 |
Thursday,
September 5, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
Uncertainty plagues
NIT Cong for CBI probe into medical
purchases HP pensioners demand special
allowance |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
HPU signs MoU with Japanese
varsity No new encroachments
to be allowed: Dhumal Seven held in triple-murder case Hike in OBC quota sought
Water-carrier issue: govt warns panchayats
Govt urged to protect growers’ interests Smugglers held Rat causes power breakdown!
|
|
Uncertainty plagues
NIT Hamirpur, September 4 Sources in the government told The Tribune today that the Himachal government had sent a detailed report to the Union Human Resource Development Ministry about NIT incidents and situation thereafter. It was up to the Union Ministry to decide on re-opening the institute. There are reports that the HRD Ministry has appointed Mr I.M. Thapar, a noted industrialist as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the institute. He, however, as yet has not taken the charge of his office. He was appointed to this post on July 25, 2002. Meanwhile, Dr D. K. Sharma, Additional Adviser apprenticeship (Technical) to the HRD Ministry had detailed talks with the Acting Director of the Institute and incidents that had taken place on August 25. Dr Sharma looks after the affairs of Hamirpur NIT in the Ministry. While talks at the highest level are on teachers of the institute have been boycotting classes and wearing black badges. They have also submitted their resignations from various duties entrusted to them by the former principal of the college. The teachers have decided to continue the agitation till Mr P. K. Sood, Chief Warden was re-instated and ‘erring’ students numbering 10 were rusticated. The Acting Director of the Institute had taken some steps to streamline working by appointing the Executive Engineer of its construction cell as the Chief Warden and the Assistant Engineer as the Warden. He has also ordered rotation of headship of all disciplines in the institute. The students of the institute have also sent a charter to the HRD Ministry, the Himachal Government, the NIT, Hamirpur with copies to the Press listing their demands. The students have demanded action against four teachers who were involved in the beating up incident.Grant of revaluation facility, better facilities for them and no action against them in respect of August 25 incidents. They have threatened indefinite strike if any action was taken against any student for the August 25 incident. The NIT affairs have agitated the parents of the students studying in the institute. Many parents have approached the HRD Ministry and the state government to end the stalemate arising out of the August 25 incidents. There are reports that many parents, who are senior officers, working at Shimla or in other parts of India including New Delhi had detailed talks with the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, and the Chief Secretary to the state government. They have told their high ups to ensure that the institution was opened in time so that one semester of the students may not lapse. They are apprehensive that the way the non co-operative attitude of the teachers and the students was going on, the situation may become explosive and more troublesome. These persons have demanded the constitution of a high-level team of parents to solve this tangle by holding talks with the NIT management, teachers, non-teaching employees and the students to end the impasse and create a sense of goodwill amongst all. When will the NIT Hamirpur, open no body knows? But one thing is clear that if no settlement takes place between the students and the teachers, it would be difficult to run the institution in a peaceful manner and the feeling of discontent will continue to be in the hearts and minds of both sections, the teachers and students. |
|
Cong for CBI probe into medical
purchases Shimla, September 4 Addressing a press conference here today he said the Himachal Health Department had become a den of corruption and scams had been becoming pubic with unfailing regularity. As many as three former Directors of the Health Department had been arrested for their involvement in scams. The recent raids by the Vigilance Department had revealed that the department had been supplying expired and substandard medicines to various medical institutions. He said in the circumstances only an independent agency like the CBI could take the investigations to the logical conclusion. He said the move to create new districts fell through due to internal rivalry of the BJP leaders. He maintained that the Dhumal government did not have the mandate for the creation of new districts as its manifesto mentioned only the reorganisation of districts. Also, it secured only 38 per cent votes and formed the government with support of the HVC, which was opposed to the proposal. The Congress leader blamed the Dhumal government for the financial crisis and said the total loan raised by the government was worth over Rs 10,000 crore. The much-publicised austerity measures were never implemented and wanted the government to come out with how much savings had been effected. He said the government should demand a special economic package from the Centre to tide over the crisis. He extended his party’s support to it. Mr Bali alleged that the Tanda Medical College was suffering for want of funds and the Union Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar, was raising donations to build the Vivekanand hospital. He asked Mr Shanta Kumar to clarify if it was a charitable hospital as people made donations only for charitable institutions. He condemned the statement of Mr P.A. Sangma urging the Congress to replace Mrs Sonia Gandhi as president and said it was an internal matter of the party. He said those raking up the issue of Mrs Gandhi’s foreign origin were playing into the hands of those opposed to secularism. He said the issue was raised in the last elections and Mrs Gandhi won from two places. It was an attempt to weaken the Congress, the only party which could provide a stable government at the Centre. The party has expanded its base under the leadership of Mrs Gandhi and it was ruling in 14 states. |
|
HP pensioners demand special
allowance Nurpur, September 4 According to Mr C.L. Gupta, president of the association, the benefits include the grant of a special allowance at the rate of 5 per cent of the basic pension on attaining the age of 65 years and 10 per cent of the basic pension on the completion of 75 years. He pointed out that the Third Punjab Pay Commission had recommended the same and the Punjab Government had allowed the allowance to its pensioners since January, 1989. Mr Gupta said other pensionary benefit demanded by the association was grant of a fixed medical allowance of Rs 250 per month as given to its pensioners by the Punjab Government. It also warned that its members would oppose the ruling BJP in the forthcoming Assembly poll if their demands were not met. |
|
HPU signs MoU with Japanese varsity Shimla, September 4 The agreement aims at formalising cooperation in teaching, scholarship and research between Soka University and Himachal Pradesh University. According to the MoU, exchange of visits of academic staff (especially for sabbatical levels) and also the encouragements of visits of administrative staff in both directions for the purpose of giving lectures, courses and mutual discussions have been planned. Exchange of research materials, periodiclas, teaching materials, relevant informations and setting up of joint research projects were also agreed. Under the exchange programmes teachers and students from Himachal Pradesh University will go for higher studies and researches to Soka University and such type of exchange programmes have been agreed for the first time.
PTI |
|
No new encroachments
to be allowed: Dhumal Shimla, September 4 Presiding over a meeting of Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police, he said only cases of encroachments prior to December 31, 2000, would be considered. Professor Dhumal said the endeavour of the government during the past four years had been to abridge the gap between the government and the commission man. In this regard, the practice of conducting meetings in the field by the Chief Secretary and Secretaries had been adopted. Professor Dhumal said besides establishing work culture, the present government had taken various steps for the decentralisation of power so that the people at the grass-roots level could be benefit from the policies and programmes of the government. The Chief Minister told the Deputy Commissioners and other officers to review development works and ensure their timely completion. The Chief Minister directed that the funds allotted for a particular scheme or project should be utilised expeditiously. The “Mukhya Mantri Gram Path Yojna”, for which Rs 5 crore had been released, should be implemented immediately, he said. Harsh Gupta Chief Secretary said Himachal Pradesh had stood second in the implementation of the 20-point programme in the country during the past four years. |
|
Seven held in triple-murder case Una, September 4 The body of Ashok Kumar, who was missing since August 24, 2002, was found on Monday. The arrested include, Rajesh, alias Pinku, Neeraj, alias Lambar, Ashok Kumar son of Dwarka, Sandeep, son of Krishan Dev, Rajinder, son of Mangat Ram, Satpal and Vijay Kumar, Amrish Rana and Gurjant Singh, accused in the triple murder case lodged in the Sub-Jail, Una, have been booked. According to Mr Brij Mohan Sharma, ASP, Una, the accused, excluding Amrish Rana and Gurjant Singh, were produced in the court and remanded in four-day police custody. He said the police has decided to have postmortem examination of Ashok Kumar done by forensic experts from Rajinder Prasad Medical College, Tanda. |
|
Hike in OBC quota sought Nahan, September 4 Mr Naik said the Labana community feels that the community was not going to benefit it placed in the Scheduled Tribe category. He added that instead of the proposal the government should implement the 27 per cent reservation formula, which existed on the national level. Shimla, September 4 An official spokesman here yesterday said that under the recruitment scheme for part-time water carriers, the state government had the powers to recruit such persons as widows, deserted women, destitutes and handicapped persons on compassionate grounds, besides those from below the poverty line families.
Shimla, September 4 He alleged that the arhtiyas were fleecing the growers on one pretext or another. |
|
|
Smugglers held Mandi, September 4 Three persons, including a driver, have been arrested in this regard. The smugglers were from Padhar and Maher areas. |
|
Rat causes power breakdown! Nurpur, September 4 According to information, a transformer stopped functioning and a special technical staff of the HPSEB from Kangra rushed here yesterday to restore the power supply. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
The National Institute of Technology here which was closed following incidents of violence on August 25 is unlikely to re-open shortly. 
