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Virbhadra proposes national pay panel
No power tariff hike for domestic
consumers
Modern township to come up in
HP
Anti-rabies vaccine likely to cost more
No-trust move ‘ploy’ to oust MC vice-chief
Sediments spell doom for Renuka Lake
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Dharna by 300 Tibetans
Go by tourism website and miss the
event
Mahant Swami Giri threatens stir
Minister sues ex-chief of
NGO body
Revenue officers lodge protest
Co-op bank gets new Administrator
Rs 10 lakh given at social welfare camp
Garbage problem in Palampur
One killed in road mishap
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Virbhadra proposes national pay panel
Shimla, November 4 He also underlined the need to constitute a commission on the pattern of the Sarkaria panel to address the contentious issues between the Centre and the states. Talking to mediapersons here, he said most states had plunged into financial crisis after the Centre implemented the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission. The states had been forced to grant the same pay scales even though they did not have the capacity. The periodic release of dearness allowance (DA) also had a cascading effect as the states had no option but to release the same to its employees. The decision of the Centre to merge 50 per cent of the DA had aggravated the financial problem of the states. He said if the Centre granted financial benefits to employees without consulting the states, there would be no end to their financial woes. He said the Centre must consult the states and a mechanism for the purpose should be put in place. Perhaps the time had come to set up a national pay commission, he suggested. However, he made it clear that his government had no proposal to set up its own pay commission and it was committed to merge 50 per cent DA with the basic salary. However, it would be done after the financial health of the state improved. Referring to Centre-state relations, he said there were many grey areas as some of the important recommendations of the Sarkaria
Commission had not been implemented while others had become irrelevant. There was a need to set up another commission to address these issues. Of late, there had been a tendency to impinge on the constitutional rights of the states, he added. |
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No power tariff hike for domestic
consumers
Shimla, November 4 He said the commission had approved a higher tariff for domestic consumers but the government wanted to maintain the rates at the level of October 2001. It would pay subsidy to the board to offset the loss incurred by it on this account. Payment of subsidy was more a matter of accounting as the board also had to pay back the electricity duty collected by it on behalf of the government. Replying to a question he said it would be an honour for the state if veteran Congress leader Sat Mahajan was made Governor. He said Mr Mahajan fully deserved the coveted office and he had already mentioned his name to Congress President, Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. He said he was keen to induct Chief Parliamentary Secretaries and there
was no constitutional bar on undertaking such an exercise. However, a public interest litigation was before the high court in this regard and he was delaying the exercise. He would think over the matter afresh
if the matter was delayed inordinately. |
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Modern township to come up in
HP
Shimla, November 4 The Chief Minister said the township would have all the modern facilities for marketing, education, open and green area, parking, health, rain water harvesting provisions, recreational centres and service sector facilities. Electricity, telephone, drinking water and other cables would be laid underground so that there was no overhead wire network. He directed the authorities to ensure that adequate water was available for atleast the next 100 years. He said besides taking care of the high-paying category, the low income group requirements would also be kept in mind so that the town could be self sufficient in respect of various services. He said the hill architecture would lend a distinct claim to the upcoming township. He directed the executing authorities to expedite the process, requisition the services of town planners and developers of global standing to undertake the project. Mr Virbhadra Singh said after achieving success in developing the town similar townships were also being planned at Sarahan in Sirmour district and Ghagus in Bilaspur district, besides Mandi and Kangra district. He said a plan for the development of NRI and high paying township was also envisioned in Una district bordering Punjab. It would be one of the best townships in the world. He said while developing such ultra modern townships, interests of the local people would be safeguarded and an attractive package would be offered to them for rehabilitation. The Chief Minister also underlined the need to build staff and labour colonies keeping in view the requirements of the developing industrial sectors in the state. He also stressed upon the need to construct labour hostels and labour colonies which could accommodate the working class conveniently. |
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Anti-rabies vaccine likely to cost more
Kasauli, November 4 The institute has been directed to stop its manufacture by year-end by the Ministry of Health in the wake of an apex court ruling, forbidding the use of sheep brain for the manufacture of ARV. The technique, which was introduced by a British national, Sir David Semple, also the founder director of the institute, was still in use, though with a few modifications, revealed officials. The fact that the vaccine thus manufactured was known to cause side-effects like paralysis — which was one in 10,000 cases — its usefulness was being debated in the medical fraternity. The vaccine, however, was a viable option for those inflicted with rabies. Catering basically to the north Indian states of Punjab and Haryana, the institute manufactured about 60,000 ml of the vaccine per annum. The poor were the main beneficiaries of the vaccine which was readily available in government dispensaries and hospitals in the neighbouring states. The adoption of the new technique may not augur well for the poor strata of society, say officials. An ARV which was priced at Rs 340 for two vials now could go up by as much as Rs 1,500 with the tissue culture technique. With the tissue culture technique being adopted worldwide, the Ministry of Health had directed all institutes involved in the ARV manufacture to switch over to the new method. This, however, was not considered a financially viable option due to the high cost involved in its manufacture. Officials said infrastructure cost in the form of new machinery and training to the staff meant a huge investment for the institute. An intra-muscular technique of administering the ARV, in use elsewhere, incurred an expenditure of Rs 1,500 for five doses. Trials were under way by the Indian Council of Medical Research to adopt a new intra-dermal technique of administering the vaccine. Though more painful and requiring an expert to administer the dose, it was expected to bring down the cost. The medical fraternity across the nation was endeavouring to devise a cost-effective way to administer the vaccine manufactured through tissue culture.
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No-trust move ‘ploy’ to oust MC vice-chief
Solan, November 4 The fact that only seven of the nine councillors turned up to submit the letters to the Deputy Commissioner, the move was aimed at pressuring Mr Shamsher Thakur to voluntarily resign from his post and pave way for HVC-supported Rup Chand’s candidature. The assumption gains strength from the fact that Shamsher Thakur was elected to the post of a vice-president in July, 2004, on an understanding of stepping down in the last year of the council’s term. With Shamsher Thakur showing no signs of voluntarily stepping down even as the council enters its last year in December the ground was being prepared to pressurise him to step down. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rajesh Kumar, today entrusted the SDM, Ms Nandita Bajaj, to fix an appropriate date of moving the no-confidence motion. The internal disputes for the two coveted posts had become an annual feature in the council. Mr Kulbhushan Gupta was the first vice-president of the present council when he had occupied the post on an understanding to share the seat with Shamsher Thakur for half the term. But since Rup Chand’s name had also been proposed for the post unanimously by the council in the beginning of its term he now presented his claim in the last year of the council. |
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Sediments spell doom for Renuka Lake
Chandigarh, November 4 The lake is gradually shrinking and silting at a rate of 3.3 mm annually. In a recent study conducted by the Geology Department, Panjab University, the research team led by Prof BK Das, found that the silt had eaten away into the wetland of the lake and the water table around the lake had fallen considerably. His findings suggest that the flora in the wetland acts as a trap for the sediments flowing down from the mountains. "This results in depositing of sediments along the banks of the lake and lowers the water table. We had to dig for over two feet before we could find water in the wetland," Prof Das said. Owing to the high rate of siltation, the marshy land is increasing while the area of the water body is reducing. He
adds, "The lake is only 10 feet deep. Given this depth, the rate of silting of the water body is very high. There are lakes where silting is taking place at .17 mm annually. Since the danger to the lake is grave, it calls for immediate attention of the government if the lake is to be saved from becoming shallow in the next two decades or gradually vanishing. The government must take steps to clear the wetland by dredging so that the deposition of sediments is checked." Since the lake holds mythological significance as well and tourist flow continues unabated all through the year, the study points out that holding the annual fair at the Lake is taking a toll on its aquatic life as well. The fish mortality has gone up and the water develops a thin film of oil on the surface owing to indiscriminate pollution by stall owners and the visiting public. "It is a well-known fact that the visitors offer flour and other feed to the fish. This is not easily digested by them and it leads to increased mortality. Also, during the fair, the shops and stalls put up along the banks throw the burnt oil into the waters every day. This pollutes the water and affects aquatic life," he maintains. As a remedial measure, he says that the government must find an alternative site for the fair and ban offering flour to the fish in the lake. "If the government swings into action now, there is hope that the lake can be saved. Since the time we conducted our research, I have found out that the government is working on a plan to save the lake from filling up with silt," Prof Das emphasises. |
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Dharna by 300 Tibetans
Dharamsala, November 4 Today was the concluding day of the dharna organised by the National Democratic Party of Tibet, in collaboration with the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, the Regional Tibetan Women Association and Gu-Chu-Sum. Tulku Tenzin Delek has been charged with "committing crimes concerning explosives" and is scheduled to be executed on December 4. Meanwhile, the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) has declared to launch a campaign to demand release of Delek and all other political prisoners in Tibet. The five-day campaign, to be launched in all major cities of India, will have Tibetan and Indian supporters sitting on fast. A spokesman for the TYC said that the death sentence of Tulku Tenzin Delek was "culmination of a decade-long effort by the Chinese authorities to curb his efforts to foster Tibetan Buddhism and his support for the Dalai Lama as a religious leader." A candlelight procession was also carried out in McLeodganj to express solidarity with the groups seeking the release of Tulku Tenzin Delek. |
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Go by tourism website and miss the
event
Mandi, November 4 The "calendar of events" on the DTCA's official website seems more an exercise in misinformation. According to it, the paragliding pre-world cup at
Bir-Billing in Kangra district starts from November 4, and not November 6, as in the revised schedule. According to the DTCA website, the international festival of Shivratri at Mandi is from February 18 to 25 and March 8 to 15, the actual date as per the New Year's calendar. The Kulu Dasehra, which ended on October 29 this year, started on that date as per the website. Under the circumstances, tourists may not make it in time for most of the events. According to sources, the DTCA neither updates the website regularly nor publishes the calendar of events in advance to rope in the high-budget domestic and foreign tourists, although the department spends lakhs on publicity. The disappointment is evident, as a tourist from the UK, Mr Paul Gentleman, put it: "I browsed the site for Kulu Dasehra, which mentioned October 29 as the date, but to my surprise the event ended on that day." Says Mr Rajinder Singh, general manager of a private hotel in Kulu, "Tourists and travel operators in the West go by the calendar of events if it is made known through the media or posted on the website in advance. States like Kerala and Rajasthan hype their calendar much in advance, unlike Himachal Pradesh, which does not care about such things." Mr Ajit
Butail, coordinator, tourism cell, Confederation of Indian Industry, said": "The exact dates should be published and updated regularly so that tourists are not misinformed. Otherwise its gives a poor impression of the state." Mr Ashok Thakur, Secretary, Tourism, when contacted expressed surprise over the matter, saying he would get the mistakes rectified. |
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Mahant Swami Giri threatens stir
Kangra, November 4 Swami Giri said here today that he had already approached the Deputy Commissioner regarding encroachments on the property of the Damtal temple. He said that a property of the Damtal temple had been illegally locked by some vested interests for the past few days. He demanded that the temple be got opened immediately and other encroachments vacated. |
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Minister sues ex-chief of
NGO body
Shimla, November 4 The minister has claimed damages to the tune of Rs 1 crore from Mr Verma and the editor of a Hindi daily for tarnishing his image in the eyes of the public. In the notice he has said that frivolous allegations by Mr Verma in the media has tarnished his image.
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Revenue officers lodge protest
Shimla, November 4 The association has pointed out that the government had allotted vehicles to Tehsildars in view of the fact that they performed multifarious duties in the capacity of executive magistrates. The Tehsildar of Jogindernagar was provided a vehicle in 1997. The Deputy Commissioner had transferred the vehicle at his own level without the approval of the government. The association demanded reversal of the decision, failing which it threatened to initiate “action.” Earlier, the vehicle of the Tehsildar of Sarkaghat was also withdrawn. |
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Co-op bank gets new Administrator
Mandi, November 4 Talking to reporters, Mr Sharma said that he would take all possible steps under the law to deal with the defaulters who had precipitated the present crisis in the bank. “He would take some time before he can make any comments as the RBI has given me two months’ time to restore bank’s reputation”. |
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Rs 10 lakh given at social welfare camp
Nurpur, November 4 Aid to the tune of Rs 10 lakh under various schemes of the department was distributed among the beneficiaries. The minister said after finalising selection of families under the IRDP and below poverty line (BPL) in the rural areas, the state government would provide five marlas of land to every houseless family. Two houses would be constructed in every village to provide shelter to BPL families. Mr Shakti Singh, Kangra District Welfare Officer, said the state government had been spending Rs 9.28 crore annually for 38,000 beneficiaries in Kangra district. Talking to mediapersons, Mr Mahajan, said he was a Congress loyalist and would abide by any directive of the high command. |
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Garbage problem in Palampur
Palampur, November 4 In the past five days no garbage has been removed from many parts of the town. The health authorities have said if early measures were not initiated any epidemic could break out. The vice-president of the council, Thakur Balwant Singh, said efforts were being made to get a new site for dumping the garbage. He said the council was facing tough resistance from the people living around old dumps. |
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One killed in road mishap
Kangra, November 4 Brij Lal, a resident of Ghurkari village was going on foot when he was hit by a vehicle and killed on the spot. |
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