H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Students face threat of electrocution
Sundernagar, January 10
The 50 inmates of the local Handicapped Home and Juvenile Home, which are situated near the Mahamaya temple, are living under a constant fear of electrocution as an 11 KV transformer is installed in the courtyard of the building and the inmates dry their clothes on the iron wires attached to the poles of the transformer.

Students of Disabled Home and Juvenile Home hang their clothes to dry on the wires of the poles of an 11KV transformer.

Court issues notice to Chief Secretary
Shimla, January 10
Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary on a petition for the enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act, 2002, particularly Section 5, whereby there is a provision for the appointment of public information officers by the state government.

Employees favour new transfer policy
Chamba, January 10
The Himachal Pradesh Non-Gezetted Employees Federation has favoured the new transfer policy for the employees of the state drafted by the state government would be discussed at the meeting of Federal Committee of the NGOs scheduled to be held sometime in the last week of this month.

Inquiry ordered into felling of deodar trees
Mandi, January 10
An inquiry has been ordered into the sanction of about 100 deodar trees to right holders by the Forest Department, allegedly by flouting all norms, in the Shilhnu forest of Gohar sub-division in the district. While some of the trees were felled by the right holders, further felling has been stopped by the Forest Department.

Kangra not developed by BJP: Virbhadra
Nurpur, January 10
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today accused the previous BJP government in the state giving step-motherly treatment to Kangra district for development.

• CM shown black flags

No pact with HVC: AICC secy
Solan, January 10
Laying to rest all speculations of the Congress party forging any alliance with Sukh Ram’s Himachal Vikas Congress in the state for the Lok Sabha elections, an AICC secretary and observer for Himachal Pradesh, Mr Jaikishen, said here today that there was no question of aligning with Sukh Ram as he had been expelled from the party on charges of corruption.

 

 

 

Students face threat of electrocution
Our Correspondent

Sundernagar, January 10
The 50 inmates of the local Handicapped Home and Juvenile Home, which are situated near the Mahamaya temple, are living under a constant fear of electrocution as an 11 KV transformer is installed in the courtyard of the building and the inmates dry their clothes on the iron wires attached to the poles of the transformer.

The Handicapped Home and Juvenile Home are situated in one building and both are under the control of the District Welfare Officer, Mandi. No fencing around the transformer is provided for the protection of the disabled students. One can see these students playing just below the electricity transformer daily. Sometimes even the classes of these students are held in the open adjacent to the electric poles.

A source from the District Welfare Officer, Mandi said the authorities knew about this fact but they had not taken up the matter with the HPSEB authorities to provide a fence for the safety of the disabled students Mr Khem Chand, DWO, was not available for comments.

According to Mr K.K. Gupta, Executive Engineer, HPSEB here, this fact was never brought to his notice by the authorities concerned. He said although there was no danger, if the disabled students were not prevented from tampering with the structure of the transformer, it may prove fatal. He said he had ordered to provide fencing so that the students maynot go under the transformer.

Court issues notice to Chief Secretary
Our Legal Correspondent

Shimla, January 10
Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary on a petition for the enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act, 2002, particularly Section 5, whereby there is a provision for the appointment of public information officers by the state government.

This notice was issued by the court on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Trisha Sharma. The petitioner said in the PIL that the Act provides freedom to every citizen to secure access to information under the control of public authorities consistent with public interest in order to promote openness, transparency and accountability in administration. She said though the Act had come into force after January 6, 2003, no public information officer was appointed as per Section 5 by the authorities.

While issuing notice, the court also directed the Chief Secretary of file a reply within eight weeks.

Employees favour new transfer policy
Our Correspondent

Chamba, January 10
The Himachal Pradesh Non-Gezetted Employees Federation (NGOs) has favoured the new transfer policy for the employees of the state drafted by the state government would be discussed at the meeting of Federal Committee of the NGOs scheduled to be held sometime in the last week of this month.

Addressing a joint press conference here on Thursday Mr Laxmi Singh Machan, state president and Mr S.R. Azad, Secretary-General of the state NGOs Federation said that the meeting of NGOs federal committee would most probably be chaired by Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in which the new transfer policy for employees would be finalised.

These leaders said that they would request the Chief Minister to cancel politically motivated transfers of employees.

Leaders said that the federation had submitted a 73-point demand charter to the state government which included main demands like simplification of job procedure to the kin of deceased employees, enhancement of compensatory allowance to Chamba employees and project allowance etc.

Inquiry ordered into felling of deodar trees
Our Correspondent

Mandi, January 10
An inquiry has been ordered into the sanction of about 100 deodar trees to right holders by the Forest Department, allegedly by flouting all norms, in the Shilhnu forest of Gohar sub-division in the district. While some of the trees were felled by the right holders, further felling has been stopped by the Forest Department. The felled timber has been seized and its carriage is not permitted till the inquiry is over.

An Assistant Conservator of Forests is conducting the inquiry into the case. A flying squad of the Forest Department is also camping at the site and measuring the size of trees and stumps to arrive at the age of the felled and marked trees.

Residents of the area allege that protectors of forests are playing a dubious role and posing a serious threat to the forest wealth. In this case, applications of villagers for timber distribution were recommended by the vice-president of the panchayat in the absence of the pradhan. A deputy ranger allegedly sanctioned bigger trees to persons he wanted to favour. This sparked off protests from other villagers. To pacify them, some 80-year-old and 100-year-old trees were also marked. When this came to the notice of environmentalists, they informed the Forest Department.

The villagers allege that some influential people are hand in glove with the timber mafia, which plays an active role in the sanction, sale and smuggling of the timber procured under the timber distribution system. The right holders are given trees at rates applicable in 1897. A tree costing between Rs 70,000 and Rs 80,000 is given to the right holders for less than Rs 2.

In a related development, various organisations, including village forest development committees, mahila mandals and panchayat representatives of the area, have demanded a complete ban on timber distribution system in the Dhamech forest in Nandgarh block of Gohar subdivision for at least 10 years, indicating a growing awareness among people for preserving forests.

However, despite the pressure on the state government from international agencies engaged in forestry projects in Himachal Pradesh for banning timber distribution, neither the BJP nor the Congress has been able to either ban or rationalise the system.

Kangra not developed by BJP: Virbhadra
Our Correspondent

Nurpur, January 10
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today accused the previous BJP government in the state giving step-motherly treatment to Kangra district for development.

Addressing a public meeting at the Civil Hospital here, Mr Singh said the Congress government, during previous regime, had set up Dr Rajinder Prasad Medical College at Tanda but the Dhumal government did nothing for its further development and even conspired to shut it down with the motive to shift the college to some other place in the state. He claimed that his government had revived the halted progress of the college and committed to provide a full-fledged medical college by spending Rs 125 crore more on its development and expansion.

The Chief Minister reiterated that the government had laid emphasis on providing better health services in far-flung and remote areas of the state. For this, 145 MBBS doctors, 80 ayurveda doctors and 380 midwives and 180 staff nurses had been appointed. Posts of 1000 male and female health workers were lying vacant.

The Chief Minister on this occasion declared the commissioning of the 100-bedded Civil Hospital building, which had been inaugurated by him in August 1996. He announced Rs 18 lakh for installing a lift in the hospital. He also inaugurated a bridge built at a cost of Rs 25 lakh and laid the foundation stone of a water supply scheme at Khazian. He laid the foundation stones of combined offices building at Nurpur and a lift irrigation scheme of Rs 1 crore at Nerna. He also unveiled a statue of freedom fighter Comrade Ram Chandra at Rehan.

CM shown black flags
Our Correspondent

Nurpur, January 10
Unsavoury scenes were witnessed during Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s one-day visit to the Nurpur Assembly constituency this afternoon. The Chief Minister’s cavalcade was shown black flags and bangles by activists of the Nurpur BJP mandal, led by a former MLA Rakesh Pathania.

Mr Pathania while talking to madiapersons alleged that the Chief Minister had been laying fake foundation stones in the Nurpur Assembly constituency without making any provision of budget for the projects. Giving examples, he said Mr Virbhadra Singh had laid the foundation stone of the Mini-Secretariat twice in the town and the commissioning of the 100-bedded Civil Hospital was also to befool the people, as it had been already inaugurated by him in 1996.

No pact with HVC: AICC secy
Our Correspondent

Solan, January 10
Laying to rest all speculations of the Congress party forging any alliance with Sukh Ram’s Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) in the state for the Lok Sabha elections, an AICC secretary and observer for Himachal Pradesh, Mr Jaikishen, said here today that there was no question of aligning with Sukh Ram as he had been expelled from the party on charges of corruption.

Addressing mediapersons here today during his tour of the district, he said the Congress was committed in its fight against corruption and it followed a policy of sacking all those found involved in corruption.