the Baddi-Barotiwala belt, they added. But the students were private institutes. Each student had to spent Rs 35,000 to Rs 80,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh in the so-called “deemed university” institutes, the students said. The HP Private Vocational Training Central Organisation (Hppvtco) president, Mr Chander Shekher, claimed that they were updating the courses and submitted suggestions to the DTE. “We are offering courses for Rs 35,000 while earlier students have to go outside the state spending Rs 1.5 lakh”, he added. Top DTE official said they were trying to get recognition from the National Council for Vocation Training, New Delhi so that the students got more jobs even outside the state. |
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Tourists head for hills
Parwanoo, December 31 While most of the tourists were heading for Shimla, a few were seen going towards-Kasauli, Chail and Barog. Some tourists while interacting with Chandigarh Tribune expressed the hope that snowfall would herald in the New Year. “We have opted to celebrate New Year at Shimla to see snow”, said a newly married couple from West Bengal heading for the Queen of Hills. “The weather gods will surely oblige us as we have trudged a long distance to enjoy New Year in this part of country,” the couple asserted. “We have planned to be in Shimla on New Year’s eve due to foggy weather conditions in Punjab”, pointed out a family from Ludhiana. “We were hoping to enjoy bright sunshine in the hills but if it is going to snow it will be a blessing for all of us,” the family said in a cheerful mood. |
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MC to approach govt on forest issue
Shimla, December 31 The special sub-committee, constituted by the MC to look into the issue of transfer of forest land to the Forest Department, yesterday left the decision on the issue with the House, which held its monthly meeting here today. The House after discussing the matter decided that in the absence of proper records, the matter should be taken up with the government. The state government had earlier announced that the 1848 hectares of forest area within the municipal limits and the catchment area should be handed over to the Forest Department for its proper management. The MC had constituted a sub-committee under the chairmanship of Deputy Mayor, Mr Shashi Shekhar, to examine the British time revenue records so that the MC could stake its claim over the forest land with it. However, no such record could be made available. “The MC is merely trying to buy time as the sub- committee which had to submit its report within one week spent several months pondering over the matter,” admitted a councillor. He said the councillors, majority from the Congress were not in a position to openly oppose the government move of takeover, while at the same time they could not let the valuable forest area with it go to the Forest Department. As such the MC has virtually pushed the ball in the court of the government, which in all probability is likely to turn down the request of the MC to let the forest area remain with it. |
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Campaign against female foeticide
Shimla, December 31 The Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Ram Lal Sharma, during surprise check yesterday found that five clinics in the capital town were violating the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Test (PNDT) Act. “All the five have been issued notices and if within one week they do not fulfil the various requirements under the Act, legal action will be initiated against them,” he said. He said that in order to put a complete check on female foeticide, the department would intensify its campaign and undertake surprise checks all over the district. There were a total of 29 ultrasound machines in private clinics and eight in the government health institutions. He said it was a fact that the sex ratio was fast declining but the department had not received any written complaint, though information about misuse of the ultrasound machine keeps pouring in every now and then. All those offering ultrasound facility have to fulfil various requirements under the PNDT Act like maintaining proper record, obtaining a registration certificate and proper display that sex determination test is prohibited. He said various discrepancies had been found during the checks by the department. |
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SC girl raped
Kangra, December 31 Kangra District Police Chief S.P. Singh said that a case of rape of a 22-year-girl, belonging to the Schedule Castes community, was reported in the Kangra police station. He said that the accused Santosh Kumar, a resident of Jawalmukhi Road, had developed friendship with the brother of the victim and had been frequently visiting the house of victim. He said that Santosh Kumar lured the girl under the pretext of marrying her and allegedly repeatedly raped her. The SSP said the girl conceived and on December 27, last Santosh Kumar took her to Pathankot and got the child aborted on the promise that he would marry her the next day. He said that on December 28, he left her at her home in Daka Palaira saying that he would arrange for money for their marriage but did not return back. As he did not return the girl narrated the story to her parents who lodged an FIR in Kangra police station. He said that a case under section 376, 366, 313, IPC and Schedule Caste Atrocities Act was registered and the girl was sent for the medical examination. |
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Crime graph in Baddi rises
Baddi, December 31 As per estimates, over 1 lakh of the workforce comprises migrant labourers from Bihar, UP and MP. The high number of the migrant labourers is not the only cause behind rise in crime. It is also due to the severe shortage police personnel in this belt. The proximity of the belt with Punjab and Haryana is another reason behind the poor law and order in this belt. As per crime data collected for this year the smuggling of illicit liquor and narcotics, rape, assault and theft cases have been on the rise. Satta has been flourishing and registration of cases under the Gambling Act is a routine affair. |
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