Shimla, July 28
The Cabinet today decided to regularise the services of 2,667 daily-wage workers in the Forest Department and the state Forest Corporation along with 1,626 vidya upasaks in the Education Department.

The decision to regularise the services of all eligible-daily wagers was taken at the meeting of the state Cabinet chaired by chief minister Virbhadra Singh, here today. The Cabinet granted nod for the creation of 9,138 posts in various departments, boards and corporations which includes regularisation of daily wagers.

Majority of the posts have been created in the departments of health and education. It also approved the merger of Kinnar Kailash Power Corporation and Pabbar valley Power Corporation set up by the state electricity board into Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited.

Fulfilling its commitment of regularizing the services of daily wagers, the Cabinet approved regularization of services of 1,637 daily wagers in the Forest Department by creating equal number of class IV posts and 1,030 daily wagers of the HP State Forest Corporation and to absorb them in various department against vacant posts.

In another significant decision, the Cabinet approved the regularization of services of 1,626 vidya upasaks, subject to completion of training and award of special JBT certificates against the posts of JBT in the Elementary Education Directorate. Along with this, 39 TTC trained from St Bede’s College and 174 trained JBT’s from Ramakrishana Teachers Training Institute, Kullu would be appointed on contract basis.

The cabinet also approved creation and filling up of 1,787 posts of teaching and non-teaching staff for the newly opened and upgraded 235 middle, and high and 18 senior secondary schools. It also approved 1,311 posts of teaching and non-teaching in various degrees colleges.

The Cabinet also approved reduction in prices of essential commodities. The above poverty-line families would now get rice at Rs 9 per kg instead of Rs 9.40 per kg and wheat flour at Rs 8 per kg instead of Rs 8.65 per kg fixed earlier. The scale of edible oils has been increased from one litre to two litre per ration card for all categories.

The card holders will also have the option of purchasing either mustard oil or refined oil at a rate of Rs 45 and Rs 40 per kg respectively, which was earlier being sold at Rs 50 per kg. The rate of cereals has also been fixed at Rs 25 for dal urd and Rs 25 for dal chana per kg, while card holders would get additional subsidy of Rs 5 per kg on each dal.

The Cabinet also decided to implement the 85th constitutional amendment with retrospective effect from June 17, 1995, without the concept of creamy-layer condition. As a consequence no reversions would take place in any category and if necessary posts would be created to avoid reversions.

In order to promote rain water harvesting, the Cabinet decided to launch a scheme for giving incentives in the shape of grant-in-aid to the best performing panchayats. Under the scheme Rs 5 lakh would be given to the best performing panchayat at the state level, Rs 3 lakh at the district level and Rs 1 lakh to the best gram panchayat.

The Cabinet approved the introduction of pension scheme for the HP State Civil Supplies Corporation. Permission was granted for opening of ITI’s at Baroh In Kangra, Thalout in Mandi, Garnota in Chamba and Swarghat in Bilaspur.

It also decided to take over the privately managed 95 per cent-aided Indira Gandhi High School, Shehrol in district Solan, alongwith taking over the services of the eligible staff.

Dharamsala, July 28
The zonal hospital here that caters to the medical requirements of almost half the population of Kangra district was in a major crisis. All staff and machinery of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College and Hospital earlier housing in the zonal hospital building have been shifted to the newly constructed building of the college at Tanda, 25 km from the district headquarters.

All surgeons, from the Orthopedics Department, besides, hundreds of other medical, para-medical and non-medical staff have been shifted to the new building of the medical college that is yet to become operational

Almost half of the doctors in each department of the zonal hospital till recently were taken from the faculty of the medical college and many equipments of the college were also in use for diagnosis and surgery.

An official of the Health Department said, shortage of staff had cropped up in the zonal hospital after the shifting of the medical college staff in the new building.

With the shifting process of the college almost completed this week, there were now apprehensions that the zonal hospital might be downsized to a civil hospital in the absence of adequate staff and too little funds being made available for the supply of free medicines to the poor people. 

Hamirpur, July 28
Though the Health and Irrigation and Health departments take steps to put a check on water-borne diseases every year, the spread of diarrhoea, jaundice and viral fever has become perennial with the number of cases being reported in the district alone.

About 300 cases of water-borne diseases were reported from July 9 to July 18, and many patients came to health centers for treatment, while a large number resorted to traditional medicines.

The number of patients suffering from vomiting, loose motions and fever increases manifold with the onset of monsoons. While the Health Department is carrying Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) round the year under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the IPH department has launched the Capacity and Communication Development (CCE) programme, the lack of awareness among people is considered as the main culprit for this problem.

Kumarhatti, July 28
The SDO, PWD, National Highway, had to face the wrath of villagers of Bagbania village near Nalagarh today for showing slackness in repairing a damaged bridge on the Pinjore- Swarghat national highway.

The PWD official was gheraoed by some 30 to 40 villagers seeking immediate repair of the bridge. The villagers were enraged when the traffic was disrupted on the highway after a cement-laden truck veered-off the bridge, hitting its damaged portion on Tuesday morning.

The traffic was to be diverted through the khad as the PWD started the repair work on the damaged portion. The traffic was disrupted yesterday when two light vehicles got stuck in the khad following heavy rain in the area. The vehicles were piled up on both sides of road.

The villagers took control of the situation and helped the police in easing out the traffic Till late last night, the villagers led by panchayat pradhan, Dev Raj remained at the site and helped the vehicles in crossing the spot.

The SDO was allowed to proceed after the villagers were assured that the bridge would open for the traffic today. The villagers themselves camped at the site, to see that the work was completed.

Meanwhile, Dev Raj said the condition of the bridge had gone from bad to worse after the area witnessed unprecedented industrial growth. The bridge was constructed keeping in mind the maximum load upto nine to 10 tonne, whereas, now with the growth of industries, heavy vehicles were carrying load up to 20 tonne while crossing over the bridge, he maintained.

Baddi, July 28
Revised estimates submitted by the Punjab PWD with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to construct its 5.23-km portion of 23-km long Baddi-Chandigarh direct road could face further delay in getting the sanction from the later.

Sources in the Punjab PWD said the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways was contemplating to seek de-sanction of earlier sent estimates before the sanction of the revised estimates one.

The Punjab PWD had to send the revised estimates of Rs. 10.97 crore in November 2006 to the ministry after minimum quote in the tenders was higher than the prescribed limit .As per norms, the approved tender quote should not be more than 5 per cent from the budgetary proposal.

The road had been approved under the inter-state connectivity. While the portion of the road with Himachal and Haryana had no hassle, it was only Punjab that had failed to construct its portion. The road completion could lift economic viability of Baddi, besides facilitating inter-state commercial transportations.

Shimla, July 28
The state government was considering to construct chambers for members of the Himachal Pradesh High Court Bar Association near the court complex besides creating facilities for the visiting officials and litigants.

This was stated by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh while addressing members of the association last evening. “Keeping in view the increasing number of lawyers and the cases, the government would consider construction of a separate block for lawyers to facilitate their convenient working,” he said.

He said a joint inspection of the site would be conducted shortly and drawings prepared so that work could be executed on priority. He said funds would never be a constraint in the speedy completion of the block. “The government has provided liberal funds for the construction of the new high court complex to create the best working environment for the judicial officers, advocates and litigants,” he said.

He said the government was spending Rs 12.67 crore on upgrading of judicial infrastructure in the state so that the best possible facilities could be created for the court functioning. “The district court complex would be shifted to a more spacious and convenient location near Chakkar for which the detailed project report had been prepared and work would begin shortly,” he said.

He said the library facilities in the high court would also be improved.

Solan, July 28
The Central government’s proposal to withdraw excise benefit from drug manufacturers engaged in loan licensing has created a furore among them, with the latter accusing the government of backtracking on their previous stand.

In a clarification sought by the Confederation of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry, the Central Board of Excise and Customs, has stated that the exemptions were meant for manufacturers and it was not dependent on the fact whether such manufacturers produced these goods themselves or on job work or loan licensee basis.

The clarification further states that the manufacturers of the goods of their own brand and those marketed by other parties would be eligible for benefit of exemption available under the 2003 Central Excise benefit. This proposed move has created a direct confrontation between the drug manufacturers in excise-free and excise-laden states. Though the manufacturers in both these areas had been at loggerheads ever since the 2003, Central Excise incentives were announced but it is for the first time that a concrete move to dilute this package had been mooted by the Central government. The manufacturers rued that this abrupt move would not only offset the economics of all these units but would also lead to unemployment.

“The chunk of renowned companies who manufactured their own products were few, while a vast majority comprised those who worked under loan licensees. The proposed move would lead to their exodus from these incentive states as there would be no benefit available for them and logistics alone accounted for 2 to 5 per cent price rise” confided a leading drug manufacturer of Baddi.

Shimla, July 28
The Akhil Bharatiya War Widow Guild today sought the creation of a separate legal cell and a welfare board for war widows.

Founder of the guild Sudesh G.B. Singh today said widows of soldiers, who had died fighting the enemy, especially before the Kargil operation, were a neglected lot. “Despite various tall claims, nobody has really bothered to inquire about their condition. War widows hailing from Akhnoo, Baramullah, Uri and Ladakh are the worst sufferers,” she said.

Solan, July 28
The Kasauli police has booked Harmehtab Singh, Atma Ram and Rajkumar on the charges of forgery, cheating and other offences after a fake will prepared by the trio was presented in a Kasauli court on July 23.

The case pertains to the property dispute of late Dileshwar Singh Rarrewalla where his brothers Rameshwar Preet Singh and Jagdishwar Preet Singh had contested the claim put forth by Harmehtab Singh.

Dileshwar Singh died issueless on February 13 this year, and claims were put forth by his relatives to acquire his property at Jagjitnagar village in Kasauli tehsil.

Harmehtab filed a case in the court of CJM Kasauli claiming to be the legal heir of Dileshwar Singh. He said the will was lying in the bank locker of State Bank of Patiala at Kasauli. However, when the locker was opened after the court direction on July 5, no such will was found. Rather a fake will bearing forged signatures of Dileshwar Singh was produced in the court.