Ner Chowk (Mandi), February 23
The BJP and the Congress today were face to face with each other, raising slogans and claiming credit for the 500-bedded ESIC medical-college and super-speciality hospital during the foundation stone function.

The stone was laid jointly by Union Labour and Employment Minister Oscar Fernandes and Chief Minister PK Dhumal here today.

As soon as Fernandes and Dhumal reached the venue, they were greeted by banners put up by the Congress and the BJP workers, giving tough time to the policemen.

The ESIC medical college show turned out not only the “BJP vs the Congress credit- taking match”, but it also exposed factionalism within the Congress and the BJP.

Fernandes and Dhumal, however, repeatedly tried to silent the slogan-shouting party supporters in front of the dais.

But politics ruled the function, considering that the Congress had supported 120 days chain fast for the medical college, while the BJP government tried to fulfil demand by starting the ESIC medical college here.

Fernandes gave credit to the Dhumal government, who provided 31 acre land to the ESIC hospital and assured that it would start postgraduate courses at the college within a year.

Dhumal said, “It is not a question of taking credit, Fernandes came twice within a year and founded the 100-bedded Baddi ESIC hospital and ESIC college just because he is his personal friend. Mandi is a central zone like Shimla and Tanda medical colleges and ESIC will be a national-level hospital in this zone.”

Leader of opposition Vidya Stokes, Congress president Kaul Singh Thakur and
Balh MLA Prakash Chaudhary spoke and tried their best to take credit for the ESIC college without provoking the opposition raising the issue of strike for the Mandi medical college.

Besides Dhumal, PWD Minister Gulab Singh Thakur, Health Minister Rajiv Bindal and state BJP president Jai Ram Thakur spoke on the occasion and gave credit for the ESIC college to Dhumal, who made it possible for the ESIC to start the college here.

Dharamsala, February 23
In gross violation of the EPF and gratuity act officials of various industrial area development agencies (IADAs) in the state have exploited the labourers.

The sources available here said that in many of the IADAs across the state the officials did not deduct the EPF of labourers serving under them.

The result is that despite putting over 30 years of service in many cases the poor labourers are unlikely to get any retirement due.

The IADAs where the EPF has not deposited in the accounts of labourers include Mehatpur in Una district where there are 13 labourers, Kangra three labourers, Poanta in Nahan district seven labourers, Kullu two labourers, Bilaspur one and Baddi two labourers. Besides, the labourers working in the Tahliwal industrial area are also a harassed lot.

As per the documents available with The Tribune the director, industries, in a letter issued on January 28, 1999, had stated that the government has regularised the services of all said labourers working in various IADAs.

The government had also issued grant-in-aid of Rs 10 lakh to said IADAs to meet additional expenditure of increased salaries of all the employees.

However, despite the regularisation of services no funds were either deducted or contributed towards provident fund of the poor labourers.

As per the PF act the IADA officials should have deducted at least 12 per cent of the basic pay paid to labourers and also contributed an equal amount to their account from the employer side.

A portion of their salary should also have been sent towards ESI that would have created the provision of pension for labourers after retirement.

As per the act it is duty of the principal employee that in the present case are the chairmen of various IADAs. The principal employees of the IADAs can be held legally liable for not depositing the funds to PF accounts of labourers.

Certain officials in IADAs while speaking on the condition of anonymity said that the funds were not deposited in accounts of labourers as it was not mandatory in case less than 20 labourers are employed by any organisation.

However, the sources available here said that the condition of not deducting the PF in case less than 20 labourers are employed is applicable to contractors or organisation carrying out temporary works of short durations.

In case of permanent workers as in case of IADAs the principal employers are bond to deposit the PF of labourers working under them.

Shimla, February 23
The government has decided to introduce a weather-based insurance scheme for tomato crop in Solan district.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the state-level coordination committee
on crop insurance held under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary (Agriculture)
PC Kapoor.

Under the scheme, insurance cover would be provided for tomato crop raised between March and September, Director (Agriculture) JC Rana said.

The Agriculture Insurance Company of India would establish reference weather stations at Solan, Kandaghat and Kunihar for the purpose.

The scheme is mandatory for loanee farmers who have taken credit limit from any financial institution. They could get their crop insured by March 15. The last date for non-loanee farmers is March 10. The scheme is optional for them.

The insured cultivators growing the notified crop in the reference area will be deemed to have suffered the same level of adverse weather incidence and crop loss and become eligible for payouts at the same rate.

The sum insured has been fixed at Rs 1 lakh per hectare in two components. The insurance factor will depend on temperature factor under the first component, which has been further divided into three parts.

In the first part, insurance cover will be provided on anticipated yield loss due to drop in night temperature (frost) and in the second part, for high mean temperature during growth period.

The sum insured will be Rs 10,000 and the cover period will be from March 10 to May 31. Under the third part, cover has been provided on anticipated yield loss due to temperature fluctuation during fruit development from May 30 to June 30.

The second component of the scheme provides insurance cover based on rainfall factor, which has been further divided into two parts.

Insurance cover will be available on anticipated yield loss due to deficit in aggregate rain across different phases under the first part.

The sum insured will be Rs 22,500 for two cover periods. Under the second part, the cover will be provided for anticipated loss of yield due to daily excessive rain.

The sum insured will be Rs 25,000 for the period from May 16 to June 15 and June 16 to July 31.

Shimla, February 23
With the government likely to issue a fresh notification, the number of cases to be regularised under latest retention policy is likely to go up manifold from the existing figure of 3,200 cases received by the Department of Town and Country Planning.

The issue of regularisation of structures raised in violation of the norms of the TCP Act had been pending as the matter is in the court.

With the court directing the government to go ahead with the compounding process, the notification is likely to be issued within this week.

The last date of applying for regularisation of structures will be March 31, while the cases will be processed before July 31. Constructions undertaken before June 30, 2006, will qualify for consideration under the retention policy. The Cabinet had sometime back granted approval for regularisation of all such structures.

Under the fifth retention policy offered during the Congress regime, a total of 3,200 applications, including 2,000 from the state capital and the remaining from 34 special areas and 20 planning areas in the state, were received by the TCP Department. However before the government could process the cases, a petition was filed in the high court, resulting in delay in disposing of the cases.

Under the policy, only up to 40 per cent deviation in the approved construction plan will be regularised. “We are skeptical about the exact number of cases that will qualify for permission as court directive with regard to regularisation of unauthorised structures with only up to 40 per cent deviation is very strict,” said an official.

It was the previous Congress regime, which had floated the retention policy to accommodate people who had violated the Town and Country Planning Act (TCP) while undertaking construction.

Interestingly, although planners and architects had recommended that only 25 per cent deviation from the approved building plan should be allowed under the fifth retention policy, the limit was raised to 40 per cent due to pressure from influential people, defeating the entire purpose of the TCP Act and the rules.

Palampur, February 23
Residents of seven panchayats of the Chhota and Bara Bhangal areas of Baijnath subdivision have announced to boycott the coming Lok Sabha elections since the state government has failed to withdraw its notification bringing these panchayats in preview of the wildlife century.

A meeting to this effect was held at Chhota Bhangal this afternoon under the chairmanship of Bara Gram panchayat pardhan Bhim Singh.

All seven panchayat pardhans of the affected areas attended the meeting and it was unanimously decided to boycott the Lok Sabha elections to be held in May.

Copies of the resolution passed were sent to Governor Prabhu Rao and Chief
Minister PK Dhumal.

Bhim Singh said after this notification their entry into the forest had been banned and their local rights had come to an end.

Besides, the construction of roads, drinking water supply schemes and construction of government building had also been suspended.

It may be recalled that over 30,000 residents of this area had been protesting for the past two years for their inclusion in the wildlife century, which had caused great hardship to them, and all development activities in the area had come to a standstill.

The people had also staged a dharna last week in front of the Kangra Deputy Commissioner office to press their demands.

Nurpur, February 23
The unemployed trainees of the Special Security Bureau (SSB) from Nurpur and Jawali subdivisions have expressed their resentment over the failure of the Government of India for not adhering to the directions of the state high court even after four months.

The meeting of the SSB trainees was held here last evening, which was presided over by its circle president Om Dutt. He said the high court had directed the Indian Government to give financial benefits to the jobless trainees.

He pointed out that during aggression by China in 1962 and 1965 the government had imparted special arms training to these volunteers in remote and far-flung areas of the state. Their services were also requisitioned during the Indo-Pak war in 1971. “But these jobless trainees are leading a miserable life,” he rued.

He said the Indian Government should provide all financial benefits to these trainees on the pattern of the Manipur Government so that they could lead a respected life.

Sundernagar, February 23
The BJP government is committed to give respect to all public representatives even at the panchayat-level and government will see that due honour is given to them.

This was stated by Chief Minister PK Dhumal while addressing a state-level conference of the vice-presidents of the panchayats here today.

He said the earlier government had issued a notification vide which the elections of the vice-president of the panchayats were indirect.

However, the vice-presidents did not like this arrangement so the present government scrapped this notification and now their elections would be direct.

He said the BJP had already increased the honorariums of all panchayat representatives by 21 per cent.

The panchayat was vested with multiple powers for executives imparting justice to the people at the lowest-level.

He further directed the panchayati raj officials to make every notification issued by the government available to the elected representatives and it would be displayed on the notice board of the panchayat.

Earlier to it, state president of the Up Pardhan Sangh (Vice President Association) Birbal Sharma read out various problems being faced by the vice-presidents of the panchayats in the state and donated Rs 51,000 to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund on behalf of the association.

Mandi, February 23
In run-up to the week-long congregation of local deities, Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu that will begin here tomorrow, the chariot of Lord Rajmadhav, believed to be incarnation of Lord Vishnu and presiding deity of the Shivaratri festival, was rolled out from his temple on a traditional “jaleb” to meet Lord Shiva at the Bhootnath temple here today.

A large number of devotees are making a beeline to the temple to be part the week-long celebrations.

President of Shivratri committee DC Onkar Sharma performed the traditional puja at the Bhootnath temple on behalf of Rajmadhav.

Processions of local deities have started moving into this temple town from every nook and corner of district for the first traditional “jaleb” will start from Rajmadhav temple to Paddal Maidan tomorrow at 2 pm.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal will be the chief guest on the occasion. The mela committee has invited over 215 deities for the fair.

The three persons, who were in the jeep, sustained injuries and were rushed to the hospital where they were reported safe.

Shimla, February 23
The employees of the State Council for Science, Technology and Environment have demanded merger with the recently created Department of Environment for ensuring better professional prospects.

The employees’ union has demanded that the “pick and choose” policy being adopted by the authorities to benefit the chosen few must end.

They alleged the regular employees of the council were being discriminated against while those serving here on secondment basis against norms were being favoured.

“There is bound to be resentment as the promotion cases of regular employees are being ignored while the employees serving on secondment basis are continuing, flouting all norms,” alleged an employee.

He said injustice must end as some of these employees were continuing even after completing five years of service and were now being allowed to continue without any post for the past two years.

Twenty-one posts from the council were merged with the new department of environment. “Ever since the creation of the new department, the council is practically starved of funds, leaving little scope for professional growth. So, we also demand that we should be merged with the new department,” they said.

They said while transferring the posts from the council to the new department, option was not sought from employees and a policy of “pick and chose” was adopted. They said this had resulted in hampering the functioning of the council.

Shimla, February 23
At a time when ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is sizzling the global community, schoolgirls in the state have produced a documentary film on the impact of television on children. Aptly named ‘Fox of the Box’, the film will be screened in a national community film festival to be held in Delhi next month.

The schoolteacher who assisted the kids in making of this film believes that this attempt is to tell children about the drawbacks of the television and also to tell how it can be used in an effective way.

“In this 23 minutes documentary, we have tried to show that these days out of 24 hours; kids spend nearly nine hours watching television. Many a times kids are not even aware what do they actually watch in these nine hours. So, in the first half of the movie, we have shown how watching TV for long hours affects children,” said Sanjeev Atri, a teacher, Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Nahan.

“In the second half, we have tried to show how this great innovation (television) can also be used effectively for child development,” Sanjeev added.

Meanwhile, the students who made the film were hopeful that it would fetch an award for them.

“We are very happy. It would be good, if our film gets an award or gets nominated for an award. But the real goal of making this film would be achieved once kids after watching film implement these things in real life,” said Manisha, a film contributor.

The main aim of making this film is to tell children of new generation what they should do and what they could learn from television. — ANI