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Grease scam paints previous govt in black
Govt shows compassion for widows, orphans
Twin awards for state
Controversial Land Deal |
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JBT trainees end stir
JBT trainees protesting for the acceptance of their demands at Chaura Maidan in Shimla on Wednesday. However, later they ended their stir. A Tribune photograph
3 dead, 1 injured in road accidents
Moratorium on green felling
Dhumal shows concern for girl’s father
CPM to launch NREGA Bachao Campaign
Insurance co told to pay 7.55-lakh relief
Govt rapped on unemployment issue
Protest lodged against Hul hydel project
AIDS awareness programme held
Labourer drowned
Committee gets new chairman
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Grease scam paints previous govt in black
Dharamsala, February 18 As per the inspection report a copy of which is available with The Tribune, it is one of biggest scams committed during the stint of the previous government. The glaring facts that have been brought up in the report include purchase of Molycate Grease at rates ranging from Rs 910 per kg to Rs 9975 per kg. The report states that in purchase orders while Rs 10 kg grease was purchased from M/s Varun Traders, Solan, at Rs 910 per kg, on the other hand just 1 kg Molycate Grease was purchased from SR Enterprises, Delhi, at a rate of Rs 9975 per kg. The inquires from market conducted by The Tribune reveal that the best quality grease is available at prices ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 300 per kg. Another glaring fact that has been stated in the report is that during 2004-05 an amount of Rs 3,18,350 was spent by officials of Shimla division of the IPH to purchase waste cotton or soft cotton. The cotton was purchased at prices ranging from Rs 98 to Rs 300 per kg. Inquires from market reveal that even the best quality sterilised cotton that is used in hospitals is available in the market at a price of just Rs 50 per kg. However, the IPH officials purchased the rough cotton used for gagging purpose at prices up to Rs 300 per kg. Similarly, the brazing material was purchased at prices ranging from Rs 2400 per kg to Rs 9980 per kg. The inquiry report points a vast difference in consumption of mobile oil and transformer oil in different divisions. The report states while the monthly consumption of said oils in Gumma subdivision was 560 litres, in Dhalli subdivision it was just 130 liters per day. The report has also expressed doubts over purchase of 140 litres of mobile oil from a Shimla-based welder. The details of consumption of mobile oils are available that raises doubt that the purchases might have been fictitious. In all the said purchases no tenders were called. The supply orders were split so that a particular firm could be favoured. In 31 cases it was found that purchases were finalised in one day, the supply orders were finalised and material was received on the same day and payment through cheques to parties was also issued the same day. It is hard to believe how the orders were placed in many cases to Delhi, Mandi, Mohali and Chandigarh-based firms on March 31 and material was received on the same day. So eager were officials that they issued payments to firms, also on the same day. The BJP is now planning to use the said scam as a corruption charge against the Congress, especially against the HPCC president Kaul Singh who was IPH minister when the purchases were made, in the forth coming Lok Sabha elections. The minister for IPH Ravinder Thakur when contacted said that the vigilance had already started inquiry into the case. Kaul Singh on the other hand has been maintaining that it was he, who has ordered an inquiry into the said corruption case. However, the fact remains that if an inquiry was ordered by Congress why guilty officials were not brought to the book. |
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Govt shows compassion for widows, orphans
Shimla, February 18 Stating this while replying to a joint question of Rajesh Dhramani (Congress) and Roop Singh (BJP) during question hour today Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal informed the Vidhan Sabha that 520 persons had been given appointment on compassionate grounds from January 1,2008 to November 30, 2008 and another 1876 such cases were pending. He said the effort of the government was to give jobs to the most indigent cases, where both the parents have died, and poor widows on priority and it had also been decided to provide Class III and Class IV jobs in accordance with the educational qualification of candidates. Answering a supplementary he said approval for the finance department was necessary to ensure that proper process was followed for making such appointments as under the Fiscal Reforms and Budget Management Act officers could be penalised for irregular recruitment. Replying to another question he said adequate marketing arrangements would be made for marketing of flowers, vegetable and other crops to be grown in protected conditions under the Rs 155 crore Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Kisan Smridhi Yojna. The state already had 43 market yards while five were under construction and five more were proposed to be constructed. Dhumal told Kaul Singh that the matter regarding declaration of the Chuhar valley of Mandi, Chhota-Bara Bhangal of Kangra, Pandrah-Beesh of Kullu ,Dodra Kawar of Shimla and Giri Par belt of Sirmour as scheduled tribal areas was being pursued with the Centre. The issue was first taken up in 1998 and the concerned union ministry concerned had sent it back along with the observations of the Registrar General of India. The additional information sought was being collected by the respective deputy commissioners. The case would be forwarded to the ministry again as soon as required information
was available. He informed the House that the vigilance department had registered 25 cases since December 1, 2008 to January 15, 2009. Replying to a separate question pertaining to vigilance cases in this regard he said that cases had been registered against three IAS offices and an IPS officer and vigilance inquiry was on against six other
IAS officers. |
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Twin awards for state
Shimla, February 18 An official spokesperson said here today that the awards were for “e-gazette” (a software for Controller of Printing and Stationary Department) and the Himachal Pradesh Police web portal (HIMPOL). Both software packages have been made by the National Informatics Centre, Himachal Pradesh, in coordination with the Information Technology Department. The HIMPOL project had been awarded for “outstanding performance in citizen-centric service delivery”, while e-Gazette had won the bronze icon award for “excellence in government process re-engineering”. The e-Gazette project is the first of its kind in India where paper copies of the official gazette had been discontinued from August 1, 2007. Till date, no gazette in India is printed in digital format and this has resulted in huge cost saving, besides benefiting lawyers, bankers, employees and common citizens. Through HIMPOL, people can get registered FIRs online along with e-payment of challans, which is unique in the country. |
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Controversial Land Deal
Solan, February 18 As a face-saving exercise, the Revenue Department had begun the process of retrieving an excess land of 282 sq mt of the 11.1 bighas land which had been bought by these 18 high-profile buyers, including Justice Nirmal
Yadav, in August last year. Deputy Commissioner Dr Amandeep Garg confirmed that a notice had been served to the buyers to surrender the excess land consequent to which the buyers had identified the required land and submitted their consent to surrender it. The case has been sent to the higher authorities for further action. Interestingly, though the office of the financial commissioner had raised some objections at the time of initial scrutiny, they had failed to note whether the land exceeded the limit of 500 sq mt per individual buyer. This was a violation of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972. With the name of
tehsildar, Solan, figuring in the CBI report for having regularly informed the judge about the smooth execution of the registration deal, his role, too, has come under a scanner. This was more so since the CBI report has admitted that the deed was executed under fictitious addresses and pseudo names. Inquiries made by The Tribune had revealed that the thumb impressions, along with signatures of the buyers, were required to be affixed on the revenue papers and the pictures of both buyers and sellers are clicked at the time of registration of the deed. Not only this but also buyers are either supposed to be present in person or should handover a power of attorney to another person who can appear on their behalf. While all these procedures were fraught with irregularities they seem to have been conveniently ignored by the revenue authorities. The most glaring irregularity, which the CBI has taken stern note of, however pertains to the execution of the deed at a price much less than the prevailing market price. While as per inquiries made from the locals, it was learnt that the price of one bigha of land was anything between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 15 lakh on this stretch of the Kumarhatti-Nahan road, the entire piece of 11.1 bighas land had been bought at a nominal price of about
Rs 5,52,500. |
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JBT trainees end stir
Shimla, February 18 The trainees accepted their mistake before the minister in launching a stir and boycotting classes without a plausible reason. They also admitted that they were misguided by vested interests and expressed regret for their unwarranted action. The meeting was held after the daylong protest dharna by the trainees in front of the Vidhan Sabha. The minister told the representatives of the trainees in no uncertain terms that no assurance could be given for jobs as the posts were filled as and when the vacancies arose. He said that a decision regarding resumption of classes would be taken at the meeting of principal secretary and director of the education to be convened shortly. The batch was suspended
by the government after the trainees started a stir. |
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3 dead, 1 injured in road accidents
Shimla, February 18 In another accident near Neugal Seri in Kinnuar, one person was killed and another seriously injured. The accident took place when the jeep rolled down a khud, killing one on the spot. |
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Moratorium on green felling
Shimla, February 18 Replying to the debate on the resolution moved by Roop Singh (BJP), forest minister JP Nadda said the state had imposed a moratorium much before the Supreme Court banned green felling. As a result, the green cover in the state had increased. The present government took up the matter immediately after taking over the reins of power in the state. Chief Minister PK Dhumal had also written a letter to Prime Minter Manmohan Singh in that regard,
he added. The mater was raised before the 13th finance commission and the state had sought Rs 1,000 crore on that account. The state wants budgeting and accounting of environment-related issues taking the accrued benefits into consideration for devolution of funds. The forest wealth of the state is worth Rs 1,50,000 crore and its contribution to the gross domestic product should be taken into consideration. Moving the resolution, Roop Singh said the ban on green felling was not only depriving the state of forest revenue, but also causing various other problems. The forests were not being managed in accordance with silviculture practices and at present over 7 lakh cubic metre standing volume of mature trees of various species was awaiting removal. This included 1.5 lakh cubic metre of deodar, 1 lakh cubic metre of kail, 2 lakh cubic metre of fir and spruce and 1,00,000 lakh cubic metre of board-leaved species. Periodic removal of these over-mature trees from forests would fetch Rs 100 to Rs 150 crore annually. The local people were being denied fuel wood and timber even for their genuine needs as a result of which they were indulging in illegal felling of trees. The resolution was adopted in amended form. |
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Dhumal shows concern for girl’s father
Shimla, February 18 He also directed the HPSEB authorities to bring all such cases of electrocution or accident to his notice so that he could personally monitor the relief and rehabilitation measures to the affected persons. He asked the HPSEB to reimburse and bear the entire treatment expenses of Priyanka. The chief minister directed deputy commissioner, Kangra, to ensure help to the child after her father, Pawan Jahotra, brought the accident to his notice. Dhumal said it was very unfortunate that such an accident had taken place, rendering the child disabled.
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CPM to launch NREGA Bachao Campaign
Mandi, February 18 Addressing a meeting of the district committee here, CPM secretary Bhupender Singh said just 352 persons had been given 100-day employment out of 1.1 lakh applicants who had sought work under the NREGA in the district. The applicants were not getting work or wages within 15 days, leave alone the payment of unemployment allowance to workers as per the NREGA provisions, he said. The CPM leaders said the party would launch the campaign at subdivisonal and block level. |
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Insurance co told to pay 7.55-lakh relief
Shimla, February 18 President of the Shimla District Redressal Forum, Pritam Singh, said the company was not justified in identifying the complainant of the bank to the tune of Rs 94,000 when the embezzlement was of more than Rs 8.49 lakh. The bank had taken the policy for the year 1996-99 for an amount of Rs 50 lakh per year on the payment of premium thereby covering risks such as shortage in transit, forgery, alteration and dishonesty. As per the facts of the case, it was in 1998-99 that an embezzlement of Rs 6.57 lakh and Rs 1.91 lakh came to light in the two branches at Moorang and Nichar. An FIR was lodged and the fraud brought to the notice of the company. However, the company paid only Rs 94,000 to the bank. The forum observed that the Act amounted to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice. The company was directed to pay a sum of Rs 7.55 lakh in favour of the bank, along with interest rate of 9 per cent per annum from the date of filing of the complaint, and Rs 2,000 as litigation cost. |
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Govt rapped on unemployment issue
Shimla, February 18 State president of the Youth Congress Manmohan Katoch said rather than trying to tackle the problem of unemployment effectively, the BJP regime was removing PTA teachers appointed during the Congress regime. “Even those having required qualification and fulfilling eligibility criteria are being victimised for the reason that they were appointed by the previous Congress regime,” he alleged. He said even in the budget for the year 2008-09, the Chief Minister had not listed any major employment-generation projects. “Despite the condition of 70 per cent jobs for Himachalis in all industrial units and power projects in the state, private entrepreneurs are not engaging locals in requisite numbers,” he said. He reiterated his earlier demand for issuing of a while paper on employment position in private industrial units in the state. “A government which can allow tampering in the map of India can never protect interests of Himachalis,” he said. Katoch said the Youth Congress would continue agitation against the anti-people decisions of the BJP regime. |
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Protest lodged against Hul hydel project
Chamba, February 18 Expressing his ire and concern over the way the execution of the project has been planned; Rattan said the water supply scheme originating from the Hul rivulet upstream, Jadera village would be badly affected. He said the work to augment the existing water supply scheme would also be affected, as this nullah was the perennial source of water. Considering the survival of rich flora and fauna available in the area, he opposed the proposal of uprooting more than 4,000 green shrubs in the 5-km stretch of green vegetation which were generating beneficial fodder to the livestock. Animal husbandry would be affected with the depletion of green vegetation, including shrubs, as this area fulfils the milk needs of the town. Rattan said a number of water mills were expected to go dry, besides small irrigation schemes of the area thereby affecting the agriculture and horticulture prospects of the area. He met with the authorities concerned of the region but he could not be able to get any solution. He now decided to proceed to Shimla and Delhi to meet the top brass concerning the project. “I am not against the project but the way it was given clearance thoughtlessly needs to be reviewed forthwith in the interest of the area”, he narrated. |
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AIDS awareness programme held
Nurpur, February 18 Programme in charge Bhiwani Dutt Sharma said the campaign, ‘Jindgi Jindabad’, had been launched in Kangra district and would continue
till April 2. He informed that Volunteer Counselling and Testing Centres (VCTC) were providing free counselling clinical testing of HIV in the state. He said only precaution was the prevention of this disease. |
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Labourer drowned
Kangra, February 18 Bhadur Singh, SHO, Shahpur, said the deceased was on duty when the incident took place. He however said, as the body was wearing no clothes it seems he might have gone to take a bath in the river. He said the death was due to drowning and the body was sent for the post-mortem examination and report was still awaited. A relief of Rs 5,000 was given to the victim’s family. |
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Shimla, February 18
