Dharamsala, April 1
Utter chaos is prevailing in Tanda medical college as an aftermath of the Aman Kachroo ragging incident. The teaching staff is trying to save its skin, the administration is digging old cases to display belated affectivity and students are being made pawns in college politics.

In the latest developments in the case, the Department of Health has issued show-cause notices to 27 medical teachers in the college who have remained warden in the institute since 2001. The teachers have been asked to explain their conduct during their respective stint as wardens. The notices have been issued on the basis of the magisterial inquiry that has given detailed account of various reported ragging cases in Tanda medical since 2001.

In the magisterial inquiry it has been alleged that though the ragging cases were reported from time to time to the college authorities, every time the accused students managed to escape punishment.

Some of the suspended medical teachers are feeling aggrieved. Chief warden Dr Bharti has been put under suspension by secretary, health, despite the fact that a magisterial inquiry had found nothing against him. Bharti was on leave for a month when the incident that claimed the life of Aman Kachroo took place. He has also stated before the magisterial inquiry that though he was appointed as the chief warden, neither the principal nor other wardens ever corresponded with him. All members of the anti-ragging committee have stated that though they were members, none of them ever attended a meeting of the committee.

The kin of Aman Kachroo, who have formed the Aman foundation, while talking to The Tribune on phone alleged that the college authorities had not suspended the accused warden of freshers’ hostel, Dr Pradeep Bansal.

The secretary, health, refuted the charges. He said Dr Pradeep Bansal was put under suspension and many other teachers had been issued show-cause notices.

The senior students of the college who had on a protest for the past two days in favour of former accused principal today finally attended classes. However, a wedge has been created between the junior and senior students, as the former did not participate in the protests in favour of former principal.

Shimla, April 1
Incredible it may sound, but it is true. The state electricity board has appointed a candidate who was on the verge of superannuation. Born on April 26, 1951, Rasila Ram Bhardwaj of Kaswar village in Barsar is one of the 102 junior engineers (electrical) selected under the batch-wise recruitments carried out recently. He will have tenure of about two months as the retirement age in the board is 58 years.

Information supplied under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to Dev Ashish Bhattacharya, an RTI activist, reveals that there are nine more such recruits, all ex-servicemen, who will serve the board for less than five years. The maximum age for recruitment to government service is 45 years. However, the government has been allowing relaxation in age for various posts in a selective and arbitrary manner. Recently, it allowed relaxation in age up to 50 years for the posts of ayurvedic doctor.

The board called 22 over-aged candidates for interview, including Sudershan Kumar (date of birth, November 20, 1950) of Chakmoh (Barsar) and Krishan Pal (January 11, 1951) of Basdera (Una), who turned 58 before selection process was over. The name of another over-aged candidate Surinder Kumar of Mudkar village in Bhoranj, who appeared for the interview, is missing from the list supplied under the RTI Act. It shows a “senseless” approach in making recruitments and also the callous attitude of the board in dealing with RTI queries, says Bhattacharya. If those with two months to go for superannuation could be selected, why the over-aged candidates, who will serve for more than 10 years, be not selected by granting age-relaxation, he says.

The state Electricity Regulatory Commission had pulled up the board for indifferent cadre management and directed it to carry out recruitments to meet the shortfall of technical manpower as it was affecting its functioning. “One wonders, if the recruitment of such over-aged technical hands will serve any useful purpose,” he says.

There is no firm policy for batch-wise recruitment and age relaxation. Everything depends on the whims and fancies of political bosses. Batch-wise recruitment of junior engineers has been made in the board only twice over the past 20 years.

Earlier, 41 junior engineers were appointed through batch-wise recruitment in 2000. In the instant case, 98 posts, 72 of electrical and 20 of computer science and electronics professionals, were advertised against which already 121 posts have been filled and the process is on to fill a few others. All this puts a question mark over the entire recruitment policy of the board.

Dharamsala, April 1
Jeet Kumar, a superintendent posted in Kot Sanor Government Senior Secondary School, has alleged inaction on the part of Himachal Pradesh Board of School education (HPBSE) to check mass copying.

Jeet while talking to The Tribune alleged that he was posted as superintendent in the said examination centre. Students with the help of locals resorted to mass copying at the centre. I resisted copying efforts with the help of other staff in the centre.

However, stiff resistance to copying made the superintendent bête noire for locals. He was attacked three times by unidentified persons. The police reached the spot and registered a case. However, the board authorities, despite being informed in writing failed to take any action to curb check. Under physical attacks I was forced to subdue. Board officials did not send any team from their head office to help him out, Jeet alleged.

Prabhat Sharma, secretary of the board, admitted that he had received information regarding the physical attack on the examination center superintendent. He said, “I had called up the police and local administration to help the official. It was a police case and the board had nothing to do with it.”

When asked about alleged mass copying, the secretary said he had not received any written complaint from the superintendent regarding the alleged mass copying at the centre. The superintendent, however, alleged that the board officials were hiding the facts. He said he had even sent the information regarding mass copying at the examination centre through speed post to the officials concerned. I have the receipt of speed post to prove my point, he added.

Shimla, April 1
As many as 380 sites have been identified throughout the state for scientific disposal of muck and construction debris in accordance with the environment protection act.

The information was given by deputy commissioners during a video conference presided over by Chief Secretary Asha Swarup on the issues related to disposal of muck generated from construction of roads and other such activities in the urban areas. The estimated capacity of these identified dumping sites is about 66.26 lakh cubic metres. She suggested that funds available with the deputy commissioners under the Local Area Development Committee (LADC) from various projects could also be for development of identified dumping sites. She also advised the user agencies to expeditiously move the cases for clearances so that the identified sites were made operational at the earliest.

The additional chief secretary, Forests, Avay Shukla said that the forest department could fund the capital cost of the works for development of muck dumping sites in the urban areas from allocation made under the CAT(catchment area treatment) plan.

Principal secretary, environment, Sarojini Ganju Thakur, apprised about the environmental degradation being caused due to road and building construction through a pictorial presentation. Issues related to use and disposal of polythene also came up during the discussions, especially the littering on the Rohtang Pass , and it was emphasized that concerted efforts be made to maintain the scenic and aesthetic beauty of the tourist spots in the state.

The principal secretary, PWD, said in all new road projects muck dumping aspects had been integrated and reflected in the estimates. For existing roads the department was actively considering identification of dumping sites for the debris.

Dharamsala, April 1
The landslide allegedly caused due to lose rocks created by illegal mining of slates in the Dhauladhar mountains has damaged the stage-II of Dharamsala hydro project.

The work at the 5-MW power project came to a standstill yesterday after boulders from the mountains destroyed the penstocks being erected through the mountains. The penstocks were constructed to bring Manji rivulet water from height to the turbines downhill.

The general manager of the project said the boulders destroyed their stores and equipment. They have also destroyed the penstock pipes and the expansion joints. The estimated damage to power project is about Rs 40 lakh, the general manager added.

Sources in the power project alleged that the illegal mining of slates in Dhauladhar hills is threatening the power project. The project authorities have complained many times regarding the illegal mining activities in the area, however, no action has been taken by the concerned authorities.

The source also said the recent landslide might delay the project by about two months. The power project was earlier scheduled to be completed by May. However, now it completion date is likely to be extended.

Shimla, April 1
The unhealthy practice of ‘open defecation’ will be eradicated from all 3243 panchayats of the hill state by the end of 2010.

Stating this while formally launching the ‘Swatchhta’ week as part of total sanitation campaign here today, secretary, rural development, Srikant Baldi said that already 267 panchayats had been declared ‘nirmal’ panchayats. The weeklong programme had been designed to focus on various sections of society directly connected with sanitation. He said about 70 per cent diseases were water borne and caused by its viral or bacteriological contamination due to open defecation.

He lamented that even after 62 years of independence people were still defecating in the open. Earlier, a policy was framed to construct a toilet in every household in 1986 through subsidy but it was observed that though the people constructed toilets, they did not use them. He said that this thinking could be changed through active participation of panchayati raj institutions, NGOs, government departments, schools and people in general. He said that if a single family did not use toilet the whole village could be affected. Only 3 or 4 per cent families were having toilets when the state came into existence but today about 70 per cent people were using toilets.

Baldi also flagged off the ‘Swachhta Rath’ which will move around the state visiting schools, panchayats , anganwaries and other rural institutions to highlight the ills of open defecation. He also declared Basantpur block as ODF(open defecation-free).

On the opening day of the campaign the focus was on schools where parents and teachers associations were involved for ensuring that the members played and effective role in improving personal hygiene of the children.

Hamirpur: A total sanitation campaign week started today in Hamirpur district by organising a block-level programme at senior secondary school. Declamation contest, poster, slogan writing and painting competitions were held on the occassion.

Addressing the students, BDO, Hamirpur, Sanjeev Dhiman laid stress on holding needful discussions on constructing, maintaining and making best use of toilets by parents-teachers association.

He said students should be inculcated the habit of using toilets and cleanliness in school so that it later becomes a habit in life.

A cleanliness rally was also launched in the district today which was flagged off by the project officer of the district rural development agency.

Kangra: Schoolchildren on Wednesday launched a week-long ‘Total Sanitation Campaign’ here in order to create sanitation awareness among the common people. Pardeen Kumar, SDM, Kangra, today said the campaign was dedicated to schoolchildren on its first day today and children carrying placards carrying slogans for better sanitation took out rallies in different parts of this subdivision.

The SDM said children went to their own villages and made public toilet awareness and sanitation awareness among villagers.

Nurpur: Students of local Government Senior Secondary, BTC Government Girls Senior Secondary and government primary schools today took out rallies in the town to disseminate the message of total sanitation campaign.

Raising slogans by holding placards and banners, the students spread the message of making environment pollution free and avoid open defecation. Volunteers of the Molsserie Eco Club, the NSS and the NCC of government boys senior secondary school also participated in the declamation, painting and slogan writing competitions to mark the celebration of ‘Swachhata Praheri Diwas’ being organised throughout the state in government schools on the first day of ‘Complete sanitation week’ being celebrated from April 1 to 7. Such awareness programmes were also organised at Giora, Khazian and Bhaloon in this subdivision.

Shimla, April 1
It is lack of supervision on the part of senior officers and failure of the lower rung officials to take their bosses into confidence, which caused embarrassment to the BJP regime in the state over publication of wrong map of India in the official diary printed by the government.

These are the findings of the inquiry that had been ordered by the government after the matter came into light. It is on the basis of this inquiry conducted by Additional Chief Secretary Harinder Hira that the government had blacklisted the Delhi-based publisher for the gaffe.

Sensing the sensitivity of the matter and finding prima facie evidence of negligence on the part of some officials, the government has served chargesheet on three officials, including Vikas Labroo, controller, printing and stationary; Badri Dutt, reviser; and Des Raj Gupta, head reader. Their reply to the chargesheet is still awaited.

It has been pointed out in the inquiry report that there was lack of supervision on the part of the senior officer while the junior too did not take the matter seriously so as to consult the bosses. The printer is learnt to have said he downloaded the map from the Internet, not sensing that there was something wrong with it. The published map did not show Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) as part of India.

The Congress, which had staged a walk out in the Assembly over the issue, had even gone to the extent of demanding dismissal of the BJP regime over the faux pass.

“We have chargesheeted three officials earlier and after the completion of inquiry similar action will be initiated against another employee,” confirmed BK Aggarwal, additional private secretary to the Chief Minister.

It is learnt that the publisher too had been held responsible in the matter and as such he had been blacklisted after being questioned. “Since it was a very sensitive matter involving publication of the country’s map, there was no scope at all for error and as such the publisher too should have acted more responsibly,” said a senior officer.

About 3,500 government diaries had been published and distributed among ministers, MLAs, bureaucrats, media personnel and other officials. The government had right in the beginning said that all diaries, which had been distributed, would be withdrawn.

Mandi, April 1
The CPM-CPI left front candidate from Mandi Lok Sabha seat Dr Onkar Shad today claimed that the Left would ensure a non-Congress and non-BJP government at the Centre and went on to accuse both the Congress and ruling BJP of misleading people of the state diverting their attention from the real issues like growing unemployment, recession and problems of farmers and collapse of the PDS system in the state in the election.

Addressing his first press conference here today Dr Shad said that the third front would ensure a non-BJP and non-Congress government at the Centre as voters in the country were disillusioned with both the Congress and the BJP as they represented the same system of liberalisation and privatisation on the USA model that brought the worst recession in the country.

Dr Shad said that the successive governments had failed to mitigate the problems of the common man as the PDS system had collapsed and unemployed had reached new heights in the state. Farmers are facing problems from monkeys, stray cattle, the banning on TD and crop failures in the state, but the Congress and the BJP have done nothing to solve them, he charged.

Dr Shad said his party would ensure that Himachal got a grant of Rs 1000 crore from the Centre for maintenance of green cover and royalty from power projects be increased from 12 per cent to 15 percent.

Mandi, April 1
Former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today accused Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal of being a “non-resident Himachali CM as he takes major decisions concerning the state either sitting in Chandigarh or in Jalandhar and comes back to Himachal only to use the stamps needed in the files”.

Addressing a public meeting at Kotli town in Mandi Sadar, Virbhadra Singh charged that Dhumal was diverting public attention from corruption by way of creating a wedge between him and Sukh Ram in which he would never succeed, as both of them (Virbhadra and Sukh Ram) know each other very well. The truth is that Sukh Ram’s contribution in telecom revolution in the state and outside is known and Dhumal maltreated Sukh Ram even as he became the CM because of him, he added.

Accompanied by Sukh Ram’s son and Mandi Sadar MLA Anil Sharma, Virbhadra Singh further charged that the Dhumal government should bring out a white paper on CFLs as there is a big scam in the entire deal with the company(ies). These bulbs are sold in Taiwan and China on the basis of weight. The CFLs given to people carry no name of the manufacturing company that smacks of a scam, he stated.

He said the BJP came to power just because the Chief Election Commissioner of India took the previous government by surprise by conducting the state Assembly elections early. But today, its graph had fallen sharply and the Congress would stage a comeback in the elections, he claimed. Anil Sharma also addressed the meeting urging voters to vote for the Congress.

Mandi, April 1
Former Chief Minister and Congress candidate from Mandi Lok Sabha seat Virbhadra Singh has fired a major “royal salvo” challenging the “royal credentials and connection with Lord Rama’s ancestry” of his BJP rival Maheshwar Singh. He went on to accuse him of misusing his position for chunks of votes from the simple villagers in the region.

Throwing this major salvo against Maheshwar Singh, Virbhadra Singh told The Tribune on the sidelines of the election campaign in Mandi: “Maheshwar Singh is not a “Rama bhagat” as the temple idols at the Raghunath temple in Kullu were not ancient idols. Maheshwar belongs to the “Kullu Rupi Rai” and not to the Rupi King as he claimed to be, he asserted.

Virbhadra made a further dig on Maheshwar Singh pointing out that he always tried to misuse his position as the so-called representative of Lord Raghunath, dragging religion in politics to gain political sympathy. But people of the region have now clearly seen through his political designs, he added, pointing out the controversy over the ashvamedh yajna which had also a political motive behind it.

Meanwhile, it is pertinent to be mention here that in 2006-07 when Virbhadra Singh was the Chief Minister he had stated publicly that the government would form the Lord Raghunath trust as the temple belongs to people of Kullu and not to an individual.

However, Virbhadra Singh asserted that he was not fighting against any Maheshwar Singh, but against the corrupt and revengeful regime being perpetuated by Chief Minister PK Dhumal. On the other hand, Maheshwar Singh charged that Virbhadra Singh tried to interfere in the affairs of the “devis” and “devtas” when he was the Chief Minister. Virbhadra rode the ‘rath’ during the Kullu Dussehra ceremony, which violated the tradition. Then he had announced that he would constitute the Lord Raghunath trust knowing that the temple is private one and belongs to my ancestors,” Maheshwar claimed.