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Politics begins over IPL
RSS leaders not allowed to meet Dalai Lama
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Levy Of Crores On 1,400 Units
HRTC to outsource cab service
DA to staff
Canadian in dock over anti-India speech
Book on Dalai Lama released
AIEEE centre confusion cleared
MNREGA works won’t be hit for want of cement
Chamba dist gets HPU evaluation centre
Central varsity to start 18 courses
HP gets PM’s award for excellence
Take up Central school matter seriously, CM urged
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Politics begins over IPL
Dharamsala, April 21 Senior Congress leader and MLA from Nagrota GS Bali today flayed IPL managers for increasing the rate of tickets for students. He said the rate of tickets for students had been increased from Rs 125 to Rs 250. The increase in the rate of tickets was injustice to poor students from Kangra, especially those from rural areas. He said the Congress would subsidise the tickets for students from its own coffers. It was unfortunate that when the state government was providing all facilities to the IPL organisers, they were still fleecing poor students. He further said the state government had provided the land free of cost for the construction of a cricket stadium and the HPCA five-star hotel. It was unfortunate that despite that, even poor students could not be given subsidised tickets. Bali also said the Congress might also start an agitation over the issue. He said: “I have also learnt that the number of tickets meant for students has also been decreased. No ticket was available to students on the first day of the sale of tickets that started yesterday for the first match scheduled for May 15. The IPL is an entirely commercial activity and the state government should earn revenue out of it,” he alleged. Sources told The Tribune that HPCC spokesperson Kewal Singh Pathania was also planning an agitation ahead of the IPL matches at Dharamsala, demanding contracts in the stadium for the locals during the matches. The HPCA and BJP leaders have, however, been justifying the organisation of the matches on the plea that it will generate a lot of economic activity in the area. |
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RSS leaders not allowed to meet Dalai Lama
Dharamsala, April 21 Sources said security agencies did not allow the senior RSS leaders to meet the Dalai Lama as they had not sought prior permission. As per laid-down norms, visitors had to take prior appointment to meet the Dalai Lama. In contrast to the stand taken by the state government regarding the land allotments to Tibetans in the state, the RSS leaders favoured sorting out the issue amicably. When asked to comment on the HP Government’s stance of non tolerance towards the benami land deals effected by Tibetans, Indresh Kumar said the state government should act on it as per the directions of the Union Government. Dharma Gurus of the Tibetans should also be respected, they said, making an oblique reference to the 17th Karmapa in view of current controversy regarding the recovery of foreign currency from his monastery. Earlier, the leaders visited Tibetan monks who were on a relay fast, demanding the withdrawal of Chinese troops from the Kriti monastery in Tibet. The RSS leaders were accompanied by Tibetan Youth Congress president Tsewang Rigzin and deputy speaker of the Tibetan government Gyari Dolma. Govindacharaya said the Central Government had not adopted any definite foreign policy on Tibet since Independence. India should use Chinese imports as a leverage to bargain its position on Tibet. He also demanded that the blockade of the Kriti monastery by the Chinese troops should be lifted. The RSS leaders said they had come to Dharamsala to invite the Dalai Lama to a function to be organised at Sarnath to commemorate 2,600 years of the enlightenment of Lord Buddha. The function would be organised from October 29 to November 6. Since the leaders were not allowed to meet the Dalai Lama, they left the invitation with his staff.
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Levy Of Crores On 1,400 Units
Solan, April 21 Investors have decided to approach the court against the exorbitant charges levied from September 2009 to February 2010. Since the board was short of power, an arrangement had been made with the BBN Industries Association (BBNIA) which had put forward a suggestion that the units owning gensets would generate power and, besides meeting their own requirements, they would sell the surplus power to the other units. An MoU, signed later between the BBNIA and the board, had then finalised that Rs 8 per unit and Rs 9 per unit would be charged for generating power. A total of 43.73 million units (mu) was generated by the four industries — Birla Textiles, Vardhman Textiles, GPI and Unichem I and II and its total cost was worked out to be Rs 37.34 crore. Superintending Engineer Rajesh Thakur said as per the MoU, 50 per cent share of power was to be borne by the board and the remaining was to be shared between the genset owners and the industry. The board was now recovering Rs 20.09 crore from the industry and a levy was imposed on each unit depending on their installed capacity. Prem Sharma, president, Nalagarh Industries Association, said it was unfair to impose the levy on them as they were neither involved in chalking out this arrangement nor were made aware of its implications. The units had been imposed between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 40 lakh in the monthly power bills.
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HRTC to outsource cab service
Shimla, April 21 The government had allowed the corporation to ply services on 18 routes, but it was able to operate only on 13 routes because of the shortage of drivers and vehicles. Private parties have in response to the tenders invited by the corporation for outsourcing of 18 routes offered Rs 10,000 to Rs 31,000 per month per route. The cooperation has decided to retain the four profitable routes, Sanjauli-Lakkar Bazar, Dhali Tunnel-Sanjauli, Nav Bahar-Sanjauli-Lakkar Bazar and Annandale-CTO, and decided to award the remaining 14 routes to the highest bidders. The outsourcing will lead to a three-fold increase in the annual profit from the existing Rs 14 lakh to Rs 45 lakh. More importantly, the corporation will be able to provide services on five more routes namely, Mehli-Vikasnagar-High Court, Kamla Nehru Hospital-Shimla Club-Main Bus Stand-IGMC, Dudli-Municipal Parking Auckland, Sanjauli-Lakkar-Bazar (in addition to the existing one) and St Bedes- Ritz. However, the corporation has ignored the fact that at present the Chungi Khana-CTO and the Annadale-CTO routes are being covered by a single vehicle and as a result the service is available on these busy routes after a gap of two hours. It will be appropriate if one of the spare vehicles is deployed on these routes to ensure a separate cab for each route to help increase the frequency of service. The outsourcing will help spare 10 cabs and as many drivers which the corporation urgently requires for strengthening its flying squad. Increase in frequency and timely plying of taxi services, particularly during the peak morning and evening hours, will also help reduce the rush of vehicles on sealed and restricted roads as residents will prefer to use taxi service rather than plying their own vehicles.
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Canadian in dock over anti-India speech
Dharamsala, April 21 Sources said the Canadian citizen allegedly spoke against India while participating in a protest carried out by local Tibetans to express solidarity with the Karmapa who was facing raids from the Una police. Reports regarding the Canadian citizen’s speech were sent to the Government of India by Indian intelligence agencies here. Taking note of the reports, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has directed the Kangra police to investigate. Kangra SP Diljeet Thakur said, “We are enquiring into the matter and a report will be submitted to the Union Ministry within the next two-three days”. Meanwhile, the sources said the police had recorded the Canadian citizen’s statement. In her statement to the police, the Canadian citizen had denied making any anti-India comments. However, the police had also confiscated the CD recordings of her speech. In case the Canadian citizen is found to have made anti-India comments in her speech, the authorities might consider cancelling her visa and even blacklisting her from visiting India in future. The Canadian citizen is here on a tourist visa. |
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Book on Dalai Lama released
Shimla, April 21 She said, “The book of poems brings out the Buddhists’ spiritual leader as a ‘wisdom figure’ and also throw light on the nuances of the religion. Ranchan uses snippets from the life, narrative and ideas on the religion”. Ranchan said the work was part analytic and part devotional as he grew in dynamics of relationship and devotions. The book also questions his absolute categorical imperative regarding peaceful struggle at all costs against China’s bestial hegemony. Another book written by Ranchan, “Padmasambhav”, was also released on the occasion. |
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AIEEE centre confusion cleared
Shimla, April 21 A spokesperson of the school said the confusion had been caused among people as the senior and sections of the school were located in different parts of the city. |
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MNREGA works won’t be hit for want of cement
Mandi, April 21 He added that the department would make recoveries from the defaulting village pradhans after amending the provisions of the law. Talking to reporters here, Thakur said the MNREGA works in the state would not suffer for want of cement as the government had decided to lift it from the open markets. The talks with the companies for signing the fresh agreements were on. He said the government had saved Rs 12 crore last year on account of the agreement while executing MNREGA works as they got cement cheaper by Rs 60 to Rs 90 a bag. He added that the goverment would give an impetus to training the Panchayati Raj staff and functioneries as a centre had allocated a budget of Rs 38 crore for it this year. The training would be imparted at the regional Panchayati Raj training institutes at Mashobra, Baijnath and Thunag, which the government had decided to start shortly, he added. On the defaulting pradhans, who are booked for misuse of funds in the state, the minister said the department would recover the amount from them after making suitable amendment in the Panchayati Raj Act. The cases otherwise remained pending in the courts, he added.
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Chamba dist gets HPU evaluation centre
Chamba, April 21 Sources said it was for the first time the evaluation centre had been opened after HPU came into being in the ’70s. Earlier, in the absence of this centre, the staff of this college had to go to other centres outside the district for evaluating university examination answer-sheets. With the approval of this evaluation centre, the staff of the government colleges at Chamba, Chowari Salooni, Tissa, Pangi and Bharmour, besides private colleges, would be able to conduct the evaluation work of answer-sheets, the sources said. Meanwhile, welcoming the decision of the university, Himachal Government College Teachers Association district secretary Dr Vidya Sagar Sharma urged the university management to change the schedule of summer vacation accordingly, so that the evaluation work would not hamper. |
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Central varsity to start 18 courses
Dharamsala, April 21 “Last year, since it was the first session of the university, we admitted students on merit. However, this year the students will be admitted on the basis of entrance test that will be conducted at four centres, Dharamsala, Shahpur in Dharamsala, Delhi and Hyderabad. The students can download the prospectus of the university free of cost from its website”, he said. The VC said the state government had sanctioned the permission for 167 acres for the university campus at Dharamsala, two pieces of 600 acres and 292 acres at Dehra.
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HP gets PM’s award for excellence
Shimla, April 21 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented the award for 2009-10 to Additional Chief Secretary, Science, Technology and Environments, Sarojini Ganju Thakur. It carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, besides a citation and a gold medal. Chief Secretary Rajwant Sandhu said the state bagged the award in the organisation category. The efforts to keep the environment neat and clean would get a fillip with the enforcement of a complete ban on plastic cups, plates and glasses etc with effect from August 5, 2011. |
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Take up Central school matter seriously, CM urged
Bilaspur, April 21 Talking to mediapersons here yesterday, Dharmani said the Deputy Commissioner was still to reply to a letter dated November 3, 2009, by the Commissioner, Kendriya Vidyalayas, New Delhi, in which he had shown the government’s intention to start a school at Ghumarwin. He had also asked for an assurance of temporary accommodation for 50 per cent of the staff immediately and land for staff quarters and school premises free of cost. Dharmani said this letter followed after he had led a deputation of the party to Sonia Gandhi in Delhi and had sought her intervention in this project. He said a team of experts from the Centre had visited Ghumarwin on April 4 and the proposed site for the school at Patta village near the town. |
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Dharamsala, April 21
Dharamsala, April 21
