H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Medicos to involve employee bodies against quota

Shimla, May 20 The agitating medical frater- nity here has decided to involve employee and student organisations to intensify their protest against the proposed reservation for OBCs.

Medicos take part in a mock funeral of HRD Minister Arjun Singh in Shimla against the proposed quota on Saturday. — Photo by Anil Dyal

Truckers continue to boycott loading
Bilaspur, May 20
Tension persisted at ACC Cement Factory at Barmana, 18 km from here, as two truck unions, the Bilaspur District Truck Operators Cooperative Society and the Himachal Pradesh Ex-servicemen Transport Union, did not load cement for the fourth day today.

MC vice-chief fears threat to life
Solan, May 20
Alleging threat to his life after being manhandled by the son and the brother of a Congress leader on the Mall Road here last evening, vice-president of the local Municipal Committee Vijay Kumar said today that the family of a Congress office-bearer should be held responsible in case he met with any mishap.

Cheating case against finance company
Baddi, May 20
A local resident, Bipan Passi, has lodged a complaint with the police that he was cheated by a finance company, which is running allegedly without the Reserve Bank of India’s registration.

Medical assn condemns attack on doctors
Mandi, May 20
The Himachal Medical Officers’ Association (HMOA) here today condemned an attack on two doctors and a private pharmacist at Multhan, Baijnath, on May 17 and demanded action against the assailants.

Provide information on time, officials told
Shimla, May 20
The Chief Information Commissioner, Mr P.S. Rana, today said the Right to Information Act was aimed at ensuring citizens’ access to information so as to promote transparency and accountability.

Medicos to involve employee bodies against quota
Tribune Reporters

Shimla, May 20
The agitating medical fraternity here has decided to involve employee and student organisations to intensify their protest against the proposed reservation for OBCs.

Addressing a press conference here today, president of the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) Resident Doctors Association (RDA) Dr Rajesh Sood said they had decided to involve other organisations in their fight against reservation.

“More than six organisations other than the medical, dental and ayurvedic college, have extended support to our cause,” said Dr Sood.

Meanwhile, the chain hunger strike by the Junior Doctors Association entered the ninth day today. Doctors and students of the IGMC held a march from the medical college to Dhalli.

Services at the IGMC were hit as only emergency surgeries could be provided to patients.

Dr Sood said economic empowerment to the weaker sections was the right way to help them instead of giving them reservation. “We seek the cooperation of various sections of society as reservation will not just hit the medical fraternity but entire society,” he remarked.

He assured that the patients would not suffer as resident doctors were attending emergency services from 4 pm to 9 am.

“However, the strike will continue till the government goes back on its decision of providing reservation to the OBCs,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the government today deputed doctors serving as General Duty Officers (GDO) in other hospitals to serve at the IGMC and at the Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda, in view of the strike by resident doctors.

The government had been forced to appoint 10 GDOs at the IGMC and some at Tanda so that patients did not face inconvenience.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Principal Secretary Harinder Hira with senior health officials here today.

There is possibility of some more doctors from the periphery joining medical colleges in case their strike continues.

Dharamsala: Medical students of the Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda, and resident doctors of the Zonal Hospital here began a chain hunger strike as part of their agitation against the reservation policy today.

Medical students and resident doctors have threatened to intensify their agitation as the Central Government “continues to sleep over the issue even when the whole nation is burning”.

Resident doctors plan to start parallel OPDs in a phased manner from Monday, keeping in mind the interest of general public.

Today, students went door to door to spread their message. “It is a matter of shame that the Prime Minister has not given a single statement to clarify his government’s stands when different ministers are speaking different tones,” they said.

The Central Students’ Association and Resident Doctors’ Association also thanked the local chapter of the Indian Medical Association for expressing solidarity with the protesting doctors.

Truckers continue to boycott loading
Our Correspondent

Bilaspur, May 20
Tension persisted at ACC Cement Factory at Barmana, 18 km from here, as two truck unions, the Bilaspur District Truck Operators Cooperative Society and the Himachal Pradesh Ex-servicemen Transport Union, did not load cement for the fourth day today. Both truck unions having a strength of some 4,000 trucks had been demanding an increase in freight charges commensurate with the increase in the price of diesel. They had also been seeking the renewal of their written agreement , which was signed as early as five years ago and did not cover the prevailing high prices.

Addressing mediapersons here today after the unanimous decision at the joint meeting of Executive Committees of both these unions, Bilaspur District Truck Operators Cooperative Society president Ram Dass Thakur said their earlier cement loading freight agreement expired on March 31, 2006, and since then the factory management had not signed a new agreement with them. The factory management had not increased freight charges, as cement loading had become totally unremunerative under earlier freight charges. He said in present circumstances they had no alternative except to stop the loading work. During last seven weeks talks had been held several times between the truck unions and the factory management, but no agreement had been reached.

Mr Thakur said both unions had decided to continue with the boycott of cement loading till the management signed a new, reasonable agreement with them. He urged the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, to intervene in this dispute.

MC vice-chief fears threat to life
Our Correspondent

Solan, May 20
Alleging threat to his life after being manhandled by the son and the brother of a Congress leader on the Mall Road here last evening, vice-president of the local Municipal Committee Vijay Kumar said today that the family of a Congress office-bearer should be held responsible in case he met with any mishap.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Mr Vijay Kumar, supported by local MLA Dr Rajiv Bindal, alleged that the son and the brother of a Congress leader accompanied by a group of men attacked him on the Mall Road last evening. He rued that earlier in the day the District Congress Committee’s vice-president Surinder Sethi and Municipal Councillor Ajay Chauhan had manhandled him in the office of the Executive Officer of the Municipal Committee (MC). Trouble started when the two Congressmen objected to Mr Vijay Kumar’s interference in a work related to streetlights in Ward No. I. He said while his effort was to put the streetlights in place in Ward No. 1 the Congress leaders tried to undo his work.

The Congressmen on the other hand alleged that Mr Vijay Kumar along with his younger brother and four others obstructed the way of Mr Aman Sethi, son of the Congress leader, near Saproon last night while he was returning home. They hurled abuses at him and threatened to eliminate his family.

The police has registered a case under Sections 147, 148, 341,323 and 506 of the IPC against Mr Vijay Kumar.

A case of wrongful confinement, voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation under Sections 341, 323 and 506 of the IPC had also been registered against the Congressmen.

Cheating case against finance company
Our Correspondent

Baddi, May 20
A local resident, Bipan Passi, has lodged a complaint with the police that he was cheated by a finance company, which is running allegedly without the Reserve Bank of India’s registration.

Owning a shop at the local Gol Market, Bipan said he had availed himself of a loan of Rs 30,000 in 2001 from the company, then known as M/S Royal Capital Services Private Limited on 1.5 per cent interest. He paid back the money with the interest, receipts of which were lying with him.

He said, but, the company was demanding Rs 3.5 lakh as the repaid amount with interest, claiming that it had given the money on a higher interest rate. Its executive Rajkumar Kochar then relocated its office at Baddi and named it Panipat Higher Purchase Private Limited, while continuing with the finance business.

The police said it was investigating the matter . A case under Section 420 of the IPC has been registered.

Medical assn condemns attack on doctors
Tribune News Service

Mandi, May 20
The Himachal Medical Officers’ Association (HMOA) here today condemned an attack on two doctors and a private pharmacist at Multhan, Baijnath, on May 17 and demanded action against the assailants.

Talking to mediapersons here today, HMOA unit president Dr D.K. Arora and state general secretary Dr J.N. Chauhan, state treasurer Dr Joginder Thakur and press secretary Dr K.C. Malhotra said the mob attack on doctors was motivated and had hit the morale of the medical fraternity in the state.

The government should immediately arrest the persons involved in the attack, they demanded.

In protest against the attack, the doctors would observe a pen down strike on May 25 from 9.30 am to 11.30 am, they said.

Provide information on time, officials told
Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 20
The Chief Information Commissioner, Mr P.S. Rana, today said the Right to Information Act was aimed at ensuring citizens’ access to information so as to promote transparency and accountability.

Presiding over a workshop on “Right to Information Act”, here today, he asked government officials to provide information on priority so that it could be supplied to the quarter concerned within the stipulated time.