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Cabinet clears posts of Parliamentary Secy
Is Kangra district becoming unsafe for minor girls?
Kasauli Planning Area extended by 9 villages
Kangra liquor trade on verge of collapse
Six nabbed, 17 kg charas seized
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Separate housing corporation for govt colonies likely
15 injured in bus mishap
Teachers want retirement age raised
Proclaimed offender
arrested
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Cabinet clears posts of Parliamentary Secy
Shimla, February 6 The Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, here today, approved creation of eight posts of CPSs and four of PSs. There were as many CPSs and PSs in position when the state High Court had quashed the appointments in August 2005 on the ground that the Chief Minister had no power to make such appointments. The matter is now pending with the Supreme Court. The government had last year enacted a legislation to take care of the legal infirmities pointed out in the verdict of the High Court. The posts have been created on its basis. As the matter is still in the apex court, it remains to be seen whether the government goes ahead with the appointments. Logically all those, whose appointment was set aside, will have to be accommodated but the number of aspirants is more. Further, a ministerial berth is also vacant and as such the entire exercise will have to be carried out in one go. The Cabinet also approved one Retention Policy for the entire state of Himachal Pradesh, which would be applicable within the Himachal Urban Development Authority jurisdictions under which construction carried up to June 30, 2006, would be regularised up to five storeys, irrespective of the number of storeys above the road. However, thereafter, on the valley side, all buildings would be restricted to a height of 1.5 metre above the road-level. They must have 45 degree slanting roofs. Time limit for receipt of applications has been extended up to February 28, 2007 and they will be disposed of by March 31, 2007. It also approved 12.5 per cent value added tax (VAT) on resin, khair, eucalyptus and poplar trees and reduced the component of VAT exemption from existing Rs 4 and Rs 2 per litre on petrol and diesel, respectively to Rs 2 and Re 1 per litre as the prices of both the commodities had been reduced by Rs 2 and Re 1 per litre. The document for auction-cum-tender of multipurpose barriers in the state for 2007-08 was also approved. In another significant decision the Cabinet approved creation of “victim welfare fund” with a corpus of Rs 5 lakh to provide financial assistance to the victims from the wages earned by prisoners undergoing punishment for various crimes like murder, rape, culpable homicide and dowry-related deaths. The wages earned by the convicted prisoners would be divided into three parts. While 35 per cent of the wage earned by the convicts in a month would be deposited in the fund in a separate bank account for one-time compensation to be paid to the victims of offence, another 35 per cent would go to the Prisoners Welfare Fund and the remaining 30 per cent would be paid to the actual wage earner, which he would be free to spend on his personal requirements. It granted sanction for filling of 1,168 posts of various categories in different departments which included 900 posts of Home Guard, 175 posts of Assistant Sub Inspector, 40 posts of Radiographer, 23 posts in Central Testing Laboratory, Kandaghat, 13 posts of different categories in the State Commission and District Forums, 11 posts of driver besides reviving the six abolished posts of the Assistant Town Planner. It decided to open a new polytechnic college in Chamba from next academic session with five disciplines of electrical engineering, electronics and communication, electricals and electronics, mechanical engineering and computer science. It approved upgradation of four posts of Senior Scale Stenographer to that of Personal Assistants in the offices of president of district forums at Shimla, Mandi, Kangra and Una. The Recruitment and Promotion Rules for the post of Controller (Weights and Measures) Class-I, Gazetted and Personal Assistant, Class-II in the Food and Civil Supplies Department, Legal Assistant, Class-II in Labour and Empowerment Department were also cleared and two ambulances were sanctioned for trauma centre at the IGMC, Shimla. It also decided to grant land on lease basis for 99 years to the local Sacred Heart Convent School, Tara Hall. Sanction was also granted to purchase 12 vehicles in different departments. |
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Is Kangra district becoming unsafe for minor girls?
Dharamsala, February 6 An attempt was made to rape a five-year-old girl at Saukni Da Kot village adjoining the district headquarters on Sunday. Sources in the police revealed that the girl was sexually assaulted by a neighbour when her parents were not at home. The police has arrested the culprit and begun further investigations. A similar case had come to light on January 25 in the Yol Cantonment area where another five-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old youth who was also arrested by the police and is presently under judicial custody. Last week, a minor girl of Samlot village (Mandi) had alleged that she was raped in Kangra district by some persons and forced into the flesh trade. Two women have been arrested in this regard and further investigations are in progress by the Palampur police. Apart from these recent cases, the figures of rape, abduction and other crimes committed against minor girls during the past year also indicate that minor girls are unsafe in the district. As many as 11 minor girls were reported raped and 15 reported abducted in Kangra district during 2006. One case of molestation was also registered. Almost a dozen cases of concealment of birth and two cases of unnatural offence had also been reported during the same period. Although the police has of late launched a drive in the district to educate the society and children on preventive measures of sexual abuse, this programme is restricted only to schools where the gathering is easily available to deliver lectures and provide martial arts training. Hamlets and towns that are fast mushrooming in the wake of industrialisation of the hill state almost remain neglected. Thousands of poor children in the state do not go to school or are admitted to schools at the age of six or seven years. They live in vulnerable areas where the accessibility of state agencies is almost negligible.
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Kasauli Planning Area extended by 9 villages
Shimla, February 6 The latest notification issued by the government last week,will limit the scope of multi-storeyed buildings, most of them real estate ventures in the surroundings of Kasauli. It had come to the notice of the government that a large number of persons were dabbling in real estate under the garb of setting up tourism projects. The nine villages which will now form part of the Kasauli Planning Area are
Dochi, Nadol, Jangeshu, Nalhog, Tipra, Khagret, Uprli Gagudi, Nichli Hangudi and Jagjitnagar.With the inclusion of these nine villages, the total number of villages under the Kasauli Planning Area has gone up to 35. Prior to this, there were 26 revenue villages, along with the whole of Kasauli town, which formed the Kasauli Planning Area. However, the cantonment area is excluded from the planning area as the regulations of the Town and Country Planning Act are not applicable in the area with the Army. The notification extending the limits of the Kasauli Planning Area is significant in view of the fact that the High Court had directed the government to prepare a Greater Kasauli Plan, so that indiscriminate construction activity even in the vicinity area can be checked. “The notification for the inclusion of these nine villages has been issued and within a few months we will have the development plan of these additional areas also ready,” said a senior official. A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the High Court by some prominent citizens under the banner of Save Kasauli Society. They have been demanding a complete ban on haphazard construction activity and more specifically real estate ventures, which would not just spoil the fragile ecology of the area, but also strain its limited civic resources like water. |
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Kangra liquor trade on verge of collapse
Palampur, February 6 Sources reveal that the entire liquor trade is passing through a serious
crisis. Most of liquor contractors in the district did not clear their licence fee arrears and bid money pertaining to the current financial year by January 31,2007, a deadline fixed by the State Excise and Taxation Commissioner. Though the department has been making efforts to collect the outstanding licence fee and bid money from the
contractors, the contractors have been pleading helplessness as they have been facing losses year after year and have already exhausted their capital invested in the trade. It may be recalled that because of the high rates of IMF and country- made liquor in Kangra and other adjoining districts of the state, the liquor mafia has expanded its network in Kangra district in the past two
years. With a sudden rise in the sale of smuggled liquor to Kangra, the state is losing Rs 60-80 on an average in the sale of one bottle. Official sources confirmed that smugglers had been causing a net revenue loss of Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh to the state exchequer every month. In Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, an ordinary brand bottle of liquor is cheaper by Rs 50 to Rs 60 as compared to Himachal Pradesh. Therefore, the smugglers buy liquor from these states and sell it in Himachal
Pradesh. Police sources say in the past one year, over 60 cases of liquor smuggling were registered in the district. Talking to newsmen here today, Mr Onkar Rana, a leading wine contractor and member of State Liquor Contractors
Association, said smugglers had expanded their network and were flourishing in their business in Kangra. |
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Six nabbed, 17 kg charas seized
Banjar (Kulu), February 6 What has surprised the anti-narcotics experts is that the police did not recover lakhs which allegedly “changed hands in the contraband deal”, revealed sources. “Since the police nabbed the contact person, but money between Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh was not recovered in operation, raising a finger on the police”. In fact, the Kulu police arrested six persons, identified as Lakhwinder Singh, Gurmit Singh, Lakhwinder Singh-(II), Dharampal Singh, Rajinder Singh and Surjit Singh — all from Sangrur yesterday under the NDPS Act after the police recovered 17 kg of charas from them near Sai Ropa near here in Banjar subdivision of the district. The police also nabbed an alleged “contact person”, identified as Lal Singh of Tinder village in remote area of Bathhad, one of the most backward area of the district where villagers cultivate cannabis to produce charas. Superintendent of Police, Kulu GD Bhargava said: “The police has recovered Rs 50,000 from the six persons but nothing from the contact person. Investigation is on and the police expects to arrest more persons in this connection”. To whether or not the money was exchanged between the “contact person” and the six accused in the case, who were on their way to Sangrur in their Indica car after they allegedly bought the consignment worth over Rs 30 lakh in Banjar area that day. Mr Bhargava said a search was on as a chain of smugglers was involved in such deals. “We are investigating the case in this direction”.
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Separate housing corporation for govt colonies likely
Shimla, February 6 This was stated by Mr Virbhadra
Singh, Chief Minister, while reviewing the working of the HP Public Service Commission here today. He said his government was committed to the welfare of its employees who had been contributing significantly in the implementation of the policies and programmes of the government. He said all-out effort was being made to safeguard the interests of all employees and deliver them the best of the benefits compared to employees in the adjoining states. Mr Virbhadra Singh said whenever in power he had made it a point to develop sufficient number of new housing colonies for state employees, right from the state headquarters down to the village level. He said the proposed corporation would be assigned the development work of the government housing colonies in a big way.There was no dearth of funding agencies which could be approached for acquisition of funds for the construction of the colonies. The Chief Minister directed the authorities to requisition the services of an agency to undertake a detailed survey to assess the immediate requirement of the residential accommodation for employees of all categories. He said the possibility of relocating the Sadar Police Station of Shimla at a more convenient place would be explored. |
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15 injured in bus mishap
Kulu, February 6 one of the injured was identified as Murat Ram (36), a son of Urbu Ram, who has been referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. The others were admitted to the Regional Hospital here. They were Roop Lal (46), a son of Sanju Ram, Gulab Chand (55), a son of Kaltu Ram, Nanak Chand (48), a son of Surat Ram, Kumari Bhavna (17), a daughter of Ram Singh, Pushpa Devi (20), wife of Thakur Dass, Rekha (20), wife of Ram Lal, Nupi Devi (55), wife of Molu Ram, Lal Singh (33), a son of Bhag Chand, Diva Thakur (17), a son of Tej Ram, Khushal Chand (32), a son of Poshu Ram, Sarla (21), wife of Surender Singh, Tek Chand (22), a son of Poshu Ram, Yashodha (17), a daughter of Mool Chand, and Ram Lal (19), a son of Shubu Ram. The cause of the accident was stated to be a technical fault as per the police. The district administration gave relief of Rs 1,000 each to the injured and Rs 20,000 to the seriously injured.
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Teachers want retirement age raised
Nurpur, February 6 Mr Onkar Rana, district president of the union, in a statement here today said that raising the retirement age would make teachers more experienced, brilliant and affective in the profession. He also sought an amendment to the pension rules and 50 per cent pension after 20 years of service instead of the present 33 years. He also demanded an increase in the medical allowance from Rs 40 to Rs 350 per month. Mr Rana urged the Central Government to increase the income tax exemption limit from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.50 lakh. |
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Proclaimed offender
arrested
Mandi, February 6 The proclaimed offender has been identified as Gopal Singh, a son of Dangnu Ram, resident of Shivabadar in the Drang constituency in the district. He had been dodging the police since 2004 after the court had declared him a proclaimed offender in a hit-and-run case in which the victim had died in 1998, according to the SP, Mandi, Mr M. Chander Sekhar. |
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