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| Friday,
July 20, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Approach
Centre for aid, Cong asks govt Chamba’s
post-disaster plan VC concedes to
teachers’ demands Catchment
area plan in limbo |
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1 held
with illicit liquor Autonomous
status for IGMC? Bus
operators’ threat on road tax Experts
panel on female foeticide set up Workshop
for children on Indian theatre
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Approach Centre for aid, Cong asks govt Kangra, July 19 Mr Bali was addressing a press conference here today. He said the Congress would support the BJP-HVC government for a package from the Centre. He said, the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, should downsize his jumbo ministry and scrap the post of Chairperson of the corporations in the state to bring the state out the financial crisis. He alleged that political appointments to the post had contributed nothing to the development of these institutions and almost all of these were running in a loss. He described them as a burden on the exchequer. He demanded that the government should reduce the number of additional and assistant advocate-generals in the state. Mr Bali was critical of ministers laying foundation stones of projects for which not even 10 per cent funds had been allocated in the Budget. He also criticised the government for rolling back decisions taken by the Cabinet every now and then which, he said, indicated lack of seriousness with regard to policy matters. He said the BJP in the state was a divided house and infighting had now come to the streets. Citing an example, said a complaint of a senior minister in the government, Mr Vidya Sagar, regarding alleged irregularities in the Kangra water supply scheme, was not entertained by the Irrigation and Public Health minister, who belonged to the Shanta faction. |
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Chamba’s
post-disaster plan Chamba The district is mostly susceptible to natural hazards like earthquakes, floods, drought, landslides and forest fires. The area lies in earthquake zones IV and V. The DMP envisages preventing the loss of life and property through preparedness, prevention and mitigation. The action plan provides for uniformity in approach and perception of various issues at hand, thus avoiding undue complications. Simultaneously, the plan provides for coordination mechanisms for different agencies right from the field level to the district headquarters and beyond. Thus, it ensures efficiency in terms of response and the optimal utilisation of resources. Moreover, it keeps the administration in a state of readiness to face any eventuality. The objective of the plan is to provide a quick and effective response in emergency situations. The DMP is a concerted endeavour at preparing a multi-disaster action plan, essentially concentrating on the institutional set-up, and provides for hazard-specific responses along with the specification of the primary agencies that are involved. It identifies the operational structure and the coordination mechanisms, the roles and responsibilities of various agencies along with the standards of service expected from them, the information and monitoring tools and modes of communication, and the monitoring evaluation component. The Deputy Commissioner will be the focal point for directing, supervising and monitoring the DMP. According to Mr Subhasish Panda, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Chamba, a similar DMP set-up will function at the subdivisional and tehsil levels. He says that preparedness and knowledge of the plan were of the utmost importance. Flow of information throughout various phases of disaster management is an essential element for tackling the situation. This will be maintained from the site of the disaster to the local control room to the district control room. The maintain this flow, the local-level disaster manager will identify telephone numbers closest to the disaster site and inform various control rooms about the type and intensity of the disaster. |
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VC concedes to
teachers’ demands Shimla, July 19 Dr S.K. Gupta, Vice-Chancellor, gave this assurance to office-bearers of the Himachal Pradesh Government College Teachers Association who met him here today. He also accepted their demands regarding re-scheduling of examination, admission and vacation schedules so that the number of teaching days in colleges were increased. As per the other demands agreed to, travelling allowance to teachers engaged in examination duty would be paid within three months from the date of their submission of claims. Conveyance allowance would be paid to all teachers on duty at the evaluation centres at the rate of Rs 30 per day. The daily allowance to sportspersons and those participating in cultural activities had been increased from Rs 30 to Rs 35 and the refreshment allowance from Rs 5 to Rs 10. The anomaly with regard to payment to teachers engaged in the conduct of practical examinations vis-a-vis those engaged in evaluation would also be examined. The Vice-Chancellor said the problem of accommodation faced by teachers in Shimla would receive attention of the university and colleges teachers on duty given preference. The issue of revision of syllabi in each subject would be settled after a three-day workshop on every subject. The recommendations of the workshop would be placed before the Board of Studies and the Academic Council. All appointments of evaluators and paper-setters would be on the basis of seniority. To improve the system, a new system was being devised. Every effort would be made to ensure that regular teachers received priority in all assignments and teachers on contract were not appointed. |
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Catchment
area plan in limbo Chamba, July 19 The plan is reportedly in a state of limbo due to the lackadaisical approach of the state government. According to information from authorities sources, the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation
(NHPC) approved the plan for Rs 10.72 crore. The amount was to be utilised for forestation and conservation of hillsides in the vicinity of the Chamera project through the Forest Department, a nodal agency of the state government. For the past two years, about Rs 2 crore have been deposited with the state government by the
NHPC. Initially, Rs 48 lakh were spent on plantation works, including soil conservation, around the project. However, the government is reportedly not providing funds for the maintenance of the works done so far. Moreover, the local people, who were hoping for employment through the project and the plan, are also dejected as all works under the catchment area plan have virtually come to a standstill. The present state of affairs has caused resentment among residents of the area. |
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1 held with
illicit liquor Nurpur, July 19 According to the police, during the raid, four scooters were intercepted which had been carrying illicit liquor in tyre tubes. Pradeep Kumar was arrested with nine tyre tubes filled with illicit liquor and a scooter. Six persons, however, managed to excape. The Gangath chowki police had been conducting raids on illicit liquor vendors for the past few days. The police said the agents of bootleggers of the Chhanni area had been supplying illicit liquor in the Gangath area. Women have been up in arms against the frequent supply of liquor. Owing to the protests, the vendors come to the area, armed with swords and kirpans, to create panic among the villagers protesting against the supply of liquor. But with the recent police raids on illicit liquor venders, the women of the area have heaved a sigh of relief. |
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Autonomous
status for IGMC? Shimla, July 19 The state government has obtained a copy of the PGI bylaws. These are reportedly being studied by the Secretary, Health, Mr Vineet Chaudhary. A section of employees of the IGMC are keen on an autonomous status for the institution. The Health Minister, Mr J.P.
Nadda, said granting autonomous status to the IGMC was not under “active consideration” of the government, but the matter had up come for discussion with the employees recently. It is learnt that a doctor was recently sent to Chandigarh to fetch a copy of the PGI bylaws. Employees of the IGMC had recently said that granting autonomous status to the institution would minimise government interference in its
working. |
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Bus operators’
threat
on road tax Shimla, July 19 The bus operators’ association condemned the indifferent attitude of the government and accused it of backing out of its commitment. The association threatened to intensify the stir by organising relay fasts and said if need he, it would give a call for a statewide “rasto roko” stir. |
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Experts
panel on female foeticide set up Kulu, July 19 Dr Gaur said the committee had been formed to monitor and ensure the compliance of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prevention of Misuse) Act. He said pre-natal sex determination resulting in female foeticide had brought an alarming decline in the sex ratio and it had become important to bring awareness in the society for which both government and non-governmental organisations should work jointly. Other members of the committee are Dr R.L. Gupta, Dr Deepak Kapoor, Dr Narain Singh, Mrs Chandera Abha, Mr Krishan Lal Sood and Mr Rajinder Thakur. |
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Workshop
for children on Indian theatre Nahan, July 19 Organised by the ‘Vishwa Jagriti Manch’ noted NGO of Himachal the workshop in which Navneet Kaur and Saroj Bala, both TV and film artistes with postgraduate degree in Indian Theatre, are imparting training to the students. According to the spokesperson of the NGO the parents and students of the town are taking keen interest in the workshop. It has been decided extend the workshop for 10 days instead of one week and to organise another workshop for students who could not be admitted in the present batch in the workshop. The children are learning acting, theatre games, yoga, dancing, mask making and improvisation. A workshop for advance training in Indian theatre art would also be organised for the present workshop. Workshops for youngsters are being worked out, the spokesman added. |
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