Shimla, March 1
Taking a serious view of government jobs being given on the basis of fake degrees, the Himachal Pradesh High Court today directed the DGP to depute a competent officer to investigate the matter involving four employees of the Education Department who allegedly secured jobs on the basis of fake documents.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Sanjay Karol further directed that the report after investigation should be filed in the court by April 19.

The order was passed on a petition filed by retired principal VP Ahluwalia who had obtained information under the RTI regarding the educational degrees of the four employees from Magadh University and Rajasthan University, which indicated that the documents were fake.

The petitioner informed the court that he had brought the matter to the notice of the secretary, education, director of education and also the superintendent of police, vigilance. However, these authorities had not taken any action in the matter.

He further alleges that all four persons, who were being shielded by the authorities, had got government jobs by fraudulent means on the basis of fake degrees. He urged the court to direct the government to register a case of cheating and forgery against them and for taking action under the service rules.

Affiliation to pvt college under lens

In another matter pertaining to grant of recognition by the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE) and affiliation accorded by Himachal Pradesh University to a private college of education at Dhaliara, Kangra, the court directed the NCTE and the university to produce the relevant record by April 19.

Petitioner VP Ahluwalia alleged that the private institution had been granted recognition and affiliation on the basis of fake documents. He further stated that as per the information obtained by him under the RTI, the documents submitted to the NCTE regarding the teaching staff of the college were fake. He also alleged that in some documents, signatures had been forged. The institution did not have the qualified staff as required under the NCTE norms. The college was being run as a family venture and no managing committee had been formed as per the norms.

He further alleged that the NCTE had granted recognition to it even though the state had not given the mandatory no-objection certificate. Not only that the college was allowed to increase the number of seats in B.Ed course from 100 to 200 within a span of nine months from the date of original recognition, it was also allowed to start M.Ed course with 25 seats and M.PEd with 30 seats.

He urged the court to direct the university to withdraw the affiliation and the NCTE to cancel its recognition.

Shimla, March 1
The painstaking effort put in to design and construct the “eco-friendly and energy-efficient” Nirman Bhawan has earned national recognition to the Public Works Department with the Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC) conferring the Vishwakarma Award-2011 on the project having several unique features.

It is one of the 34 construction projects selected for the annual award in the country by the CIDC, set up jointly by the Planning Commission and the construction industry to improve quality, promote new technology, delivering better outputs, processes and creating higher benchmarks for the construction industry.

Features Solar passive technology Less use of electricity Steeply-sloped roofs keep monkeys away Rainwater harvesting structure Solar water heater and polycarbonate sheet cover over atrium Segregation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste

The name of Vijay Uppal, the chief architect, who designed the structure, also figures along with BD Joshi, chief engineer (Mandi), among the 15 officers chosen for the annual award in the best public officers category for outstanding contribution. Besides, nine lower-rung workers of the department have also been selected for the award in the artisan category.

Housing the headquarters of the PWD, the six-storey structure is the most energy-efficient building in the state till date, deploying the green technology to the hilt. Besides an aesthetic design, which blends well with the hill environment, the building incorporates solar passive technology, water harvesting structure, solar water heater, waste segregation and other features. It also takes care of monkey menace by providing steeply sloped roofs making it difficult for the simians to climb.

Natural light and sunlight have been harnessed to the extent possible to minimise dependence on power for lighting and space heating. Facing southwest, the front rooms receive enough sunlight throughout the year, while those in the rear are illuminated and heated by covering the atrium, located at the centre of the building, with a slanted polycarbonate semi-transparent sheet which traps the solar energy. As architects need more light for carrying out the minute line-work, the drawing boards have been placed in the dormers itself. Box type bay windows with double glazing capture sun during both morning and evening.

The corridors, toilets and computer rooms, which do not require heating, have been located on the hill side. Different types of openings can be used keep temperature at comfortable levels, depending on weather. The profile of the building has been harmonised with the site by designing terraced structure to avoid cutting of hill, explains Uppal.

Naginder Kumar, Ajay Paul, Kalyan Chand, Pratap Chand, Dharmender Kumar, Ram Singh, Moti Ram, Narpat Ram and Gita Nand are the nine workers selected for the Vishwakarma awards to be presented at a ceremony in New Delhi on March 7.

Dharamsala, March 1
VC Pharka, Principal Secretary, Sports and Youth Services, today took over as the acting chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBSE). He is second ad hoc chairman of the board after the examination scam rocked it. After the expiry of the term of CL Gupta, the last chairman of the education board, during whose stint the examination scam surfaced, the government has treaded cautious in appointing a political person for the post.

The government initially gave the additional charge of the school board chairman to Kangra Deputy Commissioner RS Gupta. The post was earlier held by political appointees from the Education Department.

VC Pharka after taking over the charge of the chairman of the school board said the government had decided to fill 40 vacancies of clerks in the board.

The decision to fill the vacancies has been taken under pressure from the employees’ union of the education board. The union has been maintaining that shortage of staff is one of the main reasons behind the examination scam. Due to shortage of the staff the board failed to check the loopholes in the system that led to the scam.

Pharka today signed an MoU with the Vyam Tech Company for computerisation of school examination system in the state. The company bagged the contract for computerising the examination system in the state for Rs 4.5 crore.

The chairman said the board had decided to give 100 per cent fee to remunerators on spot at the checking centres. Earlier, the remunerators were given just 80 per cent fees on spot.

He also said 255 flying squads had been constituted this year to check copying during board exams in the state. About 35 examination centres with dubious records had also been cancelled. The board had not allotted any new examination centre in private schools or academies. All examination centres had been formed in government or aided schools.

The Omkar Committee that was constituted by the government after the exposure of the examination scam had made some revolutionary recommendations for improving the system in the school education board. One of the measures was to rotate the duties of the education board employees.

The suggestions, however, had not been implemented as yet.

Shimla, March 1
The government today issued the much-awaited notification for constitution of a single umbrella committee for approving building plan within the Shimla municipal limits under the chairmanship of the commissioner of the Municipal Corporation (MC) and also specified the zoning regulations existing in the town.

The notification was issued by the government yesterday and public objections have been invited over the next 30 days. The Cabinet had already granted approval for the constitution of the committee for regulating development activities in the Shimla Planning Area. The notification brings about an amendment to the Interim Development Plan for the Shimla Planning Area.

As per the notification, the single umbrella committee will comprise the commissioner of the Shimla MC as its chairman, town and country planner (Shimla) and executive engineer (Urban Development) as its members and architect planner (MC) as its member secretary. The committee will meet once a month but in case of heritage zone, it will strictly go by the recommendation of the Heritage Advisory Committee.

The government has also constituted an inspection squad under the chairmanship of the state town planner and tehsildar (TCP) and planning officer (headquarter) as its members.

It is expected that the constitution of the committee will simplify the approval process and save residents from approaching multiple agencies.

Sources said in case any relaxation had to be given in specific cases, it was the committee which would forward the case to the government and the individual would not have to knock at the doors of various government offices.

The notification has, however, made no changes in the zones like the Core, Restricted and other areas. The ban on construction in the green areas remains but the plot size in the restricted and other areas has been increased from 150 mts to 200 mts to reduce congestion.

Another change as per the notification is allowing mixed land use in the Core area which comprises the congested Mall, Lower Bazaar and Lakkar Bazaar. As such, the residents of the Core Area where the land use was strictly residential can now use their premises for commercial use as well.

Shimla, March 1
Even as conflicting statements have been appearing about giving of a “clean chit” to the 17th Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorjee, Chief Minister PK Dhumal today clarified that till date the state government had not received any formal communication from the Centre in this regard.

He was replying to a query about the recent raid on the Gyuto Monastery in Dharamsala during Question Hour in the assembly. Dhumal informed the House that the inquiry was still on and some persons were being questioned while being in custody.

“Neither is there any justification nor the need for Himachal to inquire from the Centre if a clean chit has been given to the Karmapa,” he remarked.

Congress legislators said there was complete uncertainty about the status of the case and as such the Chief Minister must clarify the position. “Not only have reports appeared in the media but the state’s chief secretary too had said the Karmapa had been given a clean chit by the Centre in the case,” said Thakur.

Dhumal, however, made it clear that though the issue of recovery of foreign currency fell under the purview of the Centre under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), all the same the state agencies were also inquiring into other issues, including the land deals involving Tibetans.

“However I want to make it very clear that all those residing in Himachal will have to follow the law of the land and this applies to the Tibetans as well,” he remarked.

As far as giving of a clean chit to the Karmapa by the chief secretary was concerned, he said it was at a press conference convened for highlighting development works that the media asked her about the issue. “Neither was she prepared about the Karmapa related queries nor did she use the word “clean chit” as I myself saw the video recording of the press conference,” he said.

The Chief Minister said various central agencies including the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the RAW were looking into the case and from time to time, central and state agencies kept exchanging information.

Hamirpur, March 1
The State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) which is probing into non-payment of lakhs of rupees of crop insurance to herbal growers of the state by a society is now recording statements of the growers.

A VACB team recently visited Hamirpur, Kangra, Bilaspur, Solan and Una districts and gathered information from the growers.

The VACB had started a probe in this case a few months back when it had come to light that insurance claim of a large number of herbal growers was not paid to them by the Himachal Organic Herbal Growers Association (HOHGA) even after receiving the claim money from the national insurance company on their behalf.

Meanwhile, a few herbal growers had formed a society named HOHGA and had insured the crop of white musli cultivated by many herbal growers in several districts of the state from the national insurance company.

When due to several factors the crop of white musli was damaged the farmers had submitted insurance claim through HOHGA to the insurance company.

Though HOHGA had received the insurance claim from the company amounting to about Rs 21 lakh, the same was not paid to many farmers after which the matter was reported to the VACB.

The VACB had already visited the farmers to record their statements and gather all records of crop insurance undertaken by HOHGA on behalf of the herbal growers and allegation of embezzlement of money received by them.

Secretary of HOHGA Om Prakash said, “There was some problem in making the insurance claim but now payments had been made to the growers.”

A VACB officer said, “The matter is under our investigation but we cannot comment on it at present.”

Mandi, March 1
Kamrunag, believed to be the rain god, along with three other deities arrived in this temple town today. President-cum-Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, Dr Amandeep Garg received Kamrunag in a traditional manner on the premises of the Raj Madhav temple, the seat of the presiding deity of the Shivratri fair here.

What sets Mandi’s Shivratri apart is that the week-long sacred fair begins here when Shivratri in over in rest of the country. The town echoed with the tunes played by the traditional musicians as soon as devtas in colourful palanquins along with their devotees start marching into the town. After their welcome, the Kamrunag procession entered the premises of the Raj Madhav temple. Then followed devtas and others.

As per tradition, the devtas move to the Bhootnath temple after paying their obeisance at the Raj Madhav temple. Kamrunag camps on the premises of the Tarna temple at the hilltop of the town and does not participate in the “jaleb” procession that will take place on March 3.

The DC said devtas had been received traditionally and rest of the 215 would be arriving tomorrow onwards.

Shimla, March 1
The House today witnessed heated exchanges between the ruling party and Congress MLAs over the issue of allocation of Central funds to state.

It was during the reply to a query by Neeraj Bharti and Mukesh Agnihotri of the Congress during Question Hour that Chief Minister PK Dhumal said Rs 15,620.31 crore had been received during the last three years. He said out of this amount, Rs 1,209.93 crore had been received under various centrally sponsored schemes, Rs 7,513.96 crore under the State Plan and Rs 6,896.42 crore under non-plan.

Tempers ran high when Agnihotri sought details about the amount received separately under the flagship programme of the UPA regime, the NREGA scheme. “The allocation under NREGA is received by the District Rural Development Authority and it is not districtwise but in case the member still wants the exact amount under NREGA, he can file a separate question,” he said.

The Congress MLA still insisted that he had sought different information which had not been provided to him. This led to complete pandemonium in the House as members from both sides exchanged heated remarks.