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RTI Act: Scam in drinking water scheme
Draft Master Plan
Central University Issue
KCC Bank reduces basic qualification for GM
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Transportation of Apple
Travel agent’s house raided
Small Hydroprojects
Mumbai Attacks
Dalai Lama expresses shock over attacks
Hindi lecturer joins duty
Engineers oppose move
Supermax keen to start operations
9 injured in mishap
Patwari caught taking bribe
Fake appointments revoked
ABVP workers hold protest
Rahi refutes allegation
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RTI Act: Scam in drinking water scheme
Mandi, November 28 The IPH spent Rs 4 lakh on the water filter tank, but it was never made and the villagers continue to drink the muddy water even after eight years. Surprisingly, an FIR was lodged against the contractor at the Bali Chowki police post a few days back after the expose, the RTI revealed. Though the RTI activists have demanded an immediate action again the erring engineers in the case, the IPH engineers are tightlipped over the matter as it was linked with the previous regime of the BJP government. According to the RTI information that the Rural Workers Association
(RWA) has got from the IHP Department, the IPH had got Rs 4 lakh for construction of the water filter tank at Sudhrani village on the Sudrani-Baggi drinking water scheme from 1999-2001. The money was availed from the Planning Department under the deputy commissioner to provide villagers with clean water, the RTI added. The RTI revealed that the IPH engineers spent Rs 1.34 lakh in 2001 and Rs 67,522 in 2001 on the construction of filter tank, but the IPH remained silent on the remaining Rs 2 lakh amount given for the purpose. Not only this, the physical examination of the tank revealed that there was some ramshackle concrete structure at the spot, which was of no use. Villagers still drink muddy water and suffer from water-borne ailments in rainy seasons, complained Chet Ram and Sher Singh, villagers from
Sudhrani. The IPH had constructed the Sudhrani-Baggi gravity water scheme for the villagers of
Sudhrani, Khani, Nehra, Kanda and Khanar in Khalwahan panchayat. Championing cause of villagers, RWA leaders Lawan Thakur and Sant Ram said all erring IPH engineers, including contractor Shayam Lal, should be booked and responsibility be fixed in the case. |
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Villagers hold protest
Our Correspondent
Solan, November 28 The villagers who have united themselves under a sangharsh samiti have not only opposed the plan tooth and nail, but also have avowed to get certain clause inimical to their interest eliminated in the final plan. The shopkeepers downed their shutters in protest against the plan today morning and shouted slogans when officials of the TCP Department visited Garkhal to listen to their objections. Insertion of certain clauses like reducing the number of storeys to two plus one from the existing four plus one and a complete ban on future growth of industries and tourism ventures was what had incited maximum outburst from the villagers. Though the TCP Department had taken these steps after gauging the water scarcity in the area, seeing large-scale public outburst the officials assured public of considering their genuine demands. The villagers were also averse to the proposal of seeking prior permission of revenue officials for effecting future bifurcation of land among family members. They felt the fee levied on this act was undue and it would constrain their genuine needs. Director of the TCP Amar Singh Rathod, state town planner A.R. Sankhyan and divisional town planner Sandeep Sharma represented the department and heard public objections against the draft plan. Officials said certain relaxations like increase in number of storeys from two to three and some relaxation in the setbacks could be incorporated after eliciting view of the PWD. They stressed that their objections would be put forth before the state government and they would be addressed on merit. The officials said the purpose of the plan was to regulate unplanned development, which adversely strained the limited civic amenities. They also added that the plan was not supposed to act as a hindrance, but would ensure that self-employment ventures required minimal formalities.
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Committee submits memo to union govt
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, November 28 In the memorandum, a copy of which was provided to newsmen, the committee members have urged the PM, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the union minister for HRD to intervene and prevent the shifting of proposed central university venue from Dharamsala to Dehra. They have stated that the central university was sanctioned to the state after relentless efforts of the residents and old students association of Dharamsala. However, the present regime was doing injustice to Dharamsala by shifting the university venue. In the recent past a team of Ministry for Human Resources visited the district to look for locations offered by the state government for the university campus. The district administration offered land just in Dehra for the university. Officials when asked by The Tribune had maintained that about 700 acre vacant land was just available in the Dehra area of the district. However, the members of the sargharsh committee alleged that land was available near Dharamsala also for setting up the university. The committee members said they had revenue papers of 6,000 kanal vacant land in Chola Tau and Khainara villages. However, the state government did not offer that land for central university. The intention of the government is clear that it wants to shift the university to Dehra as it falls within the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency represented by Anurag Thakur, son of the Chief Minister. The committee members threatened to take their agitation to roads in case the government shifted central university to Dehra. The issue of setting up the central university is gathering heat and is likely to become an issue in the forthcoming elections scheduled for next year. Congress MP from Kangra Chander Kumar has already made shifting of central university venue as poll issue.
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KCC Bank reduces basic qualification for GM
Dharamsala, November 28 The recent decision taken by the board of KCCB is a clear illustration of the fact. The KCCB board at a meeting held yesterday approved new qualification for the post of General Manager of the bank. As per the earlier qualification the basic qualification for the post of GM in the bank was graduation and diploma in cooperation. However, according to a decision taken by the bank board yesterday the new qualification for GM post would be just matriculation. Interestingly, while the basic qualification for recruitment as clerk in the KCCB is 10+2 along with knowledge of computers, the qualification of GM who would manage almost all the branches of the bank has been reduced to just matriculation. The chairman of the bank Rasil Singh Mankotia when asked to justify the reduction in qualification for the post of GM said that it had been done earlier also and the board of the bank was empowered to reduce the qualification. However, the sources available here said that the qualification for the post of GM in KCCB had been reduced to promote a bank officer from Hamirpur district represented by the CM. The investigation revealed that the board of KCCB increased the basic qualification for the post GM to graduation in 1982. In 1997 the board added another qualification diploma in cooperation as essential qualification for appointing GM of the bank. However, after more than 26 years of increasing the basic qualification to graduation once again it has been reduced to matriculation. The decision of the KCCB board is also against the guidelines of NABARD that is controlling and financing body of cooperative financial institutions in the country. As per the directions of NABARD the GM of any cooperative bank should be at least a graduate. The officials of NABARD when contacted while speaking on the condition of anonymity admitted that basic qualification for GM of any cooperative bank should be graduation. In the recent past the present government nominated three persons to the board of
KCCB. As per the directions of NABARD the nominated persons to the cooperative bank board should also be graduates. However, the all three members nominated by present government are undergraduates. In a time when cooperative banks are facing competition and demand is being raised to recruit professionals with higher qualifications for managing the financial institutions, the decision of KCCB is likely to face criticism from various sections. The recruitment in KCCB is already under scanner of the vigilance. |
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Khushi Ram accuses Cong of misleading people
Tribune News Service
Shimla, November 28 Addressing a press conference here today he said the Congress was distorting facts to mislead the people on the issue. “Had it not been for the prompt steps taken by the authorities to restore traffic and open the damaged roads, the apple growers could have suffered much more damage,” he said. He admitted that due to heavy rains about 5,602 metric tonnes of apple could not be transported to the markets. “Most of this fruit either rotted along the roads or in the collection centres as it could not be transported due to heavy rains and bad roads,” he said. He, however, accused the Congress of failing to protect the interests of the apple growers when they were in power. “The damage that the apple growers suffered this year was far less as compared to what they had to bear during the Congress regime when the apple mafia enjoyed a major clout, ” he said. He said during the successive Congress regimes the apple growers suffered huge losses as in 1986 itself 1,80,383 sacks of apple, in 1988- 15,386 sacks and in 1989- 1,62,333 sacks of apple rotted. “As compared to the heavy losses incurred by apple growers during Congress tenure only 7232 sacks of apple rotted in 2003 when the BJP was in power,” he said. He said at the time when the roads had been damaged due to heavy rains this year there was a slump in the apple markets and the government agencies too had advised the growers not to send their produce at that stage. “This year the fruit from the higher reaches too reached the market earlier, resulting in a steep fall in the prices,” he said. Balnatah said that during the period from August 1 to September 16, a total of 21,176 metric tonnes of apple reached various collection centres opened by the government. On the other hand between a short period of September 23 to October 1 a total of 23,678 metric tonnes of apples flooded the market, resulting in a glut. “Rather than indulging in such petty politics and misleading people, the Congress should urge the centre to extend financial help to the hill state to undertake restoration work,” he said.
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Travel agent’s house raided
Mandi, November 28 The police team led by Balh SHO Shakuntla Kumari today swung into action and went to raid the office of Neha Travel Agency at Dadaur, but found it locked. The police then raided Surinder’s house at Nalsar, but his wife and mother told the police that he had been out of station for the last one month. The police suspected that the travel agent had some links in the immigration office and in Dubai. “The agents take hefty amounts from Dubai-crazy youth, who have no knowledge about authenticity of the travel agents and documents they procure and then fell into their trap,” the police added. An FIR in connection with the case was registered yesterday when the six youths in the age group of 22-30 years registered a complaint narrating how the travel agent cheated them and went missing. The complainants have been identified as Virender Singh, Yashpal, Raj Kumar, Yadvinder Sharma, Rakesh and Dharmender, all from the Balh area. They said Chitah charged Rs 1.5 lakh from each one of them and issued them visas and return air tickets from Dubai to Mumbai. However, they faced ordeal of their life as they had to remain stranded at the Dubai airport for 25 days as the contact person that Chitah had introduced to them never came to take them at the Dubai airport. They further alleged that they contacted their family members when they saw no hope of coming back. They sent us money and return tickets and we came back here on November 9. The visas and return tickets were fake ones and they had to buy return tickets to reach here after 30 days, they claimed. They charged that they tried to contact the owner of the travel agency, but he remained absconding from the office and home and his mobile remained switched off. “We have no hope other than seeking help of the police,” they added. Mandi SP M. Chandra Sekhar said a case has been registered under Sections 420, 406 and 120B of the IPC against the accused.
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State policy runs contrary to Centre’s
Rakesh Lohumi Tribune News Service
Shimla, November 28 The union ministry of non-conventional energy sources has been granting various concessions and financial benefits for execution of environment-friendly projects, which are otherwise considered commercially unviable, for the benefit of the local people in the interior areas where no other economic resources are available. However, the changes effected by the state government in its policy recently have virtually commercialised the small hydro sector. It has led to a paradoxical situation where the Centre is granting package of incentives to encourage the IPPs (independent power producers) and the state government is discouraging them with disincentives like upfront premium. As per the formula prescribed by the ministry the subsidy for a 5 MW project works out over Rs 6 crore and for 25 MW project over Rs 17 crore. Besides subsidy for preparation of detailed project reports and various other works, the IPPs are also entitled to interest subsidy. Until the recent amendments the state was also following a similar policy under which the 12 per cent free power as royalty was waived for the first 12 years for projects up to 5 MW. As per the amended policy IPPs will be require to give 6 per cent of the power generated to the government as royalty for the first 12 years. Further, for projects up to 5 MW an upfront premium at the rate of Rs 10 lakh per megawatt and for 5 MW to 25 MW Rs 20 lakh per megawatt will be charged. Thus, an IPP will have to shell out Rs 5 crore for a 25 MW project within 30 days of allotment. The incentives granted by the Centre will, thus, be nullified to a large extent by way of free power as royalty and upfront premium to be charged by the state. The Centre will certainly have a fresh look at its policy of granting incentives for such projects.
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Dhumal urges PM to call CMs’ meeting
Tribune News Service
Shimla, November 28 Terming the serial suicide attack by militants in Mumbai as an assault on the sovereignty of the country he said it was not the time for apportioning blame or making accusations to score political points. The situation rather called for a united response rising above the party lines to send the right message to the world community at large. He said the follies of the UPA regime would be exposed at the right time at the right forum. He urged the Prime Minister to put in place a strategy for combating terrorism, particularly such suicide attacks, after holding deliberations with the states. He said as far as the BJP was concerned it always favoured stringent laws like the POTA as safety of the people and security of the country could not be compromised. Not only the intelligence and security agencies, but also the common citizen would have to be vigilant to foil the nefarious designs of the inimical forces, which were working overtime to weaken the country. He praised the efforts of the security forces in rescuing the hostages and combating the militants. He said as far as Himachal was concerned all required preventive measures were being undertaken on the basis of intelligence inputs received from various agencies from time to time.
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Dalai Lama expresses shock over attacks
Dharamsala, November 28 I have always admired the resilience of the people of India and have no doubt that they will not be deterred by such anti-human activities. I would like to reiterate my solidarity with the Indian people, particularly the people of Mumbai, as you confront the menace of terrorism and violence,” he said. Meanwhile the attack on the financial capital of country by terrorists remained talk of the town in the area. The panic of encounters with terrorists was felt by people here also. General anger prevailed in common people regarding the failure of government to tackle the deteriorating internal security situation in the country. |
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Hindi lecturer joins duty
Nurpur, November 28 Inquiries reveal that Minakshi Dutta, lecturer in Hindi, who had been appointed here on deputation on November 12, joined duty in the college today. The secretary, Education, had issued fresh transfer order vide EDN-A-Kha (G)-1/2003 of Madhu Sharma, lecturer in political science at Government College, Dhaliara, to Arya Government College, Nurpur, on Thursday. She was even relieved by the Education Department on the same day. It is pertinent to mention that earlier too she had been transferred on October 21, but the department had stayed its order till further order on October 27. Meanwhile, the strike of the agitating students of the local college entered third day today. Led by college Central Students Association (SCA) the students held protest demonstration at college premises and boycotted classes. They also took out a protest rally in the town raising slogans in favour of their demand to fill vacant posts of lecturers
in the college.
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Engineers oppose move
Shimla, November 28 General secretary of the association Suneel Grover said the ill-conceived move would severely affected functioning of the board which was engaged in most crucial jobs of renovation,
modernisation, upgradation and life extension of the Bassi Power house, besides design and procurement of electromechanical equipment for the Bhabha augmentation power house. Not only that it was addressing the day-to-day issues associated with the operation of Larji, Bhabha, Giri, Bassi, Ghanvi and other projects. Work on the Rs 110 crore Bassi power house was only half-way through and any change in the set up would affect its completion. The directorate of design was associated in the testing and commissioning of the projects coming up in the private sector in the state. He said resentment was brewing among the engineers of the board as the government had so far not withdrawn the notification vide which the works of 66 KV lines and higher capacity lines were assigned to the state power transmission corporation. These decisions only indicated that the government was out to weaken and finally unbundle the board. The creation of such independent entities at the cost of the board would not serve any purpose and only put additional burden on the state exchequer.
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Supermax keen to start operations
Shimla, November 28 The management of the company disbursed salary cheques over the past two days to over 200 workers for June as the clash between the workers and the management had taken place on June 30. Ever since the two units of Supermax, Tigaksha Metallics Pvt Ltd and Virgo Appliances Pvt Ltd have remained closed. Panchayat pradhan Asha Kashyap along with representatives of the Coordination Committee of the Shoghi village were present on the occasion. The Supermax Company at Shoghi had employed about 1,200 workers before the clash between the workers and the management, resulting in death of one worker, which led to the closure. Col Jagdish from the side of the management said that the company was keen to start operations and as a first step in this direction they had decided to disburse salaries for June. “We will be approaching the Himachal Pradesh Financial Corporation for a rehabilitation loan of Rs 5 crore and if need be other sources as well,” Col Jagdish said. He said resuming operations would take sometime, as repair work would have to be undertaken at the two factories. The labour commissioner on November 17 had declared the lockout by the company as illegal.
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9 injured in mishap
Nahan, November 28 Police sources said the two critically injured, Shripal and Babla, were rushed to the Nahan district hospital while the seven other were taken to Dadahu referral hospital. Total nine persons were travelling in the truck, which included six labourers, munshi of a mobile tower construction company, driver and conductor. After unloading the steel items of a mobile tower at Sunder Ghat the truck was on way to Dadahu when the accident took place. Eyewitness said when the truck reached near Ludhiana curve it lost balance and rolled into gorge. J.C. Sharma, tehsildar, Sangrah, immediately rushed to the spot along with the police party and supervised the rescue operation.
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Patwari caught taking bribe
Solan, November 28 This was the second case of this kind in the last two days as another patwari was caught accepting bribe of Rs 1,000 from a villager at Darla Mor in Arki tehsil yesterday. It was after receipt of a complaint from a farmer of Karari village that a team of Vigilance officials led by inspector Anil Dholta laid a trap and arrested the patwari red-handed. According to Vigilance sleuths, the patwari was dilly-dallying the execution of mutation of land belonging to Khem Ram and was demanding bribe in lieu. Having failed to get the work done the farmer finally approached the Vigilance Bureau who managed to catch the patwari with Rs 4,000. A case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. |
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Fake appointments revoked
Chamba, November 28 Giving this information here today, B.R. Kondal, ADM Chamba, said out of 25 such cases of anganwari workers’ appointments placed in his court, the services of 13 cases were revoked on the ground of lapses like tempering of record, producing fake documents, committing other irregularities were detected which led to
annul their services. The ADM said the appeals filed in nine cases had been rejected while the investigations in three cases had been referred to the Vigilance for further verification.
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ABVP workers hold protest
Shimla, November 28 The activists led by state secretary of the ABVP Naveen accused the UPA regime of failing to curb the activities of the militant outfits. The speakers said it was the soft policy of the UPA regime on terrorism, which had resulted in such a major terrorist attack in Mumbai. The activists burnt the flag of Pakistan, accusing the neighbouring country of sponsoring terrorism within India. They also raised slogans against Pakistan and other militant outfits.
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Rahi refutes allegation
Hamirpur, November 28 In a press release issued here today Rahi clarified that the board had decided to change courses after 12 years in 2003 on the persistent demand from the teachers and parents of the students in a phased manner to keep the courses abreast with the NCERT syllabus and CBSE courses. He said no wasteful expenditure was made on printing of books and no loss was caused to the Board. Rahi said before making such allegations it is advisable to go through the official record and strongly condemned the move to malign him.
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