Dharamsala, October 2
In a major development in the examination scam, the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBSE) has put four of its employees under suspension.The employees include superintendent Krishnu Ram, junior assistants Pritam Chand and Gobind and peon Jivan Kumari.

Chairman of the Education Board CL Gupta, when contacted, said the superintendent and two junior assistants were suspended for gross negligence in duty. They failed to check the record properly while preparing the results. A chargesheet would be issued to them soon, he added.

Jivan Kumari has been put under suspension as her daughter cleared supplementary examination of class VIII allegedly through the scam accused. The peon’s daughter allegedly did not appear in the examination but cleared the same. The peon was the neighbour of Suresh Chaudhary, one of the main accused in the case.

The chairman, however, said according to the inquiry report, direct involvement of the superintendent and two junior assistants had not been indicated. They were held liable for gross negligence, he added.

About the involvement of other employees, the chairman said the inquiry was still on.

When asked if the board would register a case against the suspended employees, Gupta said the police was already aware of the matter and had their names.

The board had, earlier, issued show-cause notices to 34 employees, charging them with dereliction in duty.

Meanwhile, Kangra ASP Sanjeev Gandhi, when contacted, said notice under Section 91 of the CrPC had been issued to the education board. They have been asked to provide all relevant records to the investigating officials, he added.

“After collecting the record, we would try to establish criminal liability of board employees. Only then any arrests would be made,” he said. 

Shimla, October 2
With there being no end to traffic woes in the Queen of Hills, the local Municipal Corporation (MC) has decided to crack the whip on those house owners who have converted their parking space into residential areas.

Keen to roll out a plan to decongest roads by having a modern elevated rapid transport system, the MC is, at the same time, keen to impose heavy penalty on those who have not abided by the provision of having mandatory parking space.

It is mandatory for all house owners who have buildings along roadside to create parking space and the building plan is only approved if such a provision is made.

“After undertaking a survey, we will initiate strict action against those who have converted the parking space into rooms since parking of vehicles on the roads is the biggest cause for traffic jams,” said AN Sharma, Commissioner, MC.

He admitted that several complaints had been received where people had converted space indicated as parking area in the building map into rooms.

He warned that the MC would even go to the extent of forcing such house owners to break such rooms and restore the parking space. “The absence of a parking space will but obviously force people to park on the road, leading to traffic congestion and haphazard parking, causing inconvenience to all,” he remarked.

He said the MC was also keen to have an escalator from the Lakkar Bazaar bus stand till the Ridge so that the commuters do not face inconvenience.

The Transport Department has asked the local MC for its opinion on the proposal for having the modern elevated transport system for the core area of the town, which witnesses maximum traffic congestion, he added.

“We are keen to have a modern public transport system as it will not 
only emerge as a tourist attraction, but will reduce congestion in the core area,” he said.

Even as proposals to have aerial ropeways and tunnels to improve connectivity and reduce congestion in the town is under consideration of the government, a proposal has been submitted by a British company to set up elevated rapid transport system, which will run on a spiral track at an elevated height.

In case the proposal is found to be suitable, the government is keen to cover the core area, which according to their estimate can be covered within 8-km stretch. The congestion stretch from Victory Tunnel to Lift and Mall area would be covered initially. 

Shimla, October 2
The Army Training Command (ARTRAC) here has been carrying out the onerous responsibility of evolving and articulating operational doctrines, concepts and philosophies as an expression of the Indian Army’s fundamental approach to war fighting in the contemporary environment.

These were the views expressed by Lt-Gen AS Lamba, AVSM, GoC-in-C of the ARTRAC while welcoming guests at its 20th Raising Day celebrations here yesterday.

Speaking on the occasion, General Lamba said modelled on the American TRADOC and similar organisations of a few leading countries, ARTRAC was the “think tank” of the Indian Army.

He said ARTRAC officers achieved excellence through its 32 training institutes.

General Lamba said in pursuit of modernising human resource development and leadership, ARTRAC conducted formal management training in collaboration with several other advanced institutions.

The General assured that the ARTRAC had taken upon itself to motivate and prepare college, schoolchildren and Himachali youth to join as officers in defence services.

It was on October 1, 1991, that the desire and operational necessity of having a customised organisation as a think tank of the Indian Army was realised at Mhow which found its permanent home in Shimla in March 1993.

Others who were present on the occasion included Governor Urmila Singh, Chief Minister PK Dhumal, Chief Justice Kurian Joseph, besides senior Army and civil administration functionaries. 

Dharamsala, October 2
Congress leaders from Kangra rallied behind Virbhadra Singh with an apprehension that the government might file a chargesheet against him after the High Court rejected his plea on CBI probe.

In a press release issued here today, the Congress leaders, including former MP, Kangra, Chander Kumar, MLAs Sudhir Sharma, Yog Raj and Sujjan Singh Pathania, HPCC spokesperson from Kangra and Chamba Kewal Singh Pathania and others alleged that the state was trying to politically victimise Virbhadra.

They alleged that earlier also, the Opposition had tried to implicate Virbhadra in Sagar Katha case. However, the CBI probe into the allegation had given a clean chit to him.

The die-hard supporters of Virbhadra have an apprehension that the case was being pursued by the state aggressively at the behest of some of his detractors within the party. They expressed the apprehension that Virbhadra’s detractors wanted that the chargesheet be filed against him before the next Cabinet reshuffle in the Centre. — TNS

Shimla, October 2
With Shimla close to being a smoke-free city, Chief Minister PK Dhumal today announced that de-addiction centres would be set up at all district headquarters in the state as pollution-free environment must be offered to tourists.

“Seeing the high incidence of addiction to cigarettes or even other narcotic substances, especially among the youth, steps need to be taken to curb this dangerous tendency and help those who are already in its clutches to get rid of addiction,” he said.

Speaking at a function on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti here today, he said, “While Shimla as per surveys by some NGOs has become a smoke-free city, the endeavour of the government is to make every district headquarters also smoke-free.”

“Himachal is a state with immense tourist destination and it is our duty to provide them the best pollution-free environment,” he remarked.

“As per the survey almost 94 per cent of the spots in the state capital has been found to be smoke-free which means we have achieved our objective,” 
he added.

He paid tributes to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, on the occasion and said his principles of non-violence and peaceful co-existence among all were all the more pertinent.

Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court Kurian Joseph, other judges, HPCC chief Kaul Singh Thakur and other Congress leaders were present on the 
occasion.

Hamirpur: The Hamirpur District Congress Committee on Saturday observed the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi as communal harmony day.

In a press note, district president of the committee Sunil Sharma said the party leaders and activists took out a “prabhat pheri” and paid tributes to Gandhi.

Sharma said the best way to pay tributes to Gandhi was by following his principles of communal harmony and brotherhood.

Mandi, October 2
The CPM and other residents have demanded the removal of Tara Chand, an office superintendent-cum-block development officer (BDO), Dharampur. Besides the CPM, local residents are accusing the officiating BDO of settling scores with them.

The CPM has forwarded the complaint against Tara Chand to the State Election Commission and Mandi Deputy Commissioner demanding his immediate removal from the BDO post.

District general secretary Bhupender Singh charged that Tara was the permanent resident of Roso village in subtehsil that is in Dharampur block.

“His appointment as the BDO violates both HP service rules and transfer policy as a person belonging to the same block cannot be appointed as the BDO in his home block,” he added.

The CPM said Tara was acting at the behest of his political master and was implicating his opponents by making false cases. He is liberally funding his favourites.

Whereas Tara Chand denied the charges saying that he was being targeted by the CPM as the CPM leader and his adversary were at loggerheads with each other. The funds are given to each panchayat on merit.

Mandi DC Amandeep Garg said the post was vacant over the months, thus, he was given the additional charge. “I have received the complaint but appointments and transfers are done by the government,” he said. 

Kullu, October 2
Rakesh Kainthla, Additional District and Sessions Judge-cum-Fast Track Court Judge, here sentenced three persons to imprisonment, who were booked under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

District Senior Public Prosecutor Mahesh Sen who had conducted the cases said the court, on the basis of evidences, had convicted the accused.

One Budh Ram of Kasa village, near Fozal, was sentenced to 13-year rigorous imprisonment besides a fine of Rs 1,30,000. In the event of non-payment of the fine, Budh will have to undergo an additional two-year imprisonment. He was arrested with 28-kg charas in a nakabandi on August 10, 2009.

In another case, Shyam Singh of Patharani village in Banjar subdivision of this district was sentenced to 15-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh. In the event of non-payment of the fine, he will further undergo three-year imprisonment.

The accused was arrested with 19-kg charas near Naglari in Banjar.

In yet another case, Soma Ram of Jalandhar was sentenced to three-year rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 30,000. In the event of non-payment of the fine, the accused will further undergo three-month simple imprisonment. 

Kangra, October 2
A large number of PTA teachers today held demonstration in this town and took out a protest march through the main markets, raising slogans against the government.The protesting teachers gathered in the local municipal stadium and denounced the state government for economic and mental exploitation they were being subjected to.

District president of the PTA Teachers’ Association Rajesh Kumar Bhatta, while addressing the demonstrators, said the state appointed 80 teachers on contract basis recently against the PTA posts in Kangra and Mandi districts and left the PTA teachers in the lurch.

He alleged that Hamirpur, represented by the Chief Minister, and the Mewa constituency represented by the Education Minister, were spared for political reasons.

The protesters accused the government of exploiting 6,000 PTA teachers serving in the state by adopting “use and throw” policy which was unacceptable to them.

Bhatta said they would be forced to launch an agitation if the government failed to reinstate 80 PTA teachers.

Mandi: The Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA) teachers said they were been shown the door despite the fact that the Chief Minister had assured them that the government would not remove them. They warned that if their removal was not stopped they would go to any extent to fight for justice Talking to mediapersons after they held a state-level meeting here today, PTA president Roshan Bharti said the government had already removed over 150 PTA science teachers from schools where the posts were vacant. Out of this 31 teachers are posted in Mandi district alone, he added.

He said the PTA teachers had been rendering their service in schools where there were no teachers. The students are suffering as the academic year is heading for the final examinations, he added.

Shimla, October 2
The State Agriculture Leadership Award 2010 was conferred on Himachal for its outstanding policy initiative and performance in agriculture development.Raj Patil, Governor of Punjab, presented the award to Chief Minister PK Dhumal at New Delhi on September 30. The hill state has been adjudged the best performing state in agriculture sector by the International-level Agriculture Research Magazine “Agriculture Today.”

Speaking on the occasion, Dhumal said the state would provide ornamental flowers worth Rs 30 crore for the Commonwealth Games. “The state has given priority for agriculture sector and is spending 12 per cent resources on it which is the highest in the country,” he said. — TNS

Chamba, October 2
The state government has decided to reduce 10-km distance further by constructing a road from Chamba to Pangi via Alwas and Bhanodi to reach Killar, subdivisional headquarters of the Pangi tribal valley in Chamba district.

In an official communiqué issued here today, Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Speaker Tulsi Ram announced that 16 panchayats of the Pangi valley had already been linked by roads network.

Tulsi said to connect the picturesque tourist places of Bhanodi and Alwas with the main lifeline, work had been stepped up so that it could be opened for vehicular traffic by next year.

The Pangi valley, which had so far been accessible from Chamba via Kangra-Mandi-Kullu-Lahaul and Spiti districts covering 683 km with a journey time of about 40 hours, has two years ago been reduced to merely a distance of 170 km with time of about 10 hours, courtesy efforts of the state government.