Dharamsala, December 12
The leaders of both main political parties, the BJP and the Congress, were today seen trying to claim credit for getting a medical college sanctioned for Mandi.

Speaking in the House, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal accused the Congress of misleading the people of the state on the issue of setting up a government medical college at Mandi. He said the notification for setting up a medical college at Mandi was issued by the previous government on October 8, just two days before the implementation of the election code in the state.

However, there was no paper available to show that the sanctioned institute would be a government medical college. Congress leaders were misleading people on the issue, he added.

Replying to the allegation, former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said that in his speech in the House in April, 2007, he had declared that the government would bring up a government medical college at Mandi. He alleged the CM was misleading the House on the issue.

The CM, however, said though there was a proposal to bring up a government medical college at Mandi, the present government came to know about a proposal under which the Central Government could bring up a medical college under the Employee Contributory Health (ECH) Scheme.

The matter was pursued with the Centre and 25 acre land (near Mandi) was offered for the project. The Centre has now agreed to bring up a medical college and hospital under the ECH scheme at Mandi.

Mandi district would also have a private medical college, the CM said while addressing a press conference later.

He, however, thanked the opposition leaders for extending cooperation in getting the project sanctioned after HPCC president Kaul Singh asserted that the project had been given to the state by the UPA government.

Dharamsala, December 12
The Himachal Cabinet’s meeting held here late in the evening decided to recruit 1611 junior basic trained (JBT) teachers passing out of DIET’s in the state during the academic session 2006-08 as and when vacancies occur.

The previous government had entered into an agreement with the said JBT teachers that would be given permanent employment in government schools after completing the course. However, the present government had offered them recruitment on contract. The JBT teachers had taken to roads against the decision and had alleged that the recruitment in contract was breach of contract and financial loss to them.

The Cabinet chaired by the Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, however, today decided to recruit the teachers as and when the vacancies arise in government schools. The government spokesperson when contacted, however, clarified that the mode of recruitment, that is, weather the teachers would be recruited on contract or permanent basis would be decided later.

The Cabinet also accorded approval to enhance the honorarium of cutting, tailoring and embroidery teachers employed in 2865 panchayats of the state from existing Rs 900 per month to Rs 1100 per month.

It also granted one-time recognition to the art and craft courses and shastries who were admitted to extension centres of recognised universities and deemed universities during the academic sessions from June 1, 2001 to August 31, 2005 as per the recommendations of UGC.

The Cabinet also decided to amend recruitment policy relating to the water carrier serving in elementary education and higher educational institutions. The emerging vacancies in the said institutions would be filled as per the recruitment policy of 2001 through respective gram panchayats. Water carriers fulfiling the eligibility criteria will be given preference in recruitment against future vacancies of peons and watchmen in different educational institutions.

The Cabinet also sanctioned creation of seven posts of different teaching and non-teaching categories to make newly upgraded government senior secondary school, Pipaliwala, so as to make it functional. Two posts of peons have also been sanctioned in the HP electronics development corporation.

Hamirpur, December 12
In an effort to contain the simmering discontent among the teaching community of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Hamirpur, chairman of the board of governors of the institute has invited office-bearers of the teachers union to New Delhi for talks.

The meeting would be held on December 14, a day before the meeting of the board of governors.

Following this invitation, the NIT Teachers Association, Hamirpur, has deferred its call of proposed direct action on Thursday.

The association had submitted a letter to the NIT chairman about two weeks ago highlighting irregularities in appointments, promotions and in preparing seniority list of teachers.

The teachers had been blaming the management of the institute for adopting a pick-and-choose policy while making appointments to the posts of assistant professor etc by relaxing basic qualifications. They had demanded framing of recruitment and promotion rules as per the AICET rules.

The teachers association had even demanded a vigilance inquiry into some appointments and promotions in the teaching departments of the NIT.

Office-bearers of the teachers’ association confirmed that an invitation for a meeting had been received from the chairman of the board of governors of the institute. “The meeting will take place on December 14. Till then, we have deferred our proposed direct action. The future course of action will be decided after the talks,” they added.

Registrar of the NIT A.L. Sharma said, “The teachers’ association will discuss the issues raised by them with the chairman. If necessary, some of these issues may be taken up in the meeting of the board of governors.”

Dharamsala, December 12
The government allegedly made payments worth Rs 35 lakh to give undue benefit to the company that was allotted the contract of bringing Jakhu ropeway in Shimla.

The matter came to the fore in the House in response to a question raised by Rakesh Pathania, MLA from Nurpur, today. Pathania wanted to know by whom the payments were made for change in land use and shifting of electricity poles for bringing up the Jakhu ropeway.

Replying to the query, Dhumal said, “Initially, the Shimla municipal corporation was to implement the project. However, in 2003, the project was transferred to Himachal Pradesh Tourism Corporation that issued tenders for the purpose on November 30, 2004.

The tender for bringing up the project was sanctioned to M/s Jackson, a Delhi-based company.

As per the initial agreement signed with the company, the cost of growing compensatory forest and changing the use of forestland for the project (about Rs 30.90 lakh) and the cost of shifting electricity poles falling in project area (about Rs 4 lakh) was to be deposited by the company executing the project.

However, the amount was later deposited by the tourism corporation. Since the promoter did not deposit any money for the purpose, it was a serious matter and the government would consider ordering an inquiry into it, the CM said.

While replying to another query over the issue, the CM also informed the House that though court had issued many orders in the Jakhu ropeway case, as per documents available with the government, it had nowhere asked the government to deposit charged for the change in land use and shifting of electricity poles.

Former transport minister G.S. Bali said he as a minister had never ordered that the HPTC should deposit the said amount. The present government should order an inquiry and find out at what level the orders were issued to the HPTC to deposit Rs 35 lakh that was to be otherwise deposited by the promoter of the project.

The CM assured that the House that an inquiry would be held into the issue.

Shimla, December 12
The Centre has finally acceded to the state’s request for 330 million units of power to the state from the unallocated pool to meet the winter shortfall.

Director, power regulation , Suneel Grover said 22 to 24 lakh units of power would be made available to the state daily from December 13 onwards, as a result there would be no shortage during the winter months up to March. The state electricity board would be in a position to supply uninterrupted power to the consumers, inducing industries, across the state.

He said the state had sought power from November 1 last but it did not receive any till today. It was only after Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal personally took up the matter with the union power minister that the power had been allocated and the central electricity authority had issued the necessary orders.

The winter shortfall has increased sharply due to spurt in industrialisation over the past three years with demand going up from 2800 million units to over 4,000 million units from November, 2008 to March, 2009. The total availability from central pool, state’s share in various projects and own generation has been around 3000 million units, leaving a shortfall of 1000 million units. The peak demand has gone up from 184 lakh units per day to 205 lakh units per day.

The state has made forward banking arrangements for supply of 440 million units with the PSEB, the HPGCL, the BYPL and the BRPL and another 270 million units through contra-banking arrangements with Punjab and Haryana. Until last Himachal had been selling its power during summer to various deficit states at high rates but this year it opted for banking arrangement to avoid purchase of costly power during winter months when generation in various hydroelectric projects declines to 25 per cent due to reduction in discharge in rivers an streams.

Shimla, December 12
The Himalaya Niti Abhiyan (HNA), a forum of non-government organisations, has expressed strong reservations regarding the changes in the Timber Distribution (TD) policy proposed by the state government and asserted that it would not solve the problems due to which the state high suspended the rights.

Terming the proposed changes as misdirected and anti-people, the HNA maintains that timber situation would become worse because of several undesirable clauses in the policy. For instance, a son will be ineligible for timber benefits till the time his father is alive. What if the father remains alive till the age of 90 ? When the government already proposes to put riders under which TD will be sanctioned only once in 30 years and that too subject to silvicultural availability, there is no need to put such conditions. It will only force the people to resort illegal means to secure timber.

In the mechanism proposed for the identification of beneficiaries and distribution of sleepers the forest guard, under pressure form various quarters, has a central role. In such a scenario the honest forest guards would have to face the anger of the dissatisfied people, while the unscrupulous ones could resort to corruption and malpractices in selection of beneficiaries.

It suggested that a decentralised and transparent system operational at the village level for an individual's need assessment, deciding the silvicultural availability, deciding the beneficiaries and monitoring of proper usage of sanctioned timber should be proposed. While formulating the policy the government had totally ignored the tenets of joint forest management, which would have involved the people not only in the decision-making process but also in the protection and propagation of our timber resources.

The cost per sleeper for the BPL(below poverty line) families should only include the cost of conversion into sleepers and the initial cost of application, which should not exceed Rs 150. The cost of a sleeper for an APL (above poverty line) family should not be more than one-and-a-half times that for the BPL families.

Dharamsala, December 12
A question raised by GS Bali, Congress MLA from Nagrota Bagwan, on the second day of the winter session here today, brought to fore the poor state of both government medical colleges in the state. Bali had asked the vacancy position in Indira Gandhi Medical college Shimla and Tanda medical college.

Reply to the question brought to fore startling facts. The reply revealed that there are 2242 sanctioned posts in Indira Gandhi medical college, Shimla, out of which 984 are lying vacant. In Tanda medical college there are 1283 sanctioned posts out of which 713 are lying vacant. The data reveals that about 40 per cent posts in Shimla medical college and 60 per cent posts in Tanda medical college are lying vacant.

Maximum numbers of vacancies are of nurses in both the colleges. In Shimla medical college 550 out total sanctioned strength of 846 posts of nurses are lying vacant while in Tanda medical college 406 posts out of 581 posts are lying vacant. There is acute shortage of teaching staff also in both the colleges.

Replying to the question, however, the health minister Rajiv Bindal said that the data provided in the House pertains to the period when previous government was in power. Since the present government has taken over the situation both the colleges has improved. Many of teaching and non-teaching posts have been filled. Most posts are also being created for increasing the number of graduate students in both the colleges, he said.

The health minister also claimed that though the posts are vacant vis-à-vis sanctioned strength in both the medical colleges, as per the MCI norms there was enough staff in both the colleges.

Virbhadra Singh, a former CM, while participating in the debate on issue said separate cadre created by present government for both the medical colleges would result in complications. He said that the government should clarify that certain doctors who were being given re-employment were not getting undue benefit by taking premature retirement benefits as well as re-employment scheme benefits also.

The health minister said that nothing of this sort was happening.

Shimla, December 12
The Rs 155-crore poly-house project has run into a controversy even before its take-off as poly-house erector companies have raised doubts over the project’s technical and financial viability.

Some companies have taken up the matter with the Reserve Bank of India and chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), which is funding the project. While the state government is in favour of small low-cost poly-houses made using material available locally, the companies maintain that the model was technically flawed and financially unviable. The government had been provided a soft loan by the bank at 6 per cent and it would be required to pay back about Rs 200 crore after four years.

The government is in the process of finalising the guidelines for the project for which consultation process is on with the companies.

Under the project, poly-houses having area ranging from 6 sq m to 1,000 sq m could be built by farmers by getting subsidy equal to 80 per cent of the cost. However, the companies maintain a poly-house of less than 250 sq m is not viable and there were no proven low-cost alternative to be propagated through the bank-funded project.

Chief executive officer of EDGE India Limited Mahesh Sood says the funds will go down the drain unless the government comes up with a technically feasible model. The poor farmers cannot be helped by providing poor technology. The project and guidelines for its implementation should have been got formulated by engaging experts. But the state government did not involve even the officers of the Horticulture Department in the project.

Director (agriculture) J.C. Rana says the project has been formulated keeping in view small landholdings and the undulating hill topography in which flat land was not available for erecting big poly-houses. Further, the concern of the government was to make available low-cost technology based on local materials so that maximum number of farmers can benefit from it. In all, 70 per cent of the poly-houses will be low-cost while the remaining 30 per cent will be in medium range.

Palampur, December 12
The local Municipal Council (MC) will launch a large-scale campaign to keep the town neat and clean. A decision to this effect was taken in the meeting of the council held here this evening. All members of the council were present in the meeting.

President Ajit Bagla said now the council would make door-to-door collection of garbage. Sweepers would be deputed in different wards to collect garbage.