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Disobedience Charge
Nod for snow leopard project
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Day 2: NSUI activists boycott classes
Apology sought from Education Minister
Rising food prices threat to growth: Economist
Police remand of studio owner extended
Borehole method for resin extraction
Union for probe into HPU affairs
‘Form rehab policy for Bhakra oustees’
Chauhan takes charge as DC
Health centre opens
Youth dies in mishap
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Disobedience Charge
Shimla, February 21 Sources said Sridhar, in a letter sent to the state government, today said she would not be in a position to appear before the inquiry officer as she needed some time to prepare her defence. “Her main plea is that she has sought some information and documents from the state government which was not supplied to her even earlier, so she will not be appearing,” confirmed sources. Sridhar, a 1984 officer, had been asked to appear before the inquiry officer on February 22 with regard to the chargesheet. She had been on deputation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) for one year since 2009. Trouble started when the state government turned down her request for further extension and directed her to return to the state in November. The officer, who has remained the Deputy Commissioner of Kangra and Shimla and held several other significant posts, has obtained a Ph.D on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) from IIT, Delhi. In fact, she was looking after IPR issues related to medicine. The state government took quick action and charge-sheeted her after finding the reply filed by her as unsatisfactory. It also wasted no time in appointing an inquiry officer so that further action could be initiated on the report of the inquiry. Even as this happens to be one of the rarest case in which the state government has taken a far too serious view on a deputation related issue of an IAS officer, it is being felt that it is too harsh an action. Others also point out that the government has not been adopting the same yardstick while dealing with requests for deputation as some are allowed to continue while other are called back. |
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Nod for snow leopard project
Shimla, February 21 The most remarkable feature of the project is the Snow Leopard Research Centre to be set up at Kibber. It will be the only second such institution in the world to be set up on the pattern of the one existing in Mongolia. The integrated project formulated by the Mysore-based Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) is being implemented in five trans-Himalayan states where the prized animal is found. The project was approved in principle in 2007 but for the implementation in the field, a comprehensive management plan was to be formulated after conducting a baseline survey. The NCF which has been working on the endangered animal in Spiti for the past 20 years has already finalised the plan and now implementation would start. Principal secretary, Forests, Sudipto Roy, who pursued the matter for release of funds, said it was designed on the pattern of the Project Tiger to be funded by the Centre. With relatively less biotic interference, the Spiti valley was the stronghold of the endangered cat in India. An important feature was that the project would involve the local communities in monitoring and conservation to help reduce the snow leopard-migratory grazier conflict which had taken a heavy toll of the animal. It is a unique collaborative project on which snow leopard experts are working closely with the senior wildlife officials to develop a good, participatory management plan for the unusual Spiti landscape on the basis of authentic scientific data. The painstaking research conducted over 4000 sq km by wildlife experts in upper Spiti has revealed the presence of 4 or 5 snow leopards per 100 square km. The presence of other high altitude species like ibex, snow cock, blue sheep and grey wolf has also been noted during the research study to co-relate it with the snow leopard on through the prey-predator relationship and delineate its domain and movement. It is for the first time that so much research has been carried out in preparing a management plan before starting implementation of the project. Besides Himachal, the project is being implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttrakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh where the animal is found. Snow leopard is a globally endangered species, restricted to the high mountains of Central Asia and rough estimates place its global population at around 7,500, which is believed to be fast depleting. |
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Day 2: NSUI activists boycott classes
Kangra, February 21 NSUI activists today boycotted the classes and held demonstration outside the college premises and raised slogans in favour of their demands and against the government. The protesters were led by Students Central Association leaders, besides NSUI in charge Dheeraj Sharma. Sharma criticised the government for ignoring their demand of appointing a principal, providing a better infrastructure and taking over of the college by the government. The NSUI activists continued their dharna outside the college till this afternoon. Later, they were persuaded by Sanjay Rattan, local Congress leader, to lift the dharna. The police was deployed outside the college today to avert any untoward incident. Meanwhile, Sanjay Rattan today came out in support of the NSUI and demanded that the government should take over the college and accept the other two demands of students, besides it should order a departmental inquiry against the Jawalamukhi SHO for unleashing a reign of terror among NSUI supporters. Rattan demanded that a high-level inquiry should be ordered into the yesterday’s incident in which the police thrashed NSUI activists, who had taken shelter in the house of a local village pradhan. He threatened that if their demands were not accepted within seven days, the Congress and the NSUI would gherao Jawalamukhi Degree College and stop its functioning. Tension gripped in the college since yesterday when NSUI held a protest demanding the college, which was being run by the Jawalamukhi Temple Trust, should be taken over by the government and a Principal be appointed. They raised their demands when Education Minister ID Dhiman reached the college, which resulted in a clash and subsequently the police allegedly thrashed the NSUI activists. |
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Apology sought from Education Minister
Shimla, February 21 General secretary of the party Kuldeep Rathore said the incident had taken place in the presence of the police which remained a silent spectator as those involved in the attack were BJP workers. It appeared that the minister moved around with a group of anti-social elements who indulged in violence. Instead of discouraging hooliganism and violence in educational institutions, the minister was encouraging it by bringing along with him rowdy elements from outside. He had no moral right to be the Education Minister, he should either tender a public apology or resign.
— TNS |
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Rising food prices threat to growth: Economist
Shimla, February 21 “There is an urgent need for adopting the latest technology and work culture for finding economically viable solutions to emerging challenges in the Indian economy, including built-in corruption, high incidence of accidents and rising crimes and food inflation. It is time to replace cosmetic measures with concrete plans of action in all the sectors to achieve the desired results,” observed Goel, who was here on a visit to HP University. Dwelling on the emerging agriculture scenario and food inflation with fast increasing costs of agricultural inputs, Professor Goel emphasised the need to encourage agriculture research for making farming cost-effective by increasing yield and reducing post-harvest losses. Substantial funding was required for conducting high quality research for finding economically viable solution to the emerging challenges. Farming must be upgraded from a vocation to a profession by making it knowledge intensive to ensure that farmers benefited from advances made in bio-technology, genetic engineering and other techniques to boost productivity. There was a strong case for rural industrialisation and crop diversification for reducing under employment and disguised unemployment in agriculture. The post harvest losses need to be reduced to minimum for making farmers pay their electricity bills. He has a rather queer solution for black money issue in suggesting that all unaccounted money should be allowed to be deposited in banks and a 10 per cent tax should be charged on it. Similarly, for checking crime, CCTV cameras be installed in every nook and corner to improve the state of Indian economy riddled with black money, inflation and inequitable distribution of growth benefits, Professor Goel added, who is going back to Seoul on February 24 and remain there till August 2011. |
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Police remand of studio owner extended
Mandi/Kullu, February 21 The vigilance is yet to come out as to “who are the beneficiaries and how much money they got transferred from the bank accounts of the studio owner”. The vigilance has yet to arrest the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Talking to The Tribune today on the phone, ADGP, vigilance, KC Sadyal said it seemed that Volga acted as an agent between official beneficiaries and hydropower companies seeking their favour. “We are checking the bank accounts of Volga and others involved in the case and corroborate the facts to complete the investigations”, he added. When asked as how much money was transferred from Volga’s account to the official beneficiaries, including a former Kullu SP, Sadyal said, “It is a huge exercise and takes time to verify and corroborate the facts. We have deputed two more persons for the job to expedite the case”. He said the vigilance would not name the IPS or any other officer in the case till the probe was complete. “We have arrested the photographer and his interrogation is on”, he added. When asked which hydropower companies sought officials favour and paid money in the account of the photographer, Sadyal refused to disclose the names, saying that the vigilance would reveal it at an appropriate time. “We will take it to a logical conclusion”, he added. Meanwhile, sources told The Tribune that Volga was produced in the court at Kullu and sent in police remand till February 23. There are, however, six power companies that have come under fire from villagers in Manali, Prini, Parbati, Malana and other areas in Kullu district. |
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Borehole method for resin extraction
Solan, February 21 Vice-chancellor Dr RS Dhiman said it was an alternative to the rill method which had reduced the number of blazes with time. Besides this, the spray of concentrated acid often created healing problems to the trees thus leading to their girdling further affecting their growth. “With thousands of pine trees drying in the past decade, the other methods in use like French cup, lip and rill methods had reduced the scope of intensive tapping. The university had, therefore, standardised the borehole method which was tree-friendly and easy to operate”, explained Dr Dhiman. The borehole method involves drilling holes into the wood to open the maximum number of resin ducts. The holes are drilled with slight slope towards opening so that oleoresin drains freely. Multiple boreholes are arrayed evenly around the tree’s circumference, or else clustered in-groups of 2 or 3 boreholes. The polythene bags are attached to the spout with the help of tie for collection of oleoresin and replaced when filled with oleoresin during the period of tapping. The new method has multifarious advantages over the conventional methods which include higher labour productivity, improved product quality, reduced tree stress and insect pest problems. University scientists opined that once adopted, it would fetch good returns and would be of great significance, if introduced successfully, as it does not need any bark shaving and simply a hole made at the base of tree serves the purpose of resin extraction. |
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Union for probe into HPU affairs
Shimla, February 21 In a statement issued here today, member of the Executive Council of the HPU Waryam Singh Bains demanded that all officers and employees on deputation must be repatriated. “It is not appropriate to invite officers on deputation who are not familiar with the functioning of the university system,” he remarked. He said the manner in which the HPU administration had appointed a controller of examination on secondment basis and later invited application for the post not only reflected their malafide intentions but also created suspicion in the mind of public over the selection process. He said there was no logic in deploying officers on secondment basis against key positions and this would only disturb the administrative hierarchy and adversely affect the functioning of the HPU. “Regular appointments must be made against the posts like registrar, finance officer, controller of examination, librarian, director of the Academic Staff College, University Institute of Legal Studies, University College of Business Studies, University Institute of Information Technology and International Centre for Distance Education and Open Learning,” he demanded. He also hoped that Chief Minister PK Dhumal would take into account all these issues and not allow the violation of the Himachal Pradesh University Act, Statutes and Ordinances, especially in view of the fact that his regime had even scrapped Section 35-A to restore the autonomy of the HPU. |
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‘Form rehab policy for Bhakra oustees’
Bilaspur, February 21 A deputation of the parishad members, led by its president Rajni Sharma, met the DC here recently and presented a memorandum to be forwarded to Chief Minister PK Dhumal. The deputation included all eight members of the Congress-dominated nagar parishad, including its vice-president Kamlender Kashyap and five other members of the BJP. However, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has ordered the removal of all encroachments on the government land in the town, but at the same time it also suggested that the government might form a rehabilitation policy to save the Bhakra dam oustees from the rigours of the order. Meanwhile, a number of Congress leaders, led by Bilaspur Sadar Mandal Congress president Col AP Gauttam (red), state Congress member Jitender Chandel, former MLAs Dr Babu Ram Gauttam and Tilak Raj Sharma, staged a protest outside the office of the DC recently and submitted a memorandum to him. |
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Chauhan takes charge as DC
Bilaspur, February 21 He belongs to the Sihunta area of Chamba district and also served as SDM at Una and Palampur and ADC Mandi earlier. Later talking to mediapersons at his office, Chauhan said he would first study the issues of Bhakra dam oustees of Bilaspur town and district and would see what could be done to solve them.
— OC |
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Health centre opens
Kullu, February 21 While addressing a gathering at Bhuntar, Khimi Ram said the required formalities for upgrading the PHC Bhuntar to Community Health Centre had been completed and it would be notified shortly. Khimi Ram claimed that the state had unprecedented development in the field of health and education, besides attaining distinction in seven other fields at the national level. He said the common man had been benefited with the schemes like Atal Sawasthya Yojna (free ambulance services), Swasthya Bima Yojna, free distribution of 38 life- saving drugs in hospitals, free delivery facility for women, besides free medical services to the BPL families. |
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Youth dies in mishap
Sundernagar, February 21 It further said the victim had been identified as Deepak Sharma (22) of Mandi, who was coming from Chandigarh in his swift car (HP33B-0777) which rolled down from the road into 150-metre deep gorge. |
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