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Parechu disaster managed well: minister
ICFAI to set up varsity in state
Fee structure of 4 dental colleges notified
B.Ed aspirants: pregnancy clause goes
Timber misuse causing loss: CM
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Kangra MC stops work on sewerage scheme
Favouritism in permission to new units alleged
Police recruitment from August 22
Tax row: HRTC bus stopped at Amritsar
Notify Kangra, Mandi colleges again: Dhumal
ABVP threatens stir
6 Sirmour villages damaged in rains
Stone of court complex laid
3 killed as jeep falls into gorge
Godown gutted
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Parechu disaster managed well: minister
Shimla, July 30 In a statement here today, he said the fact that Mr Nadda and other BJP leaders visited the affected areas after a period of one month indicated how concerned they were about the people. The government had mobilised not only the official machinery but also people at large from day one. He said it was due to the timely steps taken by the state government that there was no loss of life. The precautionary steps and relief and restoration measures taken by the state had been appreciated even by the central team which visited the affected areas. Mr Mahajan said the Chief Minister carried out an aerial survey of the affected areas immediately and deputed two Cabinet ministers to supervise the relief and restoration measures personally. The Chairperson of the UPA, Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Union Home Minister, Mr Shiv Raj Patil, also visited the flood-affected areas which showed the concern of the Central Government. He said Rs 100 crore had been sanctioned by the government for relief and restoration measures in the state and BJP leaders was deliberately giving wrong figures to mislead the people. The government had decided to give the compensation at the rate of Rs 2,200 per bigha to the pea growers of Kinnaur district who would be free to sell the crop to get additional income. Referring to the assertion of Mr Nadda that the BJP government had lifted the entire pea crop from Kinnaur during the August 2000 floods, he said only about two or three helicopter sorties were carried out to airlift the peas. He said that government was keen on opening the cut-off areas for vehicular traffic before the onset of the apple season. |
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ICFAI to set up varsity in state
Shimla, July 30 Stating this at a press conference here today, Mr Siva Ram Mallela, member of the board of governors of ICFAI, said that the proposal submitted in this regard was under consideration of the Himachal Pradesh Government and it would start work as soon as a letter of intent for the implementation of the project was issued to it. He said the project would involve an investment of Rs 30 crore to Rs 40 crore. The ICFAI already had universities in Uttaranchal, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim and bills for setting up universities in Uttar Pradesh , Himachal Pradesh and Orissa were under consideration. The Rajasthan government had also issued a letter of intent to it. He said IFCAI already had a college in Shimla which is providing instruction leading to BBA, B.Com and MBA certifications. The passouts would be given degrees by the IFCAI University, Dehra Dun. Once a university was set up in the state, it would start regular courses. He said that the IFCAI was a non-profit organisation having 70 teaching centres across the country with 12,000 students on rolls in its various campuses and over 70,000 pursing various programmes in the distance education mode. The ICFAI Business School had been ranked at number 10 among the best business schools in the country during 2004-05 with 100 percent placement record. |
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Fee structure of 4 dental colleges notified
Solan, July 30 The college managements opined that they were contemplating to move the high court. Interestingly, the last year’s fee structure had also been challenged in the high court. The fee was notified when the counselling for the management quota had already begun. The four colleges were unofficially informed about the fee structure on Thursday evening as the notification was not signed by the Chief Minister. The high court had fixed June 30 for the notification. In a bid to shun responsibility for the delay, Justice Bhatnagar provided copies of the minutes of a recent meeting to the college managements on Thursday evening. The Secretary (health), Ms Harinder Heera, was not available for comments. According to the notification, the annual fee of Bhojia Dental College, Baddi, and MN DAV Dental College, Tatul, has been fixed at Rs 85,000, while the last year’s fee was Rs 85,000 and Rs 1 lakh, respectively, for the two colleges. The fee of the other two colleges at Sundernagar and Poanta Sahib has been fixed at Rs 63,000 and Rs 65,000, respectively, which is Rs 22,000 and Rs 25,000 less than the last year’s fee. The NRI quota has been enhanced from the existing 10 per cent to 15 per cent while its fee structure has been fixed at Rs 14 lakh as against the existing Rs 10 lakh. The notification has come as a jolt to the second year students who had taken admission after depositing 50 per cent of the last year’s fee as per a high court direction. As the last year’s fee structure had been challenged in the state high court, fresh directions were given to the fee structure committee to work out the fee. As the fee has been reduced only by Rs 1,000 and Rs 15,000 in Baddi and Solan colleges, the students have hardly got any reprieve from the court. Managements too expressed unhappiness and rued that the fee for the general category students could have been further reduced while those for the management quota could have been enhanced. |
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B.Ed aspirants: pregnancy clause goes
Shimla, July 30 Taking suo motu notice of news reports saying that married women were asked to produce certificates to confirm they were not pregnant during counselling for the B.Ed course, the State Women’s Commission issued a notice to the university asking for clarification on incorporating such a “discriminatory” provision in admission rules. The Chairperson of the commission, Mrs Viplove Thakur, said she was shocked to know that such a provision existed in the university and observed that such an “inhuman and discriminatory” provision, which reflected a clear bias against the married women, was “untenable”. After receiving the notice last night, HP University Vice Chancellor L.R. Verma scrapped the provision immediately. The Education Department of the university had introduced this provision to ensure that the students regularly attended the classes and did not go on long leave during the course, Mr Verma said. However, the provision has drawn the wrath of women activists who found it offending. They suggested that the university could have imposed a direct condition asking every student to attend a minimum prescribed number of lectures and short lectures.
— PTI |
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Timber misuse causing loss: CM
Shimla, July 30 Presiding over the vanmahotsav organised by the NSUI at Tara Devi, near here, today, he said the government was providing timber worth hundred of crores of rupees even though a complete ban had been imposed on green felling in the state. He said the rightholders were being provided timber for their bona fide purpose, but the facility was being misused and causing immense loss to the state exchequer. He urged the people to bring such cases to the notice of the authorities so that action could be initiated for the misuse of TD rights. He said that awareness should be created amongst people about the value of the timber and that its misuse could attract strict legal action against the errant right holders. The chief minister said that state had forest wealth valued at Rs one lakh crore which was needed to be preserved and protected by the local communities. He said that the youth had significant role to play in the conservation of forest wealth by launching mass plantation. |
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CM releases book on dentistry
Shimla, July 30 The book contains vital information on dentistry and will update the knowledge of students in the subject. Mr Virbhadra Singh appreciated the author for writing a book in two volumes, which would be helpful to the students of medicine.
— UNI |
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Kangra MC stops work on sewerage scheme
Kangra, July 30 Mr P.S. Choudhary, Executive Officer, KMC, said today that the KMC had passed a resolution that the IPH Department would not be allowed to carry the work of the first phase of the sewerage scheme in the town costing Rs 9.5 crore as Rs 12.7 lakh of estimated cost of the repair of roads, lanes and bylanes had not been deposited by IPH Department. He said that the KMC had communicated it to the IPH authorities and made them stop work in the town. He said that the IPH Department had failed even to deposit their liabilities to the tune of Rs 3.40 lakh of 1996 when drinking water scheme pipes were laid in the town. Mr Choudhry said the KMC viewed it seriously that when the IPH Department had failed to clear the old liabilities of 1996 how it was expected that it would clear the new liabilities of Rs 12.70 lakh in days to come. In view of the situation the president of the KMC, Mr Bal Krishen Sharma, communicated the decision to the IPH authorities to stop the work, he added. Mr Choudhary said the KMC had issued the utilisation certificate of funds to the tune of Rs 6.41 lakh of 1996 to the IPH Department, which the department had been asking for but still the liabilities were not cleared. The Superintendent of IPH, Mr S.K. Vats, said Rs 12.70 lakh had not been deposited with the KMC for want of utilisation certificate of earlier funds. He said, “We have been asking for the utilisation certificate of 1996 works from the KMC, which was yet to be received by his office.” He said if and when it was received and found in order then further action would be taken on the demand of depositing of the estimated money with the KMC. The IPH Department laid the pipes for one kilometre area in Jayanti Vihar, Donga Bazar and New Kangra localities and work on the main holes was carried out before the KMC decided to stop the IPH Department from carrying out the work. Nearly a month had passed when the work was stopped in the town and the pipes were lying by the roadside and the higher authorities were mute spectators to the issue. With the KMC and the IPH Department at loggerheads resentment prevails among the local residents here for leaving the much-awaited sewerage scheme to suffer. |
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Favouritism in permission to new units alleged
Shimla, July 30 Addressing a press conference here, he said the single window authority was a farce and industrial projects were being cleared in extraneous considerations. Deals were being struck in Mumbai and Delhi to facilitate prompt clearance of industrial projects promoted by outsiders whereas local entrepreneurs and companies were handed out a raw deal. He cited the example of the Nalagarh-based HN Fashion Concept Limited that had submitted a project for setting up a 100 per cent export-oriented tere-towel unit. The authorities had rejected the proposals thrice allegedly on flimsy grounds even though it had cleared all objections raised by the authorities. However, similar proposals of two other companies had been cleared. He charged Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, with patronising corruption and giving long rope to some ministers. He said the Mumbai musical blast organised by Mr G.S.Bali, Transport Minister, was a big scandal in which lakhs had been swindled by selling unnumbered tickets. He said by his actions and deeds, Mr Bali had degraded the office of minister. |
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Police recruitment from August 22
Shimla, July 30 The candidates should be permanent residents of Himachal Pradesh and registered in any employment office of the district. The age limit for the General candidates will be 18 to 23 years as on August 1, 2005, where 18 to 25 years for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and sportsmen. |
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Tax row: HRTC bus stopped at Amritsar
Solan, July 30 HRTC officials said though as per an August 2004 agreement the state government had agreed to pay tax at the rate of 47 seats per bus but the Punjab Government was now citing losses in SRT for enhancing this amount. According to an estimate, the new rate would entail an added tax of Rs 40-45 lakh per annum on the state government. The two governments were slated to decide the issue in August, added officials. The Transport Minister, Mr
G.S. Bali, said it was not proper to stop HRTC buses in Punjab. He added that the matter would soon be sorted out between the two governments. HRTC sources said that the plea of the Punjab Government was illogical as the HRTC had phased out its 52 seated buses a year ago after which the SRT rate was reduced last year. The new buses, which has more leg space, has only 47 seats. They, however, added that regular correspondence was going on to sort out the matter with the Punjab Government. |
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Notify Kangra, Mandi colleges again: Dhumal
Dharamsala, July 30 Addressing a press conference in Hamirpur, Mr Dhumal said the same IAS officer had earlier been accused of taking his official vehicle out of the state without permission. The vehicle had met an accident killing the driver near Zirakpur. “It was during the last Congress government that the Chief Minister had given an assurance in the Vidhan Sabha that action would be taken against him,” he said. Mr Dhumal also demanded that the two colleges in Shahpur (Kangra) and Sandol (Mandi), which had been de-notified by the Congress government, should again be notified following reports that a notification regarding the college in Rajgarh was being issued. “To ensure that there is no regional discrimination, the two colleges located in the lower Himachal region should also be notified, as was done by the BJP government, which had also made budget provisions for them,” demanded Mr Dhumal.
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ABVP threatens stir
Nurpur, July 30 The ABVP unit today gave a memorandum to the Governor through the college administration demanding his intervention in providing basic amenities, like girl’s common room, urinals and college canteen, and filling of posts of lecturer lying vacant. The ABVP has warned the government of an agitation. If it failed to accept its demands within 10 days. Meanwhile, ABVP’s district organising secretary Tek Singh Thakur has alleged that the local MLA and Revenue Minister, Mr Sat Mahajan, who had made promise after the election of the Students Central Association (SCA), last year for the college development and expansion, had failed to safeguard the interests of the college and students’ community in his native town. He alleged even the NSUI-supported SCA of the college, elected in the last academic session, had failed to raise the issue before the government. Thakur said the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, during his winter visit in 2004 had announced be start of science faculty in 2004-05 session and announced Rs 1 crore for the college expansion but so far the government had done nothing in this connection. He demanded the start of faculties of science and commerce in the current academic session. |
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6 Sirmour villages damaged in rains
Shimla, July 30 Vast cultivable land and crops were washed away in Kamaha, Gagal Kishore, Takahan, Sear, Kanuth, Shekhara, Bahajan, Chalog, Sheel, Kayavan and Anji villages of the district due to heavy rains in the region, which lasted for more than four hours. A building in Banar village of the district collapsed due to heavy rains after which people in the neighbourhood rushed out of their houses and stayed in the rain for several hours. A truck in Sear village was washed away by the gushing waters. Vehicular traffic on the Bagna-Dungaghat remained suspended due to landslides triggered by heavy rains at several places on the road. The district administration said it was assessing the losses in the floods and a report was being sent to the state government.
— UNI |
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Stone of court complex laid
Una, July 30 The complex would house four court rooms, conference hall, library, bar room, computer room and copying centre. Mr Ravinder Parkash, Additional District and Sessions Judge, welcomed Mr Justice Surjit Singh and said the new complex would be completed soon. Mr A.K. Sharma, CJM, thanked Mr Justice Surjit Singh for his visit and laying foundation of the complex. Mr O.P. Sharma retired District and Sessions Judge and Mr Sanjeev Phanda president of the district Bar, also spoke. |
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3 killed as jeep falls into gorge
Shimla, July 30 The accident occurred on the Gadha-Goshini road, 5 km from the Banjar area of the district, yesterday killing three persons on the spot. The injured, identified as Kanwar Singh, Devi Ram, Pitambar, Dolma, Mahender Singh, Devi Ram and Dolma, were admitted to a hospital in Banjar. The dead were identified as Nabh Singh, 55, Tirth Ram, 17, Narender, 18. The district administration announced an immediate relief of Rs 2,000 each to the next of kin of the dead, Rs 500 each to the seriously injured and Rs 200 each to people with minor injuries.
— UNI |
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Hamirpur, July 30 A large number of residents gathered at the spot and helped in extinguishing the fire. Fire engines were rushed from Hamirpur and it took about three hours to control the fire. The SDM, Mr Rakesh Dhiman, has ordered a probe. — PTI
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