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Academic institutions must be above politics: IIAS chief
MC wants to hand over land to Forest Dept
Convening of MC meeting unconstitutional
Pensioners for merger of 50 pc DA with pension
Winery project may go to private sector
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Minister to check use of ‘help books’ in schools
Staff oppose delinking move
Girl held for bid to kill own child
Man killed, sister hurt in attack
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Academic institutions must be
Shimla, November 27 Mr Grewal, who was the Director of the institute from 1989 to 1993, said being at the institute amidst inspiring environs has always been a pleasure. “Though I not aware of the latest controversy at the IIAS, I feel that such institutes should be entirely academic in purpose and there can’t be two views on this,” he said. Steering clear of any controversy or adverse remarks on the recent functioning of the institute, he said he had not been in touch with the place. The Ministry of Human Resource Development had set up a committee to look into the functioning of the institute in the recent past, including allegations of saffronisation. The sanctioning of fellowships during the past three years has also come under the scanner as it is being felt that the institute has been going through decline. He was however, keen on promoting a tie-up with the UGC, which he had got done during his stint as the Director. “I am sure that the research being done here is internationally relevant and not in isolation as this will help take the institute to international heights,” he said. “I was a research fellow at the IIAS in the early 60s and my first book, ‘The Mughals and the Jogis of Jakhbar,’ was published by the institute in 1964, followed by another book in 1969,” he said. Since the members of the governing council of the institute were eminent persons in their respective disciplines, it would be their collective thinking which would shape the activities and academic pursuits of the institute. Mr Grewal said though the objectives of the IIAS were clearly laid down in the constitution, he would want to focus on inter-disciplinary socially-relevant themes. “Promoting academic excellence with a liberal outlook, keeping in mind the national interest are some of the other objectives which have been mentioned in the constitution,” he said. “Going back to the beautiful and mystic environs of the institute is always a pleasure as many believe that the work one can accomplish here in four days cannot be undertaken in four months at any place,” is how he explains the environment. |
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MC wants to hand over land to Forest Dept
Shimla, November 27 It is reliably learnt that the refusal of the Forest Department to provide money and staff to the MC for a working plan to enable the management of the century-old deodars, has forced the MC to take such a decision. At present the MC has 1,014 hectares of forests falling in the catchment area and 832 hectares within the municipal limits of the town. The matter was discussed at a meeting attended by the Secretary, Urban Development, Principal Chief Conservator Forest and the MC Commissioner, recently. Stressing on the need for a working plan for the management of the forests in and around the town, the MC Commissioner had requested the Forest Department to provide funds and manpower. “Since it is the MC which has been managing the forests and getting income from the forest wealth, it is their responsibility to generate money for a working plan,” forest officials said. The MC now intends to send a proposal to the government to formally hand over the forest area to the Forest Department. Owing to the paucity of funds, the MC has not been able to prepare a forest working plan for the past 19 years. The last working plan that was prepared was for 20 years from 1965. The issue of inadequate care of the deodars and other trees falling within the municipal limits and the vicinity has been the cause of concern for both environmentalists as well as the government. The Himalayan Forest Research Institute, here had conducted a study on the mortality of deodar some time ago. The areas where the trees were inspected included Khalini, Mashobra and Ram Chandra Chowk. The findings of the study had indicated that over a century-old deodars trees were dying due to the pressure of urbanisation, with the roots of the trees being trapped between retaining walls and septic tanks. Moreover, due to population pressure, the trees had been infected with stem borer, termites and beetles. With practically no soil cover and only concrete ground, there was poor regeneration, leading to the ageing and drying of trees. The forest wing of the MC has been undertaking a survey to see how many trees need to be axed and the ones which could be saved with treatment. |
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Convening of MC meeting unconstitutional
Solan, November 27 Legal experts opine that as per Section 28 (2) of the Act, such a meeting can be convened by the vice-chairperson only if the president is absent or incapable of holding a meeting within 10 days after a written requisition signed by not less than one half of the total members is received. Section (3) of the Act further specifies that if the chairperson or the vice-chairperson fails to convene the meeting within 10 days from the receipt of such a requisition, the members who have signed the requisition may request the SDM to convene a meeting. As neither has 10 days’ time been sought by the vice-chairperson nor has any request been sent to the SDM, the move to convene the November 30 meeting by the vice-chairperson is fraught with legal hassles. Nine of the 13 members who have signed the no-confidence letter have failed to achieve their motive of getting a date for moving the no-confidence motion fixed despite a lapse of more than three weeks. Councillors supporting and opposing the move have been seeking legal opinion in the matter. |
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Pensioners for merger of 50 pc DA with pension
Shimla, November 27 In a statement issued here today the general secretary of the Association, Mr Hari Chand Gupta, requested the Chief Minister that the pensioners should be treated on a par with the serving employees while releasing DA instalments. Mr Gupta said these were long-pending genuine demands of the pensioners, who were hopeful that the government would accept them at the earliest. He also thanked the Chief Minister for
allotting Rs 2 crore to meet the medical reimbursement charges of the pensioners and also releasing 2 per cent DA. |
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Winery project may go to private sector
Shimla, November 27 The government had signed an MoU with Champagne India, a private company, to set up wineries in the joint sector at Pragatinagar in Shimla and Nagwain in Mandi in 2001 and the project was to be completed by 2003. However, the work had come to a standstill for the past almost two years as the HPMC, a public sector undertaking engaged in the processing of horticulture produce, failed to contribute its 10 per cent equity share. The government also failed to transfer land in the name of Himachal Indage, the joint venture company floated for the purpose, as a result of which the principal promoter could not raise loans for the project. As per the MoU, Champagne India was to have 60 per cent equity, the HPMC and the state government 10 per cent each, and the rest 20 per cent was to be contributed by growers from whom the fruit was to be procured. The principal promoter has sought a “frank” response whether the government was serious about setting up the project as a joint venture. Maintaining that it will not back out from the MoU, the company has asserted that the government should give its nod for the execution of the project in the private sector if it was not keen to have equity participation. It is also willing to pay Rs 1.25 crore towards the cost of the land in one go in case the project is executed in the private sector. Mr C.R.B. Lalit, Managing Director, HPMC, said the option of implementing the project in the private sector was under consideration and details were being worked out. A final decision on whether the project was to be executed in the private sector or joint sector would be taken after studying the proposal. The HPMC and Himachal Indage would join hand for the procurement of the fruit and the marketing of products even if the project was executed in the private sector. The Rs 40-crore wineries project was to be implemented in two phases. In the first phase of the project, an apple-based winery was to be set up at Pragatinagar at a cost of Rs 25 crore. In the second phase, a grape-based winery was to be established at Nagwain in Kulu. The two units were to have a capacity to process about 15,000 tonnes of fruit annually. So far, only about Rs 1.5 crore has been spent on the project. The winery project was a major step towards diversification from apple to grapes. It would ensure remunerative returns to apple-growers by processing the inferior grade of fruit, which found its way into the market, affecting the overall prices. The government has been losing about Rs 8 crore to Rs 10 crore annually on the procurement of fruits under the market intervention scheme. The imported varieties of grapes introduced under the project for trial have been successful even in the lower hill areas of Bilaspur, Mandi and Solan. As such the project would be beneficial for not only the apple belt comprising Shimla, Kulu and Kinnaur, but also for the lower hills. |
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Minister to check use of ‘help books’ in schools
Dharamsala, November 27 Addressing a press conference, she said the government had already taken possession of land in Khaniara, Dharamsala, for setting up of Regional Law College and Rs 50 lakh had been sanctioned for the construction of the building. Work on the project would start soon, she said. She said the Education Department had been directed to conduct regular inspections in schools. Besides the regular inspections, the department would also conduct surprise checks on the schools from time to time. Appreciating the functioning of the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board, Ms Asha Kumari said the board had adopted the CBSE pattern of question papers and a host of other reforms had been effected in its working. She said although they were not against private schools coming up in the state, these should not function as teaching shops. |
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Staff oppose delinking move
Shimla, November 27 The association maintained that the government was carrying out an exercise in this regard. The proposals under consideration included reduction in leave encashment from 300 to 120 days and bringing down the commutation of pension from 40 to 20 per cent. Further, the benefit of weightage of five years in the case of pre-mature retirement was also proposed to be withdrawn. Mr Daulat Chauhan, general secretary of the association, said these proposals were being pushed in the name of economy. While the state employees would be affected, the interests of All-India Service officers would not be harmed as they were governed under AIS rules. There was strong resentment among the employees over such proposals. The decision to apply central rules to the state government employees was taken after a thorough consideration during the regime of late Dr Y.S. Parmar, the first Chief Minister. The association urged the government not to deviate from central rules as it would lead to unrest
among the employees. It urged the Chief Minister not to be mislead by the arguments of the bureaucracy and keep the larger interest of the state and employees in view. |
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Girl held for bid to kill own child
Dharamsala, November 27 The teenaged girl, a student of Class VIII at Kareri village, near here, went to Dr Rajindra Prasad Medical College and Hospital here today around 9 am, complaining stomach ache. Before the doctors could finish their diagnosis, she went to the hospital toilet and did not come out for a long time. Shortly afterwards, the hospital staff heard strange noises from the toilet. When the girl did not open the door, they broke in and found that the girl had delivered and was trying to kill the child by hitting her against the wall. The hospital authorities immediately called the police and the girl and her child were taken into custody. The girl was booked under Section 315 of the IPC. Her parents came after hearing of her arrest. A senior doctor said the girl was acting very strange and refused to give any personal details during diagnosis. “Although it was apparent that she was pregnant, she continued to deny this and complained of stomach ache instead. We turned suspicious when she locked herself in a toilet and the safai karamcharis heard strange noises from inside,” said the doctor. The Medical Superintendent, Dr J.R. Azad, said the girl had come to the hospital complaining that she had not been able to pass urine for the past 12 hours before she proceeded to the toilet. “She was unable to inflict any serious injuries on the child. The baby is presently being given treatment in the neo-natal ward and is on oxygen. The mother is also admitted to the hospital and is out of danger,” he said. |
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Man killed, sister hurt in attack
Bilaspur, November 27 Furnishing details of the incident, the police said both Mr Rajkumar Suryavanshi and Ms Naina (17) were injured seriously. Mr Suryavanshi died later. Two accused Ramkushal and Mohan were arrested. Six others are absconding.
— UNI |
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