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Thursday,
June 7, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Stir hits HP hospitals’ work Australia to fund 50-cr HP ecology project
Notices issued on ‘heritage’ petition HVC seeks White Paper on development funds |
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Kala Amb students allowed to take exam Shimla to expand parking area Steps to streamline
entry tax collection Abolition of HPSEB posts decried BC panel sitting on June 12 No differences with CM: Sushant Enforcing
2-child norm
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Stir hits HP hospitals’ work Shimla, June 6 Hundreds of patients, most of whom came from far off places, returned without getting treatment. The incident took place past midnight. Mr Hardev Singh, the chowkidar at the main gate of the IGMC hospital, asked some taxi drivers to remove their vehicles from the complex as these were obstructing the ambulance. Instead of taking the vehicles away, they attacked him with iron rods and bricks. According to Mr
Hardev, the taxi drivers were in a state of inebriation. They were smoking “ganja” in the complex. The agitating employees refused to end strike until the culprits were arrested. They maintained that the failure of the government to fill the vacant posts was mainly responsible for such incidents. There was an acute shortage of staff as a result of which only one person is deployed at the main gate even during the night. It is impossible for a single person to effectively deal with rowdy elements who try to forcibly enter the premises. Addressing the protesters, Mr O.P. Sharma, General Secretary of the Himachal employees confederation, demanded immediate filling of posts and said more personnel should be deployed for watch and ward duty. Mr Gulaba Ram, president of the Class IV Employees Union of the hospital, blamed the indifferent attitude of the administration for the recurrence of such incidents. The Resident Doctors Association and Juniors Doctors Association have also joined the strike. Mr A.N. Sharma, the Superintendent of Police, said a case had been registered and efforts were on to nab the culprits. The Additional Secretary, Health, was holding talks with the striking employees at the time of filing the report. The issue had been complicated as the employees raised several other demands including separation of the cadre of the IGMC Hospital and the Dental College, cancellation of transfer of president of the IGMC and associated hospitals employees union, filling of all the vacant posts of class IV and class III employees, improvement in security set up of the hospitals and plying of bus services for employees. |
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Australia to fund 50-cr HP ecology project Shimla, June 6 The agency has conveyed its willingness to fund the project following the visit of a high-level team led by the Australian High Commissioner to the state last week which discussed the pre-feasibility report with the government. The agency has decided to have a long-term partnership with Himachal Pradesh on the basis of the report of the situational analysis, which indicated vast scope for taking up programmes which fit well into its mandate. Unlike other foreign aided schemes, the detailed project report will be prepared by the agency itself. Its experts will arrive here in August and prepare a project report after visiting the areas to be covered under the project. It will be completed by November and work on the project to be implemented over a period of seven to 10 years will commence in the next financial year. Initially, the focus will be on areas falling in the Rampur forest circle which have a more viable model of integrated catchment management and later it may be extended right up to Kol Dam. The project envisages sustainable management of forests by improving the livelihood of people dependent on them. Instead of merely concentrating on afforestation programmes the effort will be to develop economic stakes of people by engaging them in income generating activities related to forests. The areas identified during the pre-feasibility study include promotion of eco-tourism, traditional arts and crafts, medicinal herbs, organic fertilisers and production of high value oil which could fetch handsome returns for the villagers living in and around the forest areas. They will be organised into self-help groups for taking up these activities. The project will focus on capacity building by providing training to eco-tourism guides and knowhow for cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants and processing them to produce essential oils. So far, there has been no forestry project to take care of the Upper Sutlej watershed on which a number of projects, including the 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri hydel project, are coming up. Environmentally, it is the most degraded catchment. This was evident from the repeated flash floods in the tribal Kinnaur and Rampur areas. The state Forest Department has urged AUSAID to extend the capacity building project for control and protection of forests from fires and their rehabilitation so that more master trainers for fire protection and fire fighters could be trained, besides evolving the protocol for fire monitoring system. In the first phase 79 master trainers were trained and more than 500 community representatives were sensitised. A 10-year master plan for forest fire prevention control was prepared with the assistance of the Centre for Forestry Tree Technology, University of Melbourne. |
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8 killed as Tata Sumo falls into Sutlej Bilaspur, June 6 The entire family of a Bhubaneshwar (Orissa) State Bank of India (SBI) bank manager N.K. Mahapatra was killed along with the driver of rented Tata Sumo. Five persons including three women, were killed on the spot when this Tata Sumo of the Roy Tours and Travels Agency, Pahar Ganj, New Delhi fell into the river. The vehicle was coming from Delhi to Manali on a tour. Bodies of Mahapatra, his wife and one of their daughters were found on the banks of Sutlej while the bodies of the driver and the second daughter are presumed to have gone down into the river. Deputy Superintendent of Police Madan Lal along with S.D.M Rakesh Dhiman rushed to the spot and helped in extricating the bodies which have been brought here for post-mortem examination. The district administration has sought help from the BBMB authorities for locating the vehicle and the two bodies. |
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Notices issued on ‘heritage’ petition Shimla, June 6 The petitioner had alleged that the respondent had violated the terms of the Ancient Monument, and Archeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, by constructing a building near the Kangra Fort in a prohibited area and the respondent officials of the state government had failed to take any action till date despite several request made by the authorities concerned. The petitioner stated that the Fort had been declared a monument of national importance under the Act. The petition department had issued a notification prohibiting any construction up to 200 metres around the monument to safeguard this cultural heritage. Mr Shailja however, started construction near the Kangra Fort in March without obtaining the necessary permission, the department alleged. The petitioner department represented the matter to the DC Kangra, but to no avail. Even an FIR lodged on May 9 didn’t result in any action against the private respondent. It was alleged that the government authorities were acting in an arbitrary manner. The petitioner had urged the court to direct the respondent government officials to take the necessary action in accordance with the law on the basis of the complaint lodged against the private respondent. While issuing the notices the High Court also directed the SP Kangra, to visit the disputed place personally or send an officer not below the rank of DSP and prepare the Panchnama and to produce the photographs of the position of disputed place as on yesterday. Meanwhile, the court in an interim order directed the respondent to stop the construction. |
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HVC seeks White Paper on development funds Shimla, June 6 The party lamented that on the one hand the state was reeling under severe financial crisis and on the other funds made available to various government agencies were either not being fully utilised or misutilised. Mr Rajpal Chauhan, president of Shimla district unit of the party, said people had the right to know how the funds sanctioned by elected representatives were being spent. He said as per reports 90 per cent of Rs 5.50 crore sanctioned for the Shimla Parliamentary constituency were lying unspent. In fact work had not started on 80 per cent of the schemes till April last. Moreover, whatever little work was done was substandard. He urged the Deputy Commissioner to issue instructions to all field agencies executing
schemes under the MP Local Areas Development Fund to associate the zila parishad and panchayat functionaries during inspection of works.  |
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Kala Amb students allowed to take exam Shimla, June 6 The petitioners had alleged the university has granted permission to some students under the carry over system but some students were debarred by the university illegally. The petitioners alleged the dual stand of the university on the carry over system jeopardised the future of the students and had caused mental agony to the parents of students who had spent lakhs of rupees for the sake of their children. The petitioners had alleged that according to the prospectus carry over system was to be followed for the courses in question but the university had not followed the prospectus which was against the law. It was alleged the students who had passed the diploma course were facilitated by the carry over system while other similarly situated students were debarred without any classification. The Division Bench today allowed the petitioners — Shashi Sharma, Priya, Nitin and Pooja Mahajan — to appear in the examination and directed listing of the matter on July 9. |
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Shimla to expand parking area Shimla, June 6 The Shimla Municipal Corporation will auction the job of realising parking fee from vehicle owners on June 14. As many as 12 roads in the town are being auctioned for this purpose. The contractors will start charging the fee sometime around June 20. Anyone parking his vehicle on these roads will have to pay a fixed fee to the contractors. The fund-starved municipal corporation was expecting to net an amount of over Rs 1 crore through this measure. The high court had earlier stayed the move, but now a green signal has been given for a year on experimental basis, Mr
H.N. Kashyap, Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation, said. It is learnt that a parking fee per vehicle for 24 hours would be Rs 30, for 12 hours Rs 20 and upto three hours Rs 10. For two wheelers, the fee was likely to be fixed at Rs 15 for 24 hours, Rs 10 for 12 hours and Rs 5 for up to 3 hours. Among the roads where the parking fee will be imposed are, lift — US Club, Marina-Edwards, Lakkar Bazar-Sanjauli Chowk, Auckland-Hotel White, Kennedy House-Boiluganj, Chakkar and Forest Road. Shimla is short of parking space and most of the people park their vehicles on the roads. The parking lots constructed by the government for tourists always remain packed to capacity. The vehicle owners here are already heavily taxed. They have to pay a fee to Rs 150 per quarter for playing their vehicles on each sealed road. |
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Steps to streamline
entry tax collection Shimla, June 6 An official spokesman also clarified here yesterday that the tax would be collected only once in 24 hours and a provision for remitting it on quarterly and yearly basis had been made for the convenience of local commuters. Regular commuters will have to bear a nominal burdern on this
anount. They will be charged 20 times on the daily rate for three months and for one year it will be three times the quarterly rate. The decision to collect one-time entry tax at notified places was taken to do away with the numerous barriers put up by various local bodies across the state which caused much inconvenience not only to tourists but also to the local people. Since the abolition of these barriers and entry fee will deprive the local bodies of revenue, the government has decided to distribute a part of the entry tax collections among them. The government has also rationalised the fee rate for vehicles according to their loading capacity. For buses, trucks and heavy
vehicles, it will be Rs 50, whereas for light vehicles it will be Rs 20. For taxies, this fee will be Rs 30, whereas for autorickshaws and two-wheelers it will be Rs 10 and Rs 5, respectively. The rates are much less than in the adjoining states of Jammu and Kashmir, where the rate is as high as Rs 50 for light vehicles. |
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Abolition of HPSEB posts decried Shimla, June 6 Mr Mohinder Singh, who was talking to mediapersons here, said the Lok Jan Shakti was strongly opposed to the decision of the government headed by Mr P.K. Dhumal as this would also create unemployment. He said private parties coming to the state for undertaking the construction of power projects were already denying employment opportunities to the local people. The government should ensure that such companies recruited 80 per cent of the manpower from the state. Mr Mohinder Singh said the party was also opposed to the WTO which has badly hit apple growers and other sections. Earlier, the executive committees of the Lok Jan Shakti and the Dalit Sena met in connection with the visit of the Union communications Minister, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan, to Himachal on June 17. He will address a rally at Baddi in Solan district. It was decided at the meeting that rallies would be held throughout the state so that the Lok Jan Shakti emerged as the third force in the state before the next assembly elections. |
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BC panel sitting on June 12 Kulu, June 6 He said the commission would hear representatives of the Christian community and other public representatives to know their views about the inclusion of Christians in the list of Backward Classes or other Backward Classes
(OBC). The case of inclusion of the Christians of Himachal Pradesh in the state list for reservation in government services is pending with the commission. The Under Secretary said the commission would make its recommendations to the state government in this regard. |
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No differences with CM: Sushant Nahan, June 6 He said now all companies and even small contractors had been directed to file an affidavit to employ Himachalis on their works. It had been agreed that any matter of corruption brought to the notice of the Chief Minister would be probed at the highest level and many such matters were under investigation at present. The Revenue Minister said Sirmaur district had been badly affected by drought. Of the total 987 villages, 870 were affected. The loss to the agriculture and horticulture sectors had been estimated at Rs 28 crore. Residents of 43 villages were being provided drinking water through 14 trucks and 28 mules. The minister said Rs 75 lakh had been released as drought relief to the district. The minister said priority would be given to providing drinking and irrigation water in the area. The second priority would be given to the construction of roads. Meanwhile, Mr Sushant has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the allegations of distribution of old maize seed to farmers of the district by the Agriculture Department,
Sirmaur. |
Enforcing
2-child norm Shimla, June 6 According to a notification of the State Election Commission here today, the rule will become operative from June 8. Any panchayat pradhan or its member and office bearers and members of the zila parishad will get disqualified in case the third child is born even after their election. The candidates for zila parishad and panchayats will have to give an undertaking along with their nomination papers about the number of children they have. Anyone can challenge the undertaking in case it is wrong. |
Gramin bank staff call off strike Mandi, June 6 |
Hindi writer dead Solan, June 6 The participants, including Dr Jain had gone to nearby Habban for a picnic yesterday. He collapsed soon after crossing Rajgarh town and had to be rushed back to the civil hospital there. He was pronounced brought dead at the hospital. |
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RMP abused Kangra, June 6 |
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