Shimla, November 6
The private bus operators today brought their vehicles to a halt in protest against the checking and challaning being done by the transport authorities, a follow-up in response to the bus accident at Kufri that claimed 45 lives.

Transport minister Kishan Kapoor personally checked vehicles outside the secretariat. Transport officials impounded over 10 private buses in the town for not having relevant documents. The vehicles were released in the afternoon.

In protest against the crackdown by transport officials, private bus operators resorted to a chakka jam, putting commuters to inconvenience. As the private bus operators brought their vehicles to a halt at the local bus stand, a major traffic jam caused inconvenience to commuters, especially schoolchildren.

The drive aimed at checking use of stereos and cell phone while driving. Some HRTC buses were also challaned outside the secretariat in the presence of the transport minister.

On the other hand, president of the Shimla Private Bus Operators Union Kamal Thakur said if this attitude of the transport authorities continued, they would not ply their vehicles.

The minister, however, said nobody would be allowed to violate the law. “The bus operators were challaned as they were not in possession of the relevant documents,” he said. There are about 2,800 private buses plying in the state while the number of HRTC buses is 1,800. The minister said in case the private buses did not ply, HRTC buses would be pressed into service so that the public was not put to inconvenience.

Mandi, November 6
The series of major road accidents in the state has exposed utter lack of coordination between the state transport authority and the traffic police when it comes to checking overloading, reckless and drunken driving in the state.

The reports of inquiries instituted by the Transport Department and the police remain buried in office files.

Sources in the transport and the police departments say the three major reasons behind road accidents in the state are: over-speeding or reckless driving, rampant overloading and misuse of private vehicles for town-to-town transportation.

“Drivers of private buses have standing instructions from bus operators to carry as many passengers as they can so that maximum profit can be earned. In fact, they are even promised rewards for doing so,” sources added.

Tempo-Trax and other private vehicles are being illegally used as state carriages by private owners between all major towns like Mandi, Kullu, Shimla, Rohru, Chopal, Dharamsala, Chamba etc. under the very nose of the state transport authority and the traffic police.

An investigation by The Tribune revealed that bus owners offer commission to police officials and RTOs in their areas so that they are not booked for various violations under the Motor Vehicles Act. The result: Overloading and other violations go on unchecked, endangering lives of passengers.

In a recent accident at Salahan village on the Urla-Chuku road in Mandi, the 13-seater vehicle involved in the accident was reportedly carrying 27 passengers. Nine passengers were killed no the spot, while 18 were injured.

The accident near Kufri in Shimla district that claimed 45 lives was also being attributed to reckless driving, over-speeding and overloading. The 38-seater bus was carrying 52 passengers.

As per police record, 379 persons have been killed and around 2,000 injured in 1,300 road accidents in the state this year so far.

State transport additional commissioner Amit Kashyap said the department had 10 RTOs to check misuse of state carriages under the MV Act. “We have challaned over 1,000 violators this year so far. We will cancel the permits of the operators if their drivers were found violating provisions of the Act,” he said.

He said no private operator could use Tempo-Trax or other such private vehicles for carrying passengers. “We will take preventive measures and coordinate with the police as well,” he added.

State DGP G.S. Gill said the police regularly conducted drives to check reckless driving and over-speeding throughout the state, but the “greed of transporters” was a matter of concern. “Overloading is to be checked by the Transport Department,” he added.

Gill said measures like cancellation of permits and licences would act as effective deterrents.

Shimla, November 6
With the issue of setting up of a medical college in Mandi assuming political overtones, chief minister P.K. Dhumal today urged all political parties, including the Congress, to desist from petty party politics in the interest of the state and its people.

Addressing a press conference here today, he said his governemnt had urged union minister, Oscar Fernandes to set up an ESI hospital in the state. “I personally took up the matter with Fernandes and the health minister, Dr Rajiv Bindal also pursued it with him and I am grateful that the Centre approved the setting up of the hospital and medical college in Mandi,” he said.

Refuting Congress claims on the issue, Dhumal challenged the Congress to produce even a single cabinet memo where they had talked of opening a medical college at Mandi. “The Congress had played a big fraud with the people of Mandi by issuing a post dated notification after the Election Commission of India had announced election,” he said.

Dhumal said the team of the ESI, headed by its Director-General P.C. Chaturvedi had already visited the selected site measuring 25 acres near Nehar Chowk in Mandi district yesterday for the setting up of the medical college and hospital. “The construction work will be completed within a period of two years and the first batch of 50 MBBS students would be admitted from 2010,” he said. He added that half of the medical seats would be reserved for bona fide Himachali students.

The chief minister said the ESI would set up a 300-bedded hospital with all major super specialties so that the people get the best possible medical facilities, closer home. “Some reputed doctors from Mandi, who have made a mark at the international and national level have expressed their desire to set up a medical college as a trust in Mandi and we have welcomed the move and assured them of al possible help,” he said.

He said he would urge Fernandes to lay the foundation stone of the medical college and hospital at Nehar Chowk at the earliest so that the medical institute can come up at the earliest. “We are keen that Himachal emerges as professional educational institute hub and a number of IT, engineering and medical institutes have already come up in the state,” he said.

He refuted Congress claims that their governemnt had issued a notification for the setting up of a medical college. “A post-dated notification dated October 8 was issued on October 23 when the Election Commission of India had already announced the election schedule on October 10, 2007,” he said.

He said if the Congress regime was so sincere about opening a governemnt medical college at Mandi then why did they invite expression of interest from private parties for opening a medical college at Mandi on March 9, 2006? “Why is it that each time the Congress has thought of opening medical colleges at Tanda in Kangra and Mandi right at end of their five-year term,?” he quipped.

Shimla, November 6
Students and SCA members of three educational institutes: St Bede’s College, MLSM College at Sundernagar and DAV at Kangra today took out a silent protest march seeking restoration of the 95 per cent government grant-in-aid, which has been slashed drastically.

More than 1,200 students from St Bede’s College, having a century old history accompanied by some students and SCA members from the other two colleges took out a protest march from Bede’s Chowk till the state secretariat where they submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal. The students holding ‘Save Education’ placards were accompanied by alumni, teachers and students of RKMV and centre of excellence, Sanjauli.

“The Chief Minister was very positive and has assured that he would reconsider the matter which will be conveyed to us later on,” said Prerna Stephen, admiral of St Bede’s College, after meeting the Chief Minister. She added that the students were not holding an agitation, but were only trying to impress upon the government that the decision regarding reduction in grant-in-aid must be reviewed in the interest of the student community.

They also submitted 4,000 letters signed by the students of these three colleges as a personal request to restore the grant. The three colleges had been receiving the ad-hoc grant since 1978 and it was after the formulation of the grant-in-aid rules in 1994 that they got 95 per cent grant.

The president of the HP Non-Government College Lecturers Association, Dr C.P. Kaushal said as compared to a spending of Rs 100 per student per annum, the government would have to only shell out Rs 40 per student per year in the case of these three colleges. “These colleges having a very good academic record have been in the service of the state for so long and in the interest of the students, the grant must be restored,” he said.

Former student of St Bede’s, Jasleen Gulati (1985 batch), said the students from SC, ST, OBC and other weaker sections were also studying in these colleges so reduction in grant would affect all. 

Mandi, November 6
Director-general of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) P.C. Chaturvedi said the corporation would start new medical colleges, including a 50-seat medical college and 300-bedded hospital at Ner Chowk, near Mandi, in the country as the Central Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) has given its consent for the same. “If all goes as planned, Ner Chowk medical college will start its first session in 2010-11,” he added.

An ESIC team led by Chaturvedi inspected four sites, but finally selected the 25-acre land at Ner Chowk for medical college yesterday.

He said the corporation would invest Rs 500 crore in the 50-seated medical college and 300-bedded hospital at Ner Chowk. In fact the ESIC had proposed to start at least one super-speciality college in each state and corporation had received 14 proposals so far, he added.

Chaturvedi said the ESIC had decided to start the medical college at Ner Chowk if all goes as planned. In the second phase, the medical college and 300-bedded hospital would be upgraded to 100-seated college and 500-bedded hospital as per the norms of the Medical Council of India (MCI), he informed.

He said the MOHFW had also permitted the ESIC to conduct postgraduate classes in these medical colleges in the third phase. It is for the first time that the MOHFW has permitted the ESIC to start 14 medical colleges in the country,” he added.

Chaturvedi said the ESIC would ask the state government to expedite the transfer of identified land to the corporation so that work on the project starts.

Health minister Rajiv Bindal, who also accompanied the team, said the state government had fulfilled the demand for a medical college in the government sector. “The government will expedite the process of the ESIC medical college which will benefit the entire region,” he added.

Bindal said Mandi ADC C.P. Verma had been appointed as the nodal officer for the medical college to expedite the process of transfer of land to the ESIC.

Apart from Chaturvedi, the ESIC team included finance commissioner of the ESIC Rajiv Dutt, insurance commissioner S. Bhardwaj, regional director Namudri, medical commissioner Dr Bhashni, deputy medical commissioner Dr Jain, chief engineer P.R. Roy and other members.

The state team, which accompanied the ESIC team included health minister Bindal, principal secretary Health Deepak Sanan, Mandi DC Onkar Sharma and other officials.

Shimla, November 6
The state government entered into agreements with M/s Samtech Infonet Limited and M/s 3-I Infotech Limited for execution of two major projects today.

Samtech Infonet Limited has been engaged as the content service provider (CSP) for updating the National Portal of India (NPI) with state-specific contents. 3-I Infotech Limited will provide consultancy for preparing DPR (detailed project report) and RFP (request for proposal) for the selection of state data centre (SDC) operator and to get it commissioned in a time-bound manner.

The Centre has launched a national portal with an objective to provide single-window access for a variety of citizen services. The online access to government services, right from obtaining licences and certificates to filing tax returns, registration of a company, applying for a passport or visa, getting the name included in electoral rolls and booking a train ticket through the Internet, will be available on the portal.

An official spokesperson said all state governments were supposed to enrich the national portal by adding state-specific contents. The selected content service providers (CSP) for the state would identify such contents, compile the same and put it on the portal. It would also maintain the content contributed to the NPI during the period of contract in liaison with the government departments concerned, he added.

The SDC project had been identified as one of the core infrastructure projects under the national e-governance plan (NeGP) to provide efficient electronic delivery of G2G (government to government), G2C (government to citizen) and G2B (government to business) services and to create common infrastructure for state government offices.

The SDC will help in providing centralised application and database services to departments, employees and citizens in a secured manner. The departments would be saved from the task of creating computing infrastructure and would not require to hire technical manpower for operation, administration and maintenance. The state-wide area network (HIMSWAN) would be used to connect government offices across the state to access installed applications and facility created at the state data centre.

Shimla, November 6
Pulled up by the World Bank for tardy implementation of the catchment area treatment (CAT) plans for various hydroelectric projects in the state, the Forest Department has decided to formulate a master plan for the treatment of major river basins.

To began with, a master plan is being prepared for the treatment of catchment area of the Sutlej, which has the maximum number of hydroelectric projects coming up. The department has decided to assign the task to a private consultant. It has already started the process of consultations for framing the terms of reference and modalities for inviting offers for the purpose. Repeated flash floods, increasing silt and frequent landslides had virtually made the Sutlej a river of sorrow for the people.

Principal chief conservator of forests Vinay Tandon said the mater plan would cover the entire catchment upstream the Kol Dam right up to the China border. The total area comes to over 18,000 sq km and the consultant would be asked to identify micro watersheds that required rehabilitation and also suggest the type of measures for each of them. Funds for preparing the master plan would be provided from the budget allocated for the CAT plan. The plan would be formulated for a period of 10 to 12 years.

The bank had expressed its displeasure over the failure of the department to effectively address the environmental issues and asked it to prepare a master plan.

Over the next five years, Rs 266 crore will be available under CAT plans for the upper valley in which the Nathpa-Jhakri and the Baspa projects have been commissioned and six more were coming up. The bank has urged the government to ensure that CAT plans in respect of 800-MW Kol Dam, 1500-MW Nathpa-Jhakri, 412-MW Rampur and 300-MW Baspa projects were implemented in toto over the next three years. In case the forest department does not have the capacity to carry out the job, the work should be outsourced.

Chamba, November 6
The Estimates Committee of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha headed by Mahender Singh Thakur has taken the authorities of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) over their laxity for not supplying requisite information to the committee.

Raising this issue in the committee meeting held here today under the chairmanship of Mahender Singh Thakur at the local Bachat Bhawan its members B. K. Chauhan and Kuldip Singh Pathania asked HPSEB officials to work out a solution to the problem of prevailing low-voltage in the rural areas.

The committee expressed despondency on the works being executed under the ‘horticulture technical mission’ in Chamba district and exhorted the authorities to initiate drastic steps for effective implementation of the mission so that orchardists could be benefited.

Expressing concern over the increasing incidents of accidents in Chamba district, the committee directed the authorities of the Public Works Department to ensure the upkeep and restoration of roads from the engineering point of view. 

Bilaspur, November 6
The district unit of Kisan Morcha here has rebutted the charges levelled against Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal and his son MP Anurag Thakur by Narender Thakur, son of former BJP stalwart and minister late Thakur Jagdev Chand, here yesterday.

Prominent BJP leader and BJP Kisan Morcha former district general secretary Roshan Thakur said here today that instead of asking any accounts of income and saving from the Chief Minister and Anurag Thakur, Narender Thakur himself should come forward with his own assets and clear his own position in this matter in the eyes of public.

Roshan Thakur said it is strange that Narender Thakur had chosen to attack and criticise the BJP, which was raised to its present position with strenuous efforts of his late father Thakur Jagdev Chand all his life.

He said Narender Thakur cannot mislead people by striving to count achievements of Thakur Jagev Chand, nor he can get any advantage out of the respect and honour which his late father enjoyed, as these were attained by his father with help of the BJP and after fighting a life-long battle against the Congress party, which now Narender Thakur had chosen to support in his mental state of political frustration.

Roshan Thakur expressed shock that the Congress was using him as a “Shikhandi” of Mahabharata fame and was actually trying unsuccessfully to take advantage of the fact that he was the son of a BJP stalwart.

He said Narender Thakur could not mislead masses by quoting reputation of his father for gaining importance for benefit of the Congress party as Jagdev Chand got his reputation by trying to annihilate the Congress itself.

Mandi, November 6
The Mandi Medical College Sangharsh Samiti (MMCSS), which has been on chain hunger strike here since October 20 in support of the medical college, and the BJP workers today turned the Seri Munch into a volatile political venue as both the parties were face-to-face with each other shouting slogans against and in support of the government, respectively, over the issue of medical college.

The MMCSS activists shouted anti-government slogans when the BJP workers staged a show at the Seri Munch and burst crackers celebrating health minister Rajiv Bindal’s announcement that the state government was opening the medical college to be started by the ESIC in Mandi with an investment of Rs 500 crore.

The MMCSS activists supported by the Congress, CPM, CPI and BSP and other frontal organisations, who have been on hunger strike here since October 20, got provoked by the celebration in front of their eyes and shouted slogans, “Bindal go back, go back go back”.

Reacting to the ESIC proposal, convener of the MMCSS Sunder Lohia, CPI state president Des Raj, CPM district president Bhupinder Thakur and Congress district president Puran Thakur stated that they welcome the ESIC medical college and hospital in Mandi. But the health minister is constitutional head as the BJP workers celebration in front of the spot where some agitation is going on amounts to creating trouble which is undemocratic, added Des Raj.

Des Raj said the state government should withdraw the notification dated July 15, 2008, in which it had proposed to attach the zonal hospitals to the three privately opened colleges in Mandi, Hamirpur and Una.

Reacting to the MMCSS slogans, health minister Rajiv Bindal and state president Jai Ram Thakur who also held press conference said their demand for the medical college had been fulfilled and “even if they are raising slogans then they are the biggest enemy of Mandi”. Bindal said the consultant appointed to examine the attachment of the zonal hospitals to three proposed colleges to be opened under the public-private partnership would submit its report to the government. But the government is focusing on the ESIC medical college with an investment of Rs 500 crore, he added.

Kumarhatti, November 6
“Not only the public, but the BJP MLAs were also annoyed with Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal-led state government. The popularity graph of the state government has nosedived in just 10-months.” This was stated by HPCC chief Kaul Singh Thakur while addressing a press conference here yesterday. He said the coming Parliament elections would reveal the real situation of the BJP government. The Congress would win all four seats in state with thumping majority, he maintained.

Coming down heavily on Dhumal for fake assurance, Thakur said the CM was claiming to meet 80 per cent of its promises with the public, but in real he could not even manage to meet 1 per cent of his promises. The BJP was trying to take credit of development works launched by the Congress government during its regime, he said.