H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

SC ruling may derail plan for varsity
Shimla, August 2
While the Himachal Government is keen to set up private universities in the state, the Supreme Court verdict could put a spoke in its plans. The state can establish a private university by enacting a specific legislation but the apex court’s judgment early this year will make it very difficult to set up such an institution unless requisite infrastructure is in place.

Ambuja Cement Foundation to adopt 30 primary schools in Arki
Shimla, August 2
Primary Education Department here today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ambuja Cement Foundation for adopting 30 primary schools by the later in Arki tehsil of Solan district.

Viplove Thakur lists her priorities
Una, August 2
“My first priority is to maintain cordial relations between the Congress Party and the state government, said Mrs Viplove Thakur, HPCC President, here today while talking to mediapersons.

SFI, ABVP activists clash on college campus, 2 hurt
Mandi, August 2
In a show of muscle power to dominate the students’ politics in the coming Students Central Association (SCA) elections, activists of the SFI and the ABVP, the main contenders for power, clashed on the Government College campus here today, two activists of the SFI were hurt in the clash.

6 pilgrims from Moga killed in road accident
Kangra, August 2
Six pilgrims were killed and 72 were injured, 15 of them seriously, when the truck in which they were travelling to Jwala mukhi from Chintpurni rolled down into a gorge near Daliara, in Dehra subdivision today, the police said.

1 killed, 68 hurt as bus falls into gorge
Nurpur, August 2
A bus of Sharma Bus Service (HP-22-5985) on its way from Baldoya to Jawali fell into a 50-foot-deep gorge near Nana Haar village in Jawali subdivision yesterday. In the mishap, Tamanna, a seven-year-old girl, died on the spot and 27 passengers were injured, of which 17 seriously. As many as 41 other passengers received minor injuries. They were discharged from the local hospital after first aid.

Two killed in road mishap
Shimla, August 2
Two persons were killed and another was injured when a utility vehicle (HP-01-3296) fell into a khud near Maori in Theog subdivision, about 40 km from here, today. The deceased have been identified as Mohan and Bittu. Roop Singh, who was seriously injured, has been shifted to Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital, here.

SC ruling may derail plan for varsity
Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 2
While the Himachal Government is keen to set up private universities in the state, the Supreme Court verdict could put a spoke in its plans. The state can establish a private university by enacting a specific legislation but the apex court’s judgment early this year will make it very difficult to set up such an institution unless requisite infrastructure is in place.

There is already a private university, the J.P. University of Information and Technology, which was set up before the verdict came.

At least two proposals for private universities are under consideration of the government. In fact, the Cabinet discussed the draft bill for the proposed Institute of Chartered and Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI) University last week. While discussing the draft bill some ministers wanted to know whether the proposed private university offer the same courses, which were being offered by Himachal Pradesh University. They were of the view that the private university will be useful only if it offered new courses not normally available in the state. A few ministers even rued that there was no regulatory control over the J.P. University and wanted the Act vide which it was constituted suitably amended.

However, more important than these issues is the observation of the apex court that what is necessary is a large number of good colleges and institutions and not universities without any teaching facility but having the authority to confer degrees. An act should not be enacted merely to notify a proposal of a sponsoring body as a university.

Necessary attributes of a university are plurality of teachers teaching more than one higher faculties and other facilities for imparting instructions and research, provision for residence and must have certain standard of instructions providing for graduate and post-graduate levels of study.

It pre-supposes existence of a campus, classrooms, lecture theatres, libraries, laboratories, offices, besides some playgrounds and also sport facility for overall development of personality of the students.

What is necessary is actual establishment of institutions having all the infrastructural facilities and qualified teachers to teach there. If good institutions are established for providing higher education, they can be conferred the status of a deemed university by the Central Government in accordance with Section 3 of the UGC Act. Obviously, if the judgement is followed in letter and spirit requisite infrastructure, which will require investment running into crores of rupees, will have to be created before notifying a university.

However, the organisations like the ICFAI, which have off campus centres across the country, are facing another problem as the court has also held that a university set up by a state legislation will have jurisdiction only within the state. It cannot afford to have universities in all the states of the country. A better course will be to have a private university through a Central act.

Ambuja Cement Foundation to adopt 30 primary schools in Arki
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 2
Primary Education Department here today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ambuja Cement Foundation for adopting 30 primary schools by the later in Arki tehsil of Solan district.

Mr B.M. Nanta, Director, Primary Education, signed the document on behalf of department and Mr V.K. Jain, Director, Ambuja Cement Foundation, for the foundation in the presence of Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister.

Mr Virbhadra Singh, appreciated the gesture of the Gujrat Ambuja Cement Company and said the initiative would inspire other business house and non-government organisations (NGOs) to adopt educational institutions and take up other social welfare activities in the state.

He said the state government would be setting up a “gau sadan” in every district of the state to provide shelter and health care to the abandoned domestic animals. He said the necessary infrastructure would be created after locating a proper site. The participation of the business enterprises and NGOs was solicited in the animal care programme. He said it was criminal to abandon the domestic animals. He said business houses should come forward and lend their support to provide necessary facilities at the gau sadans being set up by the government.

Mr Avay Shukla, Principal Secretary, Education, informed that the MoU had a provision for providing computer education, training of teachers, health care for students, maintenance of class rooms, development of library and recreational facilities, uniform to all students, promotions of sports and cultural activities and other facilities.

Viplove Thakur lists her priorities
Our Correspondent

Una, August 2
“My first priority is to maintain cordial relations between the Congress Party and the state government, said Mrs Viplove Thakur, HPCC President, here today while talking to mediapersons.

She said that she would try her best to understand the problems of Congress workers and try to solve them. She said she would prepare the party workers for the forthcoming panchayat elections in the state, which were due by the end of this year, and ultimately to prepare them for the Vidhan Sabha elections in 2008.

The state Congress President said that she would start her work from village to understand the problems being faced by the villagers.

Earlier Mrs Thakur was given a warm welcome at Mehatpur where hundred of Congress workers were present.

SFI, ABVP activists clash on college campus, 2 hurt
Tribune News Service

Mandi, August 2
In a show of muscle power to dominate the students’ politics in the coming Students Central Association (SCA) elections, activists of the SFI and the ABVP, the main contenders for power, clashed on the Government College campus here today, two activists of the SFI were hurt in the clash.

Though the police claimed that it has maintained law and order on the campus and outside, but the ABVP and SFI activists have been resorting to violence since last evening, vitiating atmosphere on the campus.

According to the police, the two students who got hurt had been identified as Tapan Saklani and Virender Kumar. They have been admitted to the Zonal Hospital Mandi and are reported to be out of danger.

ABVP activists charged that the SFI activisits had attacked their leader Ashwani Kumar last evening. At this, they retaliated and stoned the SFI office at Nagwani last evening, they added.

Dismissing the charge as a ploy to win students’ sympathy in the coming SCA election, the SFI leaders alleged that the ABVP had been perpetrating violence on the campus by brandishing swords and lathis to coerce the new comers.

The ABVP is resorting to the violence it wants to influence the new comers to the campus, a charge that the ABVP denies, blaming instead SFI’s culture of violence in HP University and other colleges where they had tried to use the muscle power to win the SCA elections.

Mr O.C. Malhotra, Principal, Government College, said he had informed the police about the incident. “We have given the names of students who clashed with each other. General atmosphere is peaceful and the student leaders have been told to maintain peace on the campus”, he added.

The SHO Sadar, Mr N.K. Sharma, said both SFI and ABVP have lodged FIR against each other.

6 pilgrims from Moga killed in road accident
Our Correspondent

Kangra, August 2
Six pilgrims were killed and 72 were injured, 15 of them seriously, when the truck in which they were travelling to Jwala mukhi from Chintpurni rolled down into a gorge near Daliara, in Dehra subdivision today, the police said.

Ms Rani Sachdeva, Sub Divisional Police Officer, Dehra, said the truck carrying 80 pilgrims from Moga district in Punjab rolled down into gorge when the driver lost the control over the vehicle. She said the truck dashed against the hillside before rolling down leaving five pilgrims dead on the spot.

She said the pilgrims after paying obeisance at Shakti Peeth, Chintpurni, in the morning were on way to Jwalamukhi temple when the accident occurred. She said the driver of the truck Jasbir Singh was among those who killed on the spot. Dr Jatender Saxena, of Civil Hospital, Dehra when contacted said another pilgrim succumbed to his injuries in the hospital taking the death toll to six. He said 15 pilgrims with serious injuries had been referred to Dr R.P. Government. Medical College Hospital, Dharamsala.

1 killed, 68 hurt as bus falls into gorge
Our Correspondent

Nurpur, August 2
A bus of Sharma Bus Service (HP-22-5985) on its way from Baldoya to Jawali fell into a 50-foot-deep gorge near Nana Haar village in Jawali subdivision yesterday. In the mishap, Tamanna, a seven-year-old girl, died on the spot and 27 passengers were injured, of which 17 seriously. As many as 41 other passengers received minor injuries. They were discharged from the local hospital after first aid.

The seriously injured passengers were rushed to the Civil Hospital, Nurpur, and the RP Medical College, Dharamsala.

The driver of the bus, who also injured seriously, failed to negotiate a curve while overtaking a tractor and lost control over the bus.As a result the bus rolled down the gorge.

The police has registered a case against the driver for negligent driving. 

Two killed in road mishap
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 2
Two persons were killed and another was injured when a utility vehicle (HP-01-3296) fell into a khud near Maori in Theog subdivision, about 40 km from here, today. The deceased have been identified as Mohan and Bittu. Roop Singh, who was seriously injured, has been shifted to Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital, here.