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| Sunday, April 2, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Ropeway
to link Naina Devi, Anandpur Sahib Move
to ‘accommodate’ ex-Principal Silk
mill on brink of closure One
more IRB battalion for Himachal Virbhadra
should quit post: MP HPSEB
staff to stage march |
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| Authority for bus stands SHIMLA, April 1 — The Bus Stands Management and Development Authority was today set up by the state government under the chairmanship of the Transport Minister. CM to
open plastic surgery camp N.K.
Sarin Adviser, Medical Education
|
Ropeway to link Naina Devi,
Anandpur Sahib SHIMLA, April 1 — The Himachal government has planned to build a ropeway between the Naina Devi shrine and Anandpur Sahib in collaboration with the Punjab government in the memory of Guru Gobind Singh. This was announced here yesterday by Himachal Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal. He said that Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal had accepted the proposal and the matter taken up with the Centre. The ropeway would help promote religious tourism at both places. Mr Dhumal was inaugurating a three-day seminar on “Guru Gobind Singh, His Life and Achievements with Special Reference to Himachal Pradesh” in the Himachal Pradesh University here yesterday. He said that a ‘samarak” of Guru Gobind Singh would also be set up at Naina Devi in view of his association with this religious place. Mr Dhumal said that the Guru preached the message of equality, love, peace and brotherhood. Emphasising the importance of co-existence, he said that scholars participating in the seminar should deliberate how these values could be more meaningful in the present context and added that this would be true tribute to Guru Gobind Singhji. Prof S.K. Gupta Vice-Chancellor, Himachal Pradesh University, welcoming the Chief Minister said that the seminar had great significance in view of Guru Gobind Singh’s contributions to the mankind. Prof Jasbir Singh
Ahluwalia, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab University, Patiala,
Mr Mr B.R. Grover, Chairman, Indian Council for
Historical Research (ICHR), Prof Prithipal Singh Kapur,
Editor-in-Chief, Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, Punjabi
University Patiala, Mr Devendra Singh, member, Khalsa
tercentenary celebrations committee, gave an account of
contributions of Guru Gobind Singhji. |
Move to
‘accommodate’ ex-Principal HAMIRPUR, April 1 — The stage is set for the installation of a former principal of the REC to once again take over the coveted post. The Himachal Pradesh Government is planning to hold a meeting of the board of governors of the local regional engineering college to make certain changes in the rules for the post of the principal. The last meeting was held here on February 25. Mr Ravinder Singh Ravi, Himachal Pradesh Minister of State for Technical Education, holding the charge of higher technical education also chaired the meeting. The state government has failed to find a suitable man to become the principal of the college on two occasions by spending more than Rs 2 lakh on advertisements in the newspapers. These interviews were held on August 11, 1999, and March 25. Sources said the main aim of the government was to accommodate a former principal of the college and for that the relaxation of age was necessary. This thing could be managed only by holding a meeting of the board of governors and to get an approval to this effect at the coming meeting for which a date was likely to be fixed shortly. The sources added tha a special agenda items for the relaxation of age for the post of principal was also put up by the Registrar of the college that the last meeting but that could not materialise as some of the members were opposed to it. But now the situation had changed and a new advertisement might be inserted in the papers after getting the approval from the board on the plea the no suitable man was found during the last two interviews and as such age relaxation was a must. Meanwhile, there is resentment among students, teaching staff and non-teaching employees over the failure of the state government to have a regular principal of the college. In the absence of a regular principal, all sort of development works of the college have stopped. The college is being run
on 50-50 per cent basis by the central and the state
government. |
Silk mill on brink of closure NURPUR, April 1 — The lone silk unit of Himachal Pradesh, the Nurpur Silk Mills, Bodh, known for its quality silk is on the brink closure, thanks to its failure to compete in the open market. This unit of Himachal Pradesh State Industrial Corporation (HPSIC) had earned profits until 1990. Thereafter, it was reportedly accumulating losses every year. The HPSIC has started motivating the female workers engaged in the silk reeling unit of the mill to opt for voluntary retirement scheme (VRS). There are 48 female workers of which the services of 42 have been regularised in the reeling unit of the mill. Female workers have started leaving the jobs and taking voluntary retirement fearing the closure of the sick unit. According to information, 15 workers have applied for the VRS, of which 10 have been given retirement yesterday. Interestingly HPSIC has installed new reeling machines worth Rs 8 lakh in 1997 and even equipped the mill with computers a few months ago. All machines have been lying idle due to an acute financial crunch and for shortage of raw material. Mr S.C. Sood, officer on special duty at the mill, when contacted said those opting for the VRS were being extended all service benefits in accordance with the HPSIC. As many as 5,000 silk-worm rearers would be deprived of their indirect employment with the closure of the unit. Inquiries reveal that
the steep hike in the wages and the cost of the raw
material has made the silk mill unable to compete in the
open market. |
One more IRB battalion for
Himachal SHIMLA, April 1 — The Centre has approved the raising of one more Battalion of India Reserve (IRB) in Himachal Pradesh and has also sanctioned Rs 13 crore for raising it. The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, has thanked the Union Home Minister, Mr Lal Krishan Advani, and the Centre for acceding to the request of the state government for raising the battalion and said this would enable the state government to beef up security in the state especially in Chamba district and areas bordering Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Dhumal said the raising of the battalion would also provide direct employment to 1,000 youths of the state and also indirect employment to more than 100 persons. He said Rs 11.77 crore more had been sanctioned for the modernisation and strengthening of the police force. Besides, Rs 4 crore had also been sanctioned under the border areas development programme for Kinnaur and Spiti areas of Himachal Pradesh for generating more economic activities. He said the Union Home
Minister had also sanctioned Rs 14.20 crore for providing
sewerage facility in Kulu and Bhuntar towns. |
Virbhadra should quit post: MP SHIMLA, April 1 — The Rajya Sabha MP Mr Kripal Parmar, has demanded that the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, should resign from the post as he had failed to keep the flock of the 27 Congress legislators together. Mr Parmar told newsmen here today that the cross voting by three Congress legislators in the recent Rajya Sabha elections indicated that the Congress group in the Assembly was divided. He described the Congress a sinking ship being deserted by its senior leaders. Mr Parmar said that the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, had initially asked Mr Virbhadra Singh to ensure his election without contest, but the Congress leader was adamant for election in the hope of securing some votes of the ruling BJP-HVC alliance. But in the process he lost three votes from the Congress. He said that he would
look after the interest of Himachal Pradesh as a member
of the Rajya Sabha. He would strive for Central
assistance for making Himachal Pradesh the “power
state” of the country. |
HPSEB staff to stage march SHIMLA, April 1 — The H.P. State Electricity Board Employees Union will march to the Vidhan Sabha from all over the state on April 5 to protest against the move of the government to set up an electricity regulatory commission in the State. A spokesman for the union said here today that bifurcation of the HPSEB was neither in the interests of the consumers and not the employees. He accused the government of misleading the people on the issue. He said that the board management has not increased the “electricity allowance” and other allowances on the PSEB pattern. The board has denied the bonus to C and D group of employees, Mr Shandil added. He expressed concern over not holding of talks with the representatives of the HPSEB Employees Union for the past two years. As a result demands of the employees have been piled up. The union expressed anguish over the victimisation of its office-bearers and activists. It expressed its concern over class-III and IV employees being taken on deputation by the NHPC in the 2051 MW Parbati Hydel Project and the Kol Dam project. He urged the government
to abandon the idea of setting up the commission and
settle the demands of the employees. |
Authority for bus stands SHIMLA, April 1 — The Bus Stands Management and Development Authority was today set up by the state government under the chairmanship of the Transport Minister. The other members of the
authority are the secretaries of the departments of
Finance, Transport, Tourism, PWD and Managing Director
(HRTC), director (Transport). The engineer-in-chief of
the PWD will be the ex officio member of the authority. |
CM to open plastic surgery
camp DHARAMSALA, April, 1 — It is the desire to serve the people of his area, that brings the renowned plastic surgeon, Dr K.S. Guleria, here every year, on a mission. Not forgetting his roots, Dr Guleria, along with team of over 10 doctors, holds a plastic surgery camp, every year here, during April. The camp will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, tomorrow, Dr Guleria has remained the Head of the Department of Surgery at the K.E.M. College, Mumbai and a consultant at Jaslok Hospital. Cases of cleft lips, and pallets, burn injuries and scars are successfully treated at the camp. Nine plastic surgeons from Bombay, two from Delhi and one from Patna, will be operating upon the patients, at the camp. The camp is organised
every year by the Lions Club, and not a single penny is
charged from patients. The doctors and the staff of the
Zonal Hospital too render valuable service during the
camp. The cost involved in every camp is over Rs 3.50
lakh and is met by the Lions Club. |
N.K. Sarin Adviser, Medical
Education SHIMLA, April 1 — N.K. Sarin, Principal of the Indira Gandhi Medical College, was today shifted to the Secretariat as Adviser, medical Education. Dr (Mrs) Lalita Behal is likely to appointed the new principal. Dr M. Nath, Director,
Medical Education, has been granted further extension in
service till November 30. |
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