Shimla, January 6
Even as the state is exploring various options for ensuring scientific disposal of CFLs, a team from the Union Ministry of Environment will visit the state to check the mechanism being followed keeping in view the environmental concern over their improper dumping.

The state Department of Environment and Pollution has submitted its report to the Chief Secretary, which includes an exhaustive study undertaken by the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) on various aspects and life span of the CFLs. The department has already asked the manufacturers to come up with a disposal mechanism even as the Centre is engaged in the process of developing a disposal protocol, which would be applicable to the entire country.

“We have already submitted a report to the Chief Secretary and after taking into account all aspects, we will take a final decision about the disposal mechanism,” said Sudipto Roy, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest and Environment). He added that a team from the Centre would visit the state to inspect the site at Dhanota near Nalagarh where the CFLs were being disposed of currently.

The study by the SPCB has also taken into account the disposal mechanism being followed by Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and New Delhi. The report has also pointed out that the recycling of CFLs is not a very profitable venture which none of the manufacturers and assemblers were interested in undertaking.

The 14 manufacturers and assemblers having their units within Himachal have already submitted their report to the state government but have sought more details about the exact quantum of bulbs being used in the state and other such details. The manufacturers who are engaged in producing CFLs in the state have also been given the option of collecting the fused CFLs from the people to recycle these.

“The manufacturers are not too keen on recycling the CFLs considering the economics even though we had offered to collect these from the consumers and give these to them,” said Roy. He, however, added that all options were being explored and a final decision would be taken after consulting everyone.

According to the study, the sale of CFLs in Himachal is 10.26 lakh and that of fluorescent tube lamps is six lakh annually. The 14 manufacturers who are engaged in producing CFLs in the state made 4.7 crore CFLs during 2010-2011. Interestingly, this number was only 2.8 crore during 2009-10 and the enhanced production only indicates the increasing use of CFLs by consumers considering these to be “power saver”.

At present there is no laid-down mechanism for collecting and disposing of CFLs, six lakh of which were distributed by the HP State Electricity Board under the Atal Bihari Bijli Bachat Yojna.

Shimla, January 6
The government today decided to provide more vehicles and fire-fighting equipment to help modernise and strengthen the fire services in the state.

The decision was taken by the state Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal. It gave approval to purchase nine quick response vehicles, 17 combi-tools and 21 high pressure pumps and mini water tenders which will be deployed in different fire stations in the state.

It also gave the nod to fill 357 vacancies of anganwari workers and helpers and decided to open 83 anganwari and mini anganwari centres in the left-out villages. It has been decided to give preference to tailoring teachers for appointment as anganwari workers and helpers while carrying out fresh recruitment.

Approval was granted to fill 20 posts of junior engineer (civil), five posts of junior engineer (mechanical) in the Irrigation and Public Health Department, 10 posts of havildar instructor and quarter master havildar in the Home Department through direct recruitment on a contract basis and four posts of Deputy Superintendent of Police through direct recruitment to be carried out by the HP Public Service Commission.

It has been decided to fill two posts of members and 16 posts of different categories to make the Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission fully functional.

The Cabinet appreciated the Atal School Uniform Scheme under which two sets of school uniform will be provided to all 10 lakh students studying in government schools from Class I to Class X.

Shimla, January 6
While the BJP government is claiming the reduction in the prices of cement as a big achievement, Leader of the Opposition Vidya Stokes is not impressed and terms a cut of Rs 25 per bag as “too little, too late”.

She said cement was still cheaper in the neighbouring states and its price should have been reduced by at least Rs 50 per bag. She said the reduction had also made it obvious that the Chief Minister was trying to shirk responsibility by unnecessarily writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to bring the commodity under the Essential Commodities Act (ESA).

The issue was that cement was being sold in the state at higher rates for which there was no justification and the ESA was irrelevant as it was a national issue and cement had been decontrolled in the entire country and not only in Himachal.

Shimla, January 6
Having persuaded private cement coampnies, which were selling cement at higher rates in Himachal than the neighbouring states, the government today launched an offensive against the UPA regime for the rising prices of essential commodities.

Addressing a joint press conference here today, three ministers Rajeev Bindal, Jai Ram and Mohinder Singh said a reduction in the prices of cement by Rs 25 per bag was no mean achievement if one looked at the record of the UPA government at the Centre under which prices of food items, kerosene, petrol, diesel, edible oil and all other items required by the common man had been increasing. The Centre had made no serious effort to contain the prices as a result of which the people were reeling under an all-time high inflation.

The BJP government in the state had tried its best to insulate the people of the state from the impact of inflation by supplying three pulses, wheat flour, rice, two edible oils and iodised salt at subsidised rates through the public distribution system, irrespective of the economic status. In all, a subsidy of about Rs 400 crore had been provided. Besides, to bring down elctrcity bills, four CFLs were supplied to each domestic consumer free of cost and it resulted in a saving of Rs 100 crore.

Similarly, the Atal Swasthya Sewa was started to provide free ambulance service and now the Atal School Uniform Scheme had been announced under which two sets of uniform would be provided free of cost to all students from Class I to Class X.

Palampur, January 6
The state government will soon set up a municipal corporation at Palampur. This decision has been taken keeping in view the fast expansion of the town.

The district authorities have been directed by the government to soon submit a detailed report in this regard so that the matter can be placed before the Cabinet for approval.

Official sources told The Tribune here today that the existing municipal council in the town was set up in 1955. Since then its limits were never extended by the government despite the fact that large-scale urbanisation had taken place in Palampur and the adjoining panchayats. Residents of the town have been pressing hard for the expansion of the municipal limits.

During the last visit of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, a number of local delegations called on him and told him that the panchayats had failed to maintain the areas in the absence of funds, and therefore there was an urgent need to extend the municipal limits. At present only 4,000 persons reside in the municipal area while over 45,000 live in the adjoining panchayats.

According to the plan, the government has decided to merge the adjoining 12 panchayats to set up a corporation in the town. It has also been proposed to cover the agricultural university, CSIR Complex, Marnada town, Ghuggar, Aima and Chimbal Har and Lohana areas in the corporation. Since the census operation is in process, this exercise may take two to three months and will be finalised after March 31.

Ravinder Ravi, IPH Minister, while talking to The Tribune here today, said the paper work for setting up a municipal corporation was being completed by the state Urban Development Department with the assistance of the Deputy Commissioner, Kangra. He said this important issue had been hanging fire for the past 10 years.

He admitted that the panchayats had failed to perform their duties and people residing there lacked basic amenities. The government had, therefore, decided to set up a corporation.

Dharamsala, January 6
The Electricity Department has imposed a fine on a stone-crushing unit, owned by wife of district BJP president Ranjit Singh Pathania, in Damtal.

Pathania, who belongs to the Shanta faction, when contacted by The Tribune alleged that he was being victimised politically.

He alleged that as per the norms of the Electricity Department, the industry could not operate in peak hours (from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm).

“My unit had stopped functioning at 6.30pm. Just the conveyor belt of the stone-crusher was moving for loading of material. Still power department officials chose to impose a fine on my crusher,” he added.

The executive engineer, Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board(HPSEB), Nurpur, said the officials were on a routine checking in Damtal.

Four crushers, including that of Ranjit Singh Pathania, were found violating the peak load restriction norms. A fine amounting to three times of the half-month electricity bill of stone crusher units would be imposed as penalty on offenders, he said.

The executive engineer added that electricity connection of industries found violating peak load restriction norms for five times in a row could also be disconnected. 

Dharamsala, January 6
About four educational societies and trusts might lose the letter of intent (LoI) issued to them by the state government for opening up medical colleges in the state, in case they do not start the work soon.

Sources here said the state government had issued the LoI for opening up seven medical colleges in the state. The societies and trusts that were issued the LoI include ESI Medical College, Ner Chowk, Mandi; Maharishi Markandeshwar Medical College, Solan; Swami Vivekanand Medical College, Palampur, Kangra district; Maa Saraswati Educational Trust, Kala Amb, Sirmaur district, Vocational Educational Foundation, New Delhi, for a medical college in Hamirpur district, Amruth ANS Educational Foundation, New Delhi, for a medical college in Una district and Swift Fundamental Research and Education Society of Indo Swift Ltd., Chandigarh, for Una district.

Till date the work for developing the infrastructure of medical colleges has been started at the Mandi, Palampur, Kala Amb and Solan colleges.

However, the sources said the societies and trusts that were issued LoI for opening up medical colleges in Hamirpur and Una districts have not even purchased land for the purpose.

Health Minister Rajiv Bindal said: “We have issued letters to the societies concerned to bring up medical colleges at regular intervals. A few societies have not started the work for establishment of medical colleges. They have also been issued warning letters. In case they fail to start the work within the stipulated time period, the LoI issued to them would be cancelled.

Bindal said the hospital of Swami Vivekanand Medical College, Palampur, was likely to be started by the end of the current year. The construction of hospital of Maharishi Markandeshwar Medical College, Solan, is also nearing completion.

Though the state government had invited private parties to set up medical colleges in the state, experts are sceptic about the success of the said projects.

They said even the government-run medical colleges at Tanda in Kangra district and Indra Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, are facing shortage of faculty at senior positions.

Though the private parties might build the infrastructure for medical colleges, they would also face problems in finding senior faculty for running the institutions.

Shimla, January 6
Taking a tough stand on the issue of noise pollution, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state to give approval for purchase of at least two noise meters in each district.

While passing this order, the Green Bench comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjay Karol observed that despite repeated orders of the court from time to time, no action has been taken to stop playing of music at high volumes, especially in community halls and banquet halls.

The Bench further cautioned the officials concerned that in case any violation come to notice of the court in the future and the authorities remain silent, the court will initiate contempt proceedings against the guilty for not ensuring the compliance of the order of the court.

The Bench also directed the state that prominent hoardings be put up at all the entry points of the state informing motorists that the use of pressure horns/multi-horns is banned and use of the same would entail heavy fines and penal action.

In its earlier order, the court had imposed a complete ban on the use of pressure horns saying that if any such horn is found, it will be destroyed on the spot.

The Bench also taken a serious note on the issue of misuse of ambulances on the Mall Road, and said the overall operational control of ambulances should vest in one authority.

It further directed that the District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police will hold a meeting and decide whether the control should be vest with the Home Guards, Red Cross Society or any other authority and after taking a decision the officials concerned would take approval from the court.

It further added that under no circumstances these ambulances would be permitted to be parked at residences/ offices of persons operating these vehicles.

The court also directed the HRTC to ensure that in future the use of HRTC taxis was primarily limited to senior citizens, children below the age of 10 years and differently abled. The Bench passed this order on a public interest litigation filed in this regard.

Solan, January 6
The state high court has set aside the recommendations of a selection committee of the Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, which had conducted interviews for the post of Assistant Professor in Production Economics and Natural Resource Economics in November 2009 as no reason was accorded for rejecting a PhD candidate while selecting one having MSc qualification.

Acting on a writ petition filed by a candidate, Dr Sonika Gupta, whose candidature was rejected by the selection committee, the court has directed the university to produce some qualitative comparative analysis of the merits of incumbents by the committee comprising eminent experts to indicate the exclusion of the candidate who otherwise has been declared eligible for consideration.

The university had declared the result of this interview in April 2010 and it was after obtaining information under the RTI Act that facts regarding irregularities came to the fore. Three candidates with two of them having MSc qualification and one having PhD qualification had appeared for the interview.

The petitioner in her writ has alleged that though the interview committee had accorded a total score of 65.77 to Dr Sonika Gupta and 49.38 to selected candidate Subhash Sharma, Dr Gupta was not selected for the post.

Further, the selection committee while selecting Sharma has stated that he had fulfilled the condition in Natural Resource Economics having studied 5 courses in the field, including specialisation and experience in the same, though the committee had failed to accord any mark against the criteria for experience in the score card to both Dr Gupta and Sharma.

The petitioner, therefore, alleged that her case was not properly considered and despite being better qualified with a PhD degree than the selected candidate who was merely MSc she had not been selected.

The selection and screening committees were headed by the Vice-Chancellor and though the screening committee had found Dr Gupta eligible for the post, she was rejected without any valid reason.

The court has also directed the same selection committee, if possible, to consider the case of the petitioner or else constitute another committee as per the university statute within six months while allowing Sharma to continue in service till that time.

Shimla, January 6
While the government has been repeatedly stressing the need for bringing professionalism in the functioning of the State Tourism Development Corporation, but it is not bothered to induct professionals with requisite qualifications in the public sector undertaking all these years.

Information obtained by RTI activist Dev Ashish Bhattacharya has revealed that there was no officer with a professional degree from a reputed institutions like Indian Institute of Hotel Management or its equivalent.

Out of the total 102 officials in managerial positions, 30 are matriculates, three higher secondary, four plus two and 57 graduates. Out of the five deputy general managers, three were matriculates and two graduates.

Most of the staff have undergone six months and one-year training in food and service management and reception and counter service at the expense of the corporation after joining the service.

The General Manager is a postgraduate with a postgraduate diploma in tourism management and one-year hospitality training from Austria.

There are 10 assistant general managers out of which four are matriculates and six graduates, while out of the 27 senior managers, three are higher secondary, 10 matriculates and 14 graduates.

Of the 17 mangers, two are plus two, two matriculates and 13 graduates and out of the 38 assistant managers, four are plus two, 11 matriculates and 22 graduates. While the qualification of one assistant manager has not been provided.

The marketing wing has 10 offices across the country and is manned by 62 officials, none of whom have any degree related to marketing. The non-managerial staff has a strength of 1,322 out of which 184 are graduates.

Bhattacharya said with such quality of staff it was not surprising that the corporation has failed to come up as a professional organisation, not only to give boost to tourism but also to provide employment to qualified professionals of which there was no dearth.

In PWD and other such departments, even three-year diploma holders were not promoted beyond the level of executive engineers, whereas the corporation had promoted matriculates right up to the post of deputy general manager.

He maintained that the requisite qualification had not been prescribed to give employment to unqualified candidates through the back door.

However, inquiries revealed that the corporation had recently recruited five candidates, who hold degrees in hotel management and they were at present undergoing training.

Shimla, January 6
The Army conducted a major disaster management exercise called “Mountain Rescue” here at the Annandale ground.

In all four officers, four junior commissioned officers and 65 jawans took part in the mock drill in which the district officials concerned were also present. The thrust of the exercise was on adopting a multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary approach to disaster management.

Brig Vikram Singh, Station Commander, said the Annandale ground was strategically located in the hills where a large number of helicopters (six to seven) could land and take-off simultaneously in the event of disasters and other such exigencies. It was ideally located for prompt air-lifting of injured persons to hospitals and evacuation of civilians during disasters.

The main objecitive of the exercise was to practise evacuation of civilian population from disaster-affected areas in the mountains of the state. The Army Aviation Corps and Air Force helicopters carried out casualty-evacuation exercises in conjunction with the Army special forces, the local administration, the fire services department and regular troops of the local Jutogh battalion.

Kangra, January 6
Resentment prevails among Kasmiri migrants living this part of the state. They were driven out of the valley due to the terrorist holocaust more than two decades back and are now being refused Indian citizenship.

According to a report, Kashmiri migrants got settled in different parts of the country. Nearly 108 families arrived in the Kangra valley. These included 59 in Kangra, Nagrota Bagwan and Gaggal.

Later only a dozen of families continued to live in this subdivision. Surprisingly, a 59-year-old migrant who approached the passport authorities for his Indian passport was refused the right as he had lost all his certificates when he migrated from his ancestral town in Kashmir. The passport authorities wanted a date of birth (DOB) certificate from him.

He approached the passport authorities at Shimla in this regard and they told him that the rules were framed by the Government of India, so without a DOB certificate the passport could not be issued.

He said he had submitted his PAN card with his date of birth and even an affidavit signed by a First Class Magistrate regarding his date of birth of 11-10- 1952, but the passport authorities refused to budge.