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Security beefed up for varsity elections
ABVP, SFI supporters clash; four injured, three held
NSUI alleges violation of Lyngdoh recommendations
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It’s a triangular contest this time
Central varsity starts admissions
Schools to have 6-day Diwali holidays
Resolve apple growers’ problems within week: Congress
Rs 3 cr for apple, mango growers under insurance scheme
Police SMS service to check accidents
Kalsotra MNREGA ombudsman for Chamba
Hamir Utsav from September 1
2 models selected for national-level science fair
Minor raped
One held with opium
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Security beefed up for varsity elections
Shimla, August 26 Polling will take place from 9.30 am to 2.30 pm in HPU and other colleges in Shimla district. The results will also be declared late in the evening. In order to ensure peaceful and fair elections, the police has made elaborate security arrangements in the HPU and other colleges all over the state. With the HPU being the bastion of the Students Federation of India (SFI) for the last one decade at a stretch, the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is making all-out efforts to sweep the polls this time. The ABVP, which was able to win one of the four seats of the Students’ Central Association (SCA) in 2008, is keen to wrest the HPU from the control of the SFI, especially in view of the fact that the BJP is in power in the state. It was in 2001 that the ABVP had swept the polls in the HPU. Later in 2004, the ABVP was able to wrest two seats from the SFI while in 2008 only one seat. In other colleges of the state, all three-student outfits - SFI, ABVP and NSUI have been getting their shares of seats. The run-up to the elections has so far been peaceful, barring minor skirmishes. The HPU and college authorities are being very strict in enforcing recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee to ensure peaceful and fair polls. As per the electoral rolls, there are a total of 2,830 voters in the HPU, 3,685 in Rajkiya Kanya Mahavidyalaya (RKMV), 1,184 in Court Shera College, 1,492 in Centre of Excellence, Sanjauli, and 550 in Evening College.
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ABVP, SFI supporters clash; four injured, three held
Hamirpur, August 26 The clash that started in the morning near the college over alleged beating of SFI activist Suresh Kumar by the ABVP supporters resulted into group clashes in which use of iron rods, sticks and other sharp weapons were freely used, besides stone pelting. Later, SFI leader Anil Mankotia, Budhi Singh and Jasbir were also attacked in the gym owned by Mankotia. On the other hand, ABVP activist Rohit was allegedly attacked and injured by the SFI activists leading to stone pelting from both the sides. A gym and an institute was also ransacked. Hamirpur being the home district of CM PK Dhumal, the student election in the local college has become prestige issue for both the SFI and ABVP supporters and tampers had been running quite high leading to tension for the past many days. More so, since the SFI had won these elections for two consecutive terms and ABVP has been making a serious effort to take control of the local college this year. About 60 police personnel deployed in the local college proved no deterrent for the clashing supporters of the ABVP and SFI and SP Hamirpur has requisitioned additional force to contain the violence. The SFI leaders have accused few outsiders for injuring and misbehaving with their outgoing SCA president Anu, who was reportedly hit by a stone. Former SCA president and SFI leader Anu said, “Sensing defeat, the ABVP supporters have let loose a reign of terror to terrorise the voters.” On the other hand, ABVP district organising secretary Vivek Pramar has accused, “The SFI supporters indulged in violence and beat Rohit, after which our supporters blocked traffic near the college for some time and has also accused the police for not acting against the SFI supporters.” SP Kuldeep Sharma said cross FIRs have been registered and three SFI supporters, who were inured, have also been arrested, but names of those arrested from the ABVP were still not confirmed. Shimla: Meanwhile, the CPM demanded immediate arrest of the “goons”, who were responsible for the attack on SFI activists in Hamirpur today. State secretary of the CPM Rakesh Singha urged DGP DS Manhas to take immediate action, as the two persons behind the act were not even students and their intention was to dissuade the students from voting in SFI’s favour. He said the “goons” seriously injured former SCA president of Hamirpur College Suresh Kumar and state vice president of the SFI Anil Mankotia. “The culprits tried to create terror by breaking window panes of shops to terrorise people in a bid to prevent students to support the SFI,” he said. He demanded immediate arrest of the culprits and deployment of adequate police force to ensure free and peaceful student elections. |
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NSUI alleges violation of Lyngdoh recommendations
Dharamsala, August 26 The NSUI activists from Dharamsala submitted a representation to the principal of the government college and demanded that the nominations of the students involved in yesterday’s clash should be rejected. The student activists of the ABVP and SFI clashed and raised slogans on the college campus. They were pasting posters inside the campus. Both activities were a violation of the Lyngdoh committee recommendations and deem rejection of the nomination papers of those involved in the violence, sloganeering and pasting of printed posters. State general secretary of NSUI Surjeet Bharmori, in a press release issued here today, alleged that the ruling party politicians were getting actively involved in the election process of the student bodies in the Chamba and Pangi areas. The intervention of certain politicians has forced some of candidates of the NSUI to withdraw their candidature. It was unfortunate that the senior politicians of the ruling party were directly getting involved in the student elections, he added. |
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It’s a triangular contest this time
Mandi, August 26 The council polls are scheduled for tomorrow in all 13 colleges, including the government and private colleges, in the district. The Post-Graduate Vallabh College,
Mandi, here has over 4,529 voters, which has one of the highest student voters in the state’s colleges. There are 12 other degree colleges that will witness triangular fight in the council elections. The prestige of the saffron brigade of the ABVP, which has dominated the student politics in the campus for years is at stake, as the its nearest close rivals, the NSUI has tried its best to upset its apple cart this time. Even the left wing SFI has been slogging and fighting a battle of survival in majority of the colleges in the district over the years. In the Vallabh College,
Paddar, Jogindernagar, Lambathatch and Karsog degree colleges, the SFI had been losing the students’ appeal over the years. Despite the girl students outnumber that of boys at the Vallabh college, but all three wings have fielded just a girl candidate each this time in a panel of four candidates. NSUI penal includes Tilak Raj, Anil Kumar, Tilak Raj-II and Raj Kumari. ABVP has fielded Atul Kumar, Santosh, Yamuna Devi and Abhimanyu and the SFI has fielded Lalit Kumar, Sham Lal, Pawan Kumar and Nisha Chauhan for the president, vice-president, general secretary and joint secretary respectively. |
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Central varsity starts admissions
Dharamsala, August 26 University VC Furqan Qamar launched the prospectus of the university today. In the first session, the university was offering MBA, MBA (entrepreneurship development), MBA (insurance and financial services), MPhil and PhD in management, Master’s in social work, MPhil and PhD in social work, MA economics, MPhil and PhD in economics, Bachelors, Masters, MPhil and PhD degree in library sciences, MPhil and PhD in mathematics and english. According to the sources in the university, the faculty recruitment process for the said courses would also start very soon. Though the university was going to start the academic session this year, the process of the transfer of land at Dehra and Dharamsala was yet to begin. As per the notification of the university, land at Dharamsala and Dehra had to be transferred simultaneously by the state government. The land proposed for the university at Dharamsala and Dehra was the forest land. After the state government transfers the land to the university, it would have to seek permission from the central empowered committee of Union Ministry for Environment and Forests for diversion of the land for non-forestry purpose. The permissions and transfer of the land was likely to delay the construction of the permanent campus of the university. Presently the office of the university was functioning from writer’s home building in
Dharamsala. |
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Schools to have 6-day Diwali holidays
Shimla, August 26 As per the revised schedule finalised by the government, the winter-closing schools will have monsoon holidays from July 16 to August 10 and winter holidays from January 1 to January 31. The summer-closing schools will be closed for monsoon vacation from July 10 to August 10 and winter holidays from January 1 to 24. The schools across the state will have six-day festival holidays during Diwali. The revised vacation schedule will enable the Education Department to have a uniform academic schedule in the state. The government has also decided to allow private institutions to start postgraduate courses without degree courses. Such institutions will be affiliated to Himachal Pradesh University. The decision has been taken in view of the fact that there are a large number of degree colleges in the state but facilities for higher studies are not available. The government has also cleared the proposal to provide land on lease for 30 years for setting up such institutions. |
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Resolve apple growers’ problems within week: Congress
Shimla, August 26 General-Secretary of the party Kuldeep Rathore said the apple growers were going through the worst as roads were in a bad shape, cartons not available and there was an acute shortage of trucks. The administration had virtually collapsed and growers have been left to fend for themselves. He criticised Chief Minister PK Dhumal for being indifferent to the woes of growers and even avoiding travelling through the apple belt by road. He said Dhumal went to Hatkoti by a helicopter and to Theog via Mashobra avoiding the main road from Kufri to Hatokoti which was in a bad shape. He would have experienced the ground reality and the problems being faced by growers if he had travelled by road. The decision to close down the carton factory at Gumma had also hurt the growers who were facing problems in getting quality-packaging material. The private companies were supplying substandard cartons at exorbitant prices. He urged the government to review its decision and resume production at the manufacturing unit from next season. Even state procurement agencies like HPMC and HIMFED had not been able to transport the fruit procured under the market intervention scheme due to shortage of trucks. More than 80,000 bags of fruit were rotting by roadside near the collection centres. The incidence of accidents had increased during the current rainy season, particularly in the apple belt, because of bad conditions of roads.
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Rs 3 cr for apple, mango growers under insurance scheme
Shimla, August 26 Stating this here today, Horticulture Minister Narender Bragta said Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited had been approved by the state government for implementing the scheme in Himachal. He informed that the government had started the scheme for apple and mango on pilot basis in 2009-10 to provide the growers the much-needed support in case of failure of the crop. This weather-based crop insurance scheme was introduced on pilot basis in Theog, Jubbal, Narkanda, Rohru and Chirgaon blocks of Shimla district and Ani block of Kullu district for apple and in Fatehpur, Nurpur, Indora and Nagrota Surian blocks of Kangra district for mango. Bragta said it was an effective tool to mitigate the losses suffered by fruit growers due to adverse weather conditions. About 3,092 apple and 209 mango growers have insured over 2.68 lakh apple and 0.16 lakh mango trees, respectively, under the scheme. Out of these, 1,558 apple growers were from Shimla district and 1,534 from Kullu district. He said Rs 3.2 crore had been sanctioned to apple growers and 17.24 lakh to mango growers. He said response of the growers towards this scheme was quite encouraging and the government was considering bringing remaining areas of the state under it in the near future. “Apple and mango crops are sensitive to adverse weather conditions and as such four weather parameters namely chilling requirement, temperature fluctuation, low rainfall and excess rainfall, have been covered for apple crop and frost, temperature fluctuation, unseasonal rain and wind speed have been covered for mango crop under the scheme,” he disclosed. Automatic weather stations have been established in each block in order to get exact data on effect of adverse weather conditions on fruit crops, he added. |
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Police SMS service to check accidents
Shimla, August 26 The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) and Transport Department has handed over the list of mobile numbers of all Regional Transport Officers (RTO) and field staff to the Police Department, so that the SMS received can be forwarded to the concerned staff immediately. The RTO concerned will also be informed by the police about it verbally. The public can send an SMS on telephone number 9459100100, which will be immediately forwarded to the SHO, RTO and the Director and Secretary (Transport) concerned. It is a common sight in the state to see people traveling on the roof tops and very often overcrowding has been the cause of major accidents. “We have launched the SMS service aimed at checking over-speeding, overloading, rash and drunken driving, which are the main reasons for most of the bus accidents in the state,” confirmed IG (Law and Order) SR Mardi. He said people could also make a call to register their grievance on which there would be action, but the only drawback would be that there would be no record, as was the case in the SMS service. He added that besides these four major issues, the passengers or a third person could also alert the police through an SMS about non-issuance of ticket by conductors after taking money or misbehaviour by the HRTC staff or anyone else during traveling in any HRTC or private bus. The police has launched the SMS facility earlier in May this year, so that the public could seek assistance in any kind of problem. “There has been a good response to the SMS service on the same mobile number 9459100100 and till date, more than 300 people have approached us,” said Mardi. He added that the DGP would personally monitor the action taken in all such SMS complaints that would be received on this number. The issue of increase in the bus accidents in Himachal came up for discussion even during the monsoon session of the Vidhan Sabha. The Congress had raised the issue of bad condition of roads and rash driving that was resulting in major accidents. There have been two major bus accidents in the Nerwa and Chaila areas of Shimla and a truck accident in the Balh area of Mandi in which 38 people lost their lives.
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Kalsotra MNREGA ombudsman for Chamba
Chamba, August 26 Kalsotra said here today that total transparency would be ensured in implementation of various ongoing works under MNREGA. He said any aggrieved person or any complainant could address his grievances in his office, which was at present housed in the office of the district rural development agency (DRDA), Chamba, on all working days supported by facts and figures. He said efforts would be to speed-up the ongoing development works in the district and ensure quality work. In case, the same is found unsatisfactory or below the standard as ratified in MNREGA, a suitable action will be taken against the errant, he stated. Apart from him, social activist Sanjeev Kumar has also been appointed as deputy ombudsman. |
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Hamir Utsav from September 1
Hamirpur, August 26 He said during the cultural nights of the utsav, comedian Sudesh Lahari, Indian idol fame Sanchali Bose and Rohit would perform on the first day while playback singer Mahaluxmi Ayer would be the main attraction on the second day. Pahari night would be organised on the last day of cultural evenings, besides presentations by artistes of North Zone Cultural Centre, Chandigarh, and other local artistes. Jain said Chief Minister PK Dhumal would inaugurate the festival and participate in the shobha yatra and traditional worship. He said sports competitions, baby and dog shows and wrestling bouts, exhibitions would also be organised during the
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2 models selected for national-level science fair
Kullu, August 26 Principal Lalita Kanwar said 270 schools drawn from the Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, HP and J&K displayed models during the exhibition. This was the first time that both the models displayed by a single school were selected for the national-level. — OC
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Minor raped
Kangra, August 26 The Kangra District Additional Police chief said the girl today lodged a report that she was raped by her neighbourer Sanjeev Kumar in December 2009. The police said after the rape the victim remained silent till her pregnancy was confirmed. The victim was accompanied by her parents to the police station. The police said the accused was yet to be nabbed.
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Elaborate security arrangements have been made for elections in Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) and 99 colleges all over the state in which over lakh students are expected to cast their vote tomorrow.
