Shimla, March 19
The purchase of excess land by private universities and the apprehension with regard to their credentials and degrees being issued by them was raised by former minister Asha Kumari in the Assembly today.

Raising the issue during Question Hour, the Congress legislator asked whether or not the state government had tried to verify if the universities were adhering to norms laid down by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

“We are not even sure whether the degrees being given by those are recognised by the UGC or those are mere pieces of paper,” she said. She asserted that the issue was important as the future of students studying there was at stake.

Replying to her apprehensions, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said an inspection of only six of the 15 private universities had been undertaken by UGC teams so far and a report in regard was yet to be given to the government.

“The functioning of private universities is controlled by the UGC and it is the job of the UGC to see whether or not norms are being adhered to,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the land purchase had been made after seeking permission under Section 118 of the Tenancy and Land Reform Act.

Giving details, he said Arni University at Kathgarh in Kangra had bought 600 bighas, Eternal University at Baru Sahib in Sirmour 1,765 bighas, Maharishi Markandeshwar University in Solan 232 bighas, Baddi University in Solan 139.06 bighas and Bahra University in Solan 120 bighas.

Asha Kumari also sought in detail the reason as to why the private universities were allowed to purchase hundreds of bighas when the requirement was merely 50 bighas.

She said the total land bought by the universities was almost 5,000 bighas and it was the duty of the government to ensure that those are following all norms.

Replying to a query on milk procurement and outstanding payment, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anil Sharma said losses of the Milk Federation were piling up and had touched Rs 26.49 crore.

“Despite a payment of Rs 4.80 cror due to suppliers, we intend to make payments to the people of the Kullu and Mandi area by the end of March,” he said.

He said the previous regime had enhanced the rates of milk but the grant had remained constant at Rs 10 crore. He added that there could be cash flow only through the sale of milk.

“Only 29 per cent of the milk procured is being sold while the rest is being used to make milk products which are a loss-making proposition,” he further said.

Shimla, March 19
Blaming the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime for gross financial mismanagement, Transport Minister GS Bali today lauded the ‘aam aadmi’ Budget presented by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

Participating in the debate on Budget proposals for 2013-14 in the Assembly today, he said the BJP regime had never paid heed to the plight of the common man and particularly the educated unemployed youth whose number was rising.

“Had you bothered to frame some policy for generating employment, you would not have lost the elections,” he said. He said the Chief Minister tried to give benefit to every section of society notwithstanding severe financial constraints.

He said housing grant and social security pension had been enhanced and subsidy on electricity had been raised from Rs 190 crore to Rs 270 crore.

“It will take some time for us to sort out this financial mess as liabilities on account of revised pay scales, pensions, loans and interest payment is huge,” he remarked.

Bali also criticised the previous BJP regime for its unsuccessful attempts to disintegrate Kangra district by carving out three districts.

“The BJP regime did nothing for Kangra. The Congress government has announced an engineering college for the district. One of the two advanced training institutes will be set up here,” he remarked.

Participating in the debate, BJP legislator Sarveen Chaudhary targeted members of the Gandhi family, evoking a strong protest from treasury benches.

“There is an unending list of scams that have rocked the nation during the United Progressive Alliance regime and the Congress has no right to talk of corruption,” she remarked.

She said the Budget was more a political document which lacked facts, depth, practicality and imagination for the future. “The Budget if full of praise for the Gandhi family, is laced with flowery language and is not realistic,” she stated.

She claimed that the Congress had deceived the youth of the state as it had created confusion with regard to skill development allowance by not covering all sections of the unemployed youth.

Kuldeep Kumar of the Congress said the BJP regime had been marred by controversial land deals like those by Ramdev and Prashant Bhushan, the Bemloe project, purchase around Annandale and irregularities by the state cricket body.

Rajiv Bindal of the BJP credited the previous regime with improving the living standard of the people with an increase in per capita income. He said the health sector had now been ignored and the government was acting with vendetta.

Jai Ram Thakur of the BJP said the pace of development in the state had come to a standstill while the government was more involved in changing the names of schemes started by the BJP regime.

Randhir Sharma of the BJP said the Budget had disappointed the common man and did not mention ways to improve the financial health of the state.

He said, “The Congress and not the BJP is responsible for the poor financial health of the state as it placed a wrong picture before the Ninth Finance Commission.”

Lone Himachal Lokhit Party legislator Maheshwar Singh and Independent legislator Karnesh Jung said the Budget had taken care of the interest of all sections of society.

Others who took part in the debate were Prakash Chaudhary, Ajay Mahajan, ID Dhiman, Rajender Rana, Col (retd) Inder Singh and Kishori Lal.

Chandigarh, March 19
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Panchkula police to furnish status report on investigations so far carried by it in Jyoti murder case. The report is to be submitted by April 9.

Justice MMS Bedi also issued a notice of motion to Haryana, the police and other accused. They have been told to file their response to the contentions raised in the petition filed by victim’s father Buti Ram of Hoshiarpur.

Buti Ram has alleged that the Panchkula police was not conducting the investigations in a fair and impartial manner as it had colluded with prime accused MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary.

The directions come at a time when Madhuban Forensic State Laboratory report has stated that Chaudhary’s hair samples do not match with those found on Jyoti's sweater.

In his petition, Buti Ram has sought directions to the state and other respondents to transfer the investigations of the Jyoti murder case from Sector 5 Panchkula police to some other senior police official or independent agency.

The petitioner has alleged that Congress leaders from Punjab too had pressurised and threatened him to maintain silence over the issue.

Naresh Shekhawat, counsel for the petitioner, said the police had also not invoked the provision of law relating to illegal abortion. Moreover, cops had not recovered the phone through which Chaudhary was in touch with the victim.

Mandi, March 19
Jawaharlal Nehru Engineering College at Sundernagar faces an acute shortage of regular faculty of about 70 teachers as per the norms fixed by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The college started in 2006 continued to be run by an “ad hoc faculty even after seven years, hitting students seeking a career in the competitive field of engineering”.

As per the latest data procured from the college, more than 70 faculty positions in the mechanical, civil, textile, electrical engineering, computer science and applied sciences need to be filled as per AICTE norms to deliver quality technical education to over 900 students enrolled in the college. Most of the ad hoc faculty of teachers have polytech background and the college has no professor, associate professors and assistant professors, revealed insiders.

Though the college adds about 280 fresh students every year, the Department of Technical Education has not filled the regular faculty in the college over the years. Even the college got a regular principal only last year when the pathetic state of technical education was highlighted in these columns.

According to college sources, mechanical engineering has two regular teachers, three on contract and four filled from students’ welfare funds. Civil engineering has one regular teacher, five on contract filled from the Technical Quality Improvement Scheme, revealed the insiders.

Similarly, electrical engineering has one regular teacher and five on contract. Computer science has one regular teacher and one seat filled from the students’ welfare scheme.

Textile engineering has one regular teacher and five on contract filled under the technical scheme. Electrical engineering has four teachers filled under the students’ welfare scheme and applied science has five regular teachers and four on contract procured under the technical scheme, sources said.

College Principal RL Sharma said they needed 70 faculty positions to run the college as per AICTE norms. “Teaching is not suffering as such, but the college needs the faculty to deliver quality education to the students,” he added.

Director, Technical Education, Vijay Chandan said the government was seized of the matter and process to fill the faculty positions had been started. It would take eight-nine months to fill the vacant posts, he added. 

Kangra, March 19
Nearly 40 per cent of the students of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Kangra, boycotted their classes for the second day today in protest against the fee hike made by the NIFT Board of Directors and demanded the revocation of the hike.

Those who boycotted classes were marked absent. The students alleged that they were threatened by the authorities that they would suffer in the days to come if they boycotted classes.

Garuav Kumar, spokesman of the students, said the striking students submitted a resolution to the NIFT Director for its onward submission to the headquarters in Delhi.

The students who attended the classes today said they were planning for a legal remedy for the unbecoming fee hike by NIFT.

Today the students did not come out of the campus and nor did they hold any protest.

The leaders said the fee was enhanced from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000. Besides they had to pay Rs 12,000 as hostel fee. They said it was a different hike for different classes. They said those who were paying Rs 40,000 for one semester, had to pay Rs 65,000 now.

Meanwhile, the Students Federation of India (SFI) decided to support the strike of NIFT students. Vishal Deep, Kangra district secretary, SFI, said the Ministry of Textiles should revoke the fee hike decision.

Director, NIFT, Kangra, Bala Sidaratha said 90 per cent of the students attended the classes today. He said those who were absent from their classes since yesterday could have a shortfall in attendance.

Professor Bala was evasive over the fee hike details. Regarding the least placement allegations levelled by the protesting students, he said the first graduating batch (2009-2013) of NIFT Kangra had got placed in the premier industry such as Pantaloons, Shopper’s Stop, Tommy Hilfiger and even Lagunana Clothing in Mauritius. More than 33 per cent of the students had got placed in the first two weeks, he added. 

Hamirpur, March 19
An RTI activist has accused the Hamirpur Wildlife Division of giving an incorrect figure of the number of monkeys sterilised and releasing monkeys in new areas.

PC Sharma of Bhalwani village in the district has sent a complaint to Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri and demanded a probe into the sterilisation drive in the district.

He has said information procured under the RTI Act says 35,025 monkeys have been sterilised in Hamirpur, Chamba, Bilaspur and Kangra districts, but the population of monkeys is growing.

He has alleged that monkeys are being released at places where their presence has not been seen before. He has pointed out that dozens of monkeys have recently been noticed at the Bhalwani temple in Bhoranj subdivision.

Sangeeta Chandel, Divisional Forest Officer, Wildlife, Hamirpur division, says, “The figure supplied is for sterilisation undertaken at the Hamirpur and Gopalpur centres of monkeys in Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Kangra and Chamba districts. A total of 7,005 monkeys have been sterilised in Hamirpur district.”

She further says, “After sterilisation, monkeys are released at the same place from where those are caught and no monkey has been relocated. Simians are shifting to new places in search of food and prefer places like temples where residents feed those.”

Nurpur, March 19
The Himachal Yuva Shakti Sena and the Nurpur Press Club have decided to jointly organise Martyrs’ Day on March 23 to pay tributes to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, who were hanged on that day during the freedom struggle.

Arvind Dogra, secretary of the organising committee, said a blood donation camp in collaboration with Tanda Medical College, Kangra, would be organised at the Press Club Bhawan, Nurpur, and a candle light march held from Chogan to Wazir Ram Singh Memorial in the evening.

He said it would be followed by a ceremony to honour families of martyrs of the lower Kangra area and Baldev Singh Pathania, the lone freedom fighter from the area. — OC

Sundernagar, March 19
Local legislator Sohan Lal Thakur sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for the construction of an examination hall at the Government Sanskrit College here yesterday. He was the chief guest at the annual prize distribution function at the college. 

He gave away prizes to meritorious students. He said the government was committed to providing quality education.

Solan, March 19
A team of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided a Baddi-based pharmaceutical unit Park Remedies yesterday after the recovery of a huge haul of drugs by a team of the UT police at Mani Majra.

Since prime accused Karan Kakkar (32), who owns a pharmaceutical company in Panchkula, has a unit at Baddi by the same name, the NCB team had raided the Baddi unit to ascertain if the confiscated drugs had been manufactured here.

Since the drugs containing pseudoephedrine were seized in bulk and the packaging material did not bear the name of the Baddi unit, sources said the raid had not yielded anything.

Drug Controller Navneet Marwaha said they had not received any official communication from the NCB, but they would provide all assistance to the authorities in case their support was sought.

Drug manufacturers in Baddi said since the use of a specific chemical used in manufacturing these drugs was regulated by the Excise and Taxation Department, it could not be procured in the open market and therefore manufacturing such drugs in Baddi was a remote possibility. Moreso as each user had to file a quarterly return about its utility with the Excise and Taxation Department and even records pertaining to the packaging material used for such drugs had to be properly maintained. The seized drug is used to manufacture drugs like heroin, brown sugar etc.

Mandi, March 19
The local Citizens’ Council today raised concern over the recent house collapse due to the reportedly excessive dumping of liquor at a private godown in Sauli khad and construction going on around the Mahamrityunjaya temple.

They demanded action to check illegal construction and other activities along the national highway and the Beas. They called a general house to raise concern over the alleged dumping without a safety certificate.

They also raised the issue of construction around historic temples, particularly monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and 
along the Beas.

Council president YN Vaidya said they were concerned over the house collapse as it damaged adjoining buildings. He said the High Court had taken cognisance of illegal construction but regulation and monitoring remained poor.

The members demanded that the district administration should take action against the offenders, all government land should be vacated and no structure should be allowed within 100 metres of the ASI-protected monuments.

Vaidya said the municipal council and the district administration should sensitise builders on building bylaws and norms. He pointed out that no private triple-storey building could be raised.

He further said the Excise Department had allowed a godown in the illegal four-storey building without seeking a no-objection certificate from the municipal council.

Municipal council vice-president Gagan Kashyap said they issued last week a notice to the builder to stop construction near the Mahamrityunjaya temple as it had deviated from plan.

He pointed out that the temple was not an ASI-protected monument. He said the Excise Department had never sought its permission to allow a liquor godown in a private building in Sauli khad.

Excise Commissioner Rakesh Bhartiya claimed that the department was not concerned with the legality of the building. He added that the premises had been approved for use as an L-1 godown.

Deputy Commissioner Devesh Kumar said a police probe was on but he was not aware about any memorandum being submitted by the Citizens’ Council.

Kangra, March 19
A day-long glaucoma awareness camp was organised by the Medical Department in connection with glaucoma week at the CHC, Shahpur recently. Hundreds of health workers, primary health trainees and local residents participated in the camp.

Sources from the department said the World Glaucoma Week was observed from March 10 to 16 and medical health workers and people were made aware that glaucoma, commonly known as ‘kaala motiya’, was depriving people of their vision permanently.

Experts told the participants that glaucoma mostly affected the patient’s vision only after the age of 40 years. If precautions were taken, vision could be saved. They said the main symptoms of glaucoma were pain in the eye, change of the spectacle number frequently, less vision at night and circles seen around the power bulb.

They said besides these symptoms diabetics, high blood pressure and an injury to the eye in childhood could also result in glaucoma.

“Glaucoma is a disease of the eye that damages the optic nerve. It can cause blindness. Besides old people, glaucoma appears in children and young adults too,” said the experts. Symptoms or signs of glaucoma were often absent in earlier stage of the disease. The awareness in the beginning was the best treatment of the disease, they added.

Nurpur, March 19
The historical Nurpur Fort has been selected as a prime location for taking shots of Bangla film “Love You Sohniye”.

A shooting team of the film descended on the fort premises today and took day-long shots of the film song “Mahi ve mahi ve...”. Film actor Shayan and actress Palavi gave the shots of the main song which attracted a large crowd of youngsters.

Nandani Sharma, producer, and Sanjiv Jha, director of the film, said the shooting would continue till tomorrow and the script shooting of the film had been completed. They said songs of the film were being shot in Himachal Pradesh as it had a lot of prime locations for this purpose.