Dharamsala, September 28
The growing menace of harmful weeds has become a cause for concern in Kangra district, forcing the local legislator to request the state government and the CSK Agricultural University, Palampur, for finding a solution. The student organisations have already launched voluntary drives to spread awareness.

The Agronomy Department of the university, meanwhile, claims to have discovered a Mexican beetle that targets the flowers and leaves of such weeds, and seems to be waiting for a government agency to take over the project.

Besides parthenium (Congress grass), a host of other weeds like lantana (lal phulnu), ageratum (nila phulnu) and chromotaena (kali basuti) are fast spreading all over the district. Even the open spaces in Deputy Commissioner’s and Municipal Corporation Offices, besides public parks and fields are not free from the obnoxious weeds.

Ms Chandresh Kumari, former health minister and MLA from Dharamsala said that she had received several letters from city residents that the weeds were fast finding roots every where and both humans and animals were at the risk of catching infection. “I have written to the government in this regard. I will also ask Palampur university to do research on this to suggest a solution,” she told The Tribune.

A group of pass-outs from the Dharamsala Degree College have launched an awareness drive about parthenium, listing out its harmful effects and ways to control it. “Not even a single plant of the weed should be allowed to grow. The workers of PWD, who work on roadsides, should be given directions to root out the weeds at the very outset. Flowers that control the spread of parthenium should be planted in houses,” said a spokesman of the group.

Dr N.N. Angiras, professor with the Agronomy Department, says that the beetal, zygograma bicolorata is very helpful in controlling such weeds. “It has been tested and has also been released in some parts of Kangra district. The beetal is being bred in the university labs,” he said.

“It is the best eco-friendly way to get rid of the weeds, which can cause air-borne allergies like asthama and skin diseases in both humans and animals. The beetal is operative till October, after which it goes into hybernation to again become active in May,” said Dr Angirus, who is principal investigator for the region of the All-India Co-ordinated Research Programme on Weed Control.

“We had also written to different government departments to observe an anti-weed day in the first week of September but had failed to get an encouraging response. The day was, however, observed in the university and people were informed about the harmful effects of the weeds. While parthenium has been there for some time, a whole new variety of weeds is also coming up fast in the Kangra region,” he said.

It is also important, added Ms Chandresh Kumari, that people became aware of the ill effects of these weeds and did not expose themselves to these. “Till now, the problem seemed to be confined to only the outskirts but now even important offices and public parks have not been spared,” she said.

Hamirpur, September 28
The much-publicised IRB-2 will continue to operate from Jangel Beri in Hamirpur district for the time being. The shifting of the battalion from there has been stalled temporarily, highly placed sources told The Tribune here this afternoon.

The source said that an order to this effect was issued by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who was highly upset over the adverse publicity the government was getting on its shifting from Jangel Beri to Amtar in Nadaun.

The senior police officials had earlier given its report to the Chief Minister for shifting of the IRB-2 from Jangel Beri to Amtar and accordingly an order to this effect was issued by the Chief Minister last week.

There are reports that the Chief Minister was highly upset over the latest reports that the BJP was going to file a case in the Himachal Pradesh High Court to stall the government move to shift the IRB-2. And perhaps in order to avoid this controversy, the Chief Minister took the new decision not to shift the battalion till next orders.

Moreover, the Chief Minister had also received a request from members of cricket association not to shift the battalion to Amtar where it had laid pitches for organising district level and state-level cricket matches.

Source said that the Chief Minister had directed the Deputy Commissioner, of Hamirpur and the senior leaders of his party located at Hamirpur to find a new site for the battalion.

The latest move of the state government has given a sense of relief to the district administration, which was expecting agitation on this issue by the BJP.

Shimla, September 28
Failure on the part of the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam authorities to take action against officers responsible for the non-recovery of advances amounting to over Rs 300 crore extended to various construction companies during the execution of the Nathpa Jhakri project has put its management in the dock.

The Central Vigilance Commission had asked the Union Ministry for Power to identify the officers responsible for extending indiscriminate advances to benefit the construction companies and those blocking the recovery and take action against them.

The ministry in turn had been pursuing the matter with the management of the Nigam but the latter had been reluctant to take action against the erring officers.

The ministry has over the past one year repeatedly written to the Nigam authorities to supply the list of officers responsible for blocking the recovery of the advanced amount but to no avail.

It had earlier in the month informed the CVC that the Nigam was not forthcoming with the list of erring officers. The attitude of the Union Ministry is surprising as the Nigam is a joint sector public sector undertaking in which the Centre and the state have an equity share of 75 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.

According to sources if the responsibility is fixed for the non-recovery of advances as directed by the CVC very senior functionaries up to the level of Directors and General Managers who were in position during 1999 and 2003 will be in trouble.

The 1500 MW project was fully commissioned in June last and the construction companies have also packed off but the advances have not been recovered. The three main companies - Jai Prakash Hundayi Consortium, Nathpa Jhakri Joint Venture and Continental Foundation Joint Venture-were extended advances to the tune of over Rs 170 crore and the total outstanding amount has crossed the Rs 300 crore mark.

The advances came under the vigilance scanner after the CVC received some complaints in this regard. The Board of Directors of the Nigam had over the past two years repeatedly asserted that the advances be recovered but no concrete action was initiated. The Nigam had even failed to take undertaking from the companies that the amount advanced would be recovered along with interest after the settlement of the claims. After discussing the issue several times the board decided to set up Dispute Redressal Boards (DRBs) to examine the claims of companies. Besides , Additional Dispute Redressal Boards (ADRBs) were also set up to take care of the time extension claims of the companies.

The ADBRDs have recently allowed claims of two companies beyond the provisions of contract. The time extension claim was payable only in rare circumstances like natural calamities and "extra-geological occurrences" which has not been the case. Interestingly, the ADBRD while allowing the claims has even mentioned that it was beyond the terms and conditions of the contract but granted to ensure a fair deal to the companies.

The award of the ADRB is not binding on the Nigam and the matter has to be settled under the Arbitration Act.

The reluctance of the Nigam to sent the list of those responsible for blocking recovery is understandable as the CVC had earlier refused to give vigilance clearance to officers found responsible for extending indiscriminate advances. Consequently, one such officer Mr O.N.Singh, could not be granted extension as Director of Finance and he had to quit abruptly on March 19 last. Another officer ,Mr G.S.Rao, deputy manger ,finance, was suspended but no action has been taken against nine other officers found responsible for recommending and approving the payment of advances. 

Shimla, September 28
The Health Department is verifying the MBBS degrees of about 200 doctors in the state who have been appointed on contractual and ad-hoc basis, following complaints about certain doctors having fake degrees or those from unrecognized institutes.

According to sources in the Department of Health, the process of verifying the degrees of the doctors is under way. “Following complaints and there being some substance in allegations of degrees from unrecognised institutes we thought of undertaking a general screening of all recent appointees,” said an official in the Health Department.

Sources pointed out that majority of these doctors had been taken on contract and ad-hoc basis during the tenure of the previous BJP regime. “As far as doctors from either government institutes like Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Chandigarh or other reputed private colleges is concerned, there is no reason for doubt but when it comes to other obscure medical colleges, there is definitely need for verification,” said an official.

The officials said it was mainly in case of doctors from states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra or some private medical colleges down south, where there is some doubt. The government is in the process of verifying their degrees both from the university concerned as well as the registering authority and the state medical councils.

It is learnt that the degree verification process started after the department received some complaints that doctors with fake degrees and some from unrecognised universities had been recruited by the Health Department. “The number of doctors who have managed such degrees which are not valid may be very small but we thought why not do it in case of all the doctors who have been recruited recently,” clarified another official.

At present there are 1498 sanctioned posts of doctor in Himachal, out of which about 65 are lying vacant. In fact, people residing in the remote and far-flung areas always had a grouse that the health institutes opened to provide them medical care were badly understaffed and at times functioned without a doctor.

The previous BJP regime had come in for sharp criticism for having recruited doctors in large number from outside the state. The medical fraternity, too, had raised a hue and cry saying that when qualified doctors from the state were available why were outsiders being recruited.

All these steps, point out health officials, were being taken to ensure that quality health care is provided to people of the state and there were no allegations against those serving the ailing. Some time back the government had announced that all doctors from the state cadre who were on deputation outside Himachal would be called back to overcome the shortage of doctors in the health institutes of the state.

Shimla, September 28
Major Vijay Singh Mankotia, who was dropped as minister, today dismissed as “mischievous and motivated” reports that he was going to float a party on October 2 and said he would continue to safeguard the interests of Kangra from within the Congress.

Addressing a press conference here, he said he had faith in the leadership of Mrs Sonia Gandhi and there was no question of his quitting the party.

He said he planned to seek the intervention of Mrs Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek an economic package for the Kangra region. A document was being prepared for the purpose and would be submitted to the Congress leaders.

He said as per the Economic Review, a government publication, the per capita income in Kangra occupied the ninth position.

Asked about the reports that the high command had taken a serious view of his utterances, he said he had not received any communication and all these stories were being planted by vested interests in the party.

He maintained that he had not created any indiscipline by raising the issues concerning Kangra and as such the statement of five leaders accusing him of anti-party activities was uncalled for. He urged the leaders to withdraw their statement.

Solan, September 28
Revenue officials today booked a local builder under the provisions of the Eviction of Public Premises Act after he tried to construct an approach road for his plot through government land on the National Highway 22 at Saproon. The road construction was being done in a hasty manner to facilitate access to the plot.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rajesh Kumar, had checked the illegal construction after receiving complaints on Sunday last. It was learnt that the builder, supposedly close to a minister of the ruling Congress, was reportedly using his influence to secure permission for the construction of the road. He even tried to obtain the land on lease. The land, worth lakhs, is lying unused in the absence of an approach road. A proposal to sell the land at an inflated price had turned sour in the absence of any road. Residents were annoyed that while people close to the ruling party were giving a go-by to the rules, commoners were suffering.

The SDM, Dr Ashwini Sharma, who conducted an inquiry after the receipt of orders from the Deputy Commissioner confided that the Revenue Department had been instructed to act in accordance with the eviction Act. It was learnt that a number of government departments, including consumer court, possessed the land where a number of jhuggi-dwellers had set up base for the past six years.