Shimla, November 29
With the Mumbai terrorist attacks being a wake up call to one and all, the state governemnt has decided to re-establish all police posts along the inter-state borders, which had been withdrawn, especially in view of the fact that Himachal is a popular tourist destination for foreigners.

With the safety of tourists, especially foreigners being the prime concern of the governemnt, it has been decided that checking and surveillance would be intensified to ensure that no suspicious and anti-social elements sneak into the state by taking advantage of a relaxed security set up along the border areas which at present are highly porous.

Confirming this, chief minister P.K. Dhumal today said as a step towards strengthening security all the police posts which had been established during the militancy days in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir would be re-established. “Seeing the present circumstances we need to be adequately prepared to tackle any eventuality and being a tourist state we have to ensure the safety of tourists,” he said.

Senior police officials too said with the militants outfits targeting foreign tourists as had been the case in Mumbai, Himachal will have to be very careful to ensure that the highly porous borders it shares with Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttrakhand and Haryana were completely protected.

Police officials said the fact that Kashmiri militants had not only used Himachal as a safe haven but had also struck on and off, security would have to be beefed up.

Dhumal said that though it was mandatory for all the Kashmiris engaged in road construction and labour work to get themselves registered at all the police stations but now even the shawl and dry fruit vendors from Jammu and Kashmir would have to inform the local police stations about their presence in any area even if for a short duration.

“The police has been directed not to show any kind of slackness in verifying the antecedents of Kashmiris working in Himachal as they have been asked to send each and every identification to the concerned area to ensure that the address and other details are correct,” said Dhumal.

As far as Chamba is concerned the 260 km border it shares with Jammu and Kashmir is manned by the ITBP and Himachal police personnel who undertake regular patrolling and combing operations. 

Shimla, November 29
As the entire nation lauded the exemplary courage shown by the NSG, police and Army personnel in combating the virtual siege of Mumbai by militants, the people of Himachal took pride in the fact that two senior officers from the state led the NSG commandos.

It was Brig Govind Singh Sisodia hailing from Shimla and Major Amit Bhardwaj from Hamirpur who made significant contribution in ensuring the success of the operation to flush out militants from the Taj, Oberoi and Nariman House.

While Brig Sisodia is associated with operation and training in the National Security Guards, Maj Amit hails from the commando group of this brave force. The role of these officers in the sensitive operation has once again proved that men from this small hill state have always remained at the forefront when it comes to showing valour and courage.

Sisodia has held important positions and was saved during the attack by LTTE on former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Sri Lanka. Maj Amit has been involved in many successful operations against the militants in J&K.

Shimla, November 29
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) being set up by the Centre in Mandi will became functional from the 2009-10 academic session.

Stating this here today Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal yesterday said that the union ministry of human resource development had informed the state government that B.Tech courses would commence from the next academics session in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science and engineering. There would be 40 seats in each course. More courses would be introduced in due course.

He said that the Centre had announced opening of eight IITs in various states out which six had become functional from this year. The institutions proposed at Mandi and Indore could not be opened. He had taken up the matter with the ministry which had informed that there would be no further delay and the institute at Mandi would start functioning from the ensuing academic session.

Regarding the cut imposed by the Centre on the state’s quota of rice he said the Centre had on his request made an ad hoc allotment of 3000 tonnes. He said he impressed upon Sharad Pawar , the minister concerned, that eating habits of the people, who were predominantly rice eaters, could not be changed overnight and that quota must be restored.

Dhumal said that the union minister for civil aviation had assured him that the flights of Air India to Kullu would not be discontinued. He said that he had submitted a plan to him which would not only make daily services viable but also connect the entire state with regular flights to the Shimla, Kulu and Kangra airports.

Shimla, November 29
Chief minister P.K. Dhumal today took everyone by surprise when he suddenly landed up at various construction and restoration projects being undertaken by government agencies in the town to check the progress and quality of work.

He personally went around the town as he inspected practically all the works, including work on the sunken portion of The Ridge, progress of Gaiety Theatre, Shimla bypass, solid waste management project, inter-state bus-terminus and Auckland House tunnel.

He also took note of the unauthorized dumping sites and the lack of other shortcomings, including absence of drains along the roads. Later, he held a meeting of senior officers of the forest, the municipal corporation (MC), tourism, home, the PWD and the IPH.

He asked the authorities to undertake repair of roads, retaining walls and breast walls before the onset of winter. He said the MC, the PWD and forest must develop dumping sites at places which would not have a negative impact on the drinking water.

He said responsibility would be fixed and even the officials would not be spared in case of unauthorised constructions along the national highways. He asked the officials to accord top priority to restore all the infrastructural changes in Shimla town besides completing the other development projects at the earliest.

Shimla, November 29
The contentious issue of bringing about a change in the recruitment policy for teachers formulated during the Congress regime could not be taken up at the meeting of the executive council (EC) of the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), which met here today.

A decision on the sensitive issue had to be taken by the EC on the basis of the report to be submitted by the three-member committee headed by D.R. Sharma, constituted earlier. Vice-chancellor Prof Sunil Kumar Gupta, who chaired the EC meeting, said since D.R. Sharma was not present at the meeting; the report was not submitted before the apex body today.

The SCA of the HPU and the Students Federation of India (SFI) have been crying foul over the matter and went to the extent of bringing the matter to the notice of the Governor, Prabha Rau, who is the chancellor of the institute. They sought her intervention to prevent the authorities from amending the Recruitment Policy made by the earlier VC, Prof Anil Wilson.

In some of the other decisions the EC approved the Kripal Parmar Committee report with some modifications in connection with the appointment of non-teaching staff in different institutes and schemes of the HPU. The ECalso approved amendment in the statute for inclusion of the Dean of Studies as a member of the Academic Council.

The EC decided to create teaching and non-teaching posts in the University Institute of Information Technology (UIIT) to be filled on regular basis. A decision was also taken to change the name of School of Legal Studies, Shimla, to University Institute of Legal Studies.

The executive council also approved to extend the services of lecturers appointed on contractual basis for the current academic session appointed by the University Regional Centre, Dharamsala, Department of Bio-Sciences and Department of Chemistry at HPU.

Prof Gupta informed that the Academic Council meeting would be held on December 16 and of the University Court on December 22. The date for the next EC meeting has been fixed for December 20.

Hamirpur, November 29
While the suspension of a junior engineer (JE) working under Bhota subdivision of the HP State Electricity Board (HPSEB) has brought to light the pilferage of timber of 93 deodar poles, it has also exposed loopholes in the functioning of the board.

This matter came to light after few complaints were made against this official who had not bothered to deposit the timber of 93 old poles, which were replaced some time back in Ladror electricity line by concrete and iron poles.

The HPSEB had decided to replace 100 wooden electricity poles on Ladror line and the JE working under Bhota subdivision was entrusted the job of getting the replacement work done.

Later, it was detected that 93 existing deodar poles were neither handed over in the subdivision nor taken into the office record.

The complainant had alleged that the concerned official in the subdivision not only used this timber for making household furniture, but also disposed it in the market as old poles were made of precious deodar timber.

After receiving the complaint the board authorities had asked this JE to submit a written reply in this regard, but he avoided giving a reply.

Meanwhile, the HPSEB put the JE under suspension and decided to institute an inquiry in this matter after formally chargesheeting him. Sources in the board said, “Since large number of electricity poles have been replaced at many places in the state such malpractices at other places also cannot be ruled out.”

Superintending engineer of the HPSEB Hamirpur circle R.S. Rana said, “There were complaints against the JE and he was delaying his reply after which the board put him under suspension; the board has decided to chargesheet the JE after which an inquiry officer would be appointed in this case.”

Shimla, November 29
Even though the tourism department is yet to float the expression of interest for inviting air operators for the launch of the helli taxi service in the state, many big companies are showing keen interest to get into the business aimed at wooing high-end tourists.

With the Cabinet granting approval for the launch of the helli-taxi service in the hill state to attract high-end tourists, the tourism department will soon be floating the expression of interest to invite air operators for the task. Queries are already coming in from groups like the Jagson and the Rajputana Airlines.

The tourism department is engaged in chalking out the modalities for the helli taxi service as a list of about a dozen helipads from the existing over 50 helipads is being shortlisted. “Various airlines are showing keen interest in the project but it is only once we have formally received the bids from the companies that we will know the exact position,” said Manisha Nanda, Secretary, Tourism.

Sources said the government was keen to have an agreement with an air operator who is willing to press into service two choppers, including a 24- seater and a smaller one with a capacity of about eight persons. “Rather than purchasing our own choppers we would want the airline to have its own choppers as it saves us from the hassle of getting pilots and maintenance costs,” said an official.

The Tourism Department is also selecting the circuits that are to be covered under the helli taxi service. It is the tribal, remote and inaccessible areas which have abundant virgin natural beauty that would be covered under the helli taxi service. The launch of the helli taxi service will come as a great relief to the big hoteliers whose business gets affected due to the problem of poor accessibility and limited air connectivity.

The tourism authorities are also keen that besides the tribal and snow bound areas, some other circuits are also covered under the helli taxi service. This will ensure year-round service which is a must from the economic viability factor.

Shimla, November 29
The Himachal Kisan Sabha (HKS) today demanded a judicial inquiry into the failure of the governemnt in lifting procured apple which decayed along the road sides.

In a statement issued here today the president of the HKS, Tikender Singh Panwar, demanded that a thorough probe should be held into the incident so that those responsible for the lapse could be held guilty. He refuted the statement of the BJP general secretary, Khsuhi Ram Balnatah that the BJP was in no way responsible for the rotting of apple.

He said the BJP government had completely failed to open the roads as a result of which the apples decayed at the procurement centres or along the roads. “Corrupt practices were adopted and those close to the BJP were involved in the whole incident which has resulted in a loss of Rs 3 crore to the governemnt,” he said.

He further said that the present BJP regime was hell bent upon selling the Gumma carton factory as per the whims and fancies of private carton manufacturers. He said the HKS would hold demonstrations all over the state on December 1 against apple procurement, TD issue, non-availability of chemical fertilisers, wild animals and stray cattle menace.

Shimla, November 29
The HP High Court has adjourned the matter pertaining to unauthorised constructions carried out in the state till December 10.

The court adjourned this matter on the request of the state government whereby the state had sought some more time to file affidavit regarding the latest status of cases of unauthorised construction detected by the department and what action had been taken by it till date under the Town and Country Planning Act.

In its earlier order Justice Rajiv Sharma directed the principal secretary, Town and Country Planning, to file fresh affidavit and to inform in his affidavit the status of each and every case within two weeks.

The court also directed him to inform the court that in how many cases the state had ordered to disconnect water and electricity connections and how many were compounded by the concerned authorities. Now the matter will come up for further hearing on December 10.

Solan, November 29
Aimed at inculcating a spirit of scientific inquisitiveness and creativity the 35th Jawarharlal Nehru National Science Exhibition being held here has helped students express their creative ideas.

The six-day exhibition which concludes tomorrow has seen students from 30 states studying in different schools exhibiting their models in various themes, including water management, agriculture and food, energy resources, disaster management, mathematical modelling and educational technology.

Ably guided by their teachers the students displayed varied ideas ranging from a waste water treatment plant, grey water recycling models to multi-power modified harvester, auto feeing machine for the handicapped, technologies of forecasting and disaster warning equipment.

The enthusiastic students could well explain the working of their models and they appeared to be giving a glimpse of the country’s budding scientific temper.

Bringing laurels to Himachal was a multi-utility model displayed by the students of Alpine Public School, Nalagarh, which displayed the design of a solar distillation plant which could be used to purify water, generate electricity and obtain salt.

What, however, disappointed the visitors was the lack of participation from the government schools in the state. Though participation from schools like Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Jawarhar Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Atomic Energy Central Schools was ample from all over the country, there were few participants from the state-run government schools.

Officials while pleading the onset of annual examinations in Himachal said the timing of this national-level exhibition appeared to be a disadvantage as examinations were round the corner.

It was the first opportunity when this hill state managed to host this national level exhibition, which attracted talent from across the nation.