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Saturday,
May 12, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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BSNL
to provide VPT in remote areas 146 schools
chosen for IT education DISTRICT DIARY Stop construction
work, urge residents 1,573 water
bodies cleaned in Sirmaur Road blocked
over water shortage |
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HP Housing
Board budget approved Web site
for Agriculture Dept Rampur project to be
given to NJPC HPU
teachers suspend stir Governor
visits school
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BSNL to provide
VPT in remote areas Nurpur, May 11 Mr N.S. Gill, Chief General Manager, Himachal Telecom Circle, while talking to mediapersons at Jassur near here yesterday pointed out that the
WiLL technology had already been introduced in the remote rural areas of Solan and Thanedhar. He said the remote areas of the state had been identified where Multi-Access Rural Radio (MRR) systems were not viable. Such areas would either be covered with
WiLL or satellite telephones. He said 14,000 out of 17,000 villages had been covered under the VPT so far and the BSNL had aimed to provide it in the remaining villages till March 2002. He inaugurated a computerised customer service centre at Jassur today and said this online centre would facilitate receipt of all types of telephone payments, enable enquiry of pending telephone bills. He said that this single window centre would cater to all telephone related problems of the subscribers of the area. He said in view of the burgeoning demand of the Internet subscribers, adequate expansion of the node at Dharamsala had also been planned. He said the Telecom Ministry had approved laying of 17,000 km-long optical fibre in the state for the current financial year. He said the BSNL had envisaged to launch state wide mobile service by November this year for which tenders for 12,000 connections were under finalisation. The Chief General Manager also visited Damtal area of this subdivision following complaints of poor functioning of the telephones and told mediapersons that a new alternative optical fibre route for Damtal-Pathankot-Jassur would be launched to eliminate the telephone problems. He also pointed out that additional optical fibre channels between Jassur and Nurpur had been opened today. He said the BSNL had decided not to shut down the Telecom Centre at Nurpur. |
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146 schools chosen for IT education Shimla, May 11 The agreement is part of government’s ambitious programme to impart quality IT education at a nominal fee of Rs 97.50 per month to the students of classes IX and X and Rs 130 per month to those of class XII. The private sector institutions have been charging very high fee for the same. The department will provide adequate accommodation for computer laboratories and the company will bear the electric and telephone charges. However, in the beginning the company will be allowed to use the existing facilities of the school by making adequate payment to the concerned school. The hardware, software, teachers and the required stationery in the schools will be provided by the company while the books will be made available by the state board of school education at a nominal cost. The company has been allowed eight weeks time to take possession of the accommodation and install the required infrastructure. It is expected that the computer classes in schools will start by the last week of June. A remarkable feature of the scheme is that the students will be exposed to the external world thought the internet and will have their own e-mail accounts. |
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DISTRICT
DIARY Chamba At present 36 doctors are working against a sanctioned strength of 63 in the district. At the Zonal Hospital, Chamba, 18 doctors are working against a sanctioned strength of 23, with important posts of anaesthetist, pathologist, gynaecologist and radiologist yet to be filled. Various primary health centres (PHCs), especially in the far-flung areas of the district such as Jhajakothi, Sechunala, Purthi, Mehla, Bunderi, Shakti Dehra, Kohladi, Mandha, Dhulara and Baned, do not have doctors. These PHCs are run by health worker or, in certain cases, peons. According to official information, there is a high incidence of tuberculosis in the Churah and Bharmour areas. PHCs in the distant areas of Pangi, Bharmour and Churah are without physicians. The rural hospital at Kilar needs a surgeon, an anaesthetist and a gynaecologist. Residents of Chamba have blamed their elected representatives for the lack adequate health facilities. * * * The illegal trade in charas, bhang and the locally made liquor is going on unchecked in the far-flung areas of Chamba. Police Department handouts indicate that almost every month three or four cases are registered in this connection and seizures
effected. The police has also launched special drives in the past to curb the trade. According to unofficial sources, villagers sell charas and bhang to the local traffickers at prices varying between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 per kg. These are then disposed of in neighbouring states at a rate of more than Rs 40,000 per kg. * * * The Municipal Council of Chamba has decided to undertake repairs to the town’s streets and lanes which had been damaged by the Irrigation and Public Health Department while laying sewers and water pipes. According to Mr S.P. Dhall, president of the council, Rs 1.34 crore has been allocated in the current fiscal year by the civic body for the maintenance and beautification of the historic Chowgan. He says councillors have taken a vow to give the town a cleaner look by removing garbage dumps at various places. Development activities are being taken up on a war footing. Mr Dhall says the council has requested the state government to provide more funds so that the ongoing projects can be completed within the stipulated time. * * * Customers of the main branch of the State Bank of India at Chamba are sore over the congested premises of the bank. As the bank is located at the district headquarters, there is often a rush of
customers, including pensioners, on the premises. Lack of adequate space leads to inconvenience for all concerned. There is no space for customers to sit and wait. The bank has been functioning for the past 37 years on the ground
floor, with the premises measuring hardly 30 ft by 15 ft besides a hall of 20 ft by 12 ft. Residents say it is time the authorities concerned constructed larger premises for the branch. |
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Stop construction work, urge residents Shimla, May 11 In a representation to the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, the Vivek Vihar Resident Welfare Society has alleged that the structure being raised neither conformed to the norms for construction in hills nor was it approved by the competent authority. The unwieldy structure was endangering the lives and properties of people living in the vicinity. The builder had encroached upon the approach to the residential areas down hill. Already some parts of the retaining walls had caved in and others have developed cracks. Repeated pleas of the residents to various administrations to get the work stopped had yielded no results. The society urged the Chief Minister to intervene in the matter to get work stopped and to ensure that debris dumped on land belonging to residents and encroachment on the approach road was removed. The nullah which had been blocked by debris should also be cleaned as it could change course during rain and damage adjoining land and property. |
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1,573 water bodies cleaned in Sirmaur Nahan, May 11 This was stated by Mr Rakesh Kaushal, Deputy Commissioner. He directed the officers to ensure that the rest of 325 water bodies are cleaned before the on-set of the monsoon. He asked the Irrigation and Public Health Department to ensure the supply of bleaching powder at tehsil headquarters within 10 days. He said areas had been identified and village health committees constituted which would monitor the sanitation work in the rural areas. Mr V.K. Chopra, Chief Medical Officer, said adequate quantity of chlorine tablets and ORS packets were available for being delivered at the village-level. He said that ORS solution once prepared should be consumed within 24 hours. He asked people to ring at any telephone of the medical department in case of outbreak of the disease, and added that information could also be given to SDMs, tehsildars and BDOs about it. Dr R.P. Puri gave an example of Samra village where its residents collectively cleaned the village. |
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Road blocked over water shortage Hamirpur, May 11 Mr Naresh Kumar
Darji, local gram panchayat pradhan and Mr Sikandar Kumar, Block samiti member, led the processionists. They alleged that there was an acute shortage of fodder and water but the administration was sleeping over the situation. Thousands of passengers were stranded on the road and were put to inconvenience in the scorching sun. The blockade was lifted only when senior district officials including the ADC, Hamirpur, reached the spot and held talks with the representatives of the protesters. They assured them that they would be provided with adequate fodder and water and no one would be allowed to suffer for want of these. Mr Naresh Kumar
Darji, pradhan of the Sasan gram panchayat in a statement here today said if adequate supply of water was not made available to them they would again block the highway. |
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HP Housing Board budget approved Shimla, May 11 The special budget meeting of the board held here under the chairmanship of Mr Roop Dass Kashyap, Urban Development Minister, reviewed the performance of the board in respect of raising, disbursement and payment of loans. The board officials were directed to ensure the completion of work within the stipulated time period. The board constructed 495 houses and flats during the year 2000-01. It had set a target of constructive 627 units for the current year. Major housing projects would be undertaken at Basal (Solan), Sanjauli (Shimla), Lohana (Palampur) and Bhasing (Kulu). The board also decided that feasibility and financial viability of the projects would be carried out before any new acquisition of land. It also decided to allow the construction of three-storeyed buildings on all plots developed by the board in conformity with the town and country planning norms as well as the local municipal norms. The board directed the authorities to ensure that the functioning of the board was completely computerised by September. It was decided that apart from executing deposit works, the board should also render consultancy and supervisory services to other departments and organisations. |
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Web site for Agriculture Dept Shimla, May 11 Mr Vidya Sagar said the website contained information about thrust areas in agriculture in Himachal Pradesh, areas where investment could done by entrepreneurs and other information pertaining to agriculture. The minister said the subsidy on fertiliser would continue during this season on last year’s pattern till a new policy was formulated. Bio-pesticides would be popularised in the state in preference to the chemical pesticides, he said. He also reviewed working of the Rs 2.5 crore National Agricultural Technology Project. All on-going programmes would be dovetailed with this project, he added. |
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Rampur project to be given to NJPC Shimla, May 11 A spokesman of the state electricity board said yesterday that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the corporation would be signed shortly. The government had earlier been reluctant to hand over the project to the corporation in view of the endless disputes between the direct recruits of the corporation and the seconded employees of the board. The spokesman said the Central Government was keen to take up the 231 mw Hibra Project and 260 mw Kutehr Project for execution in the central sector. The board would start work on 176 mw Kashang Project and 8 mw Ganvi-II Project soon. He said the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Services had sanctioned Rs 3 lakh for undertaking detailed survey of Ganvi-II Project. |
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HPU teachers suspend stir Shimla, May 11 The general house of the association took the decision on assurance of Dr S.K. Gupta, Vice-Chancellor, that the process for promotions under career advancement scheme and granting selection scales to the eligible teachers was already underway. The association also wound up its dharna. Mr Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan, general secretary, admitted that the association had been wrong in finding faults with the recruitment of teachers carried out recently. |
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Governor
visits school Shimla, May 11 The Governor was given a warm reception and later entertained by schoolchildren who presented martial art and songs. Mr
R. C. S. Singh, Principal, presented the school souvenir to Governor. |
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