Hamirpur, June 5
The probe against erring in charge of the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Kuthera, Dr Sushil Sharma, took a new turn today when a few staff members and local villagers did not allow inquiry officer to conduct probe and created a scene leading to hospitalisation of a woman health worker.

While the people assembled in support of the PHC in charge resorted to strong arm tactics, they reportedly locked a few multipurpose health workers in a room for several hours and did not listen to CMO Dr DS Chandel, who had visited the PHC after getting this information.

Woman health worker Vikrma Devi had to be hospitalised at district hospital, Hamirpur, when she fainted after the ruckus at the PHC, Kuthera, today and was still under observation as she was unable to speak.

It is recalled that CMO, Hamirpur, had ordered a probe against Dr Sushil Sharma, PHC in charge, Kuthera, for dereliction of duty on the complaint of his subordinate staff and appointed MOH Dr Katwal to conduct an inquiry and submit a report on Monday.

The subordinate staff had been complaining against Dr Sharma and had made a written complaint against him to the CMO. The subordinate staff had charged the PHC in charge with ‘remaining absent from duty without leave and even drawing his salary at home and not attending to official work.’ It has also been learnt that a ‘Rogi Kalyan Samiti’ was not formed at the PHC, Kuthera, and no food certificates had been issued for the past one year by the erring doctor. Meanwhile, NGO leader Arvind Modgil criticised the authorities for not providing security during the inquiry and has demanded strict action against the trouble makers. Dr Chandel said, “The inquiry officer was not allowed to conduct the probe today by a few villagers and they even did not listen to me. I am gathering information and now inquiry against the PHC in charge would be conducted at Hamirpur.”

Shimla, June 5
To save people from whims and fancies of the lower staff in distribution of water, it is the junior engineer (JE) concerned in the Irrigation Department who will now have to be up at 5 am to personally monitor the supply, especially during summer.

The Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) is in the process of finalising a proposal where all JEs in the rural areas will have to be up at 5 am when the supply is given so that he can personally ensure that there is uniform and smooth distribution of water to areas falling under his jurisdiction. “The JEs most of whom are open to the idea of reporting in the field at 5 am can be off after noon and be back in office only after 3 pm,” said Ravinder Singh Ravi, IPH Minister.

He says on most occasions there are complaints that the supply of water is not uniform and some areas get more water while others are left high and dry. “Rather than sitting in the office and monitoring the situation it will be better if the JEs are out in the field and personally monitor the distribution task,” he says.

Even though the water supply situation this summer has been relatively better but till now 357 tankers are making supply to the worst affected areas in Himachal. A total of 1410 water supply schemes have been affected due to drought in the state this summer.

The situation in Sadar, Ghumarwin and Jhandauta areas of Bilaspur is the worst as 120 tankers have been pressed into service to provide water to the public. In Bangana, Amb and Gagret areas of Una also there is severe water scarcity and 65 tankers have been put on the job. Certain areas of Kangra, including Pragpur and Dehra, have also been hit by water scarcity.

To ensure that school children do not face any problem, the IPH Department will undertake a survey to assess the feasibility of installation of hand pumps in every educational institution and uncovered village. This is being done to ensure that children get safe drinking water and do not face problem, especially during summer.

“Against a target of installing 2000 hand pumps last year we were able to install 2188 pumps for which a sum of Rs 29 crore had been allocated,” said Ravi.

Shimla, June 5
The landlocked and remote Dodra Kawar area of Rohru will be connected with a motorable road with the opening of the 61 km highway constructed through the Chanshal Pass shortly.

Constructed at a cost of Rs 27 crore the road will be ‘passed' by the technical committee and declared fit for plying vehicles tomorrow. PWD minister Gulab Singh while addressing a meeting of senior officers here today said a new chapter would be added to the history of road development when the far-flung area gets connected with the rest of the state. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal would inaugurate the road very soon. He said the road would help bring economic prosperity to the people of Dodra Kawar as it would boost tourism and agro-based activities.

He said an amount of Rs 60 crore was being spent in Rohru under various programmes like the State Road Project, NABARD and the Pradhanmantri Gram Sadak Yojna. The construction work on Dhara-Khangteri road, being constructed at a cost of Rs 246.39 lakh, Podhar-Mandyori road (Rs 53.87 lakh), Deoli-Ghasni (Rs 137.99 lakh), Tutupani-Kuthari road (Rs 179.11 lakh) and Kotlu village link road (Rs 64.68 lakh) was nearing completion.The Rs 75 lakh fire services building, Rs 57.82 lakh primary health centre and Rs 70.73 lakh senior secondary school buildings at Lower Koti and of Rs 60.91 lakh Rohru police station building have been completed.

The minister said that priority was being accorded to construction and maintenance of roads and surface renewal of 2000 km of roads was being carried out.

Chairman of the state cooperative bank Khushi Ram Balnatah underlined the need to complete the under-construction roads at the earliest so that roads could be inaugurated before the start of apple season.

Shimla, June 5
The Himachal Pradesh United Nations Association (HPUNA) today organised a function at St Bede’s College here on the occasion of World Environment Day.

Presentations were made about the climatic changes that could adversely affect practically every aspect of human life.

Speaking on the occasion, Mayor Narender Kataria and secretary general, the Indian Federation of United Nations Associations, underlined the need for raising awareness about climatic changes and initiating steps to stop the disturbing trend.

Chairman of the association CP Mahajan informed that an action plan for the year ahead had been drawn out to take effective steps in this direction.

Principal of St Bede’ College Sister Molly Abraham also stressed the need for tackling issues like global warming, green house effect and melting of ice caps.

BANIKHET (DALHOUSIE): Yog Manav Vikas Trust (YMVT), Banikhet, today celebrated World Environment Day. Jaiprakash Gaur, founder and chairman of Jaiprakash Group, presided over the function. In his keynote address, Gaur underlined the need of providing environment education to coming generations of the country.

Gaur expressed his opinion saying: “Manufacturing of things that are detrimental to environment and health should be stopped to keep our environment neat and safe.” Gaur also announced an assistance of Rs 1 crore to the Trust for its development. Meanwhile, he also gave away prizes to schoolchildren, who participated in environment contests and other competitions held on various topics. An awareness rally depicting various themes on placards was also taken out.

BILASPUR: With an aim to spreading awareness among the people about the protection of environment, mentally and physically challenged children of Chetna, a social organisation, held a rally along with children of other local schools today. Chetna administrator Amar Singh Kashav said the children carried placards warning against the degradation of environment and also shouted slogans exhorting citizens to plant trees. Meanwhile, a function was also organised, which was presided over by Chetna president Jagdish Kumar Nadda.

NURPUR: Students of Noorpur Public Senior Secondary School, BTC Government Girls’ Senior Secondary School and Government Boys’ Senior Secondary School, today took out rallies in the town on World Environment Day.

Meanwhile, the state Pollution Control Board in collaboration with the state Transport Corporation organised a camp to check pollution of vehicles at the HRTC workshop in Jassur.

KULLU: World Environment Day was celebrated in different parts of the district today by planting saplings, cleaning water sources and holding awareness rallies. DAV School, Mohal, also organised a plantation drive.

Mandi, June 5
The demand for the rabi wheat seed has soared to over 70,000 quintals, which can go up further as the prolonged drought during the last kharif season destroyed over 90 percent of the wheat crop including seeds, plunging farmers in Himachal Pradesh into a ‘seed crisis’ in the state.

The farmers are facing shortage of even the ‘foundation seed’ as the Bhangrotu seed farm, which used to produce over 300 quintals of this seed, was shut down last year after the state government leased it out to the ESIC medical college being set up there.

Sources said today the process for procuring the rabi wheat seed has begun as district agricultural officials have demanded stocks of the seed as sowing in the higher hills begins in mid-August.

The hardest hit district is Mandi where the drought destroyed almost the entire kharif crop. The agricultural department has set a target of producing about 15,000 quintals of the certified wheat seed over 705 hectares However, the output recorded this year hit a low of 3,000 quintals, the sources added. The department has now sent samples of the wheat seed for testing to the laboratory, which might result in a reduction in the certified seed y another 3%. The rejection rate is 2 to 3% in the certified seed procured from farmers, the sources said.

The agricultural department depends upon its farms in Bhangrotu, Nalagarh, Paikubela (Una), Kangra, and Dhaulakuan in Nahan for the rabi wheat seed, but the demand has peaked this year even as production has hit a new low. The reason: The department gives seed to the certified farmers and then procure it for further distribution among farmers during the next season, the sources added. The demand for the seed can double as the government may continue to give a subsidy of 50% on wheat seed given to other kharif seeds of maize, paddy, peas, sorghum, vegetable seeds and oilseeds, the sowing for which have already ended.

Mandi, June 5
Patients requiring a CT scan at the zonal hospital here are paying through their nose as the hospital’s Rs 3 crore CT scan machine has been out of order for the past month. Instead of filing a complaint with the firm -Siemens - that installed the machine about eight years ago, the hospital authorities have been evasive about the matter for the last two weeks.

Many patients said the machine had been gathering dust for the last one month. “Certain doctors are said to get a hefty commission from the two diagnostic labs for referring patients there for a CT scan”, they alleged.

However the hardest hit are common patients, as they have to pay more than twice the charges for a CT scan, rued some patients. “The hospital’s charges range from Rs 400 to Rs 750, whereas private labs charge at will, anywhere from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 or even more as they don’t have fixed rates”, they charged. The CT scan machine has been out of order after its UPS, motherboard and batteries conked off. A few days back the mechanic summoned from the company was caught redhanded by the hospital authorities installing old components in the machine.

Expressing his helplessness, medical superintendent DP Handa said the authorities had cancelled the repair work on the machine after the incident. “We had asked Siemens as well as Voltas to fix the machine thrice in the past but they didn’t appear to bother”, he claimed. Dr Handa said restoration of the machine had been delayed as funds amounting to Rs 1.2 lakh had been cleared belatedly. “The company told us the original parts had to come from Chennai, which would take three to four days more”, he added, denying any nexus between some doctors and private labs.

On the other Mandi CMO Dr DK Arora said though funds for the repair work had been sanctioned a major problem was the hospital authorities were not able to afford the annual maintenance charges that cost them Rs 5 lakh or more. “Hence we hire maintenance services as and when we need them”, he added.

Mandi, June 5
Local residents, four municipal councillors and members of the RTI Bureau, Mandi, yesterday accused municipal council president HR Vaidya of misleading the “13-member House and residents” by convening an “illegal meeting” to hear appeals against demolition orders served on 57 residents.

They said the council was not competent to hear such appeals under the Municipal Act. Alleging that Vaidya was playing politics, they demanded his resignation.

Residents said, “We were neither supplied copies of the Act, nor served the mandatory notice within six months under Section 211 of the Municipal Act. It amounted to denying us the legal right to appeal in the council.”

Residents said six councillors and 231 other violators were spared by the authorities despite having indulged in similar violations.

They also said the municipalities and the court had failed to take cognisance of the illegally raised new judicial complex in Mandi and the high court’s multi-storied building in Shimla.

RTI Bureau president Lawan Thakur said the president of the municipal should resign as he was trying to befool poor people who were served demolition orders. Gagan Kashyap, one of four councillors who boycotted the meeting, said the MC president had misled the House and residents by calling a special meeting.

Executive officer of the council KL Thakur said a meeting was held yesterday with a view to look into the appeals against demolition orders. However, four councillors walked out from the meeting at the very start of proceedings and did not officially tell why they were staging a walkout.

Nurpur, June 5
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau caught red-handed Harnam Singh, a Revenue Department’s patwari posted in the Gurchal patwar circle in the subdivision, while accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000 yesterday.

According to information, one Davinder Singh of Sanoh village had to take some copies of record of revenue entries but the patwari was demanding bribe.

Later, Davinder filed a complaint in this regard to the vigilance bureau, Dharamsala, following which it laid a trap to nab the patwari.

According to the SP, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, the accused was caught red-handed by a team of bureau and a case under Sections 7 and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against him.

He was produced in a court this evening, but later bailed out.