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Cloudburst claims man’s life
Manali-Leh highway reopens
IPS officer Indoria to be made PO
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Exam pattern for PG doctors under question
Govt plans to upgrade IGMC
Doctor sent on leave for misbehaviour
Visa curbs on Thai workers hit works on Kol Dam
Fake judgment case: HC issues notices
Dhumal for reforms in Revenue Dept
Minister: Check encroachments on highways
Strategy to improve road safety: SDM
Mahadev village to get water soon: MLA
Announcement of State Executive
List
Outsiders told to get identified in police stn
Entrepreneurs against new electricity policy
Tough posture on suspension of 8 workers
Jail for Civil Supplies Corp employees
Villagers thrash forest guard
Handloom Corpn makes profit
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Cloudburst claims man’s life
Chamba, June 1 The deceased had been identified as Parkash Chand of Dula village. Injured Dimple and Karam Chand of Udaipur village had been admitted to the regional hospital, Chamba. An immediate relief of Rs 10,000 had been given to the kin of the deceased. At least, eight vehicles had sunk in the debris, the reports added. Two houses were destroyed completely, six houses and eight shops, including a government ration depot, had been damaged partially, the reports said. A tentative loss caused due to flood to the private and public property had been put around Rs 1 crore. SDM, Chamba, Rohit Rathore, who supervised the relief and rescue operations last night, said the affected families had been evacuated to a nearby community house where they had been provided with one-month ration, kerosene, blankets and other essential articles of daily need. Besides, Rs 61,500 had so far been disbursed to six affected families, the SDM stated.
Rain lashes Kangra valley
KANGRA (OC): Heavy rain affected life in the Kangra valley today. The Dhauladhars also experienced a mild snowfall, dropping the temperature considerably.
The valley witnessed a stormy night yesterday, damaging crops and even uprooting trees. The traffic also disrupted on some link roads. It rained in the valley for the entire night. There was no loss of life reported from any part of the
valley. |
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Manali-Leh highway reopens
Manali, June 1 The strategic road was closed due to a heavy snowfall on the Baralacha Pass. The Manali-Leh road has now become an alternate route to the frontier areas of the Ladakh region. The road played a key role during the Kargil conflict in carrying food, arms and ammunition for the Army in the border district of Leh-Ladakh. Commander, 38 BRTF, AK Dikshit, said the 222-km Manali-Sarchu road was opened for light vehicles yesterday evening, but from June 5 it would also be opened to all kind of vehicles, he added. Dikshit further said all tourists vehicles would also be allowed to the Rohtang Pass from Marhi from June 2. With the opening of the Manali-Leh road, tourists will be able to enjoy the scenic splendour of the western Himalayas. In 1989, the Government of India threw open the Manali-Leh highway to foreign tourists and ever since the number of foreigners visiting these areas has increased. The domestic tourists also do not lag behind. Many enthusiastic adventure tourists make a beeline for this difficult terrain. |
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IPS officer Indoria to be made PO
Shimla, June 1 The Vigilance Bureau was hopeful that Indoria would surrender once his bail plea was rejected, but the officer was still untraceable and the teams that had been constituted to look for him had also given up. It is reliably learnt that the Vigilance Bureau has finally given directions that the formalities for declaring the IPS officer a PO may be initiated. In case he is declared a PO, it will become impossible for him to flee the country as details about him and photographs will be sent to all the airports. In case of any suspicion about his presence in a particular area, the police stations concerned too will be alerted. The move to initiate proceedings to get him declared a PO is also being viewed as a tactic by the police to pressurise Indoria to surrender. Indoria is a Himachal Police Service (HPS) officer who has made it to the IPS after promotion. It was on the basis of recorded telephonic conversation that the police got a tip-off about monetary benefits being given to him for providing security and maintaining law and order situation at the project site. Ever since a case was registered against Indoria, he has not used his mobile phone. It is learnt that he has also not contacted his family that is living in his ancestral place Indora in Kangra district. The State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had registered a case against Indoria for allegedly taking monetary benefit from a hydro-power company while being posted as Superintendent, Kullu. The police had arrested a close associate and businessman from Kullu who allegedly had collected money on Indoria’s behalf. Police sources said the hydropower company had confirmed that a payment of about Rs 25 lakh had allegedly been made to Indoria at different stages. “We have collected information from the hydro-power company as well as from the bank accounts of the IPS officer, but we need to interrogate him,” said an officer.
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Exam pattern for PG doctors under question
Dharamsala, June 1 Only 21 doctors could qualify for the PGI and in those 21 qualifiers, 18 were from Himachal only. Dr Jeevanand Chauhan, state secretary of the HMOA, annoyed with the authorities who hold exams for GDOs, said, “The doctors, who were disqualified in the state exam, have given a strong message to the authorities by clearing the all-India level competition.” He said, “We would like to question the Director, Medical Education, and the authorities concerned, who are responsible for holding the exams, that what are their criteria of paper setting? They fail to judge the calibre of efficient doctors in the state.” He said, “We would like the CM and the Health Minister to intervene and hold a meeting of DME, the varsity authorities, GDOs and the HMOA to know what makes rank holders failure in their own state.” The government had raised PG seats and other courses as there was shortage of doctors and specialists, but the authorities had been making it difficult for doctors to qualify, added Jeevanand. However, Director, Medical Education, was not available for comments.
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Govt plans to upgrade IGMC
Shimla, June 1 This was stated by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal while addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of the Obstetric and Gynaecology Block at the IGMC, estimated to cost about Rs 20 crore. He also flagged off the final fleet of eight ambulances for the leftout tribal districts. He said the IGMC had emerged the premier institute of medical education and the government would consider its upgradation in view of the increased rush of patients and requirement of medical professionals. He invited suggestions from the medical professionals to adopt future plan of action. He announced that all nurses engaged under the Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS) would also be paid remuneration on a par with other contractual nurses. The RKS nurses, who were getting Rs 7,500 as monthly contractual remuneration, would now be eligible to get Rs 13,500. He further announced that 72 posts of dental surgeon would also be filled to make 72 more dental clinics functional in different parts of the state. The Chief Minister said the number of seats in MBBS had been enhanced from 65 to 100 in the IGMC and 50 to 100 at Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda. Besides, the postgraduate seats enhanced from 39 to 111 in both state-owned medical colleges.
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Doctor sent on leave for misbehaviour
Solan, June 1 According to a complaint, an anesthetist had been using vulgar language with girl students of B.Sc nursing of a local nursing institute for the past two days. They brought the matter to the notice of the management. The BMO, Dr Harminder Singh, said he had called the institute management along with the students and the erring doctor after he had received the complaint from the management. The doctor had been sent on a seven-day leave. Ajit Pal Jain, chairman of Lord Mahavira Institute, where the girl was studying, said the BMO had assured them that such behaviour would not be repeated. Health and Ayurveda Minister Rajiv Bindal said such behaviour on part of the doctor would not be tolerated and he would get the matter inquired so that the truth could be exposed. |
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Visa curbs on Thai workers hit works on Kol Dam
Kol Dam, June 1 According to sources, the MHA has asked the company to recruit engineers, supervisors and other skilled workers from India in its bid to give more employment to them. The ministry has directed the NTPC to ensure that the company recruits the Indian work force. The NTPC’s first hydro project in the country was to be executed in 2008-09, but now it has been postponed to December 2012-13. The company has pleaded to the MHA that it has already recruited over 800 to 1000 skilled or non-skilled workers from Himachal or other parts of the country in the project. The similar restrictions were imposed by the MHA last year on the Chinese company constructing the Shimla-Rohru national highway and Una highway. The visa restrictions had given the firm an excuse for delay in work on the highways that had caused a lot of hardships to apple farmers in Shimla district last year. Like the Chinese, the Thailand company and the NTPC are also coming out with the similar excuse. NTPC (Kol Dam) General Manager SC Gupta said the NTPC had taken up the matter with the MHA. “The issue is being sorted out as the NTPC has asked the MHA to issue the visas for engineers and supervisors, all from Thailand. The work will be hit if the visas are delayed,” he added.
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Fake judgment case: HC issues notices
Shimla, June 1 The order was passed today by Justice DD Sud in connection with the case, probably the first of its kind, that has come to the notice of the police. It was only two days back that Chief Justice Kurian Joseph had, on the administrative side, summoned the entire case record and, after perusing the record, decided to take up the matter on the judicial side. The two named in the FIR had been arrested and remanded to the police custody before being released on bail on May 28. It was on May 24 that the police arrested Rao and Haresh for allegedly preparing a fake High Court judgment. The judgment was then used by Rao to get the service benefit of the period he remained suspended while being named in the combined pre-medical test (CPMT) paper leak case in 2006. The alleged fake judgment had been submitted by Rao to the Principal Secretary (PWD) so that he could avail the benefit of the service period.
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Dhumal for reforms in Revenue Dept
Shimla, June 1 The CM was reviewing the progress under various revenue-related activities in the Deputy Commissioners’ meeting held here on Saturday. “We will consider bringing about reforms in the functioning of the Revenue Department by simplifying the procedure for updating the land records and attestation of the mutations, valuation of land for stamp duty purposes, obtaining various certificates and conversion of leasehold to freehold,” he said. Expressing concern over the “benami” land deals carried out in some parts of the state, he said he had once again requested the Chief Justice to appoint a sitting judge of the High Court to investigate all such land deals. “It is very unfortunate that some officials have been conniving with people with vested interests and helping them get illegal agriculturist certificate,” he said, adding that strict action be taken against all such officials. Dhumal said revenue happened to be the oldest department and was of great concern to the common man. He said cases pertaining to partition, demarcation, mutation, encroachment, correction, ejectment and cases under Section 118 were required to be expedited for early disposal. “Cases relating to mutations were being entered by patwaris and attested by the revenue officer in the field, where reforms were required to be carried out,” he said. Dhumal said 96 per cent computerisation of the revenue records had been completed and soon the computer-generated copies of the land documents would be available to the people.
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Minister: Check encroachments on highways
Mandi, June 1 He was addressing a state-level conference of PWD engineers here on Saturday. Thakur said they should identity dumping sites at suitable places and ensure that road debris was dumped there only. The government was spending Rs 1,013 crore on the construction of roads and bridges under the Prime Minister Gramin Sarak Yojana and NABARD in the current year, he added. Principal Secretary PC Kapur gave a brief account of the achievements of the department. Engineering-in-chief RL Sharma and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Virender Kanwar also spoke. |
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Strategy to improve road safety: SDM
Chamba, June 1 The committee, headed by the SDM, will comprise the regional transport officer, the HRTC regional manager and the executive engineer of the Public Works Department. The chief objective of the committee is to identify the hazardous points of the Chamba-Khajjair road falling on the way of the Dalhousie-Chamba tourist circuit. The SDM said the committee would prepare a draft report suggesting the erection of a railing alongside the road, adding that the road railing would have a psychological impart on the minds of drivers of vehicles. |
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Mahadev village to get water soon: MLA
Sundernagar, June 1 The residents of this area had earlier apprised the leader about the poor water supply in the area. He asked the I&PH officials to be present on the spot. He directed the officials to immediately connect the supply of the village with the newly constructed water tank of the water supply scheme Naun-Jaral. He talked with the senior officials on the issue and directed them to start work of laying additional line to the village from tomorrow. He was assured the public that they would get the additional water with in seven days. He further assured the public that soon the remodelling of Jangam Jogi kuhl (water channel) would be started which fed the residents of this area up to 7 km. At present, this kuhl had been dry for last more than one year. He was honoured by the public at the historical Shiv temple and presented a Himachali cap and shawl. Apart from the local residents, many senior BJP workers were also present on the occasion.
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Announcement
of State Executive List
Dharamsala, June 1 According to sources, the senior leaders of the party, including HPCC president Kaul Singh, CLP leader Vidya Stokes and GS Bali met the in charge of the party affairs for state Chaudhary Varinder Singh at Chandigarh to get their supporters into the HPCC state executive a few days back. Union Minister for Small, Micro and Medium Industry Virbhadra Singh, who wants his wife Pratibha Singh at a suitable position in the HPCC, has also communicated his feelings to the party high command. The sources said owing to pressure from senior leaders of the party and directive of the Congress high command to keep the size of the HPCC small, a new category of office bearers was likely to be evolved. “Though its office bearers might be small in number, the HPCC will have a substantial number of special invitees. The special invitee category will be used to satisfy the leaders who do not make it to the list of the HPCC office bearers,” said the sources. The sources also said a lot of new faces might figure in the HPCC list that was likely to be out within next 10 days. Many names that were earlier permanent features of the HPCC list might go missing this time. Already the party has taken a decision against the leaders who are in the state coordination committee of the party in the HPCC office bearers’ list. The state coordination committee, besides Kaul Singh and Vidya Stokes has Gangu Ram Musafir, GS Bali, Chander Kumar, Thakur Bharmouri , Harbhajan and Mukesh Agnihotri. As per the decision taken by the party, none of the said leaders would make it to the state executive of the HPCC.
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Rebel MP Shushant takes on BJP leadership
Hamirpur, June 1 Shushant, who was here yesterday to address a meeting as part of his campaign against corruption and state’s rights, targeted the party leaders saying, “The BJP does not belong to anybody’s father, nor is the party of enslaved people. This party after its formation has been watered by the blood of many party workers and I am one of them”. He said, “I am not a thief who can’t visit Hamirpur and those who have been making such statements on the behest of a top leader of the party should know that his own fate is not known as he is going to be exposed soon and time only will tell who will remain in the BJP and who will go out”. Continuing his attack against party leadership in the state, Shushant said, “Any person by attaining a chair can not become a leader. Anyone can become a CM or PM. It is not necessary that all of them become leaders”. Attacking state BJP president Khimi Ram, Shushant sarcastically said, “Every day he is scaring me with disciplinary action against me, and it seems from his statements as if General Dyer’s spirit is still wandering here. But I can’t see BJP’s poor plight and will continue to expose corruption, and the day I will hear this good news (my expulsion from the BJP) I will make an explosion”. Talking about his campaign for seeking the state’s rights from the Central government, the Kangra MP reiterated his commitment to wage a long struggle to achieve these and urged people to join his campaign on seven-point charter and said he would soon visit colleges and universities to mobilise students on these issues. |
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Outsiders told to get identified in police stn
Bilaspur, June 1 The notification says that in some cases it has been found that such persons have been indulging in illegal and unlawful activities and so they should get an identity card in their own interest to avoid any future complications. The order also says that those who provide shelter or rented accommodation to such persons or get them on contract or daily wages and employ them in their works or even for domestic service, must also get them registered with the police station. |
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Entrepreneurs against new electricity policy
Oppose...
Kullu, June 1 This was stated by Kullu Industrial Welfare Association president Virender Sood while addressing a press conference at the HPTDC Sarwari hotel here on Friday. He expressed surprise over the clauses of the regulation 419/2005 of the HPERC asking the industries to deposit cash for sharing the cost of the infrastructure already set up by the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board
(HPSEB). He said the most unfortunate part of the government policy was that none of the government departments concerned like HIMCON, HPSIDC, including the HPSEB, were aware of the regulation as the entrepreneurs had approached all these departments before establishing the units. He alleged that the government was planning to privatise the power board and hand over the electricity board to a private company. He said as per the new regulation one had to deposit Rs 1,000 per KW as advance cost towards infrastructural development charges (IDCs) and 10 per cent as earnest money for taking the power availability certificate (PAC) before setting up an industry. For the sanction of load, a security amount at the rate of Rs 1,000 per KW had to be deposited on the contract demand. Earlier, the security of Rs 5 lakh was fixed and taken as bank guarantee. Sood further said the two new industries that were coming up in Kullu (Mahan Roller Flour Mills Pvt Ltd) and Mandi (Virna Food, Nagwain) districts, whose promoters had already spent about Rs 5 crore each, were caught unawares of the extra cost amounting to Rs 40 lakh each for getting the electricity connection. He said the HPSEB was not lenient enough even to accept the amount in
instalments.
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Pharma unit’s waste a threat to residents
Solan, June1 Though a resident, Col Chander Raj Thakur (retd) has apprised the Municipal Committee, the state Pollution Control Board, the DC, the Health and Ayurveda Minister, no action has been taken. The waste is piled up on top of the unit in the open. Thakur told The Tribune that, “Since my house is located barely 10 feet from the unit, I face a threat when labourers working in the unit come to the top floor to smoke near the waste materials which also contain chemical remnants”. He lamented that no official had provided him relief though letters had been written to all of them. The matter was reported to the executive officer of the Solan Municipal Committee on February 21 as well as the GM, District Industries Centre, but no action had been taken as yet. He said the situation had remained unchanged for the past three years and the unit Madhav Biotech had failed to use the MC containers lying at a distance of 30 feet to dispose of its waste. The case has exposed the lack of planning on part of the MC authorities where an industrial unit has been allowed to come up in a residential area. Officials of the state Pollution Control Board said they would look into the matter so that the residents did not suffer unduly. |
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Tough posture on suspension of 8 workers
Shimla, June 1 The issue is fast assuming dimensions of factional strife with NSUI leaders alleging that the suspended party men, who included an ex-NSUI president and three other leaders of the organisation, were being made to pay the price for supporting Union Minister Virbhadra Singh. They also maintained that PCC president Kaul Singh Thakur was misguided by some vested interests and that he had acted in haste. Sources said action against party men who allegedly indulged in rowdy behaviour during the recent meeting had been endorsed by national general secretary Birender Singh who is in charge of party affairs in Himachal. There was little possibility of a review of the decision at this stage as it would encourage indiscipline. Kaul Singh said he would go by the party rules and the matter would be referred to the disciplinary committee which would recommend further action. He said the party men who had indulged in rowdy behaviour were from the NSUI, and the Sewa Dal, the head of these frontal organisations, had also been asked to identify the culprits and take action. There was no question of his being misguided by vested interests or targeting the supporters of any particular leader. Action was taken in consultation with Birender Singh, in charge of the party affairs in the state, who was present in the meeting.
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Jail for Civil Supplies Corp employees
Shimla, June 1 A Division Bench comprising Justice Surjit Singh and Justice Rajiv Sharma passed this order on an appeal filed by the state government wherein it had challenged the judgment of the Special Judge, Solan, whereby accused Sudershan Kumar and three others, who were tried for offences under Sections 120-B, 409, 218 and 420, IPC, and Section 13(2), Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, had been acquitted. According to the prosecution, Sudershan was working as in charge of the HP State Civil Supplies Corporation, Chambaghat, a suburb of Solan, and Ramesh Chand as helper in the corporation. According to the prosecution, on May 30, 2003, the DSP (Vigilance) received a secret information that a truck was being loaded with wheat bags at the corporation depot at Chambaghat and that the wheat was to be supplied to flour mills of Pawan Kumar Sahni, in an illegal manner. The wheat was, in fact, meant for distribution to the persons living below poverty line. When the police asked the driver to produce the papers regarding transportation of the wheat, he failed to produce the same. On inquiry, the driver said the wheat had been loaded at the instance of Ramesh Chand, who claimed that the papers were with him. The trial court acquitted the accused on the ground that the prosecution’s case was not proved beyond reasonable doubt. While setting aside the judgment of the trial court, the Bench observed that it had come in the evidence that two trucks were already parked outside the gate of the factory, which means that unless the two trucks were driven away, the truck, in question, could not have been taken to the factory premises. The trial court’s judgment is perverse, on the face of it and, hence, unsustainable. |
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Villagers thrash forest guard
Mandi, June 1 According to the forest guard, he was deputed by the Range Officer, Chuoridhar, to investigate the encroachment case. But when he went to enquire from the villagers whether the mill had a licence or not, they all beat him up. The police has registered the case under Sections 353, 332, 506, 34, IPC, at Karsog police station and started inquest proceedings in the case.
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Shimla, June1 This was disclosed by Industries Minister Kishan Kapoor while presiding over a review meeting of the corporation here on Saturday. “Ever since the corporation has been organising exhibitions and export fairs in other countries, its products are gaining popularity,” he said. He said recently the corporation organised two exhibitions at Birmingham in the UK and Budapest in Hungary generating an income to the tune of Rs 20 lakh.
— TNS |
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Shimla, June 1
