Shimla, July 17
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal laid the foundation stone of Rs 1.5-crore project to construct a parking lot, a community centre and a langar bhawan adjoining the gurdwara near the main bus stand here today.

He said the government had always extended its support to the Sikh community and it would continue to do so in future. The Sikhs had always been maintaining cordial and friendly relations with all other communities and the contribution made by Guru Shri Teg Bahadur in protecting Kashmiri Pandits would always be remembered.

He said the state government had set up Eternal University at Rajgarh in Sirmaur, where students from within and outside the state were being provided quality education. He said as per the Union Ministry of Human Resources, there was need for opening 1,000 private universities in the country. He said with the opening of private universities, students were getting quality education at their doorstep.

Jathedar Avtar Singh (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee), Amritsar, thanked the Chief Minister for introducing Punjabi as a subject in 100 schools. He also appreciated his gesture in providing land for the construction of parking and community centre.

Earlier, Daljit Singh, office-bearer of the Himachal Pradesh Akali Dal, welcomed the Chief Minister. President, Guru Singh Sabha, Shimla, Jasvinder Singh, thanked the CM for fulfilling the long-pending demands of the community.

Dhumal also participated in the installation ceremony of an idol of Shri Baba Balak Nath in the historical Hanuman temple, Jakhu, and inaugurated the new complex.

Shimla, July 17
The effort of the Congress high command to achieve factional balance in constituting the new team of state office-bearers has led to a regional imbalance with some districts getting more representation and others being completely ignored. Further, despite increasing emphasis on providing 33 per cent representation to women at all levels, only nine women have figured in the 42-member body.

With 15 Assembly seats, Kangra, the biggest and politically most important district, has got the lion’s share, bagging five berths in the 16-member team of office-bearers and as many members in the executive committee. Similarly, Shimla, which has eight Assembly constituencies, has six representatives. However, Solan and Chamba have been over-represented. Both districts have five seats each and have five members each to bag the highest share in terms of percentage.

The only representative from the three tribal constituencies is also from Chamba. There is no one from Kullu district, which has four seats, and Sirmour, which has five seats, has been under-represented with just two members in the executive body. The same is the case with Hamirpur, which has five seats and has got two nominees in the executive. Mandi, the second-most important district after Kangra from the electoral point of view, has got four representatives, but Kaul Singh is one of them. A majority of those included in the new body will be contesting the next Assembly poll and as a result the party may face problems during the elections.

Ideally there should have been 14 women for 33 per cent representation and with just nine women in the team, the percentage works out to be just 22. Interestingly, the constitution of the new body was delayed by over nine months solely for the reason that the representation of women in the PCC was far less as only four women could get elected.

Kaul Singh had sent a list of 21 women to be co-opted to increase their percentage to 33. However, the new state executive has been eventually constituted without co-option.

The high command will have to carry out a fresh balancing exercise while appointing secretaries. The party may appoint up to 14 secretaries, but they will not be members of the state executive.

Shimla, July 17
The BJP has taken exception to attempts by Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh to link the RSS with the Mumbai bomb blasts and termed it a conspiracy to denigrate and undermine nationalist forces.

Party spokesperson Ganesh Dut said instead of condemning the terrorist outfits responsible for the bomb blasts, the Congress leader was pointing an accusing finger at the RSS and it was quite deliberate as he was keen to shield the real culprits. Such irresponsible public statements also diverted the attention of investigating agencies.

He said it was not the first time that Digvijay Singh had indulged in such acts; he had been making such false remarks to create unnecessary controversies frequently and had the blessings of the Congress high command for it.

The credentials of the RSS were well-established and the people of the country were well aware that it was a nationalist organisation.

He demanded an apology from senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi, for the false and misleading remarks made by party’s general secretary.

Dharamsala, July 17
The meeting between US President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama today has acted as a morale booster for the Tibetans in exile. They were feeling a little low after the Dalai Lama formally relinquished his administrative and political authority over the Tibetan government-in-exile in May this year.

The Tibetans were apprehensive about support from the international community in the absence of the Dalai Lama as their head. Though the Tibetan government-in-exile is not recognised by any country, including India, the Tibetans in exile continue to use its name due to the charisma of the Dalai Lama.

In a historic step this May, the Dalai Lama retired as head of the Tibetans in exile. He gave away most of his powers to the elected Prime Minister-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay.

Lobsang Wangyal, the Tibetan showman and journalist, said the meeting was a morale booster. “Though we know the issue of Tibet will be resolved bilaterally by Chinese and Tibetan leaders. However, the support of President Obama for the restoration of Tibetan culture and identity, despite strong opposition from China, is commendable. The support is especially important since the elected leadership of the Tibetans in exile is going to assume power from the Dalai Lama,” he said.

Tenzin Nyinjey, a Tibetan student who recently completed his studies in the US and has returned back, said the meeting reflected the concerns and interests of the US regarding the human rights situation in Tibet.

This also reflected the support of the US for the “middle-way approach” adopted by the Dalai Lama.

Sources said in a statement issued by the White House, the US President had shown concern over the basic human rights of Tibetans in China. He also reiterated his support for the preservation of the unique religious, cultural and linguistic traditions of the Tibetan people.

US officials, however, exercised caution by stating that they accept the rule of the People’s Republic of China in Tibet while commending the Dalai Lama’s commitment to non-violence and dialogue with China in pursuit of the “middle-way approach”.

The US President also expressed the hope that the dialogue between the envoys of the Dalai Lama and Chinese officials would resume.

The dialogue process has been suspended since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, when Tibetan monks held protests that brought the issue of Tibet in focus at the international level.

The Dalai Lama last year proposed a “middle-way approach” to resolve the issue of Tibet. He proposed an autonomous Tibet under Chinese sovereignty. The proposal was, however, rejected by Chinese officials who maintained that the Dalai Lama was seeking one-third of the Chinese territory.

Dharamsala, July 17
Guest lecturers appointed in government colleges are an exploited lot. Due to the failure of the state government to recruit permanent lecturers in the colleges, the local management of these colleges is recruiting teachers in the guest lecturer category.

The guest lecturer category was created by the Education Department to expose students to external faculty from prestigious institutions and experts from the industry.

The category was to be used on rare occasions. However, the managements of government college are recruiting teachers against the guest lecturer category.

The guest lecturer category is being used especially in self-financing courses like the BBA and the BCA by government colleges. The regional centre of Himachal Pradesh University at Dharamsala is running largely on guest lecturers. There are about 800 students in various professional courses being run in the centre. However, there are just a few permanent teachers. Some of the professional courses like Master’s of Journalism and Mass Communication are run entirely by guest lecturers.

According to the rules of the Education Department, a guest lecturer is to be paid Rs 250 per hour. However, the colleges are paying just Rs 150 per period to the guest lecturers. The logic behind the payment is that guest lecturers teach for just 40 minutes instead of one hour as specified under the rules.

Sources said paying the guest lecturers less was a violation of the rules.

Certain guest lecturers who have been working in government colleges for the past many years allege that they are being paid just about Rs 12,000 per month despite the fact that they work almost full time.

In certain cases, the entire administrative work like preparation of results and admissions is being done by them. Despite that they are paid even lesser than peons recruited on a permanent basis in government colleges.

The Himachal Government has recently put the entire details of the faculty, including their educational qualifications, recruited by private universities on the Internet. Similarly, the Education Department should also put the details of the faculty recruited by government colleges for running self-financing professional courses on the Internet.

It will help students make a proper decision regarding taking admission to self-financing courses and the standard in the colleges.

Guest lecturers, who are allegedly being exploited, alleged on condition of anonymity that their institutions were just taking the benefit of the fact that they were being run under the aegis of the state government.

Shimla, July 17
It is after four decades that Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) will finally have its own university anthem, Kul Geet, placing it in the bracket of some elite universities like Benaras Hindu University (BHU) and Shantiniketan, that swear by their anthems.

The special executive committee meeting of HPU held here recently approved the Kul Geet, the vision for which was seen by Vice-Chancellor ADN Bajpai. The Kul Geet will be formally made part of the university ordinance once Governor Urmila Singh accords it the approval.

The lyrics of the mellifluous composition with seven stanzas have been penned by Prof Rajendra Mishra, a former professor in the Sanskrit Department of HPU, who later became the Vice-Chancellor of Dr Sampuranand Sanskrit University, Benaras. The music has been composed by the Music Department of HPU.

The lyrics of the Kul Geet describe HPU as a modern seat of learning by referring to it as “naval Nalanda” (new Nalanda). It elaborates the natural beauty of the state in the form of the Dhauladhar ranges, rivers, including the Vipasha (Beas), the Chanderbhaga and the Shatrud (Sutlej) and famous pilgrim shrines.

HPU, which came into being on July 22, 1970, will celebrate its 41st Foundation Day this year and it is here that the university anthem will be rendered publicly for the first time.

Professor Bajpai had initiated the process for having a university anthem immediately after he joined here and this composition was finally selected out of the three proposals that had been invited.

Kullu/Keylong, July 17
The Congress high command has ignored Kullu district and the tribal belt of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur, giving no representation to these districts in its state executive announced in New Delhi yesterday. This has caused resentment among party men.

According to workers here, the announcement has come as a disappointment for the party men in the Kullu-Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti region, that constitutes nearly 50 per cent of the state’s area, though it is sparsely populated.

They said, “We welcome the new team announced by the party high command as senior leaders have got a say in the party affairs, especially in light of the fact that the Assembly elections are not too far away. However, we are hurt that Kullu and the adjoining Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur districts have been ignored”.

They allege that the party high command gave into the rampant factionalism in the party in the state. “While announcing the new team, it gave representation on the basis of individual loyalty in which Una, Chamba, Kangra, Shimla and Mandi districts benefited the most as the high command kept all factions in good humour,” they said.

“Himachal is executing power projects of 2,200 MW capacity in Lahaul Spiti and of 4,000 MW capacity in Kinnaur, but the party high command seems to have ignored the interests of the tribals,” the workers rued.

After the death of Raj Kishan Gaur, who was a veteran Congress leader from Kullu, this district now has Satya Prakash Thakur and Ishwardas among veteran Congressmen and Karan Singh and Bhudhi Singh Thakur among the new leaders, but no one among them found a berth in the new team of the party, the workers pointed out.

Similarly Raghubir Singh Thakur and Phonchowk Rai in Lahaul Spiti and Jagat Negi in Kinnaur could have been accommodated in the new body, they said.

Chamba, July 17
The imposing structure of the Circuit House in Chamba town facing the historic Chowgan has been spruced up by painting and whitewashing it to greet bigwigs like the Governor and the Chief Minister of the state. They are expected to visit Chamba during the eight-day-long International Minjar Fair commencing from July 24.

The Circuit House is managed by the government for the stay of VIPs and other guests during the sojourn of their tour.

Rest houses, guest houses owned by other government departments like Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation and NHPC had also been requisitioned by the district administration to accommodate the guests and the visitors coming to participate in the Minjar festival.

Bharmour, July 17
The Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to prepare the detailed project reports (DPRs) regarding the construction of three tunnels in different parts of the state by December this year so that the work on these ambitious projects could be taken in hand at the earliest.

One of these tunnels is Holi-Utrala in Bharmour mountainous region of Chamba district.

Official sources revealed that the proposed 4.9-km Holi-Utrala tunnel connecting Baijnath with Bharmour in Chamba district would be constructed underneath the snowy Jalsu pass, which would ensure all-weather shorter route.

Officials of the Public Works Department had been asked to acquire speedy forest-related clearances so that the work could be started at the earliest, the sources said.

The tunnel will reduce the distance of about 250 km to merely 54 km, which is five times less than the actual distance via Pathankot.

The work to prepare DPRs on the Bangana-Dhaneta in Hamirpur district and Bhubbu-Jot tunnel in Mandi district was also underway, the sources added.

Kangra, Jult 17
More than 100 ENT patients were examined and treated for different ear, throat and nose complications during a free ENT camp organised by the local branch of Vivekananda Kendra, a spiritually oriented service mission headquatered at Kanaya Kumari, at Gopal Bagh on the outskirts of the town today.

The patients were examined and treated by Dr Sanjay Sachdeva, Director, Max Hospital, Noida, and HOD, ENT Department.

PR Agnihotri, convener of the kendra, said in view of the increasing hearing impairments in the state, particularly among women and children, the kendra had been holding such camps here every month.

The kendra also held a free audiometry camp as a part of the ENT camp as its monthly feature in colloboration with the Chinmayanad Organisation for Rural Development (CORD) and 45 patients underwent the audiometry test. Thirtyone patients were identified for endoscopic and microscopic surgries which would be held during free surgical camps of the kendra in future.

Solan, July 17
The Himachal RTI Activists Federation has alleged that a criminal nexus between traders and government agencies was causing large-scale tax evasion and black marketing in the Paonta Sahib area.

The federation said truck loads of construction material and taxable items were being imported into this region from Uttrakhand and Haryana through secret routes in connivance with the authorities.

The federation has substantiated its claim on the basis of information collected by the revenue generated in the Paonta region and huge deficits noted year after year. During 2006-07, total revenue collected was Rs 24.12 crore which declined to Rs 19.29 crore in 2007-08, while this figure stood at Rs 21.92 crore in 2008-2009. This decline in tax collection, despite business being at its peak during these years, clearly showed how escape routes led to a huge revenue loss.

President of the federation RM Ramaul disclosed in Paonta today that some traders had godowns across the Yamuna in Uttarakhand, from where trading material was being transferred stealthily into the town. Despite this being a known fact, the authorities had failed to check it.

The federation regretted that scandals involving fake units like Himalayan Laboratories, which had been operating for long under the nose of the administration and manufacturing spurious medicines, were conveniently ignored by the authorities.

The federation directed its executive committee to seek information from the Income Tax Department under the RTI Act about the outcome of the raids conducted recently on the local traders.

Those who were present in the meeting included MS Kalra, ML Gupta, BP Bhardwaj, DD Tyagi, ND Sarin, NN Khatri, MS Kainth and TC Gupta.