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Token walkout by BJP in House
Irregularities
alleged in awarding marks CM’s assurance to primary teachers Kandi project boosts economic growth
Zonal hospital’s new block starts functioning
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Doctors support paid parking in hospital
Panchayat secy held for issuing forged certificate
People suffering due to landslides
Minor raped, one held
Health camp in Nankhri on Aug 13
Undergraduate admissions: last date extended
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Token walkout by BJP in House
Shimla, August 5 Mr P.K. Dhumal, leader of the BJP group, pleaded to the Chair that the adjournment motion for which notice had been given by its four legislators should be admitted to facilitate a debate on the all important issue of damage caused by floods and heavy rains over the past few days in the state. “Property and crops worth crores of rupees had been destroyed and a discussion on the issue would enable the members to highlight the plight of the people”, he said, adding that even last night there had been heavy rain and members had been receiving telephone calls from their constituencies regarding the damage caused. However, Mr Kaul Singh, the Irrigation and Public Health Minister, opposed the motion on the ground that the Revenue Minister was making a suo motu statement on the issue and it had been listed in the business for the day. He said as such there was no case for an adjournment motion and if the BJP members were not satisfied with the statement they could always ask for a debate on the issue under appropriate rule. He said the business of the House should continue as scheduled. As Mr Gangu Ram Musafir, Speaker, proceeded with the business, the BJP members led by Mr Dhumal were on their feet protesting against the adamant attitude of the ruling party and raised slogans against it. Thereafter, they staged a walkout but returned after sometime. Later, in his suo motu statement Mr Sat Mahajan, Revenue Minister, informed the House that the total loss on account of damage to public and private property due to floods in Satluj river and widespread rains across the state had been assessed at more than Rs 1170 crore. In all eight persons and 3078 heads of cattle had perished. Besides, 2,854 private houses and cowsheds had been damaged and private land and agriculture and horticulture crops in over 58,438 hectare area had been affected. As many as 44 bridges and rope ways had been washed away and road network had been extensively damaged all over the state, particularly in Kinnaur, Kulu, Shimla, Mandi and Chamba districts. The entire road length of 150 km from Wangtu to Samdho in Kinnaur district had been damaged at a number of points. As a result of which a major portion of Kinnaur and Spiti sub-division had been cut off from the rest of the state. |
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Irregularities
alleged in awarding marks Solan, August 5 The seriousness of the matter can be gauged from the fact that not only were proxy marks awarded to students but they also gained admission to the next semester on this basis. Meanwhile, classes for the next semester commenced today. Sources said some favourites had managed to score more marks than meritorious students. Dr Guleria refused to comment on the issue. The working of the department, which has eight or nine lecturers, has come under a cloud with this revelation. The teaching faculty includes relatives of politicians in the ruling Congress and university was rife with rumours that the matter will be hushed up. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr Jagmohan Singh, said a three-member committee had been constituted to look into the matter after a written complaint alleging irregularities in the award of marks was received by him. The committee comprising the Director of Research, Dr S.D.Sharma, the Registrar, Mr P.S.Chauhan, and Dean, College of Horticulture, Dr U.K.Kohli, raided the office of the head of the department yesterday. Dr Jagmohan Singh said though the complaint received by him was anonymous, yet a committee was constituted to look into the matter. He said the committee would submit its report within seven days and action would be taken if any irregularity was detected. The three-member committee later raided some other departments also, including college of forestry, to ensure that all was in order. Sources revealed that 50 per cent marks are awarded by internal examination while the other 50 per cent are awarded on the basis of eternal examination.
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CM’s assurance to primary teachers Shimla, August 5 Expressing concern over discrimination against the girl child, he said the primary teachers should strive to create awareness among the masses about the hazards of the pre-natal test. He assured them that their genuine demands would be accepted on priority and the government had already regularised the services of JBT teachers in primary schools. Mr G.R. Musafir, Speaker, said the dearness allowance had been merged with the basic salary of the employees which would put an additional burden of about Rs 200 crore annually on the state exchequer.
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Kandi project boosts economic growth
Shimla, August 5 Mr Ashok Thakur, Principal Secretary, Forest, while presiding over the meeting of the Kandi project executive committee, here on Wednesday, said the economic condition of the local people had improved by 32 per cent and the water table had risen by 7 per cent. The milk and fodder production had doubled, he added. He said an amount of Rs 163.48 crore had been spent till March 2005, under the project being implemented in 835 villages covering 36 watershed areas of the Markanda, Ghaggar, Sirsa, Swan and Chakki rivers. The project would help in checking soil erosion and improve soil fertility. He said 143 village development committees, 264 self-help groups and 477 user groups had been constituted under the project. Emphasis was being laid on afforestation and an area of 20,790 hectares was being brought under forest cover. He said keeping in view the success of the Kandi project a new Rs 365-crore Mid-Himalayan Area Project had been sanctioned. Mr R.K. Gupta, Director of the project, said 20 lakh cubic litre water storage had been created in the project area. As many as 1,068 ponds, 60 lift irrigation schemes, 39.2 km of flow irrigation schemes and 489 water storage structures had been constructed and 1,000 hectares had been brought under high-yielding crops. He said due to the incentive afforestation programme the silt level in rivers of the project area had decreased from 44 to 5 tonne.
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Zonal hospital’s new block starts functioning
Chamba, August 5 After the construction and commissioning of the Rs 5.27 crore Sheetla Bridge in October 2002, which links Chamba with the outer world, the hospital building is the second milestone set up by the NHPC here. According to Mr M.K. Raina, Executive Director (Region-II) of the NHPC, the hydroelectric projects that included the 540 MW Chamera stage-I, 300 MW Chamera stage-II and 198 MW Baira-Siul Project operating on the Ravi in Chamba district are at present generating 24 million units of electricity per day whcih is record power generation from these projects as compared to previous years. The execution of the 231 MW Chamera stage-III project was likely to start shortly. It will introduce a new chapter in the development of the district, Mr Raina pointed out. Besides, the catchment area treatment (CAT) plan with an outlay of Rs 12.34 crore sanctioned by the NHPC and funded to the state Forest Department for the treatment and conservation of the Ravi banks, stretching of about 9,890 hectare, surrounding zones of the Chamera project stage-II, had been implemented in a big way, Mr Raina further stated. Mr Raina said the NHPC had spent about Rs 35 crore on the social development of the adjoining areas of the Chamera project stage-II such as launching of CAT plan, disbursement of land compensation to 120 affected families and construction of bridges, roads, etc. |
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Panel sought to oversee national building plans
Nurpur, August 5 Talking to mediapersons here on Wednesday, Mr Kumar said he had recently met Ms Gandhi on this issue to apprise her of the slow pace of the ongoing centrally sponsored schemes in states, particularly in the Rural Accelerated Electrification Programme (RAEP), road connectivity, drinking water and education in the rural areas. He said only 22 per cent of the target under the RAEP had been achieved on an average by the states in the country whereas Himachal Pradesh had achieved 33 per cent of the target under the programme. “The core committee of the Cabinet can guide and direct the state government to work expeditiously in achieving the targets of national building programmes,” he asserted. Thanking the UPA Chairperson and the Union Home Minister, Mr Shiv Raj Patil, for personally visiting the flood-affected areas in Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh, Mr Kumar appealed to them to get sanctioned a special economic package for the reconstruction of roads and bridges which had either been damaged or washed away during floods in the Sutlej. He added that the transportation of apples to the mandis of the country could only be possible if road connectivity was restored in Kinnaur district. |
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Doctors support paid parking in hospital
Dharamsala, August 5 Dr Prahlad Duggal, president of the association, said the parking had been virtually converted into a taxi stand and even the doctors found it difficult to find space to park their vehicles during duty hours. But since no stickers have been provided for the staff, added Dr Manish Saroch, general secretary, the doctors were now being made to pay every day. “There have been instances of harassment of doctors by the staff of the private contractor on the issue. The hospital authorities, on the other hand, say they are helpless as the contractor is not working with their permission,” he said. Dr Duggal said that there was strong resentment brewing among the resident doctors regarding lack of infrastructure and stressful working conditions in the hospital. Due to shortage of staff, the doctors were overburdened and no effort was being made by the government to fill up the vacant posts. |
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Panchayat secy held for issuing forged certificate
Nahan, August 5 According to sources, in 2001, a case was registered on the complaint of Mr Amichang, a resident of village Dhaulan Kuan village in Paonta tehsil, in which it was alleged that the accused, Satpal, had issued a birth certificate to Attar Singh, a ‘beldar’ in Agriculture College, Dhaulan Kuan, showing his year of birth as 1947 instead of the actual year of birth, which was recorded in the panchayat record as 1937. Satpal allegedly tried to give 10 years’ undue service benefit to Attar Singh who was to be regularised on the basis of completion of the required service period he rendered as a daily-wage worker in the college. Mr Dilshad Mohammad, Inspector, Anti-Corruption wing here, confirmed the arrest of Satpal and said that he would be produced in the court of the District and Sessions Judge, Nahan, tomorrow. He said Attar Singh had died in 2004. |
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People suffering due to landslides
Mandi, August 5 In a press statement issued here today, Mr Thakur alleged that the state government had failed to restore the link roads as the district administration was acting at the behest of the Congress government and ignoring the area. Demanding compensation for the constituency, Mr Thakur claimed that the constituency had been hit hard by landslides and cloudbursts for the past few days. The people were suffering as they had not got any aid from the government. The hard-hit people are in the five panchayats of Marhi Jhirhu, Dhar Gehra, Ryur, LangHad Paplog, Sandhol and Beri Dhanal. Mr Thakur said villagers had lost cattle and cowsheds in the landslides. |
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Minor raped, one held
Nahan, August 5 The Pacchad police lodged an FIR today on the report of Ramesh Kumar, father of victim and arrested accused person Kirpa Ram. As per the police report the accused was for the past some months regularly visiting the house of victim and had developed a friendly relationship with the family members also. On August 3 when the girl had gone to fetch grass in the fields, accused took the girl in the nearby forest on some false assurance and raped her. She shouted for help but no body could hear her. Girl could not reveal the story to her family for two days. She revealed the incident to her mother yesterday and her father today lodged a complaint with the Pacchad Police which arrested Kirpa Ram who hails from the adjoining village of victim. Kirpa Ram reportedly refuted rape. |
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Health camp in Nankhri on Aug 13
Shimla, August 5 He said first such camp would be held at Community Health Centre, Nankhri in the Rampur area on August 13, and the second camp would be held at the Civil Hospital, Rohru, on August 27. Mr Negi said physically challenged persons would be examined by the district level medical board in these camps and persons having more than 40 per cent disability would be issued a certificate on the payment of Rs 20. |
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Undergraduate admissions: last date extended
Shimla, August 5
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