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Early snow cheers up tourism sector
Ill-equipped hospital cries for care
CPM backs people on Karcham project
No power at the cost of environment
No undue favour to VC, says HPU Registrar
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3 killed in accidents
Shop damaged in blast
Cop plays good Samaritan
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Early snow cheers up tourism sector
Shimla, December 13 In the recent years, early snowfall has eluded the “queen of hills” and other tourist resorts. In fact, it has not snowed at all during December for some years and the city witnessed a snow-less winter last season. However, this time the weather god seems to be in benign mood and has already obliged most of the tourist resorts like Shimla, Manali, Kufri, Narkanda and Dalhousie with snowfall. With mercury hovering around freezing point and sky still overcast, the weather seems conducive to more snowfall in the near future. The tourism industry is hoping to do brisk business during the short winter season. More so, because Christmas falls on Monday and that will make it an extended weekend. “We are already having a lot of booking enquiries and the indications are that tourists will arrive a few days early i.e. on December 22,” says Himachal Hotel Association officiating president Umesh Akre. Snowfall around the New Year will help extend the season at least by another week. The district administration is also gearing up to handle incidents of violence during the season, as incidents of hooliganism go up during this time of the year. Deputy Commissioner Tarun Kapor says tourists will be advised to book accommodation in advance so that they do not face problems. The administration will issue regular bulletins informing them about the availability of accommodation through various media. The effort will be to restrict the number of visitors within manageable limits so that there is no traffic congestion and shortage of accommodation. Incidents of hooliganism will be dealt with strictly, he adds. To cash in on the expected boom, the State Tourism Development Corporation and private hotels have come up with special packages to lure tourists. The corporation has announced a winter discount ranging from 25 to 40 per cent and special tariff for Christmas along with packages for the New Year in its hotels.
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Ill-equipped hospital cries for care
Kangra, December 13 The subdivisional hospital was inaugurated by Mr Virbhadra Singh on December 3, 1985, and was upgraded after a decade and a half by the BJP government headed by Prof P.K. Dhumal to a 100-bed hospital. The upgradation of the hospital on December 20, 2000, has remained just in files. In 2000-01 the tussle between then Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal and former Agriculture Minister and local MLA Vidya Sagar, who represented Kangra, left the decision of the government unimplemented. Even at one stage Mr Vidya Sagar inaugurated the 100-bed hospital on his own. The government provided neither staff nor equipment for this upgraded hospital. The people living in the radius of 30 km, including the Changar areas, had pinned their hopes on Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh following the change in the government, but their hopes were dashed when nothing was done to change the fate of this hospital. The present government is completing its five-year term within a year or so, but the upgradation of the hospital to 100 bed has remained on files only. The available staff are short even for a 50-bed hospital. This hospital is practically a referral hospital as there are no facilities of a surgeon, physician, radiologist, gynaecologist and an anaesthetist. No major surgeries are conducted in this hospital for want of doctors. The worst affected are the accident patients who reach the hospital for medical treatment, but are referred to Dharamsala or to the CMC, Ludhiana, or the PGI, Chandigarh. Most of them succumb to their injuries on the way. The hospital has an ECG machine rusting for want of a doctor. People say that there should have been at least a well-equipped mobile van to provide medical help to the injured patients. This so-called 100-bed hospital has a requirement of 16 doctors but has at present six doctors only. Hospital sources told The Tribune that out of the six doctors, one remains on off and two go for court evidence or remain on leave. So there remain just three doctors to manage the hospital. According to sources, instead of 10 pharmacists there are two, instead of 20 staff nurses there are only eight and against 20 class IV workers there are only five in the hospital. Due to poor facilities and staff shortage, the number of outdoor patients has started reducing. In 2003 the number of OPD cases was 89,990 which came down to 87,839 in 2004 and last year it further reduced to 80,000. Dr S.B. Sood, SMO, however, claimed that the number of admissions, which had shown a gradual decline since 2003, has shown an upward trend despite the fact that general medicine, gynaecology and general surgery patients were not admitted in the hospital. The annual budget for the medicines in the state has been drastically reduced adding to the woes of the poor patients who visit this hospital. There are some employees in the hospital who have overstayed their usual period of posting of three years and were here for nearly a decade now because of their political links, the panchayat pradans told local MLA Surinder Kaku on Thursday. |
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CPM backs people on Karcham project
Mandi, December 13 Environmentalists and the Kisan Sabha of the CPM have joined hands with tribal people of Kinnaur, demanding review and cancellation of the MoU signed by the then state government with the private company for the execution of the project. But the BJP and the Congress have blamed each other for turn of events at the project site. The Kisan Sabha of the CPM yesterday held a statewide protest in Mandi, Kulu, Bilaspur and Shimla, pledging their support to the protesting tribals in the district and demanded immediate release of the arrested persons and review of the MoU signed by the government with the private company over both the Karcham-Wangtoo and Baspa projects in Kinnaur district. The executive member of the Kisan Sabha and CPM general secretary, Mr Rakesh Singha, alleged that the company had violated norms laid down for the rehabilitation of the affected people and treatment of the basin area hit by the construction of the project. “The FIR has been lodged against the private company for flooding the downstream area by opening the gate of the Baspa dam in the Sangla valley in 2005 without warning”, he claimed. When asked about the CPM’s stand on the project, Mr Singha said that the project should come up, but the company should implement the provisions like investment of 1.5 per cent of the project budget in the local area development, use of boring machine in construction of tunnels instead of blasting and treatment of the affected area and proper compensation for the displaced people. He said the Kisan Sabha had asked the government to stop work on the project till the company and the government sorted out all the issues with the locals. |
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No power at the cost of environment
Shimla, December 13 Interacting with a deputation led by Mr Kulbhushan Upmanyu, convener of the Chipko Movement in the state, which met him on the problems being faced by the tribals due to the implementation of the Karcham-Wangtoo project, he said the power policy had been modified to incorporate provisions for welfare and development of the local people. These included earmarking 1.5 per cent of the project cost for local area development, construction of modern colonies for the oustees, employment to at least one person of each affected family, training to youth for self-employment and preference in award of contracts. He said the MoU for the Karcham-Wangtoo project was signed by the previous regime and work on it started after his government took over in 2003. The private company had been directed to give the best package to the affected families and restore the water supply and repair the houses, if any damaged, during construction of the project. He appealed to the people to cooperate with the government and help maintain law and order in the project area. He said local problems could be settled by taking up matters with the project authorities. The government was prepared to intervene in case the company failed to implement the agreement in letter and spirit.
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No undue favour to VC, says HPU Registrar
Shimla, December 13 Maintaining that a few disgruntled students who were facing criminal cases in the court were trying to blackmail the Vice-Chancellor to get disciplinary action against them withdrawn by making false and motivated charges against him. Clarifying the position with regard to grant of “leave in public interest” in favour of Dr Verma, he said it was approved by the council in view of the merit of his contribution to the institutions that he had served, including a sister university in the state. Further, former BJP MP Suresh Chandel, who attended the meeting as Chancellor’s nominee, supported it. Also, leave beyond five years was not exceptional and in the past too many other teachers had been granted leave of more than five years, he said. As far as CPMT paper leak was concerned, the matter was sub judice and police investigations were on, he said. At no stage had any person from the university been found or alleged to have been involved directly or indirectly in the case, he added. Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh University Research Scholars
Association (HIMPURSA) president Randhir Ranta has come out in support of Dr Verma and condemned the action of the “rusticated students” who were vitiating the academic atmosphere on the campus by launching a slander campaign against him. |
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3 killed in accidents
Mandi, December 13 In the first accident, a private truck (HP 33B-1112), plunged into a 300-ft deep gorge on the Katola road on Monday night. Both, the truck driver and the conductor were killed on the spot. They have been identified as Bhikhan Ram, a resident of Kunu, and Kuldip, a resident of Dadi (Hamirpur), the police said. In another accident, two motorcyclists, who have been identified as Mahinder, 23, Devinder,24, were hit by the speeding jeep near Dhanotu on the National Highway No.21. While Mahinder died near Bilaspur the condition of Devinder was reported to be serious. Both of them were referred to the PGI. A case has been registered against the jeep driver.
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Shop damaged in blast
Nahan, December 13 The police said yesterday that in this connection it had arrested Rakesh Kumar, a resident of the same area. After brief interrogation, Rakesh Kumar and allegedly confessed the crime. A search was carried out at his residence. During the search the police seized six detonators from his house. According to the police, Rakesh Kumar was not happy with Hukam Singh, an employee of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board, because he had refused to marry his niece with the accused. Last night Rakesh Kumar tried to blow the shop owned by the wife of Hukam Singh by setting a detonator outside of the shop. The accused had procured detonators from Gorkha labourers engaged in the mining operation, the police said.
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Cop plays good Samaritan
Kangra, December 13 Mr Thakur told The Tribune that after going through the news report that a youth of Kullu was in dire need for funds for his treatment following his accident, he called some philanthropists of the town and jointly collected Rs 25,000 for Sanjiv Kumar's treatment. He said a constable was sent to the PGI last evening to hand over the money to Dalip Chand, father of Sanjiv Kumar. He said a local NGO also helped him. |
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