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Thursday,
September 11, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Govt undermining OBC
autonomy panel: Dhumal VB seeks
govt nod to book bank MD Heritage buildings
in Shimla to be restored, says CM Four die
as Jeep falls into khud |
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LIC ordered
to pay claim to complainant Residents irked
over erratic power supply Miss Tibet
contest from Oct 8 Jail inmates
attack staff
VC lays
stress on indigenous technology Order on
MC dissolution quashed 
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Govt undermining OBC autonomy panel: Dhumal Shimla, September 10 As per a government letter dated March 7, 1994, the commission had been set up on the pattern of a court or a judicial body and the chairperson was empowered to make appointments. Later, the government also conferred powers to the commission on a par with the High Court and State Administrative Tribunal. He quoted the Indira Sawhney case judgement of the Supreme Court, which ruled that there should be a periodic revision of backward classes list to exclude and include classes. Section 11 of the 1993 order provides for revision after 10 years, in consultation with the commission. The period of 10 years lapsed on September 6,2003 but no revision had taken place, he said. He said in the opinion of legal experts, the non-issuance of a revised OBC list would mean that the old list had lapsed and as such the state was without an OBC list today. It appeared that the government wanted a nominated commission to prepare a new list according to its desire and directions. He sought the Governor’s intervention in the matter. HAMIRPUR:
Mr Dhumal described the charges of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh — that no development had taken place in Kangra district during the BJP regime — as misleading. He challenged the Chief Minister to have an open debate with him in this regard. |
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VB seeks govt nod to book bank MD Shimla, September 10 The inquiry conducted by the department into the recruitment scam had revealed serious irregularities like tampering with answersheets and interview marksheets and ignoring the meritorious candidates to accommodate the favoured ones. The Congress government, which had made the scam a major issue during the Assembly election, had ordered a probe three months ago. The department had submitted its report last week with a recommendation that a case under Sections 420, 468 and 471 of the IPC and Section 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act was made out. Sources in the department said that a case would be registered as soon as the government granted permission. Gross procedural irregularities had also come to light. The bank had advertised 72 posts but midway, during the recruitment process, the number was increased to 225 which was patently wrong. Even after that only 300 candidates were called for interview for 225 posts as against the norm of three to five candidates per post. The examination of the answersheets of certain selected candidates revealed overwriting and tampering in awarding of marks. Similarly, the interview marksheets had also been tampered with. In one case a favoured candidate was given appointment ignoring five others who had been placed at higher positions than him. This was the third major case involving irregularities in recruitments after the State Subordinate Services Selection Board and the Himachal Pradesh University. Regular FIR had already been registered in the other two cases. |
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Heritage
buildings in Shimla to be restored, says CM Shimla, September 10 Stating this while presiding over the review meeting of the Language, Art and Culture Department here today, Mr Virbhadra Singh said Rs 2 crore were being spent on the preservation of heritage buildings and three museums in the state. He said the work of the restoration of the Gaiety Theatre building had already been started and other buildings would also be taken up in a phased manner. He said the government was considering the restoration of the US Club and Bentony buildings. The Chief Minister said the state museum would be expanded at a cost of Rs 1.23 crore, while Rs 58.50 lakh were being spent on the construction of a special art gallery and Kangra art museum. He said Bhuri Singh Museum of Chamba was also being given a facelift at a cost of Rs 18.50 lakh. He asked the department to speed up the restoration and construction work on different projects and ensure completion before the closure of the current financial year. Mr Virbhadra Singh directed the authorities to constitute a committee of experts to purchase artefacts and carve sculptures being installed in the state from time to time. He said while encouraging local artists and sculptors, the genuineness of the artefacts must be ascertained. |
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Four die as Jeep falls
into khud Mandi, September 10 The dead have been identified as driver Binda from Shahpur, Kangra district, Ghambiri Devi (28), Rajni (13) and Champa Devi (30) all from nearby Ropri village. Except the body of Champa Devi, which was swept by the strong currents of the Saul Khud, all other bodies had been recovered and sent for the post-mortem. The SDM, Sundernagar, Mr Pankaj Rai, disbursed immediate relief of Rs 10,000 to the next of kin of dead persons. The injured Kanshi Ram was admitted to the Civil Hospital, Sundernagar, where he was said to be out of danger. Cause of accident could not be immediately known. An inquiry has been ordered. |
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LIC ordered to pay claim
to complainant Sundernagar, September 10 The forum has sent the copy of the order to the S.P., Mandi, with the direction to register a criminal case against Nirmala Devi, insurance agent, and Malika Prasad, Manager, (Legal), LIC. The forum pointed out that the involvement of the husband of the agent and a postman who used to return the undelivered letters of the insurance company also be examined. As per the complaint, a policy was purchased from the LIC in the name of Rumila Devi , wife of complainant Ravinder Kumar, resident of Kamlah, Tehsil Sarkaghat, in December 1998 and its premium was paid on December 31, 1998. Rumila Devi died on May 2, 1999. The LIC was duly informed about it and all papers were submitted to it but the claim was rejected by the LIC on March30,2002. After this Ravinder had filed the complaint before the Forum. As per the version of the LIC, the policy was purchased by Bhagat Ram father of deceased Rumila and in that policy Rumila was shown as his minor daughter. But as per the investigation the deceased was married lady. The LIC sent letters to confirm the date of birth to the school concerned but were delivered back stating that the address was incorrect. Then the claim was rejected by the company. Interestingly both the parties had filed a copy of the insurance policy. In the policy filed by the complainant the deceased was shown as his wife. In the other policy filed by the LIC the overwriting was there and the proposer was shown as the father of the deceased who had signed in English. The complainant had alleged that the LIC had filed a forged policy. The complaint had also filed documents which had shown that the father of the deceased used to sign only in Hindi and not in English. The forum held that the as per the documents placed on record, when the policy was issued the deceased was already married and proposer was her husband. The forum observed that the documents placed on record by the LIC were forged documents and were created in order to defeat the claim of the complainant. |
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Residents
irked over erratic power supply Mandi, September 10 In a representation to the Chairman, HPSEB, the Shimla Mandi Hoteliers Association has alleged that frequent breakdowns in power supply are adversely affecting the hotel industry these days especially when foreigners have been staying over here on way to Leh, Lahaul and Spiti. Briefing newspersons president of the association, Munish Sood said foreigners were irked by irregular supply of power. There was no power in the town for five hours today. The situation in the interior parts of the district was even worse. According to reports received from Sandhol in Sarkaghat subdivision, disruption of power supply after dusk was a regular feature there. In response to their repeated complaints a team of the HPSEB had visited the area and listened to the grievances of the consumers, but no improvement followed. Consumers complained that either no one picked up the phone in the complaint room or a ready reply was given, “it is a technical fault”. Consumers in remote Karsog valley were also fed up with the faulty functioning of the power supply there. Local beopar mandal and students complained that almost every alternative day the valley plunged into darkness and electricity supply was not restored for many hours. Similar complaints had been received from backward areas of Janjehli and Chhachiot valleys of this district. People alleged that poor maintenance and corruption in the HPSEB were the root cause of erratic power supply in this region. |
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Miss Tibet contest from Oct 8 Dharamsala, September 10 The contest, spread over five days, will begin on October 8 and draw
contestants from Canada and France too, besides places from India, chief organiser of the contest Lobsang Wangyal said. Dharamsala, the seat of the Dalai Lama, is already abuzz with activity in the run-up to the contest that was initiated last year. He said girls from Tibet might not be able to participate in the contest as all Tibetan websites in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) had been blocked by the Chinese authorities, thereby depriving them of access to information about Tibetan activities outside the region. The contest will begin with the swimsuit round on October 8 with the talent and presentation round the next day and the grand finale on October 12. During the Tibetan music awards presentation and musical nite on October 10 and 11, there would be a singing performance of Dolma Tsering, the first Miss Tibet, Mr Wangyal disclosed. He said he had requested pop singer Madonna to grace the music awards nite and hoped the
invitation would be accepted. — UNI |
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Jail inmates attack staff Nahan, September 10 The Deputy Jail Superintendent, Mr Jai Gopal, was injured in the attack. The matter was reported to the administration, following which Mr Manmohan Sharma, SDM, Nahan, along with the police reached the jail compound and controlled the rioting inmates. The trouble started around 7 pm when it was announced by the jail authorities that a former Major and main accused in the Rajgarh minor girl rape case, H.K. Justa, had been declared a ‘B’ class undertrial prisoner and due to shortage of space he would be adjusted in the room of some other ‘B’-class inmate. Some inmates objected to it and entered into arguments with the jail authorities, following Hot exchanges, the inmates attacked the jail staff. The inmates, refused to go back into their cells and started breaking windowpanes. The inmates did not allow H.K. Justa in the ‘B’-class cell and he had to remain in the general barracks. Mr S.P.S. Verma, Superintendent of Police, Sirmaur, said the situation was now under control. |
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Left organisations
hold dharna at Hamirpur Hamirpur, September 10 Mr Thakur blasted the state government for harming the cause of poor, especially the women, the youth, the students, the farmers and the labour class. He warned the state government of a statewide stir if the demands of the poor people were not met with. |
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VC lays stress on indigenous technology Solan, September 10 In an exclusive interaction with The Tribune at Barog last evening, he said in the fast changing global scenario, it had become imperative for the universities to generate awareness among the masses about biological resources, indigenous technology and their patenting. If enough funds were not available, it should be ensured that lavish spendings were avoided so that research work was not compromised with. He said generation of quality human resource in the form of scientists was the main task of these universities, which was an investment for posterity. |
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Order on MC dissolution quashed Shimla, September 10 A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta
and Mr Justice R.L. Khurana observed that the government should
ordinarily not dissolve the elected municipal bodies and such steps
should be taken only in rare cases under extreme circumstances. The
state today proposed that it would reconsider the matter, and directed
the authorities concerned to decide the case within four weeks without
getting influenced by the order of the court. The Bench directed that
the election of the body would not be declared before 10 days of
passing an order by the appropriate authority. Ms Renu Chadda alleged
that after the changed political scenario in the state, the present
government was unnecessarily harassing her. |
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Institute
to be renamed Shimla, September 10 This was decided at a general house meeting of the institute held here today under the chairmanship of the state Chief Minister.
— PTI |
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Panel on hydel
projects submits report Shimla, September 10 |
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