Shimla, March 3
With an eye on the elections to the Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC) due in April this year, the government is mulling bringing about a retention policy, which could help regularise over 6,000 illegal structures in and around the town, built in violation of the Town and Country Planning Act.

Even though the high court in the past had taken a serious view of the repeated relaxation being given to violators, reliable sources said the government was exploring the possibility of somehow giving relief to owners of these structures, which had been raised in violation of the rules.

Owners of these structures have made many requests to the government to regularise their buildings by way of one-time settlement or by bringing about yet another retention policy. With the MC polls due in April, settling this issue will be crucial for the ruling party to wrest power from the Congress.

“We are still deliberating on the ways and means by which the issue of illegal structures can be resolved as the high court had earlier expressed its displeasure over repeated retention policies brought by the TCP Department,” admitted an official.

From time to time, the TCP Department has come out with five retention policies to accommodate those who had made serious violations in building laws.

The number of such structures, the status of which still remains illegal on paper, will be over 6,000 and officials admit that in most of the cases there is excessive deviation, which can not qualify for regularisation under the most liberal retention policy also.

Though these buildings are mainly concentrated in New Shimla, Dhalli and Totu, which were under the Special Area Development Authority (SADA) before being merged into the MC area, house owners across the town will benefit in case the government decides to regularise the same.

The floating of the retention policy by the previous Congress regime just before the elections in 2007 had come in for a lot of criticism. Successive regimes have been harping on regulating haphazard construction activity and imposing a complete ban on new constructions in Shimla, yet the appeasement continues both by the BJP and the Congress.

Even though planners and architects had recommended that only 25 per cent deviation from the approved building plan should be allowed under the fifth retention policy, with pressure from influential people this was straight away raised to 50 per cent, defeating the entire purpose of the TCP Act and the rules.

Nurpur, March 3
Chief Minister PK Dhumal has expressed concern over the restrictions of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in which all development activities have been stalled within 300-m radius of the monuments in the state.

Talking to mediapersons after inaugurating a newly built conference hall of the Block Development Committee here today, he said after the enforcement of the amended Ancient Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, people as well as government agencies were facing hardship in undertaking construction, alteration or repair work of old 
structures.

“The government had passed a resolution in the Assembly demanding relaxation in the Act and submitted it to the Government of India, but neither the Central Government nor the ASI has responded so far,” he said.

He said the Rs 322-crore disaster management battalion was coming up in the Kopra gram panchayat in the Nurpur Assembly constituency for which proceedings of private land acquisition had been initiated. A sum of Rs 23 crore would be disbursed among private land holders of the area by the ITBP authorities. He said the the ITBP would acquire 17 hectares private land and 23 hectares government land for this purpose.

“This battalion will boost the economic growth in the area and provide the latest technology for disaster management to cater to the needs of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir states,” he claimed.

The CM also laid the foundation stone of residences of government employees in the Housing Board Colony here on which Rs 44 lakh would be spent.

Hamirpur, March 3
How strong the “clout of school lecturers and teachers working in government schools of the state is” can be judged from the fact that most of the science lecturers working in Una district have managed to serve in the district after their appointment there, even after many years.

This fact has been revealed in the information procured under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by a New Delhi-based activist.

The information was procured regarding five government senior secondary schools (GSSS) situated within the periphery of a few kilometres of the district headquarters of Una.

The strong “connections” of government schoolteachers can also be corroborated by the fact that the state government had amended its own policy to accommodate their posting, near their places, in this case.

Out of the 18 science lecturers working in five senior secondary schools of Una district, it has been revealed through the RTI information that 16 lecturers teaching physics, chemistry and biology have been managing their posting in GSSS Una - Boys and Girls, GSSS Badsehda, GSSS Behdla, GSSS Basauli, GSSS Santoshgarh, GSSS Samurkalan and GSSS Dehla, since their appointment is in one of these schools.

Only two lecturers in one school have served outside Una district.

Interestingly, the norm of not posting government teachers within 25 km of their residence was set by the present state government for considering a break in the stay of teachers, after much criticism of the previous Congress government’s by the BJP regime.

Even the state high court had been taking the state government to task for posting “favoured” teachers in various schools.

The transfer norms of not appointing teachers in schools situated within 25 km, implemented by the present government after coming to power in the state in 2008 was reportedly amended and norms relaxed during the Hamirpur by-election in 2008, when the Chief Minister’s son Anurag Thakur had contested the Parliament election.

As many as 16 lecturers in physics, chemistry and biology have remained posted within the five schools since their initial appointment in these schools, which are situated within 25 km of their residences.

Dharamsala, March 3
Two international art restorers will be visiting the Sobha Singh Art Gallery at Andretta to critically inspect and restore some of the works where cracks have appeared in the paintings.

Hirday Paul Singh, who is maintaining the art gallery while talking to The Tribune, said two England-based artists, Ian Barrand, a restorer who works at a prestigious museum in Yorkshire and well-known artist Bhajan Hunjan, have agreed to visit Andretta in the last week of this month to have a look at the paintings.

They will assess and advise on what needs to be put in place for the longevity of saint-artist Sobha Singh’s lifetime works. They will also advise late artist’s family members regarding the display and storage of invaluable paintings, despite limited space and resources.

At the same time, they will carry out some restoration work during their two-week stay, he said.

Around 50 classic paintings on various themes like national heroes and freedom fighters, religious figures, romantic tales, portraits and local folk are on display in the gallery. Thousands of connoisseurs, art lovers, tourists and other visitors from across the country and abroad visit the gallery annually.

Hirday said Andretta being a high-rainfall area, excessive moisture in the air damaged the paintings. Light and dust were other enemies of art works. The family, without any support from any quarters, was trying to maintain the works.

Yet some cracks have appeared in around six works, which include portraits of famous poetess late Amrita Pritam, a Gorkha soldier, paintings of Guru Teg Bahadur and Lord Krishna.

The restorers will also suggest on the care and keep of some of the sculptors by Sobha Singh and other artefacts in the Sobha Singh Museum, opened almost a year ago.

The family has expressed gratitude to the experts as they have generated their own resources to visit the gallery and the museum and will be providing expert services on conservation free of cost as they have highest regards for the great artist.

Shimla, March 3
The dispute over the raising of a wall by blocking the road to Sheel village by owners of a nursing college at Annandale has been resolved amicably with the intervention of the district administration here today.

Even though the district administration and the police were able to amicably resolve the dispute between the protesting local residents and the owners of the nursing college this evening, irate residents, along with members of the Shimla Nagrik Sabha, this morning pulled down the wall.

Protesters had throughout the night sat on a dharna at the site demanding restoration of the road leading to Sheel village and action taken against owners of the nursing college.

The issue was settled between the opposing parties in the presence of the SDM (Urban) and Additional Superintendent of Police in the office of Additional District Magistrate Naresh Lath.

Though the local Municipal Corporation (MC) literally washed its hands off the issue by stating that since the road was on private land, there was little they could do.

“Since the road is on a private property with no revenue entry, we cannot do anything though we have issued a notice to the owners of the college,” said MP Sood, Commissioner, MC.

Shimla, March 3
The state government today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), for setting up an engineering college in Bilaspur, here today.

SK Dass, Principal Secretary, Technical Education, signed the MoU on behalf of the state government, while SC Gupta, General Manager, Kol Dam Hydropower Project, signed it on behalf of the NTPC.

The college will be set up at a cost of Rs 100 crore and the NTPC will contribute Rs 37.5 crore for the same. The construction work of the college is likely to start soon.

Rajwant Sandhu, Chief Secretary; Deepak Sanan, Principal Secretary, Revenue; Ajay Tyagi, Principal Secretary, Industries; Manish Garg, Secretary, Finance; and JC Chauhan, Special Secretary, Technical Education; were among those present on the occasion.

Mandi, March 3
Chham Nritya (mask dance) was performed on the opening of the two-day-long Chheshu fair at Rewalsar in Mandi district today.

The Chheshu fair is celebrated on the birthday of Padamsambhabh (incarnation of Lord Buddha), every year at Rewalsar in Mandi district and is of religious importance among Buddhists not only from India, but also from abroad.

Seen in the pictures is the traditional Chham Dance being performed in the presence of a religious gathering of Buddhists at Bodh sarain in Rewalsar town.

Dharamsala, March 3
The Phina Singh canal, conceived by ex-serviceman Phina Singh of Nurpur area, will finally take shape. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today formally laid the foundation stone of the Rs 205-crore Phina Singh canal that will irrigate about 4,025 hectares land in the Nurpur subdivision of Kangra district.

The canal will be the third major canal irrigation project of the state, after the Shah and Giri canal projects in Sirmour district.

As per the data collected from the Department of Irrigation, the Phina Singh canal will be brought out from a barrage to be constructed at the confluence of Kalam and Chaki rivulets.

As per project the report, after the construction of the barrage on the Chaki rivulet on the border of Chamba and Kangra district in Nurpur subdivision, a concrete canal will be constructed to carry water of the Kalam rivulet into the barrage catchment area.

The barrage will be 160 m long and 22 m high. From the barrage the water will be carried in a 4.5-km-long tunnel in the hill before it is released into the Phina Singh canal.

The construction of the canal is expected to be complete in the next three years. The canal will carry about 90 cusec water at peak load and provide irrigation to 60 villages of Nurpur subdivision.

The Chief Minister received a massive reception in the Nurpur area as people came out in large numbers right up to the border of Nurpur subdivision to welcome him. A large cavalcade of motor cycles and cars preceded the CM’s car chanting slogans in his favour.

The huge cavalcade also caused traffic blockade at some places inside Nurpur town.

The show was managed by local independent MLA Rakesh Pathania. The presence of trucks carrying huge music systems was a nuisance for the general public though it enthused the local youth accompanying the cavalcade.

Later, while addressing a rally near Sadwan where the foundation stone of the canal was laid, the Chief Minister said the present government had laid special emphasis on strengthening farmers of the state. In Kangra district alone two major canal irrigation projects had been started during the stint of the present government. One of the projects, the Shah canal was nearing completion while the work on the other Phina Singh canal would start from today.

He said the Congress had been making the Phina Singh canal its election issue for long, but had done nothing to bring up the project. He complimented Irrigation Minister Ravinder Ravi and his department for getting the project passed from the Union Government.

IPH Minister Ravinder Ravi said the work of Shah canal would be completed this year. He also said the department had also planned many lift irrigation projects for providing irrigation to farmers.

Pathania tried to rake up the issue of the creation of Nurpur district during the rally today. However, the CM ignored the matter and did not refer to it during his speech.

Mandi, March 3
The actual Below the Poverty Line (BPL) patients are crying for care in hospitals. Many of them are not covered under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY) as the state Health Department and New India Insurance (NII) company have no proper system in place to check “health insurance claims racket”.

Jeet Lal and Sohan Lal, both carpenters and BPL patients, who hail from Patan village in Paddar, met with an accident at Katasni four months ago. They have spent earnings of their lifetime for their treatment at the Mandi Zonal Hospital and the PGI Chandigarh, but did not get a penny from the Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS) as they know nothing about smart card.

“I have spent Rs 1.5 lakh on treatment in Mandi and PGI, but got no help from the government,” rued Jeet Ram. “I broke my arm and suffered serious head injuries in the accident, but did not get any government help,” said Sohan Lal.

The story is no different in other hospitals.

In government hospitals, the “insurance claim money” goes to the Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS).

But private hospitals has hit a jackpot to make fast bucks under the RSBY. “The patients are shown admitted to the hospital for two to seven days as hospitalisation for 24 hours is mandatory under the RSBY. The hospital gets Rs 500 per patient daily for non-surgical package under the RSBY and claims are submitted directly to the NII,” said the state Vigilance officials.

Even the New India Insurance investigated over 70 cases in private hospitals in Kangra district and found them fake, but no criminal action was initiated by the company so far.

In fact, the New India Insurance and the Health Department have no hospital-based system to check bungling and help the BPL patients.

The NII claimed that it had set up biometric machines and card readers at 22 private and 128 government hospitals empanelled under the RSBY in the state. But the patients said most of the machines were not working.

The “health insurance claims racket” is deeper as the entries are made offline by signing a slip issued by the hospital.

However, nodal officer, RSBY, RP Sharma, said the government was covering all the BPL families so that they could get free treatment. He said they were monitored the scheme through the CMOs and those found guilty would be punished.

Mandi, March 3
The presence of PWD Minister Gulab Singh Thakur and his old “associate-cum-political guru”, former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram at the annual prize distribution function of the local Government College today became talk of the town, kicking up a row in academic circles as “Sukh Ram has been convicted in a corruption case by the Delhi High Court”.

But Gulab Singh, while addressing students in the college, heaped praises on Sukh Ram and his contribution to the development of the state.

Certain faculty members and students, who have been championing the cause of “a corruption-free nation”, took the presence of Sukh Ram with a pinch of salt.

“The Delhi HC has upheld his conviction in a corruption case and his case is still pending in the Supreme Court,” they commented.

After staying in political oblivion for many years due to his pending court cases in Delhi, Sukh Ram was seen at a public platform in his home town today.

He was honoured by the college welcome committee along with chief guest Gulab Singh and guest of honour Prof TS Parmar.

Gulab Singh had sided with Sukh Ram when he was in race for the Chief Minister’s post in 1993. But Virbhadra Singh finally became the CM then.

Though Gulab Singh left the Congress and joined the BJP, Sukh Ram floated his party, Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC), when faced by a series of scams in the Telecom Ministry of the then Narasimha Rao government.

The HVC had helped in forming the first coalition government in the state under PK Dhumal as the Chief Minister, keeping the Congress out of power in 1998-2003.

Later, Sukh Ram joined the Congress, but took retirement from electoral politics. He handed over his “empire” to his son Anil Sharma, Congress Mandi Sadar MLA.

Sukh Ram has been in town since the Shivratri fair and meeting his supporters at his residence.

College Principal MS Jamval defended Sukh Ram’s presence at the function saying he could not say “no”.

The college had sent cards to MLAs and old students, and Sukh Ram was an old student of the college’s first batch, he added.

Later, Sukh Ram and Gulab Singh ate the “mandiali dhaam” at the college along with the college staff.

Gulab Singh’s gesture

Gulab Singh Thakur today directed the PWD to expedite the completion of the two science laboratories and the building of the college by March 31. He also assured the Students Central Association that the government would consider their demands sympathetically.

Addressing students and the college faculty at the Government Vallabh Postgraduate College here today, the minister said the government was committed to the welfare of students, especially girls who were getting free education in the state.

District colleges were being promoted as colleges of excellence in the state, he added.

On the demands raised by the college principal in his address, the minister said he had directed the PWD to complete the construction of the two chemistry laboratories in time and efforts would be made to provide an auditorium to the college.

The SCA president raised demands like starting of MSc classes in all science subjects at the college.

Later, the minister distributed prizes among over 750 students. He also gave Rs 25,000 for the college. Students also presented a cultural programme on the occasion.

Solan, March 3
Refuting the charges of having hidden details of land owned by him from the Election Commission, Health and Ayurveda Minister Rajiv Bindal said today that Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) leader MN Sofat was conspiring against him in the media by levelling false and baseless allegations to malign his image.

Categorically denying the charge of having misused his position to buy land or hide information about his property, he said he had purchased no land after becoming a minister and stood by the details of property furnished to the media last week.

He challenged Sofat to file an affidavit before the lokayukta and file a complaint if the latter believed he was hiding any details.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Dr Bindal said he was deeply hurt by the false propaganda launched by Sofat time and again every time when polls were approaching.

He said he was seeking legal opinion and would soon sue Sofat for maligning his image before the masses.

Clarifying his stand on the property details provided by Sofat, Dr Bindal said the 13 bighas in Sakori was his ancestral property, which was purchased by his grandfather.

He further said he did not own any land in Anji or Masiwar as these had been sold off now, though he owned the same in 2007.

He said commercial and residential properties owned by him in Solan had been purchased by his grandfather and he had already declared those.

He denied the charge that he owned any property in Haryana or Lucknow and said though he had filed an application for purchasing a plot at Gomti Nagar, his application was not returned by the government.

He, however, agreed that his wife did own a plot at Pehwa (Kurushetra), adding that he had not hidden this detail, but had furnished merely his own property details to the media.

Even the land owned by him in Ranaghat, measuring 18.2 bighas, was bought before he was elected as an MLA.

Bindal said Sofat had adopted a revengeful attitude towards him ever since he had lost the polls against him and he was furthering this agenda by roping in senior leaders like Radha Raman Shastri and Maheshwar Singh, who were persons of integrity.

He added that Sofat had never raised any social issue concerning the masses and his sole agenda was to settle scores with him and indulge in character assassination by levelling such false allegations.

Bilaspur, March 3
Education is one of the three top priorities of the government in Himachal and that is why 19 per cent budget is being spent on it. This was stated by Education Minister ID Dhiman while presiding over the annual prize distribution function of Government Postgraduate College here on Wednesday.

Dhiman said the government was very keen to develop the state into “gyan rajya” (knowledge state) and till now during the past four years, 39 technical institutes viz 14 engineering colleges, 18 polytechnics and seven B Pharmacy institutes had been started in the state.

Dhiman said the state had virtually achieved total enrolment of students in schools as it had minimum dropout rate of 0.3 per cent in the entire country, while literacy rate had shot up to 83.78 per cent against national 74.04 per cent. He said the state government had spent a record Rs 382 crore on the construction of educational buildings in the state during the past four years.

The Education Minister urged students to work hard in studies and also take interest in other activities of the college so that they developed a balanced personality and could face future challenges in life successfully. He urged parents to remain in touch with teachers so that they could know real and actual progress of their ward and also keep him away from taking any wrong direction due to bad company.

He said Rs 8 crore had been spent on an additional building of the college here which was complete and would be inaugurated by the Chief Minister soon. He sanctioned Rs 8 lakh for electrification of this new building and declared that Rs 60 lakh would be spent on building a Students Centre in the college.

He said efforts were afoot to start MA classes in English and also a degree course in journalism here.

Joint Director Education Shashi Bhushan and Central Students Association president Kumari Shabana also addressed the function, while Principal RP Chopra read out the annual progress report.

Present on the occasion were DC Ritesh Chauhan, Superintendent of Police Santosh Patial, Nagar Parishad president Rajni Sharma, Principals of Jukhala and Ghumarwin colleges Dharam Singh and GS Negi, respectively, and former Principals Subhash Gupta and SR Sharma among others.

Kangra, March 3
Members of the Himachal Pradesh Medical Representatives Association today condemned the brutal lathicharge and usage of water cannons by the Jammu and Kashmir police at Srinagar to disperse the peaceful dharna of 10,000 people jointly organised by the Kashmir Medical Representatives Association, pharmaceutical traders and other professionals recently while they were protesting against the anti-people drug policy of the Jammu and Kashmir Government passed hurriedly by the Omar Abdullah government.

Ashok Kumar Verma, state secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Medical Representative Association, said a memorandum was handed over to SDM, Kangra, Viney Kumar for its onward transmission to the Prime Minister of India.

He said the J&K Government had enacted a new drug policy unilaterally without consulting any expert or professional. He alleged that with this act jobs of thousands of medical and sales representatives were also severely threatened.

He said on the one hand the government was enacting such policies that people were forced to come to the streets and on the other hand they were brutally lathicharged leaving hundreds injured and a few of them seriously, including FMRAI members and office-bearers, and some were allegedly tortured in custody.

Verma was critical of the J&K Government for registering a false case under Section 307 of the RPC against Mohammed Yunus.

He demanded that action be taken against the police authorities responsible for the murderous attack on innocent protesters and the J&K Government should desist from implementing the drug policy.

Dharamsala, March 3
The flying squads of the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBSE) has registered 242 copying cases across the state in the ongoing Class X and Plus II examinations.

In a press statement here today, the chairman of the HPBSE said four cases of copying had been registered in Bilaspur district, 11 in Chamba, 12 in Hamirpur, 106 in Kangra, 22 in Mandi, six in Kinnaur, 24 in Sirmour, 40 in Solan and 17 in Una.

The board has also hired the services of 34 ex-servicemen to check copying in sensitive examination centres across the state.

KANGRA: Four students of Class X were today caught copying by a flying squad in this subdivision and cases were registered against them under the HP Board Copying Act.

SDM, Kangra, Vinay Kumar said a three-member team, headed by him, raided two examination centres Senior Secondary Schools at Rajiana and Matour, and caught four boys students indulging in copying.

It was learnt that girl students too were indulging in copying, but for want of adequate women flying staff these girls had a free run.

SUNDERNAGAR: Twelve students have been booked for cheating during the ongoing Plus II examination by a flying squad headed by SDM, Sundernagar, Vivek Chandel.

The flying squad booked six students of Senior Secondary School, Kanaid, three from Senior Secondary School (Girls), Sundernagar, three from Senior Secondary School, Jarol in Sundernagar subdivision.

The SDM said two more flying squads had been constituted under Tehsildar and Naib Tehsildar of Sundernagar to check cheating.

Bilaspur, March 3
Thieves are said to have decamped with gold and silver jewellery worth several lakhs and currency notes worth Rs 19,000 from Amar Nath’s house at Baadi Karangoda village near Ghumarwin last night.

Reports said the theft occurred near the room where members of the family were fast asleep. The theft was detected when a woman found two trunks in the fields and told the villagers about it. The police was informed which arrived at once on the spot.

The family has lost three gold chains, two pairs of tops and several other gold and silver ornaments, the real value of which is being assessed. The thieves had carried the trunks to nearby fields and taken away the ornaments.

Dharamsala, March 3
Lecturer Satish Sharma working in DIET institute at Dharamsala has been put under suspension on the charge of molesting a student.

Principal Dev Raj said the college had received a complaint against the lecturer from the affected student yesterday. The lecturer had been suspended. — TNS