H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

16 Himachal PSUs in the red
SHIMLA, March 9 — The 25 public undertakings of the Himachal Government had accumulated losses to the tune of Rs 157 crore till March 31, 1999.

Murder : woman gets police remand
SOLAN, March 9 — The Subdivisional Judicial Magistrate, Mr Rakesh Kainthla, today remanded Shiksha Devi, who was booked yesterday by the police on a charge of murdering a fellow villager, Ram Asri of Shamdowal village near Nalagarh, in police custody till March 10.

Governor visits mishap victims
NAHAN, March 9 — Quoting from poems of Nagarjun, a renowned Hindi poet, at the prize distribution function of P.G. College, Nahan, the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Mr Vishnu Kant Shastri, said that the success achieved by one's students was the biggest achievement for a teacher and gave a sense of fulfilment to them.

Tourism plan for Palampur
DHARAMSALA, March 9 — 27 satellite villages around Palampur will be promoted as tourist spots under the Rs 1.92 crore NORAD-aided pilot development plan for the town.

Error in maths paper
NURPUR, March 9 — A printing error in the statement of a sum of the mathematics question paper for the matric examination of the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education has put the examinees in a dilemma.

St Edward’s School completes 75 yrs
SHIMLA, March 9 — The local ST Edward’s School completed 75 years of its existence today.

16 Himachal PSUs in the red
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, March 9 — The 25 public undertakings of the Himachal Government had accumulated losses to the tune of Rs 157 crore till March 31, 1999.

Out of the 22 public undertakings, the accounts of which have been finalised, as many as 16 were in the red. The total investment in these undertakings was Rs 611 crore and the combined loss for the year 1998-99 amounted to Rs 28.76 crore.

The Himachal Road Transport Corporation topped the list of the loss-incurring units with a cumulative loss of Rs 165 crore. The loss increased to Rs 16.18 crore in 1998-99 from Rs 7.12 crore in the preceding year.

It was followed by Agro Industries Packaging India Limited which accumulated losses amounting to Rs 33.81 crore and the State Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation with cumulative loss of Rs 22.45 crore. Other loss-incurring public undertakings included the State Industrial Development Corporation (Rs 19.31 crore), the State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation (Rs 8.94 crore), the State Worsted Mills (Rs 5.42 crore) and the State Handicrafts and Handloom Corporation (Rs 5.71 crore).

The state electricity board was the only public sector undertaking which earned a substantial profit of Rs 125 crore till March last. However, in the last financial year the board also suffered a loss of Rs 6.27 crore as against a profit of Rs 29.45 crore in the preceding year. Similarly, the state financial corporation, which had cumulative surplus of Rs 2.46 crore, also incurred a loss of Rs 2.18 crore in the last financial year.

Murder: woman gets police remand
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, March 9 — The Subdivisional Judicial Magistrate, Mr Rakesh Kainthla, today remanded Shiksha Devi, who was booked yesterday by the police on a charge of murdering a fellow villager, Ram Asri of Shamdowal village near Nalagarh, in police custody till March 10.

The S.P., Mr Rakesh Aggarwal, told newspersons here today that a search of Shiksha Devi’s home yesterday had led to the recovery of a blood-stained ‘salwar’. The accused had admitted that it belonged to her. Some pieces of broken glass bangles, lifted from the site of the murder, had also been found to be matching with the ones worn by the accused.

However, even sustained interrogation of Shiksha Devi had failed to elicit any information about the identity of any other person or persons who could have been involved in the case.

Governor visits mishap victims
From Our Correspondent

NAHAN, March 9 — Quoting from poems of Nagarjun, a renowned Hindi poet, at the prize distribution function of P.G. College, Nahan, the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Mr Vishnu Kant Shastri, said that the success achieved by one's students was the biggest achievement for a teacher and gave a sense of fulfilment to them.

He urged the teaching community to inculcate in students qualities which would enable them to realise their talents.

The Governor said that life was a 'yagya' and man must till his last breath work for progress of mankind.

The Vice-Chairperson of the state Planing Board, Ms Shyama Sharma, said that the 'guru shishya' tradition needed to be revived.

The Principal of the college, Mr Suresh Joshi, read out the annual report. A former MP, Mr Anand Ram Sewal, was also present.

The Governor also visited the district hospital to know about the health of the persons injured in the Tuesday night bus accident. He asked officials to provide best medical care to the injured persons. Mr Shastri also visited the famous 'Shakti Peeth', Shri Trilokpur Balasunderi Temple, and paid obeisance there.

Tourism plan for Palampur
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, March 9 — 27 satellite villages around Palampur will be promoted as tourist spots under the Rs 1.92 crore NORAD-aided pilot development plan for the town.

A meeting for deliberation on plan preparation and coordination between various departments and local bodies was held at Palampur today. The Divisional Commissioner, Mr Lal Ji Singh and representatives of the Norwegian Government participated.

Presiding over the meeting Mr Singh, said that Palampur was a fast-developing town with immense tourist potential. He said that with the help of the Rs 1.43 crores from the government of Norway, basic facilities like roads, transportation and communication network could be provided.

He added that keeping in mind the fact that Palampur was in a seismic zone, and multi-storied buildings should be avoided.

Prof A.E. Rosnes of Norway, while stressing the need to involve the private sector in the project, said the flexibility aspect must be borne in mind. Prof H. Steinsholt, also from Norway, pointed out that protection of the flora and fauna, must be taken care of.

The Divisional Town Planner, Mr A.R. Sankhyan, said efforts were being made to educate and make people in rural areas aware of the plan. Two training workshops had already been held at Ghuggar and Lohna villages for this purpose. EOM

Error in maths paper
From Our Correspondent

NURPUR, March 9 — A printing error in the statement of a sum of the mathematics question paper for the matric examination of the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education has put the examinees in a dilemma.

According to information, this paper was held on March 6 and the 'erroneous' question carried four marks.

Grace marks have been demanded for the question concerned.

St Edward’s School completes 75 yrs
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, March 9 — The local ST Edward’s School completed 75 years of its existence today.

A special assembly of the school’s alumni and present students was held to mark the occasion. Mr Harsh Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary to the state government, who was a student of the school, presided over the assembly, Mr Justice Surinder Swaroop and Mr Sanjay Karol, the Advocate-General, both ex-students, were the guests of honour. The old students shared their memories with young boys.

A cricket match between the alumni and school team was the highlight of the celebrations.

The old boys hosted a lunch for the school staff.