Hamirpur, April 28
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has cleared the decks for completing the process of recruiting 767 informatics technology teachers at government schools in the state.

The process was started by the Himachal Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Board (HPSSSB) in January last year. About 4,000 postgraduates had applied for the posts and the written test was conducted in September.

The HPSSSB had not included Masters in Science (Informatics Technology) as a qualification in its advertisement as there was no clarity about its equivalence of this degree with that in Masters in Science (Computer Sciences).

A large number of postgraduates having a degree in Masters in Science (Informatics Technology) had applied for the posts and the forms of 1,902 applicants with this qualification had been rejected by the HPSSSB.

A total of 272 such applicants had then approached the High Court which had stayed the process of recruitment. After considering the issue, the High Court ordered the HPSSSB to consider the 272 applicants whose forms had been rejected.

The High Court did not say anything about the 1,630 applicants whose forms had been rejected on similar grounds but had not approached the HC.

HPSSSB Chairman JK Chauhan said, “The issue of equivalence has been decided and we will consider the 272 applicants whose forms had been rejected. The interviews for the posts will be conducted shortly and the process completed soon.”

Dharamsala, April 28
Debris caused by construction at McLeodganj and surrounding areas is landing on hill slopes in the reserve forest in the Dharamsala-McLeodganj area. The debris is scarring hills and damaging deodar trees and the undergrowth.

People engaged in construction are using truck tippers to dump debris down the hills. Forest officials claim that generally miscreants dump the debris at night and it is difficult to identify them.

Enquiries reveal that officials can easily identify the miscreants as major construction is not much. The district administration and the municipal authorities can penalise those dumping debris but none have taken strong action.

When contacted, Kangra Deputy Commissioner Paul Rasu said the issue was in his notice and action would be taken. Environmentalists said the dumping of debris was a serious threat to the ecology of the area.

Some experts claimed that people dumping the debris and solid waste had no other option. They said the government was not engaged in the scientific management of debris and solid waste which could help minimise the damage.

The government can outsource to a non-government organisation the management of debris and solid waste. An area should be marked where the debris can be dumped. This will provide the people an option to properly dispose of debris.

Mandi, April 28
The Health Department has decided to take samples of folic acid and iron tablets in the state and send those for testing to the Composite Drug Testing Laboratory at Kandaghat.

This decision was taken after the tablets reportedly caused nausea and vomiting among some schoolchildren at Dharampur, Bilaspur and other areas which raised the ire of opposition parties.

The preliminary inquiry conducted by the Mandi Chief Medical Officer (CMO) revealed that 10 of the over 300 students of a government school at Marhi in Dharampur had complained of nausea and allergic reaction.

“They were taken to a hospital and were found to have taken the dose around 11 pm on an empty stomach. The students had consumed breakfast early in the morning,” said CMO AB Gupta. He ruled out foul play.

On a direction from the Principal Secretary for Health, CMOs in all districts had been told to take the samples and send those for testing to the laboratory at Kandaghat.

“This is being done to clear the air about the quality of tablets being given to children at government schools in the state,” Dr Gupta said. He said they had collected samples from all stores and were sending those to Kandaghat.

“The tablets cause allergic reaction in some children mainly when supplements are taken on an empty stomach or three or four hours after meals,” he said.

Doctors said the sustained release of folic acid and iron tablets might cause acidification on an empty stomach and cause a sense of nausea.

“We are advising teachers and parents to give the tablets soon after meals. The tablets should be swallowed and not chewed or cut,” they advised.

The tablets had a sugar coating but the bitter taste of iron could cause vomiting and nausea in children and pregnant women while chewing or cutting, he said.

Health officials said the government had listed five government-run companies for the supply of the tablets. The government would discontinue the supply if something was found wrong in the samples, they added.

Shimla, April 28
Taking a serious note of the malfunctioning of information technology (IT) packages due to software snags, the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) has directed the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) to go in for third party evaluation to test IT applications for performance, reliability and stability for avoiding revenue loss.

“Crores have been spent on the IT initiative to improve services but the bad performance of billing software makes one feel that the computerisation has placed at risk the pre-existing revenue management system and structure,” the SERC has observed in its latest tariff order.

It has directed the HPSEBL to take immediate steps to get the glitches removed so that field units are not burdened with unnecessary troubleshooting of errors arising from the use of a bad software application. The SERC has referred to several disturbing issues on the IT front.

Despite the consumer billing application having snags, the HPSEBL rolled it out to stations outside the pilot test area. The rolling out could have been restricted to revenue focus consumers (1 MW and above and those at townships).

The electrical network management system module was not functional and the management information system (MIS) module was not being made use of. The generation of the consumer ledger, accounting schedules and other MIS reports were problematic. The correctness should be a matter of concern for the power utility, it observed.

Important applications such as the enterprise resource planning and the geographical information system were not being made use of. Other issues included malfunctioning of kiosk machines installed for receiving payment and interface problems regarding high-tension meters and the common metering reading instrument.

The SERC advised the HPSEBL to take corrective steps at the time of issuing bills so that incorrect bills were not issued. Field units would have to evolve a suitable mechanism for the feedback of software malfunctioning and related issues to the IT cell and its high-level offices so that problem reporting and corrective action could be expedited.

Shimla, April 28
Lambasting the Virbhadra Singh-led government for its reported failure to initiate action for taking back the land allotted to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-(CPM) today alleged that there was a nexus between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.

CPM state secretariat member Tikender Panwar alleged here today that the Congress had made a major issue the land given free to the HPCA and other favours granted to the association headed by former Chief Minister PK Dhumal’s son Anurag Thakur.

Panwar said the Congress had not taken action after coming to power and failed to recover the outstanding amount for security provided for Indian Premier League (IPL) matches held in Dharamsala. He claimed that the nexus between the BJP and the Congress had emboldened the HPCA to charge Rs 5,000 as fee from players for providing training.

He alleged that the Congress had dumped its election agenda on which it had been voted to power.

He pointed out that the Congress had been alleging that the HPCA was the youth wing of the BJP and an agency for corporates to dump black money but was maintaining complete silence.

Substantiating his charge, he said the Himachal Pradesh University had, during the previous BJP regime, awarded a doctorate degree to Congress Member of Parliament Rajiv Shukla, also the IPL Chairman. He urged the government to ensure that the amount of more than Rs 2 crore due from the HPCA was recovered.

He demanded the government should get in advance the money for ensuing IPL matches. He urged the government not to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor and ensure that the game and players prospered instead of the reported speculators who had been governing the HPCA.

Solan, April 28
Mukesh Agnihotri, Minister for Industries, Labour and Employment and Information and Public Relations, today visited the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area and asserted that the government was serious about promoting industrialisation.

He said this was illustrated by the fact that it had approved projects worth Rs 600 crore through the single window clearance agency during the first three months in office.

He said projects worth Rs 400 crore were in the pipeline. He said the government would provide clearance within 90 days to all projects and was identifying areas where industrial development with modern facilities could be undertaken.

He said a common application form would be introduced shortly to grant various kinds of permission in a single form. He was addressing officials during a review meeting of the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority.

He said steps would be undertaken to boost industrialisation. He pointed out that this sector contributed 15.94 per cent to the gross domestic product of the state and industry consumed 63 per cent of the power.

He said an investors’ meet would be conducted shortly in states like Punjab and Gujarat to attract investors and a land bank was being developed to provide easy land availability to them.

He gave details of schemes under way in industrial areas and said a new industrial area on 4,000 bighas would be set up shortly in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area.

Representatives of the Himachal Drug Manufacturers Association, the BBN Industries Association and other associations met the minister and apprised him of their problems.

Dalhousie, April 28
The Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of the Buddhists and a Nobel laureate, visited Dalhousie Public School today.

Students presented a cultural dance depicting “Namaskar”. This was followed by a welcome address by Capt GS Dhillon, Director and Principal of the school.

Dr Dhillon said the Dalai Lama was like a storage battery, wherever he stepped, he charged the entire place. He gave a vivid account of the life of the spiritual leader and called upon the students to get inspiration from his life.

The Dalai Lama addressed a large gathering of students of all public and government schools in Dalhousie. He spoke on the topic “Educating the Heart”. His thoughts not only enriched the knowledge, but left a deep impact on the students’ minds. He stressed on purifying hearts, besides developing the mind through education. “Groom children for a great bright future in India,” he said.

His talk left the gathering spellbound and they listened to him in rapt attention. He asked the audience to think for India and then the whole world. He emphasised on developing compassion. “Broadly think for India first and then for the whole world,” he said.

After the speech, an interactive session was held, in which students asked many questions. The programme concluded with a vote of thanks and the presentation of a souvenir by Capt GS Dhillon to the Dalai Lama.

The Tibetan community erected welcome gates on roads and the whole town wore a festive look. Earlier, the Dalai Lama inaugurated the three-day golden jubilee celebrations of the Central School for Tibetans in Dalhousie.

Bilaspur, April 28
Sapna (19), a resident of Nog village under Binola gram panchayat, was found hanging from the ceiling at her house last night.

Roop Singh Thakur, Sapna’s father, is a government employee in the Bilaspur tehsil office.

She had recently appeared for the BA third-year examination.

According to reports, Sapna had gone to her room for studies after informing her mother.

Later, when members of the family called her for dinner, they received no response from her.

The family members forced open the door and found her hanging from the ceiling of the room.

The family immediately brought her down, but she had already died.

She did not leave behind any suicide note and the cause of the young student taking the extreme step could not be ascertained.

The police has registered a case in this regard. The body was handed over to the family after conducting postmortem examination.

Hamirpur, April 28
Students and staff of the State Institute of Hotel Management (SIHM), Salasi, organised the first annual day function yesterday in which college students presented a colourful cultural programme.

Hamirpur DC Ashish Singhmar was the chief guest on the occasion who gave away prizes to meritorious and other students excelling in extra-curricular activities.

Addressing the audience, the Deputy Commissioner said the tourism industry in the state had a vast scope of development and growth since it was in its nascent stage and students of the SIHM should utilise this opportunity to their maximum. He said, “There is still a lack of professionalism in the state and students getting professional training like at the SIHM should fill this gap by providing their services, besides starting their own enterprises.”

He said many top hotels and restaurants were coming to the state and unemployed youth could also get employment through the Hunar Se Rojgar training programme.

He also asked the students to make optimum use of the IT technology and facilities like the Internet to improve their knowledge and information. The students presented folk dances on the occasion. Earlier, PK Gupta, Principal of the institute, presented the annual report in which he highlighted various achievements and activities of the SIHM.

Shimla, April 28
The Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers’ Association expressed resentment over the refusal of the government to grant no-objection certificates (NOCs) to medical officers (GDO) for appearing in a postgraduation examination at the PGI, Chandigarh.

The association said the applications of the candidates, duly sponsored by the state government, were being rejected for want of NOCs. They were sponsored by the state government so that more medical specialists were available to serve the state.

The government had already decreased the quota of GDOs from 90 per cent to 66.5 per cent due to which fewer medical specialists would be available in the state.

According to the new criterion, out of 160 postgraduation seats, 50 per cent will go to the all-India quota and out of the remaining 50 per cent, only 66.5 per cent seats will be available for medical officers. It will have a direct impact on the health services in the state.

Members of the association have demanded that the PG quota for GDOs be maintained at 90 per cent. Those who were appearing for the postgraduation test at the PGI and AIIMS, the three-year service criterion should be maintained, the association demanded.

The association requested the Chief Minister and the Health Minister to direct the Principal Secretary to issue the NOCs at the earliest or the association would be forced to take drastic steps.

Kangra, April 28
World Veterinary Day (WVD) was observed at Baroh in this subdivision yesterday. On the occasion two camps were organised by the Animal Husbandry Department in which 30 live stock owners participated and more than 100 animals were given Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccination and treated for other diseases too.

Dr Sarvesh Gupta, Veterinary Officer, Baroh, said World Veterinary Day took place annually on the last Saturday of April and this year vets from around the world had joined together to highlight the importance of vaccination.

Addressing a gathering of progressive livestock farmers at an awareness camp at Baroh today, Dr Gupta said the selected theme this year was “Vaccination to prevent and protect”.

He said veterinary profession, through effective and efficient veterinary services, was crucial for the success of vaccination campaigns for animal health throughout the world, and as a result, in protecting human health from diseases of animal origin.

He said a special drive was initiated to prevent FMD among bovines by adopting one village under the FMD vaccination programme of the Animal Husbandry Department. He said Danoya village was adopted near Baroh for this purpose today.

He said a multifarious camp was inaugurated by the tehsildar of Baroh for the animals of Radha Krishan Gosadan at Busal. More than 100 animals were provided free treatment and vaccination on the occasion.

Solan, April 28
In a bid to reduce the crime rate in border areas, the police is undertaking vulnerability mapping of crime, including incidents against women.

This study will be completed within a month and the information pertaining to crimes against women, including trafficking and abduction, will form a crucial aspect of this study.

With cases of dacoity, rape, loot, robbery and theft common in border areas, the police has stepped up its drive to deal with those sternly.

Inspector-General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjay Kundu said here today that he had directed police officials in the border areas like Sirmaur and Baddi police districts to complete the study within a month.

He said the police would play a proactive role in addressing issues relating to crimes in border areas and the study would prepare a profile of various types of crime which were common.

With illegal mining becoming an issue of concern, he directed police officials to prepare a status report within 15 days . He said they would provide assistance to the administration in dealing with illegal mining.

Asked about the reportedly dubious role of home guard personnel at inter-state toll barriers in allowing to cross vehicles loaded with illegal quarrying material, he said it was primarily the duty of departments of mining and excise and taxation.

He said they had begun in border areas the recovery of illegal weapons. He added that such weapons were being procured from Uttar Pradesh and the use thereof in various crimes had become a cause of concern. Kundu held a meeting with police officials of Sirmaur district today. He said the staff at barriers had been directed to wear uniforms and they would be issued identify cards after verification to ensure easy identification.

Shimla, April 28
The BJP has criticised the steep hike in the power tariff effected by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) and alleged that the exercise was carried out without inviting objections from people as required under the law.

Spokesperson of the party Ganesh Dutt said the hike of 70 paise per unit was the highest ever and as a result, the rate for domestic consumers had shot up from Rs 3.69 per unit to Rs 4.28 per unit and for commercial consumers from Rs 4.78 to Rs 5.95 per unit.

On the one hand, the government was refusing to provide relief to people, but on the other, it was purchasing for ministers expensive vehicles, each of which would cost Rs 25 lakh each.

“If the Congress is sincerely interested in the welfare of people and wants to provide relief to them, it could have used these funds to provide a higher quantum subsidy to consumers to mitigate the impact of power tariff hike,” he said.

SUNDERNAGAR: The newly created Sundernagar district unit of the BJP has criticised the decision of raising electricity tariffs in Himachal Pradesh and termed it as anti-public.

Rakesh Jamwal, president of the BJP district unit, said after completing four months in power, the Congress had started showing its real face.

“Now, the government has started showing its real face to the public by implementing anti-public policies and hiking electricity tariffs,” he said. Subash Jagota, press secretary of the BJP district unit, said they would launch an agitation if the decision was not taken back.

Kangra, April 28
The Kangra Festival, organised by The Promoters, a social and cultural organisation, was held at the municipal stadium here last night.

The festival was declared open by municipal committee chief Suman Lata Verma by lighting the lamp. She was accompanied by HPCC member Ajay Verma and city Congress chief Sanjeev Gupta. The chief guest of the function was local MLA Pawan Kajal and the function was presided over by SDM Ajit Bhardwaj.

The festival was aimed at encouraging artistes from all over the state as well as entertaining local people. Yugam Rana, who had won the Himachal Ki Awaz (junior) award, Ankush Bhardwaj, another Himachal Ki Awaz award winner from Shimla, and Arin Arora, a national award winner from Mandi, gave scintillating performances on the occasion.

Kumar Sahil, winner of the Shaney Himachal award, and Triveni of the Chamba Ki Awaz award, left the audience spell-bound by their performances. The Modification Group presented a dance show. Students of INIFT, a private institute, presented a fashion show highlighting the Himachal culture.

The Shakuntalam Kathak Kala Kendra staged “Mehshasur Mardani”, an epic. An exhibition of different private and government organisations was also held.

Rakesh Kathuria, president, The Promoters, said the organisers had decided to hold the Kangra Festival next year.

Bilaspur, April 28
The three-day ‘paidal yatra’ led by Naina Devi legislator and state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Randhir Sharma, started from Suharghat, 41 km from here, has come to a close in the town.

Hundreds of BJP activists had joined it. They submitted a memorandum last evening for the Chief Minister to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ajay Sharma.

Addressing a rally at the DC office complex, the leaders said they were protesting against the reportedly dilly dallying attitude of the government regarding proper repairs of National Highway 21.

Former Member of Parliament Suresh Chandel, former state Deputy Speaker Rikhi Ram Kaundal and Randhir Sharma said driving from Garamoda to Slapper was a nightmare for motorists.

They said the BJP had raised this issue in the Assembly and the Chief Minister had assured immediate action but nothing had been done.

They threatened to intensify the agitation and start its second phase if the repairs were not started within the next 10 days. They alleged that the Centre did not provide funds for the repairs.

Capt (retd) Chaudhary Ram Thakur, Rajender Garga, Rakesh Gautam, Usha Thakur, Ranjit Singh Thakur, Daulat Ram Thakur, Roshan Thakur, Brij Lal Thakur, Prakash Thakur, Amar Singh Thakur, Anup Mahajan, Ashutosh Sharma, Ram Kumar Sharma, Satdev Sharma, Sunil Sharma, Roop Lal Sharma, Hardyal Singh Chandel, Jogender Singh and Inder Singh were present.

Nurpur, April 28
Two persons died on the spot and two others were seriously injured when the speeding Maruti car they were travelling in overturned near Jassur last night.

The deceased had been identified as Arun Kumar of Rakh near Palampur and Rashit of Gangath. Car driver Pankaj and another occupant Kanav of Gangath were rushed to the Nurpur Civil Hospital and referred to the Tanda medical college. Their families shifted them to a private hospital in Pathankot.

The police has registered a case in this regard.

Shimla, April 28
The state government has appointed eight presiding officers of the fast-track courts as Additional District and Sessions Judges on the recommendation of the state High Court.

Mukesh Bansal, Bhupesh Sharma, Padam Singh, Prem Pal Ranta, Dole Ram Thakur, Devinder Kumar, Yogesh Jaswal and Bahadur Singh have been appointed Additional District and Sessions Judges on an ad hoc basis in the cadre of District Judges/Additional District Judge with effect from March 31, 2013. — TNS