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Notice served on JP cement plant
Wildflower Hall gets notice for polluting water
Expert: Adopt mist-water technique to douse fire
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78 pc complaints got throughe-mail solved, claims CM
Even villagers prefer private schools
Students suffer on account of schools’ fault
Patwari murder: Cops get vital clues
Fire engulfs 4 houses at Nauni varsity
Misra SJVN director
Deputy forest ranger held taking bribe
Nursing college owner booked for fraud
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Notice served on JP cement plant
Solan, May 24 While the Ministry of Environment and Forests has given permission to run 2 MT per annum cement plant, its other project --thermal plant using 3x10.89 MW power-based DG set -- had not been cleared and it is intriguing as to where it is going to use this 10.89 MW DG set when its thermal plant is not operational. This clearly proved that the thermal plant is being operated on the sly. The plant authorities has also stacked huge quantities of coal and it’s permission from the ministry to use a DG set clearly stated that this would be coal-fired or husk-fired. Huge quantities of coal were found openly stacked at its site without obtaining permission from the state pollution control board and the board had now slapped a notice for this illegal storage as it caused air pollution, said the board’s regional officer Brijbhushan. Alarmed at the illegal operation of the thermal plant, the local NGO Himparivesh today called a meeting of societies, including the Gagret Sangarsh Samiti, the Himalayan Abhiyan Niti and local panchayat representatives from Punjab and Himachal. General secretary of the Him Parivesh Balkrishen Sharma said the authorities of the JP cement plant had started illegal operation of the thermal plant as it had obtained permission to run 10.89 MW DG set. They had demanded immediate withdrawal of this permission as this thermal plant was opposed by the people at two public hearings. The grant of lease on 625 bighas of allotable pool was also questioned as it flouted revenue laws. It was interesting to note that though the central pollution control board had revised the ambient air quality norms and had equated them with the residential areas, the cement plant had failed to abide by even the basic parameters. This was evident in its failure to provide regular dust emission figures to the board which was suppose to check whether their emissions were in the safe limits or not. |
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Wildflower Hall gets notice for polluting water
Shimla, May 24 The board has taken a serious notice of the fact that the staff of the resort was initially reluctant to allow entry to the team sent by it for conducting a surprise inspection at STP (sewage treatment plant) gate in spite of being informed about the intended inspection. Further, the resort authorities refused to sign the form XIII pertaining to notice of intention to take sample. The management of the resort has been given seven days to show cause why its application for “renewal of consent to operate” should not be refused and legal action taken for disconnection of power. It was reported that the STP was operational but the hotel authorities were found to be discharging the partially treated sewage effluent from the holding tank into the nearby nullah instead of using it for irrigations purposes. Foul smell was also observed in the area, causing public nuisance. The management has been directed to stop discharge of sewage effluent to the surrounding areas failing which the power supply to the resort will be disconnected by May 31, 2010. It has also been advised not to obstruct officials from discharging their duty in future. Member secretary of the board Nagin Nanda said the villages located downhill had been complaining that the hotel was releasing sewage effluent into the nullah every other day contaminating the natural water source and creating problems for the local inhabitants. Non-compliance of the directions will constitute a cognisable offence punishable with fine and imprisonment up to seven years under various sections of the Water Act and the Air Act. |
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Expert: Adopt mist-water technique to douse fire
Shimla, May 24 Brig BK Khanna (retd), a specialist from the National Disaster Management Authority, made this recommendation. He was in the town today in connection with the conduct of a mock fire exercise at the crowded Grain Market, above the local bus stand. “In places like Shimla which are thickly populated and there is problem of accessibility of fire tenders, mist-water technology can be very effective in tackling outbreak of fire anywhere,” he said. He added that it was even more useful in water-scarcity situation and the authorities here must acquire equipment with mist-water technology. There have been several fire incidents in and around Shimla where due to accessibility problem, major damage was caused. In case mist-water technology is adopted, small tenders can also be as effective as big fire tenders due to effective use of water. While lauding the quick response from the district administration, civil defence, volunteers and others, he said all acted with swiftness and promptness required in such an emergency situation. “One area where there is need to bring about improvement is making provision of life-saving drugs in ambulances plying in the town,” he suggested. He said having life-saving drugs in ambulances was a must so that patients could be given medical aid and help while being transported to hospital.
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78 pc complaints got throughe-mail solved, claims CM
Shimla, May 24 Stating this while presiding over the State-Level Public Grievances Committee meeting here today, Chief Minister PK Dhumal said 78 per cent of the registered complaints had been redressed and the complainants were informed through e-mail. He stressed that every head of department should see his e-mail daily and try to solve every grievance in a time-bound manner. He said any laxity on this account would be viewed seriously and responsibility fixed for the same. He said with the decision of the government to provide e-services through 3,366 Lok Mitra Kendras, people would get much more information. The new e-Samadhan system had added the provision of one public redressal grievances disposal officer in each department, uniform data base, transparent process, time-bound disposal of public grievances, responsibility and accountability of the officers, reduction in paper work and speedy redressal. Dhumal said thousands of applications were being received in his office for redressal of various grievances and in addition the public grievance department had been receiving request through e-mail as well for e-Samadhan. He said the grievances received during “Prashan Janta Ke Dwar” should be redressed on the spot as most officers were present on the occasion. A definite time should be given to the aggrieved person in cases where the grievance could not be resolved on the spot. The complainant should not be made to run from pillar to post to get his work done, he added. The Chief Minister underlined the need for punctuality in offices and said surprise checks of offices, project sites and all other places needed to be carried out by the higher authorities to ensure timely completion of the projects. He said self-discipline was the best discipline and every officer should exercise it.
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Even villagers prefer private schools
Shimla, May 24 These facts have been highlighted in the Joint Review Mission report of the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA), released by the Human Resource Ministry, after the visit of its team in mid-January, earlier this year. The report states that 37 per cent of the children in the primary group were enrolled in private schools in 2009. The migration of children from government schools to private schools was among the significant issues raised by team members by many people. The percentage of boys going to private schools is 39 while about 34 per cent of girls too are attending private schools despite the presence of a government primary school in the vicinity. An interesting fact highlighted in the report indicates that it is mostly people belonging to the poor socio-economic background like migrant workers and labourers who are sending their children to the government schools. There are a total of 10,713 primary schools in the state at present. The strong preference for private schools is reflected even in rural areas where private schools are relatively scarce and children have to travel over a greater distance to avail the facility. Even with respect to the upper primary schools, almost 28 per cent children are studying in private schools. This includes 31 per cent boys and 25 per cent girls. At present, there are 2,287 recognised private primary schools in Himachal while the number of upper primary schools is 26. The report points out that Himachal has made a remarkable progress in getting children to school with the net enrollment rate in 2008-09 being 90.91 per cent at primary and 92.34 at upper primary. Preliminary data suggests that out of a total population of 6 to 14 year-old, 6,23,198 children were in primary schools and 4,12,919 in upper primary schools.
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Students suffer on account of schools’ fault
Mandi, May 24 Out of 28 students in the class, results of 12 students, including those who are hoping to figure in the merit list, have been withheld as RLD, rued parents and students of a private school here. “If the board has not got the full details of the students, it could have waited for a day or two to declare the results as we are expecting some of students to figure in the merit list”, they added. There are many schools who resented the board’s RLD status. The board should put some system in place to minimise RLD status as schools claim they send all details of students at one go, they added. The board is denying meritorious students an opportunity to figure in the merit list as some RLD students could have been the toppers, they said. They said why students should suffer due to fault on the part of schools or the board. The HP board’s secretary Prabhat Sharma told The Tribune that the results were withheld due to some discrepancies like awards, assessment or other documents from the schools. “If we wait for them, the board will never be able to declare its results and merit list as this is a continuous process”, Sharma claimed. Sharma, however, said the students, who later scored higher, would be considered for the merit scholarship, he said.
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Patwari murder: Cops get vital clues
Kangra, May 24 Kangra district additional police chief Sanjeev Gandhi said Kehar Singh, 42, a resident of Joanta village, was serving as a patwari in Manie near Lunj in this subdivision. His defaced body was recovered from a gorge beside the NH-88 at Ranital. He was identified from his identity card. The wife of the victim told the police that Kehar Singh on Saturday night told her on the telephone, “Save me from these people, they will kill me”. — OC |
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Kangra residents protest against land mafia
Dharamsala, May 24 To support their allegations, the protesters alleged that certain miscreants tried to grab the land of one Tarlochan Ram by producing fake power of attorney. The person shown in power of attorney was not actually Tarlochan Singh. The protesters also alleged that former Congress minister GS Bali had grabbed the land of one Nanak Chand, a resident of Tika Risalpura. However, GS Bali refuted the charges. He said protesters were motivated by some vested interests. My building over the questionable land had been existing for the past many decades. Nobody had ever raised any questions. “I have complete record available with me,” he added. He also threatened to move court against the protesters. Inquiries made by The Tribune revealed that the protest might be a result of two major groups of Kangra who have acquired large chunks of land even by questionable means. The sources also indicated that the protest might have its roots in rivalry of private hospitals of Kangra. Bali had recently rented out his building to Fortis hospital at Kangra. The sources said business of some private hospitals at Kangra might be hit after Fortis enters the local market. The present controversy regarding the lands might have its roots in the rivalry of private hospitals and powerful groups having interests in land.
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Fire engulfs 4 houses at Nauni varsity
Solan, May 24 University’s PRO PD Bhardwaj said a short-circuit which occurred in the house of Dr RC Sharma led to a sudden fire that soon spread to the adjoining three houses leaving little time to save any belongings. The inmates could barely save themselves as the fire which started as a spark around 6.30 pm spread within no time. All household items, including electronics, furniture and other items, were destroyed. Fire tenders were rushed in from Solan to douse the flames and overwhelming support from students, teachers and other staff of the university helped control fire around 11 pm last night. Immediate relief has been provided by the Vice-Chancellor to the affected families of Dr RC Sharma, Dr LR Sharma, MR Chauhan and RK Sood by shifting them to the guest house till an alternative arrangement can be made. |
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Misra SJVN director
Shimla, May 24 The post fell vacant in April, 2009, after JK Sharma left the SJVN to takeover as director (civil) at the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC). Before joining SJVN, Misra was working as executive director (civil) at the NHPC. A bachelor of civil engineering from Moti Lal Nehru Institute of Technology and MTech in Water Resources Management from IIT, Delhi, Misra also holds an MBA degree with specialisation in finance. He has been associated with a number of projects, including Uri, Sewa, Parbati stage-II and III projects. |
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Deputy forest ranger held taking bribe
Dharamsala, May 24 In a press note issued here today, vigilance officials claimed that the accused officer had confiscated a JCB machine of Narinder Singh. The machine was confiscated as it was used to create passage to the land of Capt. Bir Singh, a resident of Jawali area, through the forest land. In the process, some trees were also damaged. The complainant, Narinder Singh, had alleged that the accused officer was demanding Rs 15,000 for releasing his machine. The vigilance laid a trap and today caught the deputy forest ranger allegedly accepting the bribe. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused officer. |
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Nursing college owner booked for fraud
Palampur (Dharamsala), May 24 The controversy in the college triggered on Friday. Nursing students of ANM courses levelled charges of molestation against the owner of the college. The police then booked the owner on Saturday and arrested him. He was subsequently released on bail. The students also carried a protest rally against the accused and met the Rajya Sabha member and former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar. Shanta assured the students that the state government would act on the complaint of the students. Yesterday, a team under the stewardship of joint secretary, health education, visited the institute and conducted an inquiry into the basic infrastructure and charges levelled by the students. The team is yet to submit the report. Meanwhile, the students today filed another complaint against the college owner, alleging that he was not providing them the facilities as stated in the prospectus of the college. On the complaint of the students, another case was registered against the authorities of the college. Shanta Kumar reportedly stated, while talking to newsmen, that the state government should act against such institutes that were duping the students.
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Adoption of mist-water technology for extinguishing fire, especially in congested and water scarce city like Shimla, will be the best option.
