Shimla, October 14
As many as nine labourers were buried alive and three injured in a huge landslide near Mulgi bridge on the Basantpur-Kingle road, 115 km from here, today.

All deceased and the injured persons belonged to Jharkhand. They were working for a Chandigarh-based contractor, Mr K.C. Sharma, on a link road.

In all 14 labourers were sleeping in makeshift shelters by the roadside at the time of the incident.

They did not get any time to move out as the massive landslide triggered by three days of incessant rain came without any warning.

While two labourers, Kingi Maji and Bablu, escaped unhurt, three others got stuck in debris and sustained injured.

They have been identified as Vimal Saran, Jagan Nath and Vimal Marandi. All of them have been admitted to Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital, here.

JVC earthmovers were deployed to remove the debris and by the evening all nine bodies were recovered.

The SDM, Mr O.P. Kant, and the ASP, Mr Jagat Ram, rushed to the site to supervise the relief and rescue operations.

A medical team, headed by local block medical officers also reached the spot.

Those injured have been given Rs 3,000 each as immediate relief.

The bodies were being brought to IGMC hospital for the postmortem.

The deceased have been identified as Naresh, Ravi Anjan, Patil Kumar, Jali Ram, Babu Manji, Hem Lal, Pansar Marandi, Lali and Bappan.

Shimla, October 14
The Himachal Pradesh High Court today approved government rule banning strikes of doctors, students and paramedical staff in hospitals and medical colleges of the state. It declared hospital premises as zones of peace.

The order came on a PIL, wherein it has been alleged that strikes, slogan-raising and gate meetings on hospital premises, particularly at the IGMC Hospital, cause inconvenience to patients.

The High Court was adjudicating the petition pertaining to the facilities at the IGMC Hospital, Shimla.

In another petition, the High Court again referred the matter to the government to take decision on installation of the MRI facility in the Indira Gandhi Medical College.

A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta and Mr Justice Arun Kumar Goel, asked the government that when the premier health institution of the state was lacking basic facilities, would it be appropriate to spend a huge amount on the purchase of MRI machine.

The Bench further asked that when an MRI machine was available in the market for Rs 2 crore why the government was purchasing a machine of worth Rs 7 crore.

The Secretary Health, told the court that the government was purchasing the machine keeping in view its long life. But he agreed to the court’s observation that such technologies were becoming obsolete in few years.

The Bench advised the state government to take appropriate steps to improve the facilities in the IGMC.

A report filed pursuant to court’s directions revealed that every department of the IGMC was lacking necessary basic facilities. IGMC even did not have Intensive Care Unit (ICU) whereas basic infrastructure in the Anaesthesia, bio-chemistry and cardiology sections was lacking.

Solan, October 14
Even as the Parwanoo branch of the Jogindra Cooperative Bank is embroiled in a controversy involving overdraft payment of Rs 58 lakh, its other branch located in the Marketing Board here closed operations after one and a half years of its inception. Yet another branch, located at the Shamti area of the town, was proposed to be shut down in a recent resolution passed by the bank’s committee some time back.

Sources in the bank said the marketing committee branch, which was inaugurated by former marketing committee chairman, Virender Kashyap in December, 2002, could hardly manage deposits of Rs 15,000-30,000. Operating from the board’s premises at a monthly rent of Rs 5,000, the branch could not even manage to earn profit which could cover the salaries of the staff.

The chairman of the bank, Mr Mohan Mehta, said the marketing committee’s branch had been opened by the BJP without giving a thought on its viability. Since it incurred no profit and invited little deposits, the decision to close it had to be taken by the committee. He, however, added that though the Shamti branch was proposed to be shifted to Kotla Nullah, but since the branch generated business worth Rs 1 crore, the proposal had been scrapped.

Mr Mehta evaded queries about initiating any immediate action against the erring branch manager of the bank’s Parwanoo branch on the plea of being away at Shimla but added that the matter would soon be looked into.