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Worker dies in firing at Shoghi unit
Eco-norms
Rogi Kalyan Samitis can hire pvt docs
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Early monsoon sinks farmers’ hopes
Dalai Lama’s envoys leave for China
Owners of packaging units hold protest
Rare heart procedure performed at IGMC
MLA takes Butail to task
Mandi ZP chairman, vice-chairman unseated
Presentation on anti-hail guns
BSP leader charged with blackmailing
Stir by power board staff from tomorrow
7 IPS officers shifted
J&K decision flayed
Rich on BPL list?
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Worker dies in firing at Shoghi unit
Shimla, June 30 The incident took place around 4 p.m. when the workers, who wanted to hand over a memorandum to the MD of the company, were prevented from meeting him. This led to resentment among the workers who protested, leading to the opening of fire by personal security guards of the management. Amarjeet Singh (24) of Mashobra died on the spot. Four others-- Ashok, Pankaj, Sunil, all from Shoghi, and Ravikant from Nalagarh-- sustained serious injuries and have been admitted to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC). There was tension in the entire area around Shoghi as most of the workers in the factory are locals. The infuriated workers along with locals went on the rampage following the firing as they damaged five buses and one ambulance owned by the management. The MD’s Scorpio was set on fire. Traffic was blocked on the national highway for almost three hours till 6.30 p.m. The police has arrested eight persons, including Brajesh Kumar, Akhilesh, Ghanesh, Mritunjaya, Ananad Prakash, who opened fire with pistols and revolvers. Three others Vinay Kumar, Gireshwar and manager of the company Vijay Kumar Tripathi have also been arrested. The police is looking for two others who are on the run. R.M. Sharma, SP, said “a case has been registered under the Arms Act and all five weapons, which were licensed, have been seized,” he said. There had been unrest among the workers for the past some time over wages and the dismissal of nine employees about a month back. The workers held a gate meeting around 3 p.m after which they went to hand over their memorandum to the MD. The police said when they were prevented by security guards from meeting the MD, the workers got agitated. In the ensuing scuffle, the security guards opened fire. |
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Eco-norms
Sundernagar, June 30 An application for diversion of forestland (around 4.825 hectare) was forwarded to the Ministry of Environment and Forests that cleared it on January 29 this year. The project authorities started work in Barnali and Lanjhnu forests. Last month, it came to the notice of the department that the project authorities were violating provisions of the Forest Act. The Drang RO pointed out that the company had dumped 280 cubic metre debris in the Uhal river. Moreover, construction had been undertaken in Barnali and Lanjhnu forest areas. Eighteen trees were also felled in violation of a ban imposed by the state government after a ruling of the high court. The project authorities had also not raised any boundary wall to mark company’s area. These violations came to notice during the demarcation process on May 8. The company, on the other hand, said it had paid fee for felling 95 trees as per the existing laws and that it was not earlier aware of the high court order as regards felling of trees. The company had already moved the high court for felling of the trees, officials said. According to Mandi DFO Kunal Satyarthi, reports have been filed in the case and the authorities directed to stop work immediately. On the other hand, site in charge of the company Rajinder Sharma said they had not received any direction as regards stopping the project work. “The forest authorities had directed us not to cut trees, so we
have moved the high court for getting permission for the same. No trees have been damaged by us,” he claimed. The work on the project was going on, he maintained. A recent visit to the spot revealed that the project work was on and the debris was being dumped by the side of the Uhal river. The Drang RO said action would be initiated against the company if the work was going on at the project site despite a direction to the contrary. |
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Rogi Kalyan Samitis can hire pvt docs
Shimla, June 30 In its meeting on June 27, the Cabinet authorised these samitis to engage private practitioners or retired doctors to tide over the shortage of specialists. The private doctors can be engaged either on per case basis or daily remunerations. The effective implementation of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) is also being affected due to the shortage of specialists. Although there is a shortage of doctors in most of the faculties, the situation is grave in the fields of gynaecology, obstetrics and anaesthesia wings. As compared to a minimum requirement of 50 anaesthetists in the state, the government has only 17, excluding those posted in medical colleges. “With the Rogi Kalyan Samitis being now authorised to engage services of private doctors, at least emergency and routine cases would be dealt with at the district and sub-divisional level,” said Rajeev Sharma, mission director of the NRHM. The samitis would be provided Rs 75,000 out of which Rs 25,000 would be the untied fund while the remaining would be utilised as maintenance grant. The money at the disposal of the samitis can be used for hiring services of private doctors. In order to tackle the problem of shortage of doctors in various health institutions, the government has decided to hold surgical camps at places where geographical conditions and other limitations poses problem. One such camp was held in April at Bharmour in Chamba while the other will start at Udaipur in Lahaul-Spiti from July 2. Sixtythree gynaecology and 50 eye surgeries were done at the surgical camp at Bharmour. More such camps will be organised in future so that routine cases can be dealt with locally in the absence of a regular specialist. To increase involvement and responsibility of the samiti, the Cabinet also took a decision to make it more representative. Now representatives of the beopar mandal, panchayat, NGOs and other organisations associated with blood donation would be included in the samitis. |
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Early monsoon sinks farmers’ hopes
Kumarhatti, June 30 In fact, the markets that usually buzzed with the arrival of farmers by this time, wore a deserted look. The crop had suffered badly on account of heavy moisture in the earth caused by the untimely rain, rued a local farmer. In fact, unexpected rains in the sowing season had affected the growth of plants. Also the lack of temperature required for fruit setting dashed all hopes of healthy produce, growers lamented. There were all possibilities to face water-borne diseases, farmers expressed apprehension. They feared that the outbreak of diseases could deliver a big blow to the crop. Downpour in coming days could damage the hybrid varieties of tomatoes that were grown on a large scale in the region. In some pockets, the crop had already suffered serious losses due to the ‘Buckeye Rot’ disease. According to agriculture experts, ‘Buckeye Rot’ occurs when temperature falls at night after heavy rainfall during the day. Though the disease was common, it was the lack of knowledge among growers on how to tackle it that spelled doom, pointed out experts. The impact of ‘Buckeye Rot’ disease on the tomato crop could be reduced if the growers followed the recommended spray regularly, opined experts. Meanwhile, the roadside vendors, who set their makeshift vends along the Kalka-Shimla national highway to offer local pahari produce to crossing motorists every year, were finding it hard to get adequate supply of vegetables. |
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Dalai Lama’s envoys leave for China
Dharamsala, June 30 Sources said the envoys would take up with the Chinese government the alleged crackdown on the protestors in Tibet. The Tibetans in exile has given up the demand for complete freedom from China who are now demanding an autonomous region comprising three Tibetan provinces under Chinese sovereignty. The envoys will be accompanied by senior assistants Sonam N. Dagpo and Bhuchung K. Tsering, both members of the Tibetan task force on Sino-Tibetan negotiations and Jigmey Passang, from the secretariat of the Tibetan task force. |
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Teachers to hold rally on July 4
Shimla, June 30 The PTA appointees whose strike entered the eighth day today have cautioned the government that with each passing day the protesters are getting more restless. “In case there is any law and order problem on July 4, the government will be responsible as it is acting with a feeling of vendetta,” said Vivek Mehta, president of the union. Meanwhile, the Shimla PTA Lecturers and Teachers Union today took out a protest rally and held a demonstration outside the secretariat in support of their demands. Over 1,000 PTA teachers from Shimla district assembled at Kali Bari Hall to discuss the situation arising out of the strike. They took out a procession through the capital which culminated into a rally outside the secretariat. They also blocked traffic outside secretariat for over one hour. In fact the situation became tense after there was a minor scuffle with police personnel present there. Timely intervention by the SDM (Urban) and senior police functionaries prevented the situation from getting worse. Shimla district unit president Bhupneder Singh said with the government not showing any signs of resolving the issue, they had been left with no option but to adopt a path of confrontation. |
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Owners of packaging units hold protest
Solan, June 30 With the federation putting on halt supply of all packaging material in the region, the delivery of various products to other regions has been hit. About 70 manufacturers took out a vehicle rally from Barotiwala to Baddi through Jharmajri in protest against the alleged indifferent attitude of MNCs. Federation members said a national-level meeting of the federation would be held on July 8 and if the issue remained unresolved, they would proceed on a nationwide strike from July 10. Vice-president of the federation Mukesh Jain said the manner in which the prices of various commodities, including paper, had gone up by Rs 2 to Rs 3 per kg in a short interval of about two months had put immense strain on them. This had put an added strain of 10 to 15 per cent on the cost of boxes. With minimum wages of workers also going up, the industry had been left at the mercy of the MNCs. Items like stitching wire had also recorded an enhancement of around 250 per cent over the past few months and all this had rendered the packaging industry un-remunerative. There are around 200 such units in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial area and at least 50 per cent of these were being run by Himachalis after raising loans. The MNCs do not adhere to the time-bound payment schedule of 45 days as laid down by the Reserve Bank of India. Rather, these companies make payments after 90 to 120 days. According to an estimate, each of these units has suffered losses worth lakhs and it has become difficult for unit owners to supply packaging material at the prevailing rates. General secretary Suhail Narang, president L.S.Verma, vice-president Shushil Singla and Rakesh Sharma said they had only stopped dispatches to units for three days while production would continue. Though packaging cost only 2 per cent of the total cost, the MNCs exploited the small sector packagers and instead of promoting them routed packaging material from outside. The situation was aggravated by inappropriate calculation of conversion charges by the MNCs. The federation has urged the government to intervene and ensure settlement of their genuine grievances. |
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Rare heart procedure performed at IGMC
Shimla, June 30 Associate professor Rajeev Bhardwaj performed the procedure on 53-year-old Shakuntala Devi. She had been referred with chest pain and the echocardiography confirmed a hole in the heart. Dr Bhardwaj performed the procedure called atrial septal defect (ASD) on June 27 without any surgery or incision. This was done in cardiac catheterization laboratory by the angiographic technique. “The procedure lasted about half an hour under local anesthesia with the patient being fully conscious,” said Dr Bhardwaj. A device called amplatzer ASD closure device was implanted in the defect successfully. The echocardiography, repeated on June 28, confirmed complete closure of the defect and the patient was discharged within a day of admission. Dr Bhardwaj was assisted by senior resident Rajeev Marwah. |
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MLA takes Butail to task
Palampur, June 30 When the BJP assumed power in the state in December, 2007, the condition of roads and water supply schemes was bad which had got better in the past three months. Besides, it also succeeded in getting more funds for expansion of the road network in the state from the Centre. Parveen Sharma said the Palampur constituency was allocated Rs 1629.23 lakh in the latest budget as against merely Rs 589.73 lakh when the Congress was in power and Butail was an MLA. Butail had been misleading the residents of Palampur by quoting wrong figures that Rs 60 lakh meant for development works in panchayats of the Palampur constituency had lapsed. He said in fact no such amount was ever sanctioned by the Deputy Commissioner, Kangra. He also produced evidence to this effect in the press conference. He cautioned Butail against indulging in mudslugging and defaming the BJP government. Parveen Sharma said as far as the hospital building was concerned, the state government had already sanctioned Rs 2.20 crore for its completion and funds were with the PWD. After the rainy season Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal would inaugurate this building. Besides, Rs 50 lakh had also been sanctioned for residential accommodation to doctors. A sum of Rs 20 crore had been given to the HPSEB by the BJP government for a better power supply system in Palampur. |
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Mandi ZP chairman, vice-chairman unseated
Mandi, June 30 After the unseating of the Congress-dominated ZP, state BJP president Jai Ram Thakur said it was a victory of the democratic process today. The BJP had a majority in the house but the then Congress government in 2005 managed to get both seats for its candidates. The BJP now has 20 members against the Congress’ 14 members in the ZP, he claimed. Thakur said that party had
decided to give 50 per cent representation to women in panchayati raj institutions. The party had implemented 33 per cent quota for women in the state executive and a similar exercise would be done at the district and mandal levels, Thakur added that party was ready to face the Lok Sabha poll and would decide its candidates in July. |
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Presentation on anti-hail guns
Shimla, June 30 Robert Sessler showed how the latest technology was being effectively used for preventing losses caused by hailstorms in various parts of the world, particularly in France, Mexico and European countries. He said his company was ready to transfer the technology to India and proposed to set up its units in Himachal
Pradesh. |
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BSP leader charged with blackmailing
Nurpur, June 30 Their complaint has been supported by an audio CD in which the conversation between the BSP leader and Pritam Singh, who was negotiating with him for the amount of money to be given by the complainants to the accused for withdrawing his complaint. The complainants also released an audio CD along with copies of the complaint. DSP Bidhi Chand Verma said the complaint had been forwarded to the police for investigation. |
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Stir by power board staff from tomorrow
Hamirpur, June 30 This was decided in a workshop organised yesterday to make its employees aware about the perilous impact of the Electricity Act, 2003, and was attended by leaders of All-India Power Employees Union from Haryana and Punjab, besides employees of the state board. Addressing the workshop, Devinder Singh Hooda, president of the Haryana Power Corporation Employees Union (HPCEU) , said the trifurcation of the Haryana electricity board had adversely affected the service conditions of the employees. Hooda also talked about its other pitfalls. Harbhajan Singh, vice-president of the Punjab State Electricity Board Union, Jagtar Singh and members of the power employee’s joint forum, also addressed the workshop. |
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7 IPS officers shifted
Shimla, June 30 A.K. Sood, ADGP (headquarters) has been posted as ADGP, Home Guards. Ravinder Kumar, on return from leave, has been posted as DIG (Leave Reserve). Jog Raj Thakur, DIG (northern range) at Dharamsala has been posted as DIG (training) at Sukoh. Ashok Kumar has been posted as DIG (Railway and Traffic). P.L. Thakur, DIG (central range) has been posted as DIG (PTR and CTS), Shimla. Venugopal, on his return from the Centre, has been posted as commandant, 4th India Reserve Battalion, Jungle Berry. |
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J&K decision flayed
Shimla, June 30 In a statement issued here today, state BJP chief Jai Ram Thakur said the Congress-led state government and the Centre had done so to appease the minorities. “It is suspiring how the creation of temporary facilities for two months for the pilgrims could lead to resentment,” he said. He said the decision to drop the move for transfer of land had hurt the sentiments of lakhs of Hindu pilgrims who consider the Amarnath yatra as the most sacred. |
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Rich on BPL list?
Bilaspur, June 30 They have urged Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal and the district administration to order a probe into the episode. In a representation given to the DC, they have named the villager and said that he owned a five-room pucca house, a cow shed and modern equipment like fridge, fans, television, mobile phone, LPG connection etc. They have demanded that strict action should be taken against those behind the irregularity as the same was done despite protests by
residents of the village. |
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Post withdrawn
Shimla, June 30 |
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Youth drowned
Kangra, June 30 |
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