Dharamsala, November 19
The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBSE) Employees Union today came out to defend their colleagues in the examination scam.

The police arrested two board employees, Bharat Bhushan, senior assistant, and Mohinder Atri, junior assistant this evening. The employees were responsible for receiving examination forms and attendance forms from examination centres and dispatching the certificates. The police suspects these employees of actively conniving with the main accused in the case.

However, the arrest of the employees evoked a strong reaction from the union. The employees came out in strength from their offices after their arrest. They met SP, Kangra, Daljeet Thakur to lodge their protest.

Later, they went to police station and raised slogans against the police administration. The employees kept sitting on a dharna in the police station for about one hour while their leaders gave volatile speeches. The employees were sitting on the dharna demanding the release of the accused employees till the filing of this report.

The SP said the employees raised objection on arresting of the employees. They had been told that no innocent person would be arrested. However, the accused would not be spared at any cost, he said.

The president of the union Manohar Thakur said police officials should have taken permission from the board chairman, who was present in the office before arresting the board employees.

“We have earmarked room number 101 in the education board office for questioning of the accused employees. The employees, who were arrested today, were doing their duty when they were forcibly taken away by the police.

The union would not tolerate such high handedness of police officials, he said.

Many board employees, who suspect that they will be arrested by the police, have also applied for anticipatory bails in various courts. However, most of them have been denied anticipatory bail.

Till date the police has arrested just four board employees.

Though, earlier, the board employees union had issued statements in favour of their colleagues, it is for first time that they have come out in their support.

The acting chairman of the education board-cum-Deputy Commissioner Kangra RS Gupta said he would examine the case and then decide on action against the employees sitting on dharna at police station, Dharamsala.

Dharamsala, November 19
With a few days left for the winter session to start in Dharamsala from December 6, the security arrangements and maintenance works are going on full swing. Various teams of the state administration and the PWD have been providing services to make the Vidhan Sabha premises spick and span.

Superintended of Police Daljeet Thakur said today that “We have made elaborate security arrangements for the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha session to be held here. Various arrangements have been made to ensure smooth flow of traffic in the area. The area has been divided into 4-5 sectors from the security point of view and our men will be deployed everywhere.”

He said: “People with designated passes will be allowed to enter the campus. There are six-seven gates at the main complex which would be divided for separate entries for the Chief Minister, Speaker, ministers, visitors, media, staff etc, the SP said. Thakur said that all gates would be manned by policemen in uniform and civil dresses.

He also mentioned that sniffer dogs, security gadgets like metal detectors would be placed everywhere on the campus and a bomb disposal squad would be stationed around the clock. Situated in a picturesque location at Sidhbari in Dharamsala, the Vidhan Sabha gets a wide view of snow-capped Dhauladhars right in front of the campus.

Daily routine works are being carried out from the Dharamsala Vidhan Sabha but the winter session has been a special for Kangra district, the administration and the locals.

Govardhan Singh, secretary, Vidhan Sabha, told The Tribune from Shimla, “the maintenance works keep going all around the year but special preparations are being carried out for the forthcoming winter session.” “Painting of boundary wall which gets spoiled in rains is on, the main offices like the Chief Minister’s office and offices of secretary, PA are being painted,” he said.

The cleaning and touching work has been going on inside the premises.

Maintenance works of electricity are also being carried out inside and outside the building. Beautification works are on which includes gardening on the campus. “We already have two gardeners appointed there in Dharamsala and we have sent two more from Shimla to share the work, the secretary said.

Shimla, November 19
The Municipal Corporation (MC) has initiated the process of undertaking the zoning of the town based on five parameters to pave the way for switching over to the unit area method from the existing rental assessment for charging property tax.

The MC has already sent a proposal to the government to bring about an amendment to the Municipal Corporation Act so that the new system of charging property tax on per square metre rate can be introduced. It is likely that the requisite amendments to the Act may be brought about in the coming winter session of the assembly to be held in Dharamshala next month.

Besides being a more rationale way of working out the property tax, the new unit area method will help in bringing about almost three-time increase in the income from property tax to the MC. The MC income from property tax is approximately Rs 6 crore annually and this is likely to cross Rs 20 crore.

“We have already sent a proposal to the government so that the amendment to the MC Act can be made to facilitate switching over to the unit area method at the earliest,” said A.N. Sharma, MC Commissioner.

He said the survey being conducted in the town by a Delhi agency PRUDA will help in compilation of accurate data with regard to the number of houses, rented or self-occupied and other such details.

The switch over to the unit area method is a mandatory condition under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and the MC is keen to see it being enforced soon.

To have proper norms for switching over to the unit area method, the MC will undertake zoning based on the five parameters of the year of construction which will determine the age of the building, type of building whether commercial of residential, use of building for commercial or personal use, location of building and occupancy.

With the merger of the three Special Area Development Authorities (SADA) of New Shimla, Dhalli and Totu, the MC is hopeful of a substantial increases in its income from property tax. It is common knowledge that in several places people have provided false information about the rented portion of their houses, which is resulting in great loss to the MC.

Now with accurate data available once the survey is complete, the MC will be in a better position to focus on revenue generation.

Solan, November 19
Ending the 45-day impasse between the management of Ambuja Cements and four truck unions, Deputy Commissioner Amar Singh Rathore today fixed freight charges for transporting cement and clinker.

The freight hike, however, failed to satisfy the truckers as well as the unit management. They termed it as a measure too late too little

While the new rates will be applicable with immediate effect, this has brought the much-needed relief to 3,000 truckers. Rathore told The Tribune that clinker would now be lifted at Rs 635 per km per MT while cement would be transported at a freight rate of Rs 619 per km per MT. Apart from this, no discount had been permissible for movement of trucks outside the state while 40 per cent discount has been allowed for back load.

In addition to this, the uniform rates will be applicable throughout the state and no disparity between the hilly and plain areas has been made on permissible load with the entire state being considered as a hill area.

Rattan Mishra, president, Solan District Truck Operators Union, said it was a partial relief and all demands put forth by them had failed to be considered. This included crucial issues like loss incurred due to restrictions on overloading which will come into effect from April, loss due to decreased efficiency leading to trucks halting for 2 to 3 days, non-inclusion of proportionate fuel hike while devising the freight and other such issues.

He added that if the DC could direct the unit management to give a written assurance about their pending demands, they could consider resuming work from tomorrow. The unit management, while resenting the new rates, said it would anyway honour the orders.

Shimla, November 19
The government has rejected the plea of veterinary officers appointed on contract basis in the Animal Husbandry Department seeking 25 per cent non-practising allowance (NPA) and 24 casual leaves on the pattern of contractual doctors.

The 58 contract veterinary officers had filed a petition in the state high court which directed them to make a representation before the secretary, Animal Husbandry, with a stipulation that the matter be decided within six weeks.

Accordingly, they filed a joint representation seeking the two benefits on the grounds that the government was bound to treat them at par with the medicos.

However, the secretary rejected both demands maintaining that they did not fall under any approved policy decision and though there had always been a differentiation in the service conditions of medical officers and veterinary officers, the two categories had been getting equal pay scales. There were several categories of various departments which were placed in the same pay scale but that did not mean that all of them should be given NPA.

The government had been treating them differently as evident from the fact that they were being paid NPA since 1997, though such a dispensation was not admissible to their counterparts in Punjab.

Subsequently, when the NPA was increased to 25 per cent of the basic pay, veterinary doctors always got it much later.

Further, the government had not been allowing financial benefits retrospectively as it could open a Pandora’s box with various other categories clamouring for similar benefits. Moreover, the financial implication on this count would be Rs 1,15,29,000 which was a huge amount. Further, veterinary officers had fixed working hours like other employees whereas doctors have to work irrespective of time limits, sometimes for even 24 hours.

The aggrieved veterinary officers have decided to approach the high court again to seek redressal.

Kullu, November 19
Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kullu, Yogesh Jaswal today ordered the deportation of Galeno Orazi, an Italian national and 1981 convict arrested from Malana under the Foreigners’ Act.

But his deportation and an alleged nexus of Malana-based smugglers and certain “NGO”, encouraging villagers to grow hybrid cannabis, has come as a major setback to the Malana Vikalp Cooperative sensitising villagers on alternative development.

The court verdict has made Orazi a happiest man as he was not convicted by the judge despite being living illegally since 2009 in “illegal dogri” house that belongs to Budh Ram, a villager from Malana.

The police had put on record his past record that he had a criminal history and was deported to Italy after he was convicted for a month-term in Kullu under the Excise Act.

OP Sharma, chief adviser, Malana Vikalp, said his deportation for the second time would encourage other foreigners, including locals involved in the drug trade. The police action was encouraging as the DGP himself visited Malana and took stock of the situation after Orazi was arrested.

On the other hand, the Brother of Malana (BOM), an NGO working in Malana, claimed that alternative crops could be encouraged. “We will find means and ways to grow industrial hemp in Malana so that their culture is protected”, stated Amlan Duta, who runs the BOM and making documentary on Malana.

Mandi, November 19
Giving a new turn to the death of Nikka Ram, whose body was recovered from a septic tank of Nagchala village on October 13, the police today registered a case of murder and procurement of false evidence under Sections 302 , 201, IPC, at Balh police station after his wife Balo Devi accused her daughter-in-law for murder.

According to Balo Devi, she was shocked when her daughter-in-law Girja Devi tried to strangulate her with on October 27.

The police stated that it had registered a case of murder and started the investigation. The body of Nikka Ram was recovered from the septic tank of the village after he went missing on October 12 and was cremated the next day.

Balo Devi charged that her husband did not die in the septic tank as it was made out to be, but he was murdered by her daughter-in-law.

Shimla, November 19
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has congratulated Vijay Kumar Sharma for winning two bronze medals in pistol shooting in the Asian Games.

The Chief Minister said the outstanding performance of Vijay had brought laurels to the country and the hill state.

He said his performance would be a source of inspiration for the youth and motivate budding sportspersons to emulate him.

Bilaspur, November 19
The Mahila Mandal, Kandraur, has been adjudged the best mandal in the district on the basis of its voluntary work in interest of society and has been given a prize of Rs 10,000 and an appreciation letter by the District Nehru Yuva Kendra here for 2009-10.

These prizes, instituted by the Central Ministry of Youth Services and Sports for inculcating spirit of selfless social service among youth, are given throughout the country at the district and state levels every year to youths between the age group of 13 to 35 and a selection committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner decides these prizes purely on merits based on documentary support and evidence and actual field work.

Nehru Yuva Kendra District youth coordinator Som Dutt Zard said here today that Anjana Devi, cultural secretary of the Adarsha Mahila Mandal, Dohla Brahamana, and Raj Kumar, president of the Bajrang Yuvak Mandal, Kathalag-Badhaghat have been selected as “Best Youth of the year” and each were given a cash prize of Rs 5,000 and an appreciation letter for their distinguished work in various activities, including sports, cultural, spreading awareness regarding health, sanitation, environment, afforestation, self-employment, blood donation, eradication of social evils, family planning and development works through gram panchayats and women empowerment.

The prizes and appreciation letters were awarded to the youths and the mahila mandals on the district- level youth day by Additional District Magistrate Darshan Kalia at Kandraur, near here, in a district- level function which was attended by a large number of youths and members of yuvak mandals and mahila mandals yesterday.

Shimla, November 19
Medical check-up of students in all 15,045 government schools in the state will be completed by December.

Stating this while presiding over a meeting of the health department here today, Health and Family Welfare Minister Rajeev Bindal said preliminary screening had been carried out in 12,520 schools under the Chief Minister Student Health Programme and the check-up of students in the remaining 2,525 schools would be completed in the next month.

Out of a total 2,030 senior secondary schools, 1,385 schools had been covered so far under medical health check-up of all students of government schools. Similarly, cluster camps had been organised in 649 schools.

Bindal said a 13-member medical and paramedical team was carrying out the preliminary screening and after a health check-up, the selected students were referred to Primary Health Centres.

He said along with health check-ups awareness campaigns were organised in 1,385 schools of the state.