Shimla, November 10
A confident Kaul Singh today started his second innings as the Pradesh Congress Committee chief amid thunderous slogans by enthusiastic party workers, who turned up in strength at the Congress Bhawan to felicitate him on the occasion.

All prominent leaders from the two rival camps, Stokes and Virbhadra Singh camps, showed up at the formal taking over ceremony which turned out to be a lively affair.

The atmosphere was filled with an air of optimism, raising hopes among the cadres that factionalism plaguing the party for the past two decades will take a backseat and emergence of the third leader, not aligned with any group, will start a new era. Indeed, expectations from Kaul Singh are high this time. Unlike his previous term, when he was elevated to the top party post more due to circumstances, he has been assigned the responsibility by party supremo Sonia Gandhi after due deliberations and taking all factors into consideration.

With assembly polls due in less than two years, the decision of the high command to give him a second term makes him a frontrunner for the post of Chief Minister. However, this will not be an unmixed blessings as those in race for the coveted office will try to undermine him.

A debate has already started in the party regarding the choice of the next Chief Minister. But the immediate task before Kaul Singh is to take along the leaders of the rival camps, enthuse the workers to rise above the factionalism to strengthen so that he could effectively take on the BJP government and pave way for return of the Congress to power in the state.

Kaul Singh is quite aware of it and in his first address after taking over, he appealed to the workers and leaders not to overstress their minds as to who would be the next Chief Minister as the issue had to be decided by Sonia Gandhi. Instead devote their time and energy to strengthen the party and expose the corrupt BJP government.

Having won the confidence of Sonia Gandhi, Kaul Singh is expected to be more assertive, unlike the first term when he was engaged in balancing act all the time tying to keep leaders of rival factions in good humour. His success as a leader will depend on his ability to endure pressures from various quarters and build a good team to lead the party to the victory in the polls.

Dharamsala, November 10
Expectant Anu Bala of Baba Baroh area near Kangra is under shock after she was allegedly tested HIV positive by a private lab near the Tanda medical college. She has lost her new-born child.

The husband of Anu Bala, Satish Kumar said: “They had gone to the medical college on November 4. We forgot all test reports at home. So doctors suggested us to get medical tests conducted from a private clinical test lab near the hospital. A person from the lab came to the hospital and took blood samples of my wife”, he said.

He further said: “In the report, my wife was declared HIV positive. After reading the report, my wife was kept in a separate room and was operated early to rescue the child but the infant died.”

He said: “I asked the hospital authorities to conduct the test on me and my wife once again. In the test report of the hospital, I and my wife were declared HIV negative. But the damage had already been done”, he added. He would lodge an FIR against the erring hospital staff and the private lab, Satish Kumar said.

Sources said doctors in the hospital acted on the wrong report of the laboratory and allegedly operated the woman at the earliest to rescue the kid. The medical superintendent of Tanda medical college Dr Satya Bandhu Sood said he could not comment as he was on leave.

The acting principal of the college Dr Anil Chauhan said,”We have started an inquiry into the incident. We have to rely on our own medical reports and not on reports of private laboratories. Action would be taken against the people found guilty in the case”.

Hamirpur, November 10
The State Information Commission has directed nine divisional managers (DMs) of the HP State Forest Development Corporation (HPSFDC) to pay compensation of Rs 1,000 each for their failure to supply information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to an applicant.

Passing these orders on the complaint of Onkar Singh Chandel, State Chief Information Commissioner PS Rana observed that divisional managers of Mandi, Nahan, Swarghat, Nurpur, Mantaruwala (Paonta Sahib), Una, Chamba, Dharamsala and Kullu divisions of the HPSFDC had failed to supply desired information to the applicant even after two months.

The complainant had applied for information under the RTI Act on July 26, 2010, with Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Forest Corporation regarding forest guards and deputy rangers. Subsequently, his application was transferred to nine DMs.

On not receiving the information, the applicant had filed separate applications with these DMs under the RTI Act but he was not supplied the desired information by them.

Later, the applicant filed a complaint with the State Information Commission in this regard after which these order were passed.

The Chief Information Commissioner has penalised all nine DMs of the Forest Corporation for their failure to provide the information to applicant within stipulated period and directed them to pay a compensation of Rs 1000 each to the complainant and provide him the information free of cost.

The compensation has been provided under Section 19(8) (b) of the RTI Act 2005 for incurring avoidable expenditure and mental harassment to the applicant during this process.

Dharamsala, November 10
The results of the supplementary examinations of Class VIII and 10+1 were declared by the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBSE) today after much delay. However, the results of the supplementary examination of 10 and 10+2 have not been declared as yet. Board officials said it might be declared soon.

However, the delay in results of the supplementary examinations has already led to wastage of academic year of thousands of students.

Had the results of Class X and XII students been declared in time, they could have taken admissions in new private universities.

Earlier, the results of supplementary examination used to be declared in October. However, half of November has passed but the results have not been declared. The board officials said they were not sure when the results would be declared.

An affected student said the government sanctioned two private universities in September . The Central University, Himachal, also carried out admissions to various courses in October. “Had our results been declared in time, we could have taken admissions in the institutions. Our academic year has been wasted and the benefit of holding the supplementary examination has been almost annulled, they alleged.

Many students, who appeared in the supplementary examinations, had taken provisional admissions in various institutes. They had deposited fee for the first semester. Since the result of the supplementary examination was delayed, they might have waste fee in case they were declared fail by education board.

Officials of the board said they were busy with investigating agencies that were probing the examination scam. This has caused delay in declaration of results, they said.

However, sources here told The Tribune that the results were being delayed due to overcautious approach of the education board. Board employees had been asked to recheck the record before the declaration of results.

Meanwhile, in the results declared today, 77 per cent of students, who appeared in supplementary examinations, passed.

Shimla, November 10
The RSS today said it did nor believe in violence and Congress accusations of linking it with “Hindu terrorism” was an attempt to malign the social organisation, for whom national interest was supreme and foremost.

Addressing a huge protest rally here today, national secretary of the VHP Surender Jain said linking the RSS with terrorism was the result of petty politics by the Congress which had sacrificed national interest for its own vested interest on several occasions.

Hundreds of activists of the RSS, the VHP, the BJP, the ABVP, the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, the Akali Dal and the Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha participated in the protest. They staged a demonstration outside the DC office and later marched to Shere Punjab in a procession where a rally was held.

Dharamsala: The RSS today started a programme aimed at direct confrontation against the Union Government led by the Congress.

It organised a dharna and rally along with hundreds of supporters on the police ground here to protest against the statements of Congress leaders equating the RSS with SIMI.

Carrying saffron flags and raising slogans against the UPA government, members of the RSS later marched in the town and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner.

KULLU: RSS activists took out a procession from Ramshilla Flyover to Dhalpur Maidan passing through the main streets of the town here today agitating against the UPA government in general and Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in particular.

Speakers, including the former RSS state chief Jagan Nath Sharma, district RSS chief Moti Lal Thakur and advocate Surinder Khanna, lashed Sonia and Rahul for their utterances against the RSS. They demanded that they should tender apology or face wrath of the RSS.

Hamirpur: As a part of the nationwide protest of the RSS against the UPA government today, the local unit of the RSS today held a protest rally and submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister through DC Hamirpur.

The RSS activists assembled at Gandhi Chowk and held a public meeting which was addressed by their leader Dinesh Kumar.

BILASPUR: Led by several BJP leaders more than 1,000 persons, including teachers of Saraswati Vidya Mandir School held a demonstration through town bazaars here today raising slogans against “the machinations of the Central Government to frame up the RSS and its organisations” with view to polluting its image.

Shimla, November 10
Prof Peter Ronald deSouza has earned the distinction of being the second director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) to be given a second term to head the nationally acclaimed academic institute.

Even though the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) had given the nod for continuation of Prof deSouza for a second term in September itself, it was the governing body of the institute that approved the decision at its 135th meeting held in Delhi yesterday. The chairman of the IIAS, Prof BL Mungekar, chaired the governing body meeting.

As such Prof deSouza who took over as the head of the IIAS on December 17, 2007, will complete his first term in December 2010 and the second term in December 2013. Prior to this it was Prof Mrinal Miri who was given the opportunity to serve for a second term. He remained the director of the institute from 1993 to 1999.

Interestingly, it was Prof deSouza who himself wrote to the HRD Ministry in April that the process for selection of a new director must be initiated as his tenure was to come to an end in December. The fact that the IIAS had remained without a director for over a year after Prof Bhuvan Chandel completed her term in 2006 had prompted Prof deSouza to urge the HRD Ministry to start its selection process well in time.

Prof deSouza was a senior fellow at the Centre for Study of Developing Societies where he was co-director of the Lokniti Programme on Comparative Democracy. He had taught political science in Goa University for 16 years and as a political theorist his abiding interest remains the threats to freedom of expression in democratic polities and the issue of righting the historical wrong.

The decision of the HRD Ministry to grant a second term to Prof deSouza is being viewed as appreciation of the measures he has taken at the institute in his term. Giving him a second term means that he will be able to accomplish the tasks that he has taken in hand as director, especially implementation of the conservation plans for the historic building housing the institute built in 1888.

Shimla, November 10
In a major reshuffle in the subordinate judiciary of the state, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has transferred 11 civil judges.

As per notification issued by the high court, Mukesh Bansal, civil judge (senior division)-cum-chief judicial magistrate (CJM), Kullu, has been transferred as such at Chamba, whereas Padam Singh, civil judge (senior division)-cum-CJM, Chamba, has been posted as such at Kullu.

Jaswant Singh, civil judge (senior division)-cum-judicial magistrate first class (JMIC), Sundernagar, is transferred to Court No.1 at Paonta Sahib.

Aneesh Garg, civil judge (senior division)-cum-JMIC, Rajgarh, is transferred and posted as such in court No.1 at Sundernagar.

Vivek Sharma, civil judge (senior division)-cum-JMIC, Dalhousie, is transferred and posted as such at Nurpur against a vacant post.

Avinash Chander, civil judge (senior division)-cum-JMIC, Karsog, is transferred as such to Rampur Bushahar.

Sachin Raghu, civil judge (senior division)-cum-JMIC (2), is transferred to Court No.1 at Amb and Rajinder Kumar, civil judge (senior division)-cum-JMIC, Mandi, is transferred and posted as such at Court No.1 at Rohru against a vacant post.

Vivek Khanal, civil judge (junior division)-cum-JMIC, Amb, has been transferred and posted as such at Rajgarh.

Basant Lal Verma, civil judge (junior division)-cum-JMIC, is transferred as such to Karsog whereas Vivek Shamra, civil judge (junior division)-cum-JMIC, Shimla, has been transferred as such to Dalhousie.

Dharamsala, November 10
About 70 pilots have registered to participate in the Bir Billing paragliding tournament starting tomorrow. Kangra Deputy Commissioner RS Gupta gave this information in a press release issued here today.

He said out of these 10 pilots were from foreign countries, 30 from Indian Air Force and Army and rest were local and from other parts of the country.

He said the height of Billing take-off site was about 2,600 metre above from the sea level and the landing site stood at 2,080 metre.

“Paragliding can be carried out in an area ranging between 100 to 200 km around the take-off site. The tournament will be inaugurated by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramesh Dhawala,” he said. — TNS