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Tuesday,
May 6, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Vigilance probe into varsity scams begins Mentally ill patients cry for care
HP Govt to harness tourism
potential |
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Minister warns of water
crisis Chandigarh page: 3-day
police remand for Bawa User charges
withdrawn Child guidance
clinic opens
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Vigilance probe into varsity scams begins Shimla, May 5 A team of the department today visited the university and asked for records pertaining to the alleged irregularities in appointments, printing of question papers, various purchases and hiring of accommodation. The Congress had made the question paper scam and recruitment scam a major election issue and promised to hold an inquiry. The Vigilance Department will probe the question paper printing scam from the corruption angle. The cost of printing of a question paper has reportedly increased threefold to Rs 77 lakh over the past two years. Various student organisations had been demanding a CBI inquiry into the scam. They alleged that the question papers published at exorbitantly high costs were full of errors. The hiring of guesthouses without requirement outside the state and purchase of computers and books will also be probed. The department has also been asked to look into 14 cases of appointments, ranging from laboratory technicians to lecturers. The probe has been ordered when a new Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the university, is set to take over. Police officials also visited various departments to gather information about various irregularities. A senior police officer said relevant record had been requisitioned from the university. The university is the second major institution after the state Subordinate Services Selection Board to come under Vigilance probe for alleged irregularities and corruption. |
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Mentally ill patients cry for care Kangra, May 5 Only four beds are reserved for these patients at the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla. Most of the patients are treated in the corridors of the medicine ward of the IGMC. But when the number of the psychiatric patients goes up they are referred to the CIP, Ranchi. When contacted Dr H.L.Kapoor, Principal, IGMC, said: “In Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, we have four exclusive beds for psychiatric patients. As and when the need arises we refer these patients to Ranchi Mental Hospital. We are shortly going to increase the bed strength to 10 to meet the requirement of the Medical Council of India.” The state has no mental hospital to treat psychiatric patients. The families of these patients are forced to send their patients to Ranchi Mental Hospital. The former Health Minister, Mr J.P.Nadda, with an eye on the polls, last year inaugurated the ‘HP Mental Health Care and Neuro Science Hospital’ at Shimla. But this hospital is still to become operational. At the inauguration ceremony the minister had announced that the hospital would have one doctor, seven nurses, three ward boys and three sweepers to take care of the psychiatric patients in this 100-bed mental hospital. When this correspondent visited the hospital he found it locked. Even the foundation stone of the hospital laid by Mr Virbhadra Singh during his previous tenure as Chief Minister was missing. In Kangra town alone more than half a dozen psychiatric patients can be seen roaming at public places, bus stands and the national highway. There is no one to attend to them and to get them. In the absence of proper treatment for psychiatric patients, the
attendants take their near and dear ones to Gugga temple situated in Shalol village of Palampur subdivision. When this correspondent visited the Gugga temple he found a number of psychiatric patients — male and female of different age groups — along with their attendants staying in inns constructed around the temple. Psychiatric patients were seen beating drums and ringing the bells in the temple during the ‘Arti’ in the morning. An ex-havaldar, Mr Kishen Singh, resident of Mallan, who along with his 17-year-old song was staying in an inn said: “My son, a student of plus-one was suffering from a psychiatric problem. I visited a number of hospitals in Baijnath, Palampur and Dharamsala but to no avail. As there was no treatment available for psychiatric patients in these hospitals and my son could not be cured I brought him here and have been staying here for the past one month and a half. He is better now.” This correspondent found a young woman psychiatric patient handcuffed and tied to a tree in the complex during her treatment. The patients were blessed by chains and holy water of the temple. Mr Ved Prakash, priest of the Gugga temple, said: “Thousands of psychiatrict patients visit this 170-year-old temple every year. They stay here for two or three months and return after getting full treatment. The need of the hour is to make the 100-bed mental hospital operational at Shimla and provide facilities to get psychiatric patients treated in different medical college and hospitals. |
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HP Govt to harness tourism
potential Mandi, May 5 He said the mountain range between Mandi and Shimla via the Chachiot and Karsog valleys was ideal for trekking routes. Some infrastructure, like rest houses, existed in the 200-km stretch, he said. Earlier, Mr Virbhadra Singh assured the growers of angora wool that the government would ensure remunerative marketing for their produce and added that the possibility of setting up angora-based cottage industrial units would be explored. He was shocked to know that many angora farms in the valley had been closed due to problems in marketing. Earlier, the Chief Minister was given a warm welcome by veteran Congress leader Thakur Karam Singh. |
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Minister warns of water
crisis Mandi, May 5 Referring to the acute scarcity of drinking water in Mandi town, the minister lamented that the Rs 9.41-crore drinking water augmentation project taken up by the Congress government had come to a halt during the BJP-HVC rule in the state as no funds were provided for the project during the five year tenure of the previous government. He said work on the project had been taken up on a warfooting now. Although the work was yet to be completed, an additional 25 lakh litres of water would be released to the existing water supply network within a week to ease the scarcity. When the attention of the minister was drawn to the rapidly increasing population of the town which might upset the envisaged plan of the IPH that the augmentation would cope with the requirement of drinking water up to the year 2017, he said two other proposals were under consideration — to harness either the Uhl water or that of Jiumi Khud. He said value-added execution of the drinking water supply schemes was being taken up by tapping and sealing the water sources and water supply sources and tanks were being treated with chlorine to avoid the outbreak of water-borne diseases. Referring to the outbreak of gastronteritis/cholera in the Nao-Panao area, he said there was nothing wrong with the water there. Tests of water samples taken from the villages found the water to be not contaminated”. He said the Health Department was taking preventive measures and more medical aid would be rushed to the affected villages. Referring to the destruction of poppy in the Chuhar valley which falls in his constituency, he said growing poppy was illegal, but the state government had pleaded with the Centre that farmers should be granted permission to grow it as had been done in Uttaranchal, UP, Rajasthan and MP. |
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User charges
withdrawn Shimla, May 5 The Congress had made the user charges a major issue in the recent Assembly elections and promised to withdraw these on coming to power. |
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Child guidance
clinic opens Shimla, May 5 Presiding over the function Vice-Chancellor, S.D. Sharma said by opening the clinic the Department had taken a lead among all teaching departments. He assured all assistance to the teaching departments for building more infrastructure. The clinic will basically focus on career counselling for those in the age group of 6-18 years, Prof Anup
Sud, chairperson of the department, stated.
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Kangra, May 5
