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Dhumal assures probe into award of contract
Affiliation of 950 pvt schools cancelled
Bank union threatens indefinite fast
Fate of cement plant hangs in
balance
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HP, Uttarakhand health ministers meet
Attack on Zila Parishad chief
Lecturer’s family to move HC
3 Tibetan security officials held
Woman commits suicide
Pension scheme of coop bank goes defunct
One killed in mishap
Seminar on sanitation
Girls shine in MBBS exam
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Painting of street light poles
Shimla, April 2 The issue was raised by Suresh Bharadwaj during Question Hour who wanted to know whether or not tenders were invited for awarding the painting contract and on what basis the work was finally awarded. Dhumal said as neither the municipal corporation nor the board had funds, it was decided to get the poles painted through sponsorship by private companies. Three cement companies, Ambuja Cements, ACC and Jaypee Cement, provided Rs 12 lakh for the purpose. It was not a deposit work and keeping in view the uncertainty about the availability of funds, the work was awarded to M/s AK Enterprise with the approval and consent of the sponsoring companies after completing formalities. However, Mukesh Agnihotri of the Congress alleged that it was a big scam and drew attention to the news report published in these columns in this regard. He said the painting work which was being carried out for Rs 500 per pole, had been awarded at Rs 1,100 per pole. Moreover, the account in which funds received were deposited was being jointly operated by the superintending engineer and an executive engineer. As such, proper procedure was required to be followed and accordingly open tenders should have been invited as required for all works worth over Rs 2 lakh. At this, the Chief Minister assured that an inquiry would be conducted in the matter and said further contract would be awarded after inviting proper tenders. He said the decision to paint 6,600 street light poles was taken to ensure their proper maintenance before installing energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) lights in the city for which the bureau of energy efficiency had provided Rs 75 lakh under a demonstration project. Replying to another question, he informed the House that in all, 58,03,252 CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) were distributed free of cost under the Atal Bijli Bachat Yojna out of which 3,04,086 had gone out of order till February 15, 2010. While the exact quantum of energy saved would be known only after June, 2010, the estimated saving was put at 270 million units.
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Affiliation of 950 pvt schools cancelled
Hamirpur, April 2 This decision was taken by the board chairman following a Supreme Court direction for having fire-fighting equipment in every school in the state. The state high court had also directed the HP education board to finalise the affiliation of all private schools in a stipulated period by March 31. In this context affiliation of 123 private schools in Hamirpur district has also been cancelled. This decision of the board has put private school managements of hundreds of schools and thousands of students studying in these schools in quandary as disaffiliation from the HP board of school education would put a question mark on the existence of these schools. While affiliation of about a hundred private schools have been cancelled for not fulfilling norms the affiliation of majority of schools have been cancelled for failing to provide fire-fighting equipment in the school buildings. It is notable that the Supreme Court had issued strict guidelines to have fire-fighting equipment in every school in the country in the wake of deaths of students in fire incidents in the schools. About a hundred affiliations to schools have been cancelled for not having qualified staff, school ground, a science laboratory and such other norms. Chairman of HP board of school education Prof CL Gupta said, “We have cancelled the affiliation of all those private schools that have not completed formalities of providing fire extinguishers in the school buildings as per directions of the Supreme Court.” “We have asked the managements of the schools whose NOC from the fire officers are in pipeline to submit the same within 15 days after getting these countersigned from the fire office, Shimla, otherwise affiliation stands cancelled.”
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Bank union threatens indefinite fast
Mandi, April 2 The union has demanded absorption of 125 sweepers in the HGB in the state. The deadlock continues as the marathon meeting of Assistant Labour Commissioner, Chandigarh, RBI official and PNB management with the national representatives of the All-India Gram Bank Officer and employees union ended in a fiasco here yesterday. The HGB and PNB management and commissioner bid time till next hearing fixed on April 26 at Chandigarh at the Labour Commissioner’s Office. The dispute over the absorption of 125 sweepers or other utility workers in the HGB will be taken up and some solution will be worked out, sources told The Tribune after the late evening meeting concluded here at around 6.30 pm. The meeting was attended by RBI official Jaipal, Assistant Labour Commissioner S Aggarwal and PNB senior official from New Delhi, K Arora, Chetan from HGB and National Secretaries of the gramin bank officers and employees union. HGB sweepers have been on chain hunger strike for the past few months here after the bank management advertised the 54 posts in the HGB without considering the case for absorption of the 125 sweepers who have been working in the banks. The employee union yesterday staged a protest rally in front of the HGB office at Khaliar in support of their demand. They postponed the threat of indefinite fast after the Assistant Labour Commissioner asked them to appear for the next hearing on April 26. General secretary of the union OP Gupta told The Tribune that the union would continue the strike till April 26.
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Fate of cement plant hangs in
balance
Sundernagar, April 2 Moreover, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has yet to approve its “new plant site” at Chambi-Khatravari, near Sundernagar, but the company is going on acquiring private land. The central committee is yet to give its final approval for the mining site of the plant that lies 5 km away from the Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary and its eco-sensitive zone. The PSS has challenged the approval given to the mining site by the MoEF, citing its consequences for the wildlife and residents in the area. On the other hand, MoEF has approved diversion of 173 hectares of forest land as against the company’s demand “This is also a ploy that the company has adopted to first get approval for small chunk of land and then spread its wing for more land once the plant is set up,” PSS members resented. Even the company has not paid the Net Present Value (NPV) to the Forest Department for the diversion of forest land. Moreover, the MoEF has not approved the “new plant site at Chambi and Khatravari”. The company has sought diversion of 1.805 hectare of forest land from the MoEF for the plant after it shifted its site from the Nalni area to Chambi-Khatravari. The PSS cited health and traffic hazards as reasons for objecting to the plant as the company would deploy 4,000 trucks to carry cement and raw materials to the site. The Nalni site was better as it would have not disturbed life here, they pleaded. Conservator of forests at Mandi BD Suyal said counting of trees was going on and the Forest Department would assess the exact NPV to be paid by the company provided the final decision comes from the central committee. “We will go by the verdict of the committee and MoEF approval,” he added. Mandi DC Amandeep Garg said the company had acquired about 40-50 per cent of land from private land holders. “Seventy per cent land is private and 30 per cent is forest land. We have not received court notices so far,” he added. |
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HP, Uttarakhand health ministers meet
Shimla, April 2 This was stated by Health and Family Welfare Minister Rajiv Bindal at a meeting with a delegation of Uttarakhand government headed by his counterpart Balwant Singh Bhoryal, which was on a visit to study the heath delivery system, here today. He said the state planned to construct buildings for all sub-centre and primary health centres, which did not have one, over the next three years subject to availability of land. He said a health insurance cover of Rs 30,000 per family was being provided to the below poverty line (BPL) families under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna. The state government was also providing additional insurance coverage for critical care of upto Rs 1.75 lakh to each BPL family. Emergency Medical Response and Transportation System would be made operational in the state to provide round-the-clock emergency ambulance facility to patients, pregnant women and accident victims. The government proposed to expedite opening of more paramedical training institutes and had permitted the opening of 17 new GNM schools and four BSc nursing institutes. The Indian Nursing Council had already approved 490 GNM seats and 170 BSc nursing seats for the state. The government had also decided to start graduate and postgraduate nursing classes at the IGMC, Shimla, and set up a centre of excellence in nursing education at Tanda medical college, he added. Special incentives were being provided to doctors to encourage them to serve in far-flung, rural and tribal areas of the state. Bhoryal said since the topography of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand was similar, both states could share their experiences for providing better and specialised health care facilities to the people.
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Attack on Zila Parishad chief
Shimla, April 2 Replying to the call-attention motions of Kaul Singh and Vidya Stokes (Congress) and Vinod Kumari, Randhir Sharma and Gobind Ram (BJP) on the issue, he said the police was acting in an unbiased manner and FIRs had been lodged by Ram Kumar and the Regional Transport officer (RTO). While both parties had accused each other of using firearms, the police could not find any empty cartridges or other evidence of shots being fired from the spot. He said Ram Kumar might not have come from Mohali side as there was no entry at the Dharowal check post. His medical examination revealed multiple bruises at back and chest and Satpal, who was accompanying him, also suffered abrasions. Both the parties had made charges against each other and facts would be known only after investigations were completed, he added. Earlier, Congress and BJP members verbally attacked each other on the issue with the former accusing the RTO of misusing his position to humiliate and attack an elected representative and the latter coming out in his support. The BJP members alleged that the RTO was the victim as he was attacked while checking trucks from Punjab which were allegedly used for carrying out illegal mining in the area. They also levelled serious allegations against Ram Kumar and maintained that he had created terror in the area. Meanwhile, the Congress members maintained that it was a law and order issue pertaining to one particular incident. However, the BJP members were trying to justify the action of the RTO who had humiliated the Zila Parishad chief, they added. |
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Lecturer’s family to move HC
Shimla, April 2 Father of the girl Sampoorna Singh said handing over the case to the CID, another wing of the state police, made no difference as a senior police officer and a judge were involved. Moreover, the inquiry had been entrusted to the officer of the same rank. As such, one could hardly expect impartial investigations in the matter, he added. He had even met the Chief Minister and urged him to hand over the case to the CBI. He said investigations by the state police would only be a cover up and there was no hope of the culprit being brought to the book. Rather than wasting time, losing evidence in such eyewash, it would be better if the CBI stepped in, he added. Ritu (28) had committed suicide by hanging herself at her house in Dhanda near Tutu on Sunday last after parents of Siddartha, a sub-judge with whom she was having an affair, turned down the proposal for marriage. Leader of the Opposition Vidya Stokes had also rejected the CID inquiry and demanded that the case be handed over to the CBI. The government should not have any hesitation in transferring the case if it was keen to deliver justice to the victim, she said.
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3 Tibetan security officials held
Dharamsala, April 2 The fight between a group of Indian taxi drivers and Tibetan security officials broke near the main secretariat of the Tibetan government-in-exile. The Tibetan officials allegedly objected to parking of taxis near the secretariat to which the local taxi drivers resisted. The Tibetan officials, in an altercation that followed, attacked the taxi drivers with sharp-edged weapons injuring - Ramesh Kumar, Rajinder Kumar and Panju Ram. Rajinder Kumar received serious injuries and was admitted to the zonal hospital here. The police today arrested all accused and they would be produced before the judicial magistrate. One of accused Tibetan security official Tsering Dhargyal was deputed with Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche. |
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Woman commits suicide
Shimla, April 2 The couple belonged to Gwalior and Raghvendra was employed at the local branch of the National Cooperative Development Corporation. The husband had gone to the market to purchase medicine along with the son and when he returned he found Rajni hanging from the grill. |
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Pension scheme of coop bank goes defunct
Dharamsala, April 2 About 200 pensioners of the bank will not get pension from this month due to imbroglio. Inquiries made by The Tribune revealed that the contributory pension scheme in the bank was started in 1998. At that time, it was decided that the bank would contribute Rs 50 lakh as corpus in the scheme, the interest for which would be used for pension scheme while the capital investment would remain in the name of bank. The employees were to contribute 1.5 per cent of the basic salary as their contribution, which was later raised to 2.5 per cent. Though the scheme was started in 1998, the bank management decided to extend benefit to employees who retired since 1988. The only condition was that the employees who retired at that time had to contribute 1.5 per cent of the basic salary received from 1988 to 1998, along with an interest of 10 per cent per annum. Sources said one employee who retired before 1998 contributed his share of just Rs 22,000 towards the pension scheme and on the same day took away Rs 38,000 as commutation of pension and was now getting pension of more than Rs 5,000 for the past 12 years. With such anomalies, the bank was now left with no funds to pay pension to its employees. The pensioners, however, alleged that as per the statement of the bank, Rs 9 crore was still lying in the contributory pension account. Bank managing director JS Pathania said the Registrar, Cooperative Societies, in a recent letter to the bank, had made it clear that the bank cannot make any contribution to the corpus created for pension of employees. Since 2005, the bank has contributed Rs 6 crore to the pension fund. “Now, as per the letter, we will have to recover the amount from the pension fund along with interest. The amount along with interest amounts to about Rs 10 crore. If that amount is recovered, then no funds will remain in the pension fund,” he said. He further said the board of the bank recently moved a resolution to contribute 3 per cent of its profit into the pension fund. However, the resolution had been turned down by the Registrar, Cooperative Societies. The pensioners, however, alleged that the bank was illegally giving an annual ex gratia of two months’ salaries to all employees of the bank, which amounts to about Rs 6 crore per annum. This amount could be transferred to the pension fund to sustain pension scheme. The sources further said the employees despite having contributed for about 20-30 years towards the fund, would not be getting any pension in case the present situation continues.
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One killed in mishap
Bilaspur, April 2 The reports said Gyan Chand was crushed under the wheels of the vehicle as it turned turtle with the impact of the accident and the unidentified vehicle fled. The injured was rushed to hospital. The police has registered a case. |
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Seminar on sanitation
Nurpur, April 2 Addressing members of social organisations, block development officers of Nurpur and Jawali subdivisions, Bhatnagar expressed satisfaction over the gradual change in the attitude of the masses towards Open Defecating Free (ODF) motive under the total sanitation campaign in the Kangra district comprising 750 gram panchayats. He also underlined the need to maintain continuity in the campaign. He exhorted the temple management committees to build community toilets and maintain them to check open defecation by visiting pilgrims in religious spots. |
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Girls shine in MBBS exam
Kangra, April 2 Disclosing this here today, Dr Suresh Choudary, spokesman of Dr Rajender Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, said three students of the college bagged three positions among the first five, including the first and the second positions. He said Saloni Sood and Aditi Singla bagged the first and second position, respectively, securing 1,743 and 1,702 marks out of 2,450. He said Neeraj Paliani of the Tanda college, the lone boy among the first five students, bagged the fourth position securing 1,643 marks. Dr Choudary said Shivani Rao and Ankita, both of Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, bagged the
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The government has constituted Rogi Kalayan Samities (RKS) in health institutions, right down to the level of primary health
centre, to ensure involvement of public representatives in managing health services in a decentralised and effective manner.
