Shimla, October 16
In a significant order, the state information commission has ruled that the special reports and annual confidential reports (ACRs) cannot be withheld by the high court from the judicial officers concerned on the ground of confidentiality.

The commission rejected the plea of the First Appellate Authority (registrar, vigilance) that such information was exempted from disclosure under Section 8 of the Right to Information Act as it would not serve any public interest. It asserted that the law was enacted in the true spirit of democratic functioning where transparency was the soul of governance and accountability and was based on the principle of maximum disclosure and minimum exemptions.

The order was passed by state information commissioner S.S. Parmar in connection with an appeal filed by Manoj Kumar Bansal, a judicial officer functioning as administrative officer in the State Legal Services Authority.

The commission observed the special reports were covered under the regulations framed by the high court for making promotions in the higher judiciary in a transparent, fair and responsible manner.

The files were not private diaries of the officials where they could write anything under the guarantee of privacy. Notings were made on the bases of laws, rules, government decisions, precedents, experience and knowledge of the official. In the domain of public service, information belonged to the people and the government was only its custodian.

He also took notice of the fact that in another case, the same appellant was not only provided special reposts pertaining to him but also of a number of other officers by the same state public information officer (SPIO), without giving notice to the third party as required under Section 11 of the Act.

The commission had the power to decide whether the branch officer of the confidentiality branch had deliberately given misleading information to the SPIO, but without apportioning the blame it could be safely contended that the special reports dated December 4 and 5, 2006, were withheld by the public authority.

It was neither desirable nor in consonance with the letter and spirit of the Act to withhold such information.

Setting aside the order of the first appellate authority, the commission directed that special reports of both dates, if available, be supplied to the appellant free of cost within seven days.

Dharamsala, October 16
The state government has offered land in the Dehra area for setting up the proposed central university in the state. A team from the union ministry for human resources, which visited the district to select site for the university, was shown the site at Dehra.

Kangra DC K.K. Pant admitted that the team was shown the proposed site at Dehra. “The government has about 700 acre vacant land at Dehra. The government does not have that much of vacant land anywhere else in the district,” he added.

The location of the university has bone a contention between BJP and Congress leaders. Local Congress MP Chander Kumar has been maintaining that initially the university was proposed to be set up in the vicinity of Dharamsala. However, Dhumal wants its location to be shifted to Dehra as the area falls in the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency represented by his son, Anurag Thakur.

The CM, on the other hand, has alleged that the Congress MP wants the university to be located in his old Shahpur assembly constituency.

The Congress MP has also said that he, along with other two Congress MPs from the state, will meet the union human resource minister for getting the university located in or around Dharamsala.

Meanwhile, the team is still camping in the district and is likely to go to other places to find alternative sites for the university despite the fact that government has pinpointed only the Dehra area, sources maintain.

Till date, none of the Congress leaders from the district, including local MP Chander Kumar, has met the visiting team. The MP was not available for comments. The district president of the Congress said he was waiting for the team to call him up at Palampur.

Mandi, October 16
The four-member high-level technical team from the Human Resource Development Ministry today inspected 2674 bighas of land site at Kamand in Drang segment, about 15 km from here, for the proposed IIT in Mandi. The team also inspected the Valabh Postgraduate College’s new building and the HPTDC-run Mandav Hotel complex for the temporary accommodation to house the IIT, the first of its kind in the northern region.

The high-level HRD team comprised NK Sinha, joint secretary in the HRD Ministry, Renu Batra, deputy secretary, University Grants Commission and Dr SD Saxena, director for IIT, Roorki, and N Rao, a technical expert.

Principal secretary, education, PC Dhiman and Deputy commissioner, Mandi, Onkar Sharma accompanied the team representing the state government today.

The team members refused to meet mediapersons. But sources told The Tribune that the team would submit its report to the HRD Ministry before the final announcement is made as to whether Kamand is an ideal location for the IIT or not.

Dhiman said after the inspection that the team inspected the land site in Kamand and proposed accommodation at degree college, Mandi, PWD rest house and Mandav Hotel complex. “We have shown the best sites available here. IIT needs 500 acres of land and the team will submit report to ministry soon. We are positive about the response,” he added.

The ministry had asked the state government to identify the suitable land, including the temperary accommodation for IIT director, hostels for students as the ministry has decided to start IIT in Mandi from the next academic session.

Shimla, October 16
With various inquiry committees having detected irregularities in the appointment of 778 PTA teachers, the state government has stopped the grant being given to the parent teachers associations that had made those appointments.

Addressing a press conference here today, education minister I.D. Dhiman said 3,336 complaints had been received by the government as regards appointment of PTA teachers and the inquiry had been completed in 2,084 cases.

He said all 6,800 PTA teachers appointed during the past five years would finally be replaced by regular teachers. Appointments of 109 PTA teachers in Chamba, 70 in Kullu, 88 in Kangra, 26 in Hamirpur, 98 in Bilaspur, 212 in Mandi and 232 in Shimla had been found to be irregular so far, he added.

“Rather than removing them from the job, we have decided to withdraw the grant being provided to the PTAs that had appointed them. In case the PTA wants to continue their services even without receiving the grant, they are free to do so,” he added.

He said the government wanted to ensure that the students were taught by teachers who fulfilled the criteria of appointment. “At some places, PTA teachers were appointed without holding interviews and in some cases the appointments were made solely on the basis of a resolution passed by the panchayats concerned,” he said.

Manali, October 16
The 474-km long Manali-Leh highway, one of the highest motorable roads in the world, was closed to vehicular traffic in the wake of fresh snowfall at Rohtang Pass, Baralachala Pass (4,883m), Lachulunga(5,065m), and Tanglangla (5,360m).

The 13,050-feet high Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul-Spiti, experienced fresh snowfall while lower parts of the Manali region were lashed by rains, which disrupted the vehicular traffic between Manali and the Lahaul-Spiti valley, since last evening.

Due to fresh snowfall at the Kunzum Pass (4,551m) the Manali-Kaza road in the Spiti valley also remained closed since yesterday.

According to S.K. Doon, Commander of 38 Task Force (GREF) said a temporary barricade had been put at Marrhi, 35 km from Manali, and also at Khoksar in the Lahaul valley, keeping in view the heavy snowfall which took place on September 19, when hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the Rohtang Pass and also between the Baralachala Pass and Sarchu on the Manali-Leh highway.

The BRO has advised vehicles not to ply over Rohtang Pass from both sides as a precautionary measure. He said efforts were being made by the Border Roads Organisation to reopen the Rohtang Pass for vehicular traffic, with the help of heavy machinery snow is being cleared from Marhi to Rohtang Pass.

As many as 20 trucks, which were stranded last evening on the Rohtang pass were bought down safely to Manali. Sources said 10 trucks were still stranded on the Rohtang Pass, these trucks were on their way to the Lahaul valley from Manali. Only after clearing the snow, the trucks would be allowed for forward journey.

According to HRTC, Manali, all buses plying to Lahaul had to be cancelled due to fresh snow on Rohtang Pass.

The people from the Lahaul-Spiti valley who had come to watch festivities of the Kullu Dussehra and purchase basic necessities for winter are still waiting for the weather to clear and the road to be reopened.

The Manali-Rohtang Pass road was motorable up to Marhi, due to fresh snowfall at Rohtang Pass all tourist vehicles had to stop at Marrhi. Meanwhile, most of the tourist rushed to Marhi to see the snow.

The high reaches in the Kullu valley, including the Pir Panjal ranges, Brighu slopes, Chanderkhani Pass, and Hamta Pass also had fresh snowfall.

The upper Manali region remained in the grip of severe cold wave following further decline in the temperature.

Solan, October 16
With a view to streamline construction activity in Kasauli and its surrounding areas, the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department has come out with a draft development plan proposing to restrict the number of storeys from four to two. The department has invited objections from the public. Officials of the department today convened a meeting with residents of the area to educate them about the plan and elicit their views on it.

The draft plan proposes to reject all proposals for the construction of apartments and flats as the area is faced with perennial water shortage. Since there is little that can be done to augment water supply even over the next 15 years, such commercial housing projects cannot be encouraged. Moreover, as the Tourism Department has also placed the Kasauli area in its negative list due to over-congestion, there is little scope for allowing more tourism projects.

Even the setting up of dhabas, small restaurants and guest houses along the roadside has been discouraged. The aim is to check ribbon growth along the roads. The plan also talks of limiting commercial complexes in an area of 1,000 sq. feet along the roadsides.

Town planner Sandeep Sharma, who was convening meetings with the people, including representatives of panchayati raj institutes, said objections could be filed till October 25.

The final plan would be notified only after scrutinising these objections, he added.

Dharamsala, October 16
Ramesh Dhawala, minister for food and civil supplies, while addressing a press conference here today announced Diwali bonus of Rs 4,100 for all employees of the civil supplies corporation. He said the bonus would also be given to daily wagers and part time employees.

It is for the first time that the corporation is giving bonus to all employees, the minister claimed.

The minister was in the Dharamsala secretariat today and said that the government was trying to ensure cheap ration to every poor in the state.

The issue of reduction of rice supply for above the poverty line people in the state has also been taken up with the Union Government.

The state needs 18,000 metric tonne of rice every year for ensuring controlled price foodgrains to all residents. However, the government is supplying just 7,118 metric tonne.

He also said the civil supplies corporation had done business of Rs 909 crore in the last financial year. It has earned profit of Rs 19.4 crore. The corporation has also given Rs 21 lakh in the Chief Minister’s relief fund.

Mandi, October 16
Nine passengers, including four women, were killed while 18 passengers were injured, nine of them seriously, when the private 13-seater taxi carrying them fell into a 300-foot-deep gorge near Salahan village on the Urla-Chuku link road late in the evening yesterday.

Those killed were: Driver of the vehicle Santosh (26), Kahan Singh (56), Rahul (11), Dipu (14), Lali Devi (55), Soma Devi (45), Shila Devi (38), Rekha (14) and Gita Devi (56). While Rekha and Gita Devi belonged to Khajri, others belonged to Chuku.

Those seriously injured in the accident were: Ritu (Juchlu), Lavlit (Nohli), Sunder (Khajri), Rukmani Devi (Chuku), Gurdev (Juchlu), Jagdish (Dhansali) and Yuva Devi (Khajri). They were taken to the Paddar primary health centre from where they were referred to the zonal hospital at Mandi for further treatment.

Medical superintendent (zonal hospital) D.P. Handa said the two critically injured patients, Lavlit (who suffered a skull fracture) and Rukmani Devi (who suffered abdominal and pelvis injuries) had been referred to the IGMC, Shimla and the PGI, Chandigarh, respectively. “Rest of the seven patients were under treatment here. Their condition is out of danger,” he added.

CMO (Mandi) D.K. Arora said the nine other patients, who had suffered minor injuries in the mishap, were safe and under medical observation at the PHC, Paddar.

Though the administration has instituted an inquiry to ascertain the exact cause of the accident, the injured said the driver had lost control of the overloaded vehicle due to some “mechanical failure” and it plunged into the gorge.

They said they had gone to attend a family function at Sasthi village and were on their way back home in a Tempo Trax (HP-01M 0396).

“The police station at Paddar got information about the accident around 7 pm, while the accident had taken place around 6.25 pm,” police sources added.

Villagers living near the site of the accident rescued the victims and took them to the PHC, Paddar, around 9 pm.

Drang MLA and state Congress president Kaul Singh Thakur rushed to the spot and met the injured and the kin of those killed in the accident.

DC Onkar Sharma, SP M. Chander Sekhar also rushed to the spot. The administration has announced an immediate relief of Rs 10,000 each to the next of kin of those who died and Rs 5000 each to the injured.

Shimla, October 16
Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal said all government departments would introduce carbon audit system and recast their strategies so as to reduce environmental impact and carbon emissions.

Delivering the presidential address at the workshop organised on ‘Climate Change: Perspective and Opportunities in context of HP’ by the Department of Environment, Science and Technology here today he stressed the need for taking steps to off set the negative impact of carbon emissions. “Environment protection is not just the responsibility of the Departments of Forest and Environment but everyone, including the PWD, IPH, Power and others would be accountable for ensuring that they do not cause any damage by way of dumping of muck and debris or affecting vegetation,” he remarked.

He also stressed the need for creating environment fund with the active participation of people from all walks of life to generate funds to carry out environment protection activities in the state. Dhumal said it was not just the question of getting carbon credits, but the need was to change the mindset and make a conscious effort to ensure that carbon footprints are reduced at every level.

Forest and environment minister J.P. Nadda said the state had taken up the issue of setting up a Regional Centre for Monitoring of Glaciers in the state with the Central Government to carry out the impact of climate changes. “The proposed bio-carbon project would be treating 12,000 hectares of land in 281 panchayats where board-leaved plants would be planted to absorb carbon gases after four years of plantation,” he said.

Chamba, October 16
The newly constituted Rogi Kalyan Samiti of the Regional Hospital, Chamba, approved the Rs 57.10 crore budget for the current fiscal year here today.

Presiding over the first meeting of the governing body of the samiti, DC Munish Garg, who is also its chairman, underscored the need for carrying out activities of the samiti effectively so that its objectives concerning health mission could be achieved in true spirit.

Approval was also given to the modified bylaws of the new samiti. However, no hike was effected in the user charges because all expenses relating to health services were being meet smoothly.

Earlier, CMO Vinod Pathak hoped that the new samiti would extend wholehearted cooperation in ensuring implantation of health-related programmes of the government.

Member secretary of the samiti Rakesh Verma said the Red Cross Society of Chamba had provided Rs 8 lakh to the regional hospital for purchasing equipment. It helped a lot om upgrading the level of health facilities in the hospital, he said.

Verma said a Rs 30-lakh project had recently been sanctioned by the state government for the instillation of an incinerator near Mehla, about 10 km from here. The step aimed at checking air pollution in the area, he added.