H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Varsity appointments raise eyebrows
Solan, July 18
The recent appointments made by the Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry have raised a finger of doubt at the selection committee, with the son and a close relative of the university’s Vice-Chancellor, the wife of an Associate Professor and the son-in-law of a former District Congress Committee president getting selected.

PMT paper leak: BJP seeks VC’s removal
Shimla, July 18
The state unit of the BJP demanded dismissal of Dr L.R. Verma Vice-Chancellor of the Himachal Pradesh University following his attempt to cover up the PMT leakage scam. It also demanded action against Controller of Examination, K.P. Doger and other officials of the university with whose connivance the paper was leaked.

Local bodies draw minister’s ire over house tax
Shimla, July 18
Mr Kaul Singh Thakur, Minister for Urban Development, has expressed concern over the failure of municipal councils to impose house tax to raise resources and said that the government could consider stopping grants to such bodies.

Review PTA policy, demand teachers
Chamba, July 18
The Himachal Government Teachers Union (HGTU), affiliated to the All-India Federation of Teachers Organisations, has sought review of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) policy with regard to appointments so that the services of teachers being appointed under the policy could be regulated by the appointment norms and could get benefits given by the state government from time to time.

Minister refutes Shanta’s charge
Shimla, July 18
Mr Kuldeep Kumar, Minister for Industries, has lambasted the statement of Mr Shanta Kumar, national vice-president of the BJP, alleging that the state government had failed to take benefit of the4 Central industrial package.

Family members humiliated, put behind bars
Solan, July 18
Alleging misbehavior by some policemen, the family of Mrs Waryam Kaur, a resident of Mohan Colony, Lower Bazaar, here, has alleged that they were put behind bars on June 28. In a complaint to the Superintendent of Police, they have requested him to look into the matter.

4 arrested for murdering man
Nurpur, July 18
A family dispute relating to the matrimonial of the daughter, claimed the life of Gafoor Deen (63) of Ghadran village under Indora police station in this subdivision when his family members thrashed him with sticks and sharpedged weapons yesterday.

Varsity appointments raise eyebrows
Ambika Sharma

Solan, July 18
The recent appointments made by the Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry have raised a finger of doubt at the selection committee, with the son and a close relative of the university’s Vice-Chancellor, the wife of an Associate Professor and the son-in-law of a former District Congress Committee president getting selected.

Rajesh Thakur, son of the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Jagmohan Singh, has been selected as a training associate in the Department of Floriculture, while Upender Thakur, a close relative of the VC, has been selected in the Department of Soil Sciences and Water Management. Dr Bunty Shylla, wife of Dr Handa, who is an Associate Professor in the university, has been selected in the Department of Pomology.

A post in vegetable breeding, for which candidates from the general category appeared, was later reserved and Pramod Negi was selected.

Is it a mere coincidence that the son-in-law of an office-bearer of the District Congress Committee, Sirmaur and former president of the Students Central Association , has been selected? asked an unsuccessful candidate.

The results, declared last week, have largely disappointed candidates who appeared for the interview. Despite being better qualified and having research to their credit, they have been ignored against merely M.Sc. candidates, rued an aspirant.

Candidates have also questioned the very basis of these selections. Another interesting point is the fact that general category candidates were interviewed for three reserved category posts.

The advertisement, which had appeared in various newspapers on March 24, 2005, for nine posts, had not specified which posts were reserved. A copy of the advertisement available with The Tribune merely mentioned that of the seven posts at serial number 2 to 8, one was reserved for SC and another two for ST. Further, the advertisement was issued merely four days before the retirement of a former Vice-Chancellor, Dr S.S.Negi.

Questions are being raised about the choice of particular disciplines for which the interviews were held. Sources point out that deliberately such disciplines were advertised against which favourites could be adjusted. At least three scientists in pomology and two in vegetable crops already exist in the KVK, Kandhaghat. As per the recommendations of the Board of Management arrived on October 26, 2004, only such posts should be filled for which there is no existing staff, point out university senior officials. This, too, has been conveniently overlooked.

The Registrar, Mr H.S. Chowdhary, said he was not aware of this and would have to check the records to see whether the reserved posts were specified or not. The VC, who was away to Kinnaur, could not contacted.

The Director, Research, Dr S.D.Sharma, who officiated in his absence, said the VC had not chaired the two committees where his close kin had appeared. Instead, these were conducted under the chairmanship of the Principal Secretary, Horticulture.

PMT paper leak: BJP seeks VC’s removal
Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 18
The state unit of the BJP demanded dismissal of Dr L.R. Verma Vice-Chancellor of the Himachal Pradesh University following his attempt to cover up the PMT leakage scam. It also demanded action against Controller of Examination, K.P. Doger and other officials of the university with whose connivance the paper was leaked.

In memorandum to Governor, V.S. Kokje, by Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, a former Chief Minister and Mr Suresh Bhardwaj, the state BJP president, pointed out that the PMT scam tarnished the image of H.P. University and played a fraud on people of Himachal Pradesh. Connivance of the Mr Verma and Mr Doger with the question paper leakage mafia was quite evident. The BJP raised the issue early but the university failed to take action. Instead Dr Verma constituted a one-man inquiry committee to brush the issue under the carpet.

While the committee gave a clean chit to the university, the three-member probe panel constituted by the high court found glaring evidence of leakage of question paper.

The memorandum also drew the attention of the Chancellor to other irregularities allegedly committed by Dr Verma which included the regularisation of his own service in contravention of the university, statues, grant of affiliation to Shoolni Institute, Solan and Pharmacy Institute, Rohru to benefit the Congress people in violation of the university act, appointment of Dr Rainder Chauhan as Professor of Political Science who was ineligible and Mr P.N. Chauhan as Director of Sports even though he did not have requisite qualifications. 

Local bodies draw minister’s ire over house tax
Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 18
Mr Kaul Singh Thakur, Minister for Urban Development, has expressed concern over the failure of municipal councils to impose house tax to raise resources and said that the government could consider stopping grants to such bodies.

He said the municipal councils were allowed to impose house tax at the minimum rate of 7.5 per cent and a maximum of 12.5 per cent, while in case of the Shimla Municipal Corporation, the rate approved was 15 per cent. However, many local bodies had not levied the tax.

The government had set apart Rs 30 crore under the Rajiv Gandhi Urban Renewal facility for improvement and upgradation of infrastructure in towns, but so far no municipal council or nagar panchayat had submitted any project for funding. Besides, Rs 10 crore had be earmarked specifically for construction of car parkings and Rs 5 crore for the maintenance of roads.

He said the Shimla Municipal Corporation and the Solan and Palampur municipal councils owed Rs 20 crore to the Irrigation and Public Health Department, which supplied water to them.

He said the rooftop-eater harvesting structure had been made mandatory and henceforth water and power connections would not be granted for any building until this provision was complied with.

Mr Kaul Singh said for the first time in the state, a workshop was being conducted here on July 20 to apprise elected representatives of urban local bodies of their responsibilities, new reform-driven schemes, important legal provisions of municipal laws and problems associated with urbanisation.

The government had assigned consultancy work for preparation of the City Development Plan for Shimla under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission to Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services. Besides, Dharamsala, Mandi and Hamirpur had been included under the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for small and medium towns. 

Review PTA policy, demand teachers
Our Correspondent

Chamba, July 18
The Himachal Government Teachers Union (HGTU), affiliated to the All-India Federation of Teachers Organisations, has sought review of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) policy with regard to appointments so that the services of teachers being appointed under the policy could be regulated by the appointment norms and could get benefits given by the state government from time to time.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Suman Kumar Minhas, senior vice-chairman of the HGTU, urged the government to give all benefits, including financial and seniority, to all the teachers working on ad hoc and tenure basis. Mr Minhas demanded the status of lecturer and equivalent pay scales to those teachers possessing degrees in physical education and working in senior secondary schools.

Mr Minhas pleaded for extending the age of retirement of elementary teachers from 58 to 60 years. He disclosed that the teachers of various categories, who were being regularised after 45 years of service, should be given two special increments after 20 years of service.

Taking into account the newly set up Directorate of Elementary Education from Classes I to VIII, the science (medical and non-medical), commerce and humanities streams should be started from Class IX onwards, Mr Minhas suggested.

Mr Minhas, however, warned that the HGTU would oppose if there was any move to appoint a bureaucrat as Director of Elementary Education. He demanded a basic pay scale of Rs 7,000-10,980 to the headmasters of government elementary schools.

Minister refutes Shanta’s charge
Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 18
Mr Kuldeep Kumar, Minister for Industries, has lambasted the statement of Mr Shanta Kumar, national vice-president of the BJP, alleging that the state government had failed to take benefit of the4 Central industrial package.

The minister said today that it was unfortunate that Mr Shanta Kumar had tried to mislead the people of the state on the issue. The fact was that the state witnessed unprecedented industrial growth during the past three years and attracted an investment of over Rs 19,000 crore, thereby creating employment avenues for about 2.65 lakh people. He said Himachal Pradesh attracted the largest investment amongst the states which were given industrial packages by the Centre.

He claimed it was due to good governance, peaceful law and order situation and availability of power which enabled the state to attract such a large investment in the industrial sector. He said had the BJP government, which remained in power for five years, created the necessary infrastructure, the situation would have been different today. The new industrial policy framed by the present government had given impetus to employment generation and dispersal of industries to other areas of the state. 

Family members humiliated, put behind bars
Our Correspondent

Solan, July 18
Alleging misbehavior by some policemen, the family of Mrs Waryam Kaur, a resident of Mohan Colony, Lower Bazaar, here, has alleged that they were put behind bars on June 28. In a complaint to the Superintendent of Police, they have requested him to look into the matter.

The woman, who is in her late sixties, has rued that owing to a domestic dispute she was confined to a room which was bolted by her daughter and her husband at 9:30 pm on June 28. Her daughter-in-law Neelam telephonically informed the police.

Following this call, a Head Constable came to her house and opened the bolted room to let out Waryam Kaur. The policeman then directed he whole family to accompany him to the police post to complete the formalities. Leaving four minor children at home, all five family members were taken to police station and put behind bars after taking away their mobile phones.

The family members rued that this had caused much humiliation to the family as they were booked under Sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC for no fault of their and purposely kept behind bars the whole night.

SP Gianeshwar Singh said an inquiry was being conducted into the matter after the family approached him apprising him of the case. An appropriate action would be taken if anybody found guilty.

4 arrested for murdering man
Our Correspondent

Nurpur, July 18
A family dispute relating to the matrimonial of the daughter, claimed the life of Gafoor Deen (63) of Ghadran village under Indora police station in this subdivision when his family members thrashed him with sticks and sharpedged weapons yesterday.

The police has arrested Hasmat Bibi, wife of the deceased, his daughter Balkissa Bibi, son-in-law Sardardeen and another person, Chhinda, allegedly for attacking and murdering the head of the family. According to the police, the accused, Chhinda, was a frequent visitor to the family of the deceased and considered as root cause of the dispute. The family belongs to the Gujjar community.