Shimla, January 6
Terming the RSS as a political outfit controlling the BJP, Congress ministers today said government employees were governed by Civil Services Conduct Rules, which prohibit them from propagating a political ideology.

Reacting to a statement by BJP leader Shanta Kumar terming the RSS a social and cultural organisation, the Revenue Minister, Mr Sat Mahajan, Tourism Minister, Mr G.S. Bali, and MP, Mr Chander Kumar, today said they did not expect such an immature and factually incorrect statement from a senior politician like him.

“While the government servants are free to cast they vote in favour of anyone during elections but the Civil Services Conduct Rules prohibit them from working for any political party or propagating a political ideology,” they remarked.

They added that a neutral bureaucracy was essential for effective functioning of any government in a democratic polity.

“As far as the RSS is concerned, it is a farce that it is a social and cultural organisation, as it is a well-known fact that it controls the BJP, which is a political wing of the RSS,” they said.

They said like many other states in the country, in Himachal Pradesh also government employees were prohibited from attending shakhas. They added that the position was the same even when Mr Shanta Kumar or Mr P.K. Dhumal were the Chief Ministers.

Kangra, January 6
The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, said the 500-bed Government Medical College Hospital at Tanda would be operational by the end of this financial year.

He disclosed this while talking informally to mediapersons at a dinner hosted for them by him at Dhauladar Hotel in Dharamsala last evening.

He said the Rs 350-crore hospital would help not only the people of the state but also cater to the needs of the people of the adjoining state of Jammu and Kashmir. He said the latest and best medical equipment was being purchased for the hospital in order to provide the latest and the best treatment to the patients.

He said the Civil Hospital, Kangra, was simply a Community Health Centre, so surgical treatment was not possible there. But when this correspondent informed the Chief Minister that the hospital was upgraded to a 100-bed hospital in 2000 and had no facilities of the gynaecologist, surgeon, physician and an anaesthetist, the Chief Minister assured that a gynaecologist, physician and an anaesthetist would be posted there shortly.

The Chief Minister said during his winter sojourn to this region the Gaggal airport would be declared open for the bigger aircraft in order to boost tourism in the area.

He said the airport was ready for the same and it was waiting for the Union Minister for Civil Aviation to inaugurate it.

He was accompanied by ministers and chairmen of boards and corporations.

Shimla, January 6
Governor V.S. Kokje today stressed the need for educating masses, especially the youth, about the latest advancements in the field of forensic science technology.

The Governor, during his interaction with scientists and forensic experts at the HP State Forensic Science Laboratory at Junga, said awareness among the masses could help in preserving evidence before the arrival of the police and forensic experts.

He suggested that awareness camps and lectures about forensic science should be arranged at schools and colleges to educate students. "The chemical examination of forensic science laboratories play an important role in getting justice to the people in courts and helps police and judiciary to prosecute the criminals," he stated.

He appreciated the quality of examination and high standards of scientific methods adopted at the state-of-the-art laboratory. 

Kangra, January 6
The Public Works Department (PWD) and the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department have locked horns over certain estimates submitted by the former to the latter for payment as regards the Kangra sewerage scheme.

Following controversy, the PWD stopped the IPH Department from laying sewerage along the Guptganga-Tehsil Chowk road on December 30.

The foundation stone for the Rs 9.22-crore scheme was laid by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on January 17, 2004.

However, even after three years, the scheme was faced with stumbling blocks.

The PWD has stopped the IPH Department from laying sewerage along the said road as the IPH Department has failed to make payments to the PWD.

Mr Palia, Executive Engineer, PWD, Kangra division, said the IPH Department had not deposited Rs 6.5 lakh with the PWD and the department had no option but to get the work stopped.

He said the IPH Department had made the payments to the local municipal authorities, while the PWD had been ignored.

He said the IPH Department would be allowed to carry on the work as soon as payment was made to the PWD. The amount was around Rs 6.5 lakh, he added.

Mr Mukul, Executive Engineer, IPH, said, “We will make payment to the department shortly.”

He had no reason as to why the payment had been delayed.

Meanwhile, resentment prevails among the residents of Vivekananda Vihar on the Dharamsala road and Bajreshwari Vihar on the Kacheri road for not covering these localities under the sewerage plan.

The Vivekananda Vihar Development Committee had even approached the IPH Minister in that connection, but to no avail. Residents of both these localities today demanded that their areas be included in the sewerage plan.

Solan, January 6
The Irrigation, Public Health and Urban Development Minister, Mr Kaul Singh Thakur, has instructed all Superintending Engineers to regularise the services of those daily wagers who had completed eight years in service and attained the age of 45 years.

About 16 such daily wagers of the Nahan Irrigation and Public Health circle were regularised in December last year. But, the notification was withdrawn after 10 days. The minister said a few daily wagers did not fulfil the required qualification and hence were not regularised. Such cases he said would be discussed in the Cabinet.

While expressing concern over the indiscriminate exploitation of the ground water in the industrial area of the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh he said, “ The Management and Control of Underground Water Act had been constituted and would be notified soon”. He said use of ground water for the commercial, industrial or agricultural purpose would be liable for royalty payment. A 12-member committee had been constituted under the chairmanship of the Engineer-in-Chief. This committee would accord or refuse permission for the use of ground water.

Further, he said a sewage disposal plant would be constructed by the Nalagarh Baddi Barotiwala Industrial Development Authority. Rs 25 crore had been allocated for it, he added.

Shimla, January 6
A sensitisation workshop on human development was organised by the Himachal Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) in collaboration with the Planning Commission and the UNDP here today.

Inaugurating it, Chief Secretary S.S. Parmar said the life of people of Himachal Pradesh had improved considerably in terms of different indices of human development.

He added that the process of economic growth and changes in production structure had a significant impact on the living standards of the hill people.

“The sex ratio in the state is also high despite being surrounded by states where the same has been a cause of concern,” he said.

He added that focus on different aspects of human development could reduce the poverty level and bring about more equitable distribution of income.

Mr R. Sridharan, Joint Secretary, Planning Commission of India, delivered a lecture on the need for strengthening activities focusing human development. 

Kangra, January 6
The Badoh area in the Nagrota Bagwan constituency of this subdivision will be developed as a tourist destination and Rs 50 lakh will be spent on the project.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today announced this while addressing a public meeting at Sarotri in the Changer area of Nagrota Bagwan on the second day of his winter sojourn. He said the state government was identifying unexplored tourist destinations to develop these in a planned manner. Badoh was one such destination that had the potential for tourism promotion activities, he added.

The government was making endeavours to develop it for attracting tourists, besides generating employment avenues for the people.

He said the state government would provide financial grant to degree colleges being operated in private sector to meet their financial liabilities as they were supplementing the endeavours of the state government in providing higher education to students of the Changer area.

He also laid the foundation stone of an ITI building at Sarotri to be constructed at a cost of Rs 7.30 crore.

He said employment avenues were being generated in government and private sectors. The process to recruit anganwari workers at 11,000 newly approved centres was in progress. Around 22,000 rural women would be provided employment, he added.

He said the social welfare sector had been accorded top priority and 48 per cent of the budget allocation earmarked for the same. He said 2,12,250 aged, widows and physically challenged persons were getting social security pension. The state government was spending Rs 54 crore annually on social security pension, he added.

He said the areas of Punjab that were merged in Himachal in 1966 were the most backward areas of Punjab and had cultural and social affinity with the old Himachal area and concerted efforts were made for their development thereafter. He said the development took place at accelerated pace after 1966 and the merged areas had become the most progressive and developed areas in all respects.

He announced construction of three additional rooms at Government High School, Badoh, besides installation of five hand pumps in the Changer area. He also announced Rs 15,000 for the promotion of cultural activities in the school.

Earlier, he dedicated the Sera Thana Augmented Water Supply Scheme to the people. The project has been completed at a cost of Rs 2.82 crore for 33 villages, covering a population of around 31,000.