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Education board to launch “National Open
School System”
Forest Dept to denotify four sanctuaries
Upper Kinnaur villages face neglect
Shivratri fair begins in Mandi
BJP seeks probe into purchase of bandages
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Constable shoots mother, self
Woman sets herself afire
Lecturers seek notification on selection scale
CPM backs fight for more relief
3 tourists killed in road
mishap 
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Education board to launch “National Open
Chamba, February 26 In a fax message received here today, Mr B.R. Rahi, Chairman of the H.P. Board of School Education, said the board had also planned to start coaching classes for All-India competitive entrance tests of PMT, PET and NDA free of cost immediately after the board examinations this year. The classes will be conducted in selected schools. The board has recently introduced a ‘direct-interaction programme’ under which the students could interact with the Chairman over the phone and exchange their ideas and other complaints, which would help in restructuring the board’s functioning, disclosed Mr Rahi. Spelling out other schemes introduced recently, Mr Rahi claimed that the HPBSE was the first board in the country to allot 15-minute time to students in all board examinations to go through the paper in addition to the allowed time of three hours. Besides, the board had also decided to conduct practical examinations of Matric, Plus I and II 10-15 days before the theory examinations in order to help the students get sufficient time after the examinations to prepare for competitive entrance tests of various professional degree courses, informed Mr Rahi adding that the date-sheet for the examinations would be notified at least one-and-a-half months prior to the exam to enable students to prepare fully. Mr Rahi said the board had introduced ‘E’ series question papers for visually-handicapped candidates and for all categories of handicapped students. He also claimed that HPBSE was the first in the nation to declare results through nine media, including mobile phones. Highlighting the significant achievements of the board, Mr Rahi said new curriculum for Plus I and II (science stream), classes 4th, 6th, 9th, 11th (arts and commerce) had been introduced on the pattern of the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) from the last academic session. Besides 50 per cent scholarship rates had been enhanced for the students of various classes. Taking into account the teachers’ benefits, Mr Rahi said 80 per cent payment to the teachers deputed as superintendents, deputy superintendents and invigilators during board examinations was made on the spot while remuneration of the paper-setters and moderators had been increased from Rs 1300 to Rs 1500. |
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Forest Dept to denotify four sanctuaries
Shimla, February 26 According to sources the department had decided to de-notify four wildlife sanctuaries, which have large inhabited areas and cultivated fields. Besides boundaries of 15 sanctuaries will be re-drawn by excluding or including areas. The sanctuaries proposed to be de-notified are Norgu in the Chuhar valley, Darlaghat and Sili in the Solan district and Naina Devi in Bilaspur district. Reason given by the department for scrapping the sanctuaries is “too much human interference” or “too small in area” and as such not ideal for providing safe habitats for the wildlife. The Darlaghat (6.50 sq km) and Sili (2 sq km) are indeed small. However, the Naina Devi sanctuary (123 sq km) and the Norgu sanctuary (278 sq km) are spread over large area. But the department maintains that these sanctuaries were dotted with human habitations and as such there was much biotic interference, which was not conducive to proper management of protected areas. This was particularly so in case of Naina Devi sanctuary where Bhakra dam oustees have been rehabilitated. The department may be facing difficulties to manage the protected areas but the fact is that the government has been under pressure from the local people to exclude their villages from the sanctuaries. They maintained that development activity was affected and forest rights like grant of trees under timber distribution rules were curtailed in the areas made part of the sanctuaries. The environmentalist disapprove of frequent tinkering with protected areas. They also point out that no plan had been formulated to protect the wildlife existing in the sanctuaries proposed to be de-notified. Besides the government was not empowered to effect any such changes as the Supreme Court had debarred states from denotifying protected areas. Mr K.K. Gupta, principal chief conservator of wildlife, asserted total area under national parks and sanctuaries would increase after rationalisation as some areas rich in wild life which were left out would be included. The largest area of 850 sq km is to be included in the Kibber sanctuary in the cold desert of Spiti. It was the natural habitat of rare snow leopard and marmot. The proposal will be put before the state wildlife Board and after approval submitted to the government for action. |
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Upper Kinnaur villages face neglect
Reckong Peo, February 26 Successive governments have failed to develop the village despite their being blessed with natural resources and scenic beauty. The telecommunication network in a majority of the villages in upper Kinnaur is poor and remains suspended for most of the year. A few villages do not have a regular supply of power to the telephone exchanges. The generator sets for use by the telephone exchanges are run for fixed hours only during the day. The irregular supply of power to the villages in upper Kinnaur is a major problem. Modern educational facilities are scarce and as a result, youngsters migrate to places like Shimla, Solan, Chandigarh and Delhi for studies. There is a college at Reckong Peo offering facilities up to the graduation level only. Most of these youngsters never return to settle in their native places possibly due to the lack of job avenues. Older persons engaged in agricultural activities are the only ones who remain at home keeping the tribal culture and social structure alive. The only hope for the hill folk is horticulture, which, by and large, is picking up as the mainstay of the local economy. However, the irrigation facilities need to be strengthened to give a push to the cultivation of vegetables, apples and other fruits and forest products. Medical care is also poor. The district hospital here is ill-equipped. It does not have even an emergency ward or a trauma centre. A large number of fatal accidents take place every year in the area, but the district hospital lacks even an ortho-specialist, which forces the doctors on duty to refer many cases to Rampur or Shimla. Often patients die on the way to Rampur or Shimla. Doctors in the area, both allopaths and ayurvedic practitioners, remain on leave for most of the month. This practice is prevalent both at the district hospital and the primary healthcare centres/dispensaries in the rural areas. The bad condition of roads adds to the misery of the local people. The poor upkeep of roads is the main reason that often prevents tourists from driving in this tribal belt. Since, many villages are located far away from motorable roads, officials seldom visit the rural areas. |
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Shivratri fair begins in Mandi
Mandi/Shimla, February 26 The Irrigation and Public Health Minister, Mr Kaul Singh Thakur, performed puja at the Madhav Rai temple and escorted “jaleb”, the procession of Madhav Rai and other “devtas”, to the Bhootnath temple. The Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, Mr Subhasish Panda, who is president of the Shivratri mela, and other officials participated in the procession that marks the beginning of the week-long festival. The Madhav Rai yatra of over 215 “devtas” will be taken out tomorrow from the Madhav Rai temple. The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, will lead the procession. Mr Thakur also inaugurated the five-day-long Shivratri fair at Baijnath. Meanwhile, the festival was celebrated with religious fervour throughout the state. People observed fast, took dip in holy lakes and rivers, took out “prabhat pheris” and offered prayers at tastefully decorated and illuminated temples. Long queues of devotees were seen early morning at the main Shiva temple in Shimla, Mau Nag temple at Karsog, Shiva temples at Bajaura, Rewalsar, Bijli Mahedev, Trilokpur, Kaleshwar and other temples.
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BJP seeks probe into purchase of bandages
Shimla, February 26 Alleging large-scale corruption in the corporation, he said as per his information the samples of the bandages tested at the Kandaghat laboratory had revealed that the material was substandard. It was a matter of concern as the corporation was making bulk purchases of medicines, bandages and other required material for the Health Department. He alleged that levy sugar was being short-supplied as the weight of bags, which was 1300 gm, was also included. The entire scam involved over Rs 5 crore, yet the government had not taken any action in the matter. Mr Bharadwaj said that all these scams would be part of the charge sheet against the Virbhadra Singh government which his party would submit to the Governor next week. He said the party would also stage a dharna in front of the Vidhan Sabha on February 6 to highlight the issue of corruption and protest against the failure of the government to check price rise and maintain law and order. |
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Constable shoots mother, self
Solan, February 26 The constable, who was temporarily attached with first armed police battalion, Junga, had reportedly fled from there last night in a taxi. He had been assigned to guard the armoury from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. His absence was noticed in the morning. The local police was informed about this by the battalion. The police then broke opened the door of his house in the presence of the SDM. His mother’s body was lying on the bed and bullet had been pumped into her chest and stomach. Honey’s body, which was lying along, had been perforated in the head with bullet which had been pumped through the chin. Preliminary investigation conducted by the police here revealed that the mother was mentally upset and this was the cause of constant worry for him. |
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Woman sets herself afire
Mandi, February 26 The police has registered a case under Section 498 A, IPC. In a statement recorded by the police, Arti has alleged that her husband had illicit relations with another woman. “They had a tiff over this yesterday after which she set herself afire and sustained over 70-80 per cent burn injuries,” the police claimed. In another incident, the body of the former Pardhan, Thata panchyat, Pune Ram, was found from a field with the heady injuries near Balichowki under Aut police station on Friday. The police said that he probably died after he fell 17 ft down from the roadside as he was in drunken state. The post-mortem report is yet to come. The family members did not suspect anyone’s hand in his death. Investigation is on under Section 174, CrPC, police said. |
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Lecturers seek notification on selection scale
Mandi, February 26 In a statement issued here today, the general secretary of the association, Dr C.P. Kaushal, said they met Dr Rao and she assured that the department would issue the notification on the senior selection scale for the lecturers. Dr Kaushal said they would meet the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, next month on the issue of the grant-in-aid for the seven government-aided colleges in the state. The association thanked the Director-General, Postal Services of India, for releasing a postage stamp of Rs 5 commemorating 100 years of St. Bede’s College, Shimla, the first college in the north India to have such an honour. |
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CPM backs fight for more relief
Solan, February 26 Mr Rakesh Singha, member of the CPM Politburo who convened a meeting of the local Kisan Kalyan Sabha at Bagha yesterday said the petty compensation would not be acceptable to the locals. He said it was grossly unfair that while the land acquired at Kol Dam, merely 500 m away, fetched a compensation of Rs 7 lakh, the land award here was a mere Rs 40,000 to Rs 2.10 lakh. He said the CPM would support these villagers to fight for their rights. The pradhan of gram panchayat Mangal Deep Ram Sharma said they should be granted a compensation of Rs 5 and Rs 10 lakh each for the grasslands and fertile land surrendered by them. Since the fate of 70 families was dependent on this land the petty compensation was not acceptable to them. |
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2 women crushed to death
Dharamsala, February 26 The deceased were returning from their fields when the tipper toppled and fell on them. The injured woman Simlo Devi (55), was admitted to hospital here.
— PTI |
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