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Governor
likely to meet HPU VC HPU
faces tax trouble SSSB ex-chief breaks silence Encroachments
removed amid protests |
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Five
killed in mishaps Contempt
charge against Chief Secretary dropped 
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Governor likely to meet HPU VC Shimla, November 25 The executive council had yesterday recommended the immediate removal of the Vice-Chancellor on the basis of the reports of the two inquiries ordered by Mr Kokje into the alleged administrative and financial irregularities in the university. The Chancellor is competent to take action against the Vice Chancellor under the University Act. Nonetheless any inquiry report has to be first placed before the council, the highest decision making body of the institution. The Governor is likely to give an opportunity to Dr Sharma to explain his position in the light of the findings of the inquiry reports and the recommendation of the council before proceeding further in the matter. Further, a decision has to be taken in consultation with the government and the entire action may take up to a week. According to sources, Mr Kokje has summoned Dr Sharma to the Raj Bhavan on November 27 and is likely to make up his mind only after hearing him. Not only that any consultation with the government will be possible only after Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, who is currently busy with election campaign in four states, returns to the state headquarters by month end. The prevailing uncertainty will thus continue for a few more days. Meanwhile, Dr L.R. Verma, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, today met Mr Kokje and apprised him of the steps taken by him to control the damage caused to the image of the university by the unsavoury episode. |
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HPU faces tax trouble Shimla, November 25 A team of the department which visited the university four days ago to ascertain whether tax was being deducted at source or not, as required under the Act, found that no deductions had been made while making payments of Rs 72 lakh to the printer during 2002-03. University officials claimed that the payments had been made in cash in the interest of secrecy and no record of receipts was maintained. The Secrecy Officer even refused to divulge the name of the printer and said the receipts had been shown to the Vice-Chancellor, who destroyed them after being satisfied that payments had been made. The university was supposed to deduct 2 per cent tax at source on all payments made to the printer. Besides it could not withhold any information like the identity of the printer from the department, which had to verify whether or not the printer had declared the amount received from the university. The authorities also failed to deduct tax in the case of payments made for a house hired by the International Centre for Distance Education and Open Learning (ICEDOL) at Panchkula. The owner of the house was paid rent for a full year at the rate of Rs 27,000 per month. The department is learnt to have asked the centre to deposit Rs 27,000 as tax immediately. Tax was also not deducted in the case of certain consultants, including the wife of the Vice-Chancellor, Dr S.D. Sharma, appointed by the ICEDOL, who were paid a monthly salary of Rs 20,000. The department has written letters to the officials concerned and asked them to furnish all information. Officials of the university, including the Vice-Chancellor, have earlier refused to answer the queries of the Vigilance Department on the plea that it will result in the breach of secrecy. |
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SSSB ex-chief breaks silence Una, November 25 He said the records used to be destroyed only after the completion of the entire process of selection and sending the names of selected candidates to the departments concerned for appointment. Three months thereafter, the records were destroyed with the approval of the full board. The entire process used to take about 15 or 18 months. He said the board’s office had space limitation. He pointed out that while on one hand the government was alleging that the board had destroyed the records, on the other the Enforcement Department was conducting an inquiry and had filed FIRs against him on the basis of the same records. On the audio tape he claims to have given to the Home Secretary, he alleged it contained conversations of various leaders of the BJP as well as the Congress (during BJP rule) in which recommendations were made to him for selection of candidates. He alleged that certain Congress MLAs at that time, now ministers in the present government, too had recommended certain candidates, and their conversations were contained in the tape. Though he refused to name the ministers, he said one belonged to Mandi district, two were from Shimla district, one from Una and two from Kangra. On why the Congress government took swift action against him, he said that this was only because he had not accepted the recommendations of Congress MLAs and other leaders as Chairman of the
HPSSSB. Mr Katwal said though he had handed over the tape to the then Home Secretary, now Chief Secretary, on April 6, 2003, no action had been taken by the government. |
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Encroachments removed amid protests Nurpur, November 25 The protesters blocked the traffic for about an hour and later sat on a dharna in protest against the demolition drive. They raised anti-government and anti- administration slogans. In the drive, 28 kiosks and 15 rehris were removed by JCB machines. According to the information, the administration had served 62 notices to
encroachers yesterday. Mr Pathania and Mr Bhardwaj said the government should have rehabilitated the affected persons before demolishing their structures. They also criticised ministers
representing Kangra district for being silent spectators to such activities in the district for being silent
spectators to such activities in the district. Meanwhile, Mr Lath said
rampant encroachments on the highway at Jassur were causing traffic hazards and road accidents had become frequent in the area. He said action would be taken against the two leaders for creating hurdles in the job of the administration as per
law. |
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Five killed in mishaps Shimla, November 25 One person was killed and three others were injured one of them seriously, when a truck fell into a khud near Dib village in Kumarsein area of Shimla district, 90 km from here, today. The deceased has been identified as Mohinder Singh of the same village. In another accident Gulsher Sharma, a resident of Nurpur sub-tehsil, died after his motor cycle dashed against a heap of stones at Jachh near Nurpur in Kangra district on the Nurpur-Pathankot highway today. He was seriously injured and later succumbed to his injuries. |
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Contempt charge against Chief
Secretary dropped Shimla, November 25 The Chief Secretary informed the court that the name for the post of chairman of the tribunal would be recommended to the Central Government in the first week of December. While discharging the contempt proceedings, a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice V.K. Gupta observed in an open court that the state government should cooperate in all aspects. The court was assured by the Central Government that the matter regarding the appointment of the chairman and members would be dealt with preferentially and these appointments would be made shortly. |
Earthquake rocks parts
of HP Dharamsala, November 25 The
tremors were felt at 4.20 am and lasted for some seconds. |
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