Shimla, June 18
Having given a final shape to the much- awaited heli-taxi service, the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department has asked all 12 airline operators to furnish rates at which they would be offering the service aimed at attracting high-end tourists by June 30.

The secretary (tourism) had held a meeting with all interested companies here on June 16 in which they were asked to furnish tariff at which they would be offering the services.

“The operators have sought time till June 30 to furnish details of the circuits on which they would like to operate after which a final decision will be taken,” confirmed Arun Sharma, director (tourism).

It is learnt that a few operators are ready with their helicopters and are willing to give a demonstration-cum-trial run anytime after obtaining permission from the Director-General Civil Aviation (DGCA). In order to provide a level-playing field, operators with similar aircraft will be placed in the same bracket.

For tribal belts and higher reaches, which are best accessed by air link, only very small helicopters with a capacity of three to four would be engaged, owing to temperature variability and extreme climatic conditions.

The state government has already taken up the issue of providing 75 per cent viability gap funding from the Planning Commission which is likely to come through soon.

In fact, it is being expected that the maximum number of tourists from the high-end bracket would be keen on visiting the virgin and unexplored areas of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti.

Besides the breathtakingly beautiful landscape, these areas have immense potential for Buddhist and cultural tourism as it is dotted with ancient monasteries set up centuries ago. Figures of tourist influx to the state already indicates that the percentage of foreigners, keen on visiting the tribal areas, is very high.

Prominent companies which are in the race for heli-taxi service includes Pawan Hans, Mesco Airlines, Global Vectra, Shiva Heli Services, Virat Aviation and Acro Tech Aviation Private Limited. The Cabinet has already given nod for the launch of the scheme. It is being expected that chopper services, linking several destinations in the state and outside, would start shortly.

The tourism department has identified 57 helipads all over the state which will finally be linked by a heli-taxi service. To begin with, the department intends to start flights connecting Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla, Kullu-Manali, Dharamsala, Chamba and tribal areas of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti.

Dharamsala, June 18
Rayat-Bahra University that is scheduled to open shortly at Kiyarighat, about 16 km from Shimla, is introducing a new concept in the field of higher education.

The university has established a direct linkage with the industry. It has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with 16 leading corporate of the country to impart direct in-course training to students.

The chairman of the Rayat-Bahra group of institutions, Gurvinder Singh Bahra, while addressing a press conference here today revealed that the corporate would establish centres for excellence in the university. It is also being established in direct collaboration with IBM.

The university would provide them with the basic infrastructure while the corporate would provide faculty and their senior staff for training the students who are undertaking courses in the university.

The main objective of centres of excellence being established in the university would be to provide opportunity to the companies to train engineering and management graduates as per their specific needs. This would increase the employability of the students, he said.

Bahra claimed that it was for the first time that such concept was being introduced in northern region.

Giving details of the companies he said Rayat-Bahra IBM University had already entered into MoUs with Maruti Suzuki, Eicher-Volvo, Infosys, Intel, Hash Bio-tech Labs Pvt. Ltd, Delhi Stock Exchange, Reliance Money, HP Invent, Punjab Infotech and IBM etc.

The proposed centres of excellence would also be used for training the semi-skilled labour in Himachal Pradesh. The mechanics and other self-employed semi-skilled labourers would be provided training by experts of said companies to enhance their skills and income.

Bahra said the university intended to start its academic courses from September this year after completing the conditions laid by the Himachal government. Initially, it plans to start engineering, management and mass communications courses. ‘We intend to target the students from Himachal.’

Shimla, June 18
Private universities will not be allowed to run distance education courses like the state universities.

The government has decided to incorporate a specific provision, debarring the private universities from running distance courses. They will also not be permitted to confer honorary degrees like the state universities or accept donations in any form.

Relevant clauses have already been incorporated in the statutes of Maharshi Markadeshwar University. The government has now decided to make similar provisions in the statutes of all private universities.

However, there are many more issues which have to be addressed to ensure transparency and minimum academic standards of private institutions. For instance, ensuring uniformity in academic calendar, holding of common entrance test for admission, financial viability, minimum and maximum intake for each course offered and other such matters which have to be taken are to ensure smooth functioning of private instutions and establish their credentials.

Further, issues like whether a university could start postgraduate courses without feeder graduation courses and even more importantly introduce PhD without postgraduate courses. This is very important as there are serious allegations of private universities selling readymade PhD theses. The fact that some private instutions are keen to start PhD courses in the first year of their existence, lend currency to such charges.

As such universities are purely business ventures, financial viability is most important. It is already being felt by some promoters that with the government giving nod to almost a score of private universities coming in a small hill state, financial viability will be a major concern. In such a situation if a promoter feels that the project is unviable, a provision must be made to allow easy exit by dissolving the university and affiliating courses being run by it to the state university so that students do not suffer in such an eventuality. Norms must be setup to assess viability to close unviable instutions.

Further, terms and conditions have to be laid down to settle matters like return of endowment fund, surrender of surplus land and other issues rather than allowing continuation of substandard institutions to play havoc with the future of students.

Chief Secretary Asha Swaroop said the government would soon set up an independent regulatory authority to oversee functioning of not only private universities, but all institutions of higher education.

Solan, June 18
Ruckus prevailed on the campus of Baddi University of Emerging Sciences and Technology when the university authorities stopped admission to various engineering trades following filling of its 240 seats.

The situation took a chaotic turn when about 2,000 students, who had turned up for admission from across the state along with their parents, were told that couselling had been closed due to filling of all seats. This angered the students who then ransacked the furniture and as the situation took a serious turn police help had to be sought to prevail peace.

Baddi SP Chander Shekhar said he had to send a team after receiving information about some upheaval at the university.

The students alleged that admission to favourites had been made through back door entry while those faring higher on the merit lost were ignored.

The police remained at the campus for over three hours till the situation could be finally controlled. It was the overwhelming rush of students who had turned up and was difficult to be controlled that the situation took a violent turn, stated police officers.

They added that arrangements to handle such a rush were inadequate at the university. The university authorities were not available for comments.

The students also alleged that they were asked to deposit fee for the entire year and in that case admission could be granted to them even though officially the seats had been filled.

Shimla, June 18
The Himachal government today decided to make batch-wise recruitment of medical officials (dental) in the health department.

According to the decision taken by the state Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal, here today, 50 per cent of the recruitment will be made batch-wise and 50 per cent directly.

It also granted approval for filling 13 posts of professor, associate professor and assistant professor in different disciplines, keeping in view enhancement in seats in the MBBS course from 65 to 100 and postgraduate courses from 39 to 70 in the local Indira Gandhi Medical College.

It decided to exempt multiplexes, coming into commercial operation from May 26, 2007, to May 25, 2012, from payment of entertainment tax for a period of five years as per provisions of the industrial policy, 2004.

The Cabinet gave its nod for setting up of a permanent lok adalat at Una. It approved an ordinance to amend the schedule of HP Judicial Officers (Pay and Conditions of Service) Act, 2003, to facilitate release of the revised pay scale to judicial officials of the state.

It granted approval for promotion of 28 camp clerks, re-designated as junior stenographers, in the Excise and Taxation Department, to the posts of Excise and Taxation inspectors by granting one-time relaxation in recruitment and promotion rules of the feeder categories. It also approved a proposal for a mobile van, fitted with all laboratory testing facilities, for on-the-spot diagnosis of ailments of domestic animals and providing animal healthcare facilities to farmers of Mandi, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Bilaspur and Hamirpur districts. It will be placed under the charge of the Animal Healthcare Diagnosis Laboratory, Mandi. — TNS

Shimla, June 18
The state has virtually become free from professional donors with voluntary blood donation crossing 83 per cent.

Stating this while speaking at the concluding ceremony of blood donation camp organised by “Save Life Mission” to commemorate World Blood Donors’ Day here today, Chief Minister PK Dhumal said the state ranked second in the country in voluntary blood donation with its percentage increasing from 38 in 1998, to 83 in 2010. It was possible because of numerous awareness campaigns and camps organised by different organisations, he added.

He said no case of HIV positive had been reported so far from any part of the state due to the fact that the donors were generally healthy.

There were 17 blood banks in all and one blood component separation unit, supplying 21,000 units of safe blood to different health institutions in the state. The blood component separation unit at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) would be increasing component separation from 19 to 30 per cent shortly.

Dhumal said blood testing in respect of HIV, hepatitis B, C and malaria were being conducted through all blood banks for which required kits were being made available by the State Aids Control Society. Storage capacity of the blood banks had reached 4,500 units and four more blood collection vehicles would soon be pressed into service, he added.

He said in 2009, as many as 260 blood donation camps were organised in association with voluntary organisations and 9,281 units of safe blood collected. The government proposed to make blood bank at the IGMC a model with all modern facilities. A state-level directory of blood donors would be released for the benefit of people.

He complimented and honoured the blood donors, including 138-time donor Vasudev Kuthiala, medical and para-medical staff.

Shimla, June 18
The public sector Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), which owns the country’s largest hydroelectric venture Nathpa Jhakri project, has taken the lead in the country in providing rebate to power utilities for timely fulfilment of commercial obligations.

Acknowledging the efforts made by the power utilities, the company has extended a rebate of Rs 21.67 crore to the utilities to which power is supplied from the 1,500 MW project. The major beneficiary of the rebate is the government of Himachal Pradesh which gained Rs 8.21 crore. The other main beneficiaries are PSPCL Rs 3.99 crore and UPPCL Rs 2.48 crore (1.09 per cent).

The honour certificates were presented by chairman-cum-managing director HK Sharma accompanied with other directors of the company to the top 10 beneficiaries of the power station at the 16th commercial sub-committee meeting of the Northern Region Power Committee (NRPC) held at Kandaghat.

All constituents of the northern region, namely Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, besides NTPC, NHPC, THDC, Power Grid and BSES participated in the meeting. Various commercial issues were discussed and resolved during the meeting, especially the need for opening of LCs (Letter of Credit) for ensuring timely payment of Unscheduled Interchange (UI) charges under the new UI regulations.

The SJVN was the first to introduce the scheme of issuing appreciation certificates to beneficiaries. The NRPC and Northern Regional Load Dispatch Centre (NRLDC) were also honoured for promptness and coordination to commercial obligations for its power station.

Hamirpur, June 18
When safety norms for storing explosives near residential areas is a major concern to avoid accidents, Public Works Department (PWD) in Hamirpur has reportedly stored a good amount of explosives in the form of gelatin, detonators and lead wire used for carrying explosion, near residential area and adjacent to an important official building.

This explosives have been stored in Pucka Bharo for years where hundreds of people live near the Shashtar area. Adjacent to this store is office of the HP State Service Selection Board.

According to safety norms laid by the explosive safety department, no explosives can be stored near the residential area. It is meant to be stored at secluded place at a safe distance from any habitation.

The storage building also has to be at least 200 m away from any busy road and at a safe distance from residential areas.

While the boundary walls of the HP Service Selection Board building, which is visited by a large number of people every day, is just adjacent to this store, many people are residing nearby in Shashtar area.

Interestingly, the PWD is also constructing houses for its employees at a distance of about 50 m on the same premises.

According to information, boxes of gelatin, detonators and lead wire, which is highly explosive material, is stored here for supplying this to contractors for departmental works.

Meanwhile, Hamirpur PWD executive engineer RK Katoch said, “We do not store explosives for a long period and generally distribute it after receiving the same for works. The department has been looking for an alternative site and a joint inspection would be carried soon to select the site where explosive store could be shifted.” 

Nurpur, June 18
The police today arrested Sanjiv Kumar of Raja Ka Talab, Sonu of Kalabah and Sanjiv of Badla village under Sections 353 and 34 of the IPC, Section 27-54-59 of the Arms Act and under the Fishery Act for allegedly firing at a flying squad of the Fisheries Department.

According to Jawali DSP Badri Singh, the department has imposed a ban on fishing in Pong Dam reservoir till July 31 and flying squad has been conducting surprise checking at the reservoir.

He said six persons were trying to catch fish in the reservoir at Mahu Da Peer near Dhameta last night using fishing net. As soon as the flying squad intercepted and stopped them one of them fired in the air from a licensed pistol to scare the members of the squad.

They tried to flee but three of them were caught by the squad and handed over to the police.

The police claimed that the remaining accused would be nabbed soon.

Solan, June 18
Even as investigations have begun into a case of multiple land deals involving sale of 64.5 bighas of land through fake kisan passbooks, demise of two revenue officials, whose signatures appear in the revenue records, has complicated the matter.

These facts came to fore during investigations conducted by the Pachhad police after registration of a case of fraud and forgery against one Ritu Bhalla, wife of an investor from Nalagarh, who was the main accused in the case.

Bhalla had procured a fake kisan passbook, dated March 7, 2007, where her mother was shown as a resident of Mauja Dhai Pargana Karoli village of Junga sub-tehsil (Shimla district). This was used to buy land in Lanamacher patwar circle in Pacchad tehsil (Sirmour district), measuring 2.6 bighas, which was duly registered later.

On the basis of this land, the woman procured another kisan passbook at Pacchad and this formed the basis of making yet another kisan passbook from Abaad Shabbowal in Nalagarh tehsil. This facilitated her to buy nine plots measuring 64.5 bighas in Baddi tehsil which were registered later.

Pacchad SHO Prabal Chauhan said since the two revenue officials, including a patwari, whose signatures appeared in the records, had expired in 2007, this had made it difficult to verify their roles in the whole scam. Since 64.5 bighas of land was bought on the basis of fake passbooks prepared at Junga subdivision, this was a crucial point of investigation though it had been proved that Ritu’s mother was neither a resident of Junga sub-tehsil nor had bought any land there.

The police is now verifying the role of witnesses, including one Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Solan, and Kuldeep Kumar, a resident of Pachhad.

Nalagarh SDM Shushil Sharma said as per inquires, all transactions involving these nine plots had been put on hold and cases of violations of Section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, had been made which were being forwarded to the Deputy Commissioner for further action.

While the Nalagarh tehsildar had served notices to Ritu Bhalla to join investigations, no response had been received from her.

The emergence of this big scam had proved how an organised network of land mafia was existing in the state and how large scale land was being bought by non-Himachalis openly, violating provisions of the HP Land Reforms and Tenancy Act, 1972.