Shimla, July 26
With the door-to-door garbage collection scheme of the local municipal corporation (MC) proving to be ineffective, the authorities have decided to once again place garbage containers all over the town so that dumping of filth in the open can be checked.

The MC had launched the door-to-door garbage collection scheme with much fanfare and removed the garbage containers from various localities of the town.

Under the scheme a sum of Rs 35 per month from every house, Rs 50 each from small shops, Rs 300 each from dhabas, Rs 250 to Rs 600 each from offices and Rs 50 to Rs 1,000 each from hotels is being charged for garbage collection. Despite warning people that fine will be imposed in case they do not cooperate in making the scheme successful, there are many people who simply refuse to pay the money under the scheme.

As only around 30 per cent of the 40,000 households in the town have been covered under the scheme, the MC has been forced to revert back to the container system.

To begin with, the MC will place 54 new garbage containers at various sites as people were dumping garbage in the open. However, efforts to make the garbage collection scheme successful will continue.

The task of implementing the garbage collection scheme was entrusted to Nagpur-based CDC company by the MC and later to Green Carpet. Sometime back, it was decided to assign the task to more than one agency. Now Green Carpet, the Centre for Development Communication, Navchetna, Himalayan Enviro Care Company and the Pragti Sudhar Sabha are engaged in the scheme.

Mayor Narender Kataria said efforts would be made to make the garbage collection scheme effective, however, containers would be back in the meantime. These containers would be removed only after the garbage collection scheme was implemented successfully, he added.

Shimla, July 26
The municipal corporation (MC) is planning to increase water charges besides imposing house tax in SADA areas that have been merged within the MC areas.

The MC authorities propose to effect a hike in water charges shortly after the supply in the town becomes normal. The corporation is likely to take up the matter with regard to hike in water tariff in a month. It was in 2003 that the MC had last ordered a hike in water charges.

Mayor Narender Kataria said with the state government directing the MC to generate its own resources, there was no other option but to effect a hike in water charges. He, however, added that water charges would be increased only after proper and adequate supply was made available to the residents. The MC had so far been delaying a hike in water tariff due to the persisting water shortage that continued practically throughout the year. As such, the MC was not in a position to hike the water charges.

While residents living in most parts of the town will have to pay higher water bills, those living in New Shimla, Totu and Dhalli, three SADA areas that have been now merged with the MC areas, will benefit as bills in these areas will go down. However, the residents of these areas will have to start paying house tax for which the government had given them two-year exemption till August 15.

Kataria said in case the government did not provide a special grant to the MC, house tax would be imposed in New Shimla, Dhalli and Totu from August onwards.

Hamirpur, July 26
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Kaul Singh Thakur said the expelled party leaders who had repeatedly betrayed the Congress would not be taken back in the party.

Addressing the Congress workers meeting today on his maiden tour to Hamirpur district after becoming the state president, Thakur said though the issue of taking back the expelled Congress leaders on the basis of merit would be taken in consultation with the party high command, there is no question of taking back those leaders who have repeatedly betrayed the Congress.

He said, “All leaders and workers irrespective of their affiliation have welcomed my appointment as the HPCC president by AICC president Sonia Gandhi and it would be my endeavour to strengthen the party at every level and prepare for the next parliamentary election.”

Criticising the BJP-led state government Thakur said, “The BJP government is misleading the people by saying NERGA has not been started in many places while every district in the country is covered under the scheme.”

He said, “By winning the vote of confidence in Parliament the UPA government has generated a new energy among the Congressmen and they would work with new vigour in the parliamentary election now.”

Working president of District Congress Committee Sunil Sharma, Nadaun MLA Sukhvinder Singh, PCC vice-president Rajinder Zar, Suresh Kumar, Deepak Sharma and others also addressed the meeting. Several other senior Congress leaders were also present on the occasion.

Kangra, July 26
Students of Dr RP Government Medical College, Tanda, allegedly entered a mobile shop on the Dharamsala road and ransacked it and decamped with some mobiles and cash.

According to shop owner Surender Sharma, the students of the medical college came to his shop and started smashing glass panes of the room and manhandled him, his son and other workers. He alleged that they took mobiles and cash from the counter during the scuffle.

According to eyewitnesses, this led to a clash between local shopkeepers and the medical college students. Chairs, iron rods, knives were used in the clash. At least 12 persons were injured in the clash.

The clash continued for more than 20 minutes. The locals captured one student of the college but nearly 30 to 40 students clashed back again and managed to rescue the caught student. However, a bag of a student was left in the shop during the clash.

The students then fled from the scene as no cop reached the site till then. The residents and shopkeepers blocked the national highway protesting against the police in action and the attack.

Kangra SSP Atul Fulzele confirmed usage of rods and knives in the clash and ransacking of the shop. The SSP said two medical students were rounded up and later arrested. Before the situation got worse, Kangra SHO Surender Sharma whisked away with the two in his jeep.

Kangra ASP Preetam Thakur said the two medical college students had been arrested and others would be identified and arrested. They assured the people that guilty would be brought to book and case under arson, looting has been registered against the students.

The protesters lifted the blockade after this assurance. Meanwhile, Kangra Beopar Mandal has decided to hold a meeting tomorrow at 5 pm in the Municipal Committee office to decide the future course of action.

Chandigarh, July 26
Geologists here are excited about the discovery of a 25-million-year-old rock fossil of a palm tree in Kasauli.

The 5.1 by 0.9 metre fossil was standing steadily on a sandstone rock in Jagjit Nagar, Kasauli. This fossil was discovered by a layman and not by any geologist.

“We have found many fossil rocks and leaves in the state, but this is for the first time in the history of the Himalayas that we have found a tree rock fossil of such mammoth dimensions,” A.D. Ahluwalia of Panjab University’s Geology Department said.

The fossil was detected by Navjot P.S. Randhawa, director of the Government Museum and Art Gallery in Chandigarh, on July 5 while passing by the place.

Sensing that it might be a fossil, he contacted his geologist friends in Chandigarh and took Ahluwalia and P.C. Sharma, in charge of the Natural History Museum, Chandigarh, to the actual sight to scrutinise it.

They brought a small piece of the rock to Chandigarh to study it. Some geologists have also hinted at the presence of more such fossils in that area.

“The fossil found there has undergone the process of petrification around 24-25 million years back, a process through which wood is transformed into rock. We cannot transfer that fossil to some other place as it might break on the way, so we have to preserve it at that place,” said Ahluwalia.

“Our administration should immediately come forward for the rescue of this extraordinary finding as I am afraid someone might break it for construction - something that is rampant in the area,” he said. — IANS

Solan, July 26
Varsha Inc Pharma, a local pharmaceutical unit, has been booked by the police for violating various provisions of the Copyrights Act.

Around 7.25 lakh tablets of a product that appeared similar to “Saridon”, a popular product of Piramal Health Care Limited (PHCL), in its packing and trademark were also seized from the unit premises on the Subathu Road last evening.

SHO Narveer Rathode said the unit was raided following a written complaint by investigating officer of the PHCL Anil Deswal.

The Drugs Department today cancelled permission to manufacture these analgesic tablets that were being marketed under brand names, “Sirodon” and “Siridan”. Assistant drug licensing authority Kapil Dhiman said they had also withdrawn permission to sell the unsold stock.

The police has registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC and Section 63 of the Copyrights Act. Officials of the Drugs Department said Varsha Inc Pharma started its operations in April last year and was manufacturing various antibiotics, pain killers, vitamins etc. It had manufactured around 50 lakh tablets of “Siridan” and 9 lakh of “Sirodon” till today.

Anil Deswal has been reportedly authorised to safeguard intellectual property rights of the PHCL by conducting surveys and initiating legal actions against those trying to tarnish the image of the company’s brands. The PHCL has alleged that owner of Varsha Inc Pharma S.N. Raju was allegedly manufacturing counterfeit products of their popular brand “Saridon”. The company not only imitated their popular brand, but also sold these tablets as a genuine product of the PHCL by using packing similar to that being used by the PHCL for “Saridon” tablets.

This, according to Deswal, led to undue gain to the local company at the cost of harming their reputation and hence it was a violation of the Copyrights Act.

Samples of the tablets had been taken. These would now be sent for a chemical analysis for ascertaining genuineness of these products.

Shimla, July 26
A decision on the chargesheet of five employees has been deferred, as the review committee could not submit its report before the executive committee (EC) of the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU).

The EC which met here today under the chairmanship of Vice Chancellor Prof Sunil K. Gupta deferred a decision on the chargesheet as the review committee headed by Prof Dhani Ram Sharma sought another week’s time to submit its report. As such a decision on the issue is likely to be taken at the next meeting of the EC.

However, the EC reinstated the services of security officer Inder Dogra, who had been terminated from service along with three other teachers. The EC had already reinstated three teachers and it was due to some clarifications that a decision on Dogra’s reinstatement had been pending.

Five employees, including professors J.B. Nadda and Suresh Kapoor; O.P. Saraswat, director ICDEOL; PRO Ranvir Verma and estate officer J.S. Verma had been chargesheeted during the previous Congress regime. They had been served a chargesheet and a decision had been pending after they had personally appeared before the EC during the Congress regime.

The EC also approved the promotion of three lecturers to readers. These teachers include M. Sood (computer sciences), Richa Sharma (English), Raman Sharma and N.S. Negi, both geography. 

Nurpur, July 26
The local municipal council (MC) has been facing a financial crunch for the past few months and was forced to divert its development funds for the disbursal of salaries of the staff. Inquiries reveal  that the state government has yet to release grant-in-aid to the MC for the current financial year  and if the same position continues the development activities and the civic amenities being rendered by the MC are likely to hit adversely.

The state government used to release grant-in-aid to the MC with the provision of 70 per cent for development work and the rest for disbursal of staff salaries. But here the MC has been utilising grant-in-aid earmarked for different development projects for the past two months. Moreover, the MC has a liability of Rs 26 lakh to the state electricity board against street light power bill for the past three consecutive years. It has also a liability of Rs 1.50 lakh to the IPH Department for drinking water supply for the same period.

However, at the same time the MC has to recover Rs 23 lakh from the local house owners against their outstanding house taxes and rent  from its tenets within municipal area. 

Shimla, July 26
Cement plants in Himachal would be supplementing the ‘Clean Himachal’ project by checking pollution and generating power through gainful utilisation of gases emitted from kilns.

This was stated by Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal after holding talks with the vice-president of ACC Limited Arun Mahajan last evening. “We have launched the ‘Clean Himachal’ project to make the state pollution-free and banned use of non-biodegradable materials such a recycled polythene etc.,” he said.

He said the endeavour of cement plants in the state to utilise kiln gases for generating electricity with the help of waste heat recovery system was very innovative and in the interest of the state. “The waste exhaust kiln gases can be used as a raw material for generation of electricity after incorporating necessary modifications in the design of cement plants,” he said.

He hoped other cement plants in the state would follow the model proposed by the ACC company. He urged every industrial house to contribute towards environment protection by incorporating anti-polluting devices at their plants besides saving water through recycling and adopting rainwater harvesting for non-consumption requirements.

Aryun Mahajan said the ACC had made a proposal to generate 4 MW electricity by using kiln gases and the potential was likely to go up with increase in the plant potential.

Dharamsala, July 26
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau is awaiting reports from the forensic laboratory to act in the recruitment scam in Kangra Central Cooperative bank.

Sources in the department said the bureau sent handwriting samples of 62 employees posted in the clerical cadre to the laboratory about a year ago. The initial report said the handwriting of some of the candidates did not match with that in their answer sheets. The experts had asked for more samples for preparing the final report. These samples were sent to them in the recent past.

However, the final reports have not been received so far.

The delay in submission of reports was hampering the investigation in the case, sources said.

SP, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Santosh Patial said further investigation into the case was on.

Five answer sheets bore same roll numbers, while some answer sheets had similar handwriting. Moreover, some of the candidates had refused to own answers sheets.