Amb, January 27
The state government is planning to spend Rs 50 crore on upgrading infrastructure in 20 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) of the state. This would help in producing skilled labour to cater to the demands of industry.

For this purpose the members of industry have also been appointed on advisory boards for the ITIs. The industrialists have been asked put in suggestions for framing the curriculum of the ITIs so that technically skilled labour as per their requirements can be produced.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal gave this information while taking to newsmen at Amb today. He was here to inaugurate the hostel building of BR Ambedkar Government Polytechnic College brought up at a cost of Rs 1.56 crore. He also inaugurated a bridge at Prithipur completed at cost of Rs 70 lakh and laid foundation stones Gannu and Mandwada drinking water schemes. He also laid foundation stones of Bhim Rao Ambedkar Bhawan to be brought at Daulatpur areas of Una district at a cost of Rs 1.67 crore.

The CM said creating a vast network of vocational education was on priority agenda of the state government. Three ITIs of the state were being developed as centres of excellence.

He also said top power generating public sector undertakings would be establishing a Hydro Power Engineering College in the state. It would help to train youth in hydroengineering to harness the entire hydel power potential of the state. The state had hydel power potential estimated at about 21,000 MW out of which major portion was yet to be harnessed. With the availability of the local manpower in the sector speedy exploitation of the available potential would be ensured.

The Chief Minister said daily wages and part-time wages had been enhanced by 10 per cent to allow the labourers keep pace with the price index. The increased minimum wage condition would be applicable to the private sector and NREGA programmes.

The Chief Minister announced addition of civil engineering trade in the B.R.Ambedkar, Government Polytechnic, Ambota, upgradation of government high schools of Oel and Mawakohlan to senior secondary schools. The up-gradation of government middle school Khad to high school and government primary School, Tatehra to middle school from next academic session was also announced by the CM.

He sanctioned Rs 40 lakh for the FRU Gagret and Rs 5 lakh for government senior secondary school, Ganu Mandwada, building. He was presented a draft of Rs 11,000 towards CM’s Relief Fund by Rotary Club, Daulatpur. Anurag Thakur, MP, Hamirpur, detailed the spectacular achievements of the State Government during the past one year.

Shimla, January 27
The ambitious plan to de-congest the “Queen of Hills” with the much-needed parking connected to the main town by elevators and rope ways will have to wait as finding a funding agency, which would provide a whopping amount of Rs 900 crore, is proving to be a mighty task for the government.

The project for making a parking slot with a capacity of 2,000 vehicles on the Shimla bypass had been posed for funding before the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which is funding some other projects for creation of tourism infrastructure in the hill state.

The joint project of the Urban Development Department and the local Municipal Corporation (MC) aimed at relieving the town of the traffic congestion and better parking was not even discussed at the meeting of senior officials from the state before the Asian Development Bank at New Delhi on January 23.

Senior officials said arranging Rs 900 crore is no mean task and taking it up before the ADB was useless. Moreover, the project conceptualised at a slightly later stage when talks with the ADB team were already at an advanced stage also proved to be a disadvantage. “I am not in a position to say much as I have joined recently, but we are still in the process of preparing details of the project, for which funding would be sought from various agencies,” said AN Sharma, Commissioner, MC.

It was during the tenure of the previous Commissioner, Amitabh Awasthi, that the ambitious project of having a huge parking at Darni Ka Bagicha, the present site of the solid waste management project, was envisaged. Though it would have sorted out a major problem of parking and created elevators and rope ways, arranging Rs 900 crore funding is proving to be a tough job.

Sources said the ADB was likely to approve at least one of the two parking lots, proposed near the Lift and one near the Tourist Information Centre, near the barrier. “There will be another meeting in March after which it will be known exactly which projects will be approved by the ADB,” sources said.

The ADB has already agreed to provide Rs 20 crore to the MC for beautification and creation of parks on the Mall. A planetarium to be set up by the Council for Science, Environment and Technology for Rs 16 crore is also likely to be approved by the ADB.

Solan, January 27
A high-level team led by Drug Controller (General of India) Surinder Singh arrived today evening at the Central Research Institute (CRI) at Kasauli to inspect its laboratories so as to enable the institute to take up some manufacturing work.

Sources in the institute said the team had arrived specially to inspect its laboratories where liquid and freeze-dried forms of various sera could be manufactured. The institute whose manufacturing license had been suspended in January last year following non-compliance of schedule M norms was now being given an opportunity to initiate production of some of its earlier products. This visit of the central team was aimed at inspecting the laboratory conditions and if found favourable the team could recommend revocation of its suspended license.

The sources said the institute produced various sera, including anti-venom, anti-rabies, anti-diphtheria and anti-tetanus and it played a crucial role in the country’s ambitious national vaccination programme.

While the shortage of anti-venom and anti-rabies sera had been felt acutely in the nation the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had now decided to give this institute a chance to prove itself by sorting to undertake this inspection. The inspection had been cancelled twice in as many months and this had cast some uncertainty in the institute.

The institute manufactured nearly 650 litre of sera annually and it gave business worth Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore to the institute and comprised nearly 25 per cent of the institute’s production prior to cancellation of its manufacturing license. The ministry had already earmarked a budget of nearly Rs 2.85 crore under the 11th Finance Commission and this made available ample funds for production work to restart at the institute.

The sources added that all eyes were now focused at tomorrow’s crucial inspection and a favourable report could enable the team to make favourable recommendations for the institute.

Sailing through adverse times after cancellation of its license a year back this more than century-old institute having a staff strength of nearly 650 was facing the worst ever crisis.

Palampur, January 27
President of the HP Congress Committee Thakur Kaul Singh said here today that the BJP government had disappointed the state because of its anti-people policies and faulty planning for development of the state. In fact the people had voted the BJP to power with great enthusiasm, but now they were feeling cheated, as it had not fulfilled the promises made in its election manifesto so far.

Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, Kaul Singh said since when the BJP had come to power all development activities had come to a standstill. The condition of roads had gone from bad to worse in the past year.

He said it was on record that in the past one year the BJP government had not taken up any new project in the state. Even it had failed to invite tenders for those projects, which were sanctioned by the previous Congress government. He announced that as and when the Congress would assume power in the state it would restore the State Administrative Tribunal, which was disbanded by the BJP government.

Nahan, January 27
Exhorting the youth to serve the country by showing highest-level of commitment and patriotism Education Minister ID Dhiman flagged off a marathon-Republic Day Run on the occasion of Republic Day from the Chowghan Ground at Nahan yesterday.

Addressing students and citizens who participated in the run, Dhiman said the country was passing through a testing time and the youth should coordinate with each other to ensure country’s development.

Organised by the Kala Amb-based Himalayan Group of Professional Institutes the rally passed through the main streets of the town, including Mahima Library, Gunnughat, Govindergarh and finally culminated at the Chowgan Ground.

The children representing various private and government schools carried the national flag symbolising unity and a sense of valour. The tricolour caps worn by the participants carried the message of oneness and courage.

Dharamsala, January 27
The politics over zonal hospital, Dharamsala, continues. Today senior Congress leaders, including Kangra MP Chander Kumar and former MLA Chandresh Kumari, sat in dharna in front of the hospital to lodge their protest against the alleged inadequate availability of doctors at the hospital.

The Congress workers from the area have been holding a chain hunger fast at the hospital campus since the last one-week. Congress MP Chander Kumar, who is also the party nominee for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, alleged that the BJP government is just taking claim of the schemes launched by the UPA government. The state government on its own has failed to start even a single development project.

The BJP government had taken anti-employee decisions like abolition of the State Administrative Tribunal, ousted thousands of PTA teachers and anganwari workers recruited by the previous government, Chander Kumar alleged.

The BJP leaders on the other hand have termed the Congress protest as election propaganda. They alleged that the there is no shortage of doctors at Dharamsala zonal hospital. At present there are 24 doctors posted at the hospital whereas in the Congress regime there were just five doctors posted here.

Shimla, January 27
Four police personnel, including DSP, Wireless, Roshan Lal Vashisth, have been awarded the President’s Police Medal for the distinguished service rendered for the state.

Secretary Home, Ram Subhag Singh today said that Krishan Gopal Kapoor, DSP, Una, Hari Nand Inspector (CID) and Chaman Lal, sub-inspector posted at police station, Sadar, Bilaspur, have also been awarded police medal for the meritorious servicer.

He said the awards had been give to these police officers and personnel on account of their professional abilities, sincerity and devotion to duty.

Chamba, January 27
A recent raid by forest officials detecting fresh felling of three green trees in the Dand forest ranges of Salooni Forest Division in Chamba district has confirmed the wide network of ‘van mafia’ which is active in the area for the past some time.

On a tip-off on Sunday, a team of forest officials has seized 35 sleepers of timber of three trees illicitly felled down from the Dand forest ranges official sources revealed stating that a case had been registered under the Forest Conservation Act against the accused involved in the felling. The accused have been identified, the sources added.