Chamba, March 22
The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HSBSE) has decided to revoke the affiliation of those private educational institutions and schools, which are found involved in commercial activities in the institutions. In violation of the ban imposed by the board.

In a fax message to this correspondent here today, Mr B.R. Rahi, Chairman of the board, warned the school managements not to sell uniforms, tie, belts, badges, textbooks, copies and any other material or equipment in their institutions. The board officials had been monitoring the private schools using such wrong practices, Mr Rahi said.

Mr Rahi said in order to hold the private schools accountable in the interest of students, the affiliation rules and regulations had been amended. He said it had been made indispensable for all schools to obtain the ‘no objection certificate (NOC)’ from the government while applying for the affiliation of new schools and for the renewal of affiliation of old existing from the board.

As per the new rules and regulations, it was decided to set up new private educational institutions at least at a distance of one to two km from the existing government high and senior secondary schools so that the institutions could be opened taking into account the need of the area, Mr Rahi said.

He stressed that the private institutions were bound to ensure the teaching of syllabus prescribed by the board, the implementation of the daily timetable and vocational schedule as chalked out by the board from time to time. The process to categorise private schools based on their performance had been commenced and the participation of these schools in the board’s programmes had also been initiated, he said.

“It is for the first time that the board has made available the books on ‘bhoti’ language in the snow bound tribal of Lahaul Spiti”, Mr Rahi claimed.

Referring to mass copying, he pointed out that examination centres where mass copying was detected would be cancelled and the examination would be re-conducted in other centres. 

Nurpur, March 22
The villagers of Samlet, Dini and Gadrana gram panchayats in the neighbouring Jawali subdivision are up in arms against supply of erratic and untreated potable water by the Irrigation-cum-Public Health (IPH) Department.

According to information, Water Supply Scheme (WSS) Samlet caters to about ten thousand populace of the three panchayats. Due to inadequate supply, the villagers are meeting their daily needs from far off traditional water resources deemed unfit for human consumption.

A visit to the affected villages reveals the tale of woes of the villagers. Enquiries revealed that as many as 12 villages of these gram panchayats had been identified as partially covered rural areas in IPH survey conducted by the state government a few years ago.

The villagers rued that even water storage tank of the WSS was without cover resulting in water-borne diseases in the area as the water stored in the open tank could get contaminated .Praveen Rana and Rajesh Kumar, pradhans of Samlet and Gadarana gram panchayats, respectively, told The Tribune that they had approached the department officials several times but got only hollow assurances. "The problem of the people could not be solved so far," they lamented.

They alleged that the rural people were consuming contaminated and untreated water being supplied to them directly from Gaggar nullah. They apprehended spread of water-borne diseases if the IPH Department did not supply chlorinated treated water to the consumers.

When contacted, Mr.Rajesh Bakshi, executive engineer IPH division, Jawali, admitted shortage of water supply in the affected gram panchayats and informed that the department had installed mechanical filter in the WSS just one year ago.

"The covers of water storage tank will be provided in the next month and a Rs.68-lakh water augmentation scheme has been sanctioned by the state government," he added.

Denying contaminated water supply, he clarified that the department usually undertook laboratory testing of water samples of the source to ensure its fitness for human consumption. 

Chamba, March 22
Considering regression of terrorist activities on the border of Chamba district in Himachal adjacent to Jammu and Kashmir, five check points (OCPs) of security forces set up at Rusmus and Kuthah in Pangi tribal sector, Sandhara and Gatti in Khairi border sector and Kalaban in Tissa border sector were removed in October last year. but seven OCPs were to be withdrawn.

At a press conference here today Superintendent of Police Chamba Mr Upendra Thakur said regarding two remaining check points at Kundi Adhwar and Langera in Kihar sector, the police headquarters had asked him to assess ins and outs of these checkpoints, but during Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s visit to Bhalei in Salooni tehsil of this district the residents there met the CM and requested him not to remove these check points.

The Chief Minister directed the police authorities not to remove these check points, the SP informed.

However, with the onset of summer and melting of snow on mountain ranges of Chamba district in Himachal adjoining J&K, security forces deployed on the borders had been alerted to keep an eye on the infiltration from vulnerable points of the borders and directed to continue round-the-clock long-range patrolling and surveillance on the borders, the SP asserted.

The SP claimed no untoward incident had occurred during the past eight years since forces were deployed after the Kalaban-Satrundi carnages. Jawans had been maintaining vigil at 29 check points set up on the 265-km borderline divided into four security sectors with 11 company headquarters and thwarting movement of terrorists, the SP added.

The SP stated services of 159 Village Defence Committees (VDCs) consisting of 1440 trained members and 476 special police officers (SPOs) were being utilised to gather intelligence. VDC members and SPOs were armed to border residents were living in peace, the SP said At present, out of 29 check points nine were being manned by the 18th battalion of the Indo-Tibet Police (ITBP) and remaining points were operated by the Himachal Pradesh Police and Indian Reserve Battalions. Tribal Pangi valley bordering Doda district of J&K was being guarded by five OCPs of the security forces.

For joint operation by security forces with the army, a strategy was being drawn at the level of Deputy Inspector General of Police and for intelligence-sharing a joint conference with military authorities was scheduled for in first week of April at Dalhousie.

Solan, March 22
As many as 148 liquor vends of the district were auctioned here today at an all time high prices fetching the Excise and Taxation Department a net profit of Rs 6.40 crore. Two units comprising National Highway (NH) Solan unit and Nalagarh-Baddi-Arki unit were auctioned for 14.30 crore and Rs 19.55 crore, respectively. The rights were awarded to M/s A.S.R. and Co thorough open bidding.

The auction was conducted under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Kumar and Excise and Taxation Additional Commissioner Amit Kashyap. The administration had deployed heavy police force to avoid any untoward incident. SP Gianeshwar Singh was also present on the occasion.

A physical check of all participants was done to ensure no firearms were taken inside the hall. Even Nahan MLA Sadanand Chauhan, who also participated in the bidding process, had to go through the physical check.

Baddi, March 22
A 20-year-old woman, Surindra, set herself ablaze at her in-laws’ house at Koli Majra village, under the Baddi police station, on Monday. She had been admitted to the PGI, Chandigarh, where she succumbed to her burns today.

Police officials said the woman was mentally upset and had been married for the past two months. Her in-laws had been trying to get her treated through local cures, but there was no improvement in her condition.