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Virbhadra for probe against Mankotia
State seeks approval for a bigger airport
Follow-up plan on IPR policy
Temple body chief held for damaging Buddha’s idol
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Tension brewing in pilgrimage centre
Scab attack on apples scares farmers
New anti-rabies vaccination technique a success
Centre ‘disabled’ for want of funds
Power board staff lambast management for irregularities
Police accused of adopting double standard
Campus interviews a great success
Sukh Ram unwilling to contest LS poll
Students stage dharna
‘Nasha Niwaran Abhiyan’ organised
Dhumal invites Tatas
Woman killed in accidental gunfire
Janmashtami mahotsava organised
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Virbhadra for probe against Mankotia
Shimla, August 24 Reacting to the statement of Mankotia demanding his arrest, he said the matter was already under the adjudication in the court of law. Mankotia had been summoned by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Shimla, in connection with a criminal case of defamation filed by him in that regard. He said he would not enter an argument with him as the matter was sub judice. He would get full opportunity in the case to prove his innocence, he said. He said Mankotia was in the habit of making false and frivolous charges. In the past also, he had filed a suit for damages against him in the high court. He did not pursue the case after Mankotia tendered an apology, which was on record. However, his assessment of Mankotia’s real character was wrong, he said. In the present case, he did not have any legal evidence to substantiate the allegations. There was no authenticated source of the alleged CD. He said he did not want to comment on the investigating agency with respect to comparison of voices but as per his knowledge of criminal jurisprudence, the question would come only when both things to be compared were original and authenticated. |
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State seeks approval for a bigger airport
Shimla, August 24 In a letter to the union minister for civil aviation, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has underlined the need for such an airport in the state to facilitate the landing of wide-bodied aircrafts. Himachal Pradesh is the only state that has no big airport to facilitate the landing of the wide-bodied aircrafts, and it was one of the main reasons for its failure to attract high-end tourists. He said a techno-economic feasibility study had been carried out for the identified site several times by experts of the Airport Authority of India and report submitted to the higher authorities. He said the proposed airport was estimated to cost about Rs 700 crore and would be a boon to the state as the Balh valley was in the heart of the state and provided connectivity to Kullu, Manali, Kangra and Shimla. Dhumal said the state was solely dependant on roads because of inadequate railway and air connectivity. The existing three airports at Jubbar Hatti (near Shimla), Bhuntar (Kullu) and Gaggal (Kangra) were small and could not cater to high-end tourists. He said the construction of the new airport would help ease congestion at the New Delhi international airport. The state had already created a vast network of helipads for the convenience of tourists, he said. |
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Follow-up plan on IPR policy
Shimla, August 24 Delivering the presidential address at a workshop on the “Registration of plant varieties - protection of farmers rights and traditional knowledge” here yesterday, principal secretary, environment and scientific technologies, Harinder Hira said the Centre should provide funds to the state for creating awareness, strengthening quality-control facilities for registered GIs and developing a foolproof mechanism to check fake products. She said an intellectual property rights policy for scientific institutions of the state would be formulated in consultation with the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC). An intellectual property right (IPR) cells would be set up to provide assistance in getting registered various varieties under the Farmers Variety Act, 2001, besides strengthening the IPR regime in the state in coordination with the Central Government’s IPR agencies. She said the state had already got registered Kullu shawls and the Kangra tea. Member secretary of the Science and Technology Council Nagin Nanda said the State Patent Information Centre would identify various farmer varieties in the state and get these registered under the Plant Variety and Farmers Right Act in consultation with the TIFAC. Adviser, union department of science & technology, R. Saha, said the Government of India had strengthened the Patent Information Centres in the states by allocating additional funds for creating awareness about IPRs. He said the Centre would provide all assistance to the State Patent Centre in formulating an IPR policy in the state. H.S. Chawla from the GB Pant University of Agriculture, Pant Nagar, gave details on the Plant Varieties and Farmer Rights Act. R.K. Chaudhary from the Indian Agriculture Research Institute, Delhi, spoke about the mechanism available to the farmers for getting varieties registered.
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Temple body chief held for damaging Buddha’s idol
Sundernagar, August 24 According to local residents, a resident of Mandi town installed a few of idols, including idol of Buddha, in the campus of Naina Devi temple in 2000 with the consent of the managing committee of the temple. It was alleged that about a month back the idol of Buddha was destroyed and removed form the campus. The person, who installed these idols, has immediately reported the matter to SP Mandi. On investigation it was found that the newly elected president of the committee was involved in the matter who was arrested by the police yesterday. According to DSP, Mandi, K.C. Rana has registered a case vide FIR No. 287/08 under Section 295, 427 and 504 of IPC. According to ASI, Rewalsar, Dole Ram, the accused has confessed the crime and stated that he had immersed the idol in two lakes of Rewalsar. Meanwhile, the representatives of three Bodh monasteries - Zigar Bodh Monastery, DK Bodh Monastery and Nigmapa Monastery - have criticised the act and termed it as mischief in order to disturb the communal harmony. A delegation of Bodh would meet tomorrow with the district administration so that such incidents will not repeate in future.
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Tension brewing in pilgrimage centre
Mandi, August 24 The Buddhists community in central region has expressed shock and concern over the removal and destruction of the idol enshrined at the sanctum of the temple at Sar Ki Dhar in 2000 by a Mandi-based Buddhist devotee. The police has charged Sharma under Sections 295, 427, 504 of the IPC but was released on the bail after filing a bond of Rs 25,000 in the court of chief judicial magistrate. Meanwhile, the Buddhists, including Tibetan refugees, living at Riwalsar, Pandoh and Sundernagar convened a meeting and decided that a delegation would meet the SP, Mandi, tomorrow. However, there is no tension in the area as the police is on alert, the SP said.
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Scab attack on apples scares farmers
Mandi, August 24 Multiplying their miseries are landslips and landslides, which have blocked link roads, halting transport of fruits to markets in the Shantha-Pabas road in Chopal. The apple blight has already infested over 70 per cent orchards in middle and higher apple-belt of Shimla, Kullu and Mandi districts for the last 15 days. This in turn has triggered the premature leaf fall. Now, the apple scab can strike the orchards as the farmers, who have less crop or have suffered the premature leaf fall have no time to control fungal attack by spraying fungicides. The farmers blamed the blight attack on mishandling of extraordinary situation created by the excessive rain and humidity since April onwards. The apple growers blamed the blight attack on “poor management of the extraordinary situation created by the excessive rain and humidity on the Horticulture Department. Scientists and the department are advising the farmers at a time when the fungus has already infested over 70 per cent orchards in the middle and the higher altitudes of the state, they rued. Panjain-Thatchi in Mandi and Jaban apple belt in Ani in Kullu district are showing signs of the apple scab. Even the apple trees located on the steeper hillsides have started uprooting due to the excessive rainfall. “Over six trees have been uprooted in my orchards”, rued Rajiv Bragta, expressing fears that the apple scab may hit the orchards as well. Prof SP Bhardwaj, a senior scientist at Dr YS Parmar Horticulture and Forestry University, Nauni, said, “The excessive moisture and humidity in the orchards have caused the blight attack called ‘marssonina blotch’. The fruit size will increase in the orchards where the leaves are intact. We have asked the farmers to reduce the spray schedule to 15 days and use the fungicides judicially”.
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New anti-rabies vaccination technique a success
Shimla, August 24 The make shift intra-dermal anti-rabies clinic and research centre set up at the local Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital started on August 2 has vaccinated over 500 patients, including 255 children of a government school, in Chopal using the new technique recommended by the World Health Organisation. The intra-dermal route enables the doctors to vaccinate five patients from a vial of vaccine, reducing cost by 70 per cent less as compared to intra-muscular vaccine. The children had to be vaccinated as a precautionary measure after the person who cooked mid-day meals at the school died following a dog-bite. The doctors were sceptical about the success of the method in view of a small number of patients who daily visited the hospital for intra-muscular anti-rabies vaccination that cost
about Rs 1,650. However, within days the number of patients rose with 20 to 25, which enabled the doctors to deliver low-cost treatment, as a vial has to be used within few hours after opening. Doctors maintain that earlier only 15 to 20 per cent patients were coming for treatment due to high
cost of vaccine. Director of health services has issued instructions to the chief medical officers to make arrangements for intra-dermal vaccination in their respective districts. The state trainers, Dr
L.S. Chadhary and Umesh Bharati, who have undergone necessary training at Kempegaura Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore, will tour the entire state to impart training to doctors. Himachal Pradesh has become the fifth state in the country to introduce intra-dermal anti-rabies vaccination. The other states are
Karnatka, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. The State Medical Officers Association has been pursuing the case for intra-dermal vaccination in view of increase in number of cases of animal bite and shortage of anti-rabies vaccine coupled with inability of poor people to pay the high
cost of vaccine. |
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Centre ‘disabled’ for want of funds
Shimla, August 24 The staff has also not received their salaries for the last one year. The ray of hope in the form of takeover move by the IGMC has also ended as it has clearly stated that rehabilitation of the disabled is the responsibility of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and not that of the hospital. The Shimla deputy commissioner, who is the chairman of the centre, has to seek funds from the Union ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. However, with the state not seeking funds from the centre, the DRC is virtually on the verge of closure. The centre, which was opened in November 2002, has been providing facilities like issuing of disability certificates, artificial limbs, speech therapy, hearing aid and other. The centre has a staff strength of seven. The Rogi Kalyan Samiit, which had initially agreed to take over the centre, too has refused to run the centre. The IGMC authorities say their task is to treat patients and not help in their rehabilitation. On the other hand, the department of Social Justice and Empowerment is of the opinion that since the grant comes directly to the DC, it is not under them.
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Power board staff lambast management for irregularities
Shimla, August 24 The management had been fully exposed in the Rs 60 crore CFL deal for which tenders had been invited seen times over a short period. The union maintained that the CFL being purchased at Rs 100 per each were available in open market at a rates ranging from Rs 25 to Rs 50 apiece. It was shocking that a reputed company like Philips had been kept out which smacked of foul play. The scheme was neither in the interest of the board nor would its consumers and it only lead to misuse of board’s funds.
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Manimahesh yatra begins
Chamba, August 24 The pilgrimage would conclude on September 8 when pilgrims and devotees will take holy dip (bath) in icy waters of the Manimahesh lake at an altitude of 4170 m. Nearly 1 lakh pilgrims, who included 1426 devotees from Bhaderwah area of Jammu and Kashmir, took bath in the Manimahesh lake, additional district magistrate of Bharmour N. K. Lath informed. The ADM, Bharmour, told that a sum of Rs 5 crore sanctioned by the Tourism Department was being spent for building infrastructure. Government officials had been directed to make all possible arrangements such as regulation of traffic, parking lots, medicines, fuel, water and electricity for facility of devotees on their way to Manimahesh. The ADM informed that langars had been allowed to 15 voluntary organisations on roadsides at different points for the facility of pilgrims. To keep the Manimahesh lake clean, no “langar” had been permitted to function in the precincts of the sacred lake.
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Police accused of adopting double standard
Nurpur, August 24 On August 13 here, activists of Hindu organisations and some BJP leaders had blocked traffic at Chogan to protest against the government’s decision of taking back of land from the Amarnath Shrine Board in Jammu and Kashmir. They had lifted blockade after one and a half hours. But the police did not register any case against any of the activist of the BJP, said Samyal. However, the police adopted a different yardstick when hundreds of farmers of the area had blocked traffic on the NH-20 at Jassur Chowk on August 18, demanding lifting of a ban on felling on private land, he added. The police had booked farmer’s leaders, who had staged a dharna on the highway under the banner of KVS. A case under Sections 341, 147 and 149 of the IPC was registered against those farmers who had been agitating for their rights and justice. But no action was taken against those who had their allegiance to the ruling party. He said the KVS had submitted a memorandum to the government on August 11 through the local SDM in which they had warned that there would be a blockade on the highway if their demand was not met. Pritam Thakur, the Kangra ASP, said the police would look into the matter.
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Campus interviews a great success
Shimla, August 24 Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal informed while reviewing working of the department that the 105 campus interviews led to on the spot employment to 1,755 youth over a period of last three months. He said the government was committed to ensure maximum employment to youth in private sector and it would ensure that condition of 70 per cent employment to local people was enforced. The campus interviews attracted over 6,000 youth out of which, 1,755 got selected for various posts in the industrial sector. He said the state government had also provided the employment to about 3,500 educated unemployed youth, which included over 1,500 positions in the government sector and over 2,000 in the private sector up to the period ending in June, 2008. |
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Sukh Ram unwilling to contest LS poll
Shimla, August 24 “Till the time I get clear in the court case (related to to seizure of crores of rupees from his house over a decade back) I can not think of fighting any election,” said the octogenarian Congress leader. The Congress leader has the distinction of winning all 12 Assembly elections he fought from his Mandi sadar seat. Besides, he won two out of three Lok Sabha elections he fought from Mandi Lok Sabha seat since 1985. — PTI
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Students stage dharna
Bilaspur, August 24 Addressing students rally, their leaders said their classes were started in the government senior secondary school,
Jhandutta, some two years ago when this college was inaugurated with the clear assurance that the degree college building, for which an amount of Rs 5 crore had been allocated, would be constructed soon. But this assurance has proved totally false as even up till now no land has been selected and allotted for construction of the building. Presently, they are without any accommodation for holding their classes as the students of the school have returned after their vacations. |
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‘Nasha Niwaran Abhiyan’ organised
Mandi, August 24 Participating in a debate on “Nasha Niwaran Abhiyan: Role of Media and Intellectuals”, organised by the Public Relations and Information Department, participants from various fields stressed upon the need for the campaigns against various types of drugs, substances and alcohol creating a social awareness on its consequences in all forms. SP M Chandra Sekhar and ASP Jaipal Kumar also spoke on the occasion. |
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Dhumal invites Tatas
Shimla, August 24 He said the state had a big pool of managerial power, skilled manpower, uninterrupted power supply and a peaceful atmosphere. It would be a mutually beneficial proposition as the state would also gain immensely from the expertise of a reputed group like Tata. He said the state government had introduced many vocational courses for the youth and getting skilled manpower would not be a problem. |
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Woman killed in accidental gunfire
Nahan, August 24 As per the sources, the accident took place when 14-year-old son of the deceased, who was carrying a loaded muzzle, slipped over wetland and gun went off after it fell on the ground. Saroj Kumari was critically injured by the bullets and was rushed to Nahan hospital by the residents, where she succumbed to her injuries. The sources said loaded gun was reportedly put in the field to disperse monkeys with its fire from the fields to save the agriculture crops from the damage. The body has sent for the postmortem. Process of registering an FIR in this connection was under way when this report was filed. |
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Janmashtami mahotsava organised
Bilaspur, August 24 The temple trust led by subdivisional magistrate P.C. Akela organised hawan-yajna and a bhandara was also organised in which thousands of people participated. A programme of bhajans, kirtans and Krishan janam katha was also organised in the temple. |
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