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Allow Dalai Lama to visit China, Chinese Prez urged
Noisy scenes in House over pulse purchase scam
Food Safety Act not draconian, traders told
Minister blames Centre for bad highways
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Central team reviews waste management project
Members of a Central Pollution and Control Board team inspect the solid waste management project in Mandi on Wednesday. Photo: Jai Kumar
Delay in work of projects
State fails to regulate fee structure of private schools
‘Need to make 100-year town development plans’
CPM opposes increase in ministers, MLAs’ salaries
BJP leader favours new districts
3 gang rape accused held
Thieves decamp with mobile phones
Chairman, Finance Commission, HP, Dile Ram performs puja of a hill deity at the inauguration of the Devta Mela
in Sundernagar on Wednesday. Photo: Mahesh Chander Sharma
Panchayat technical assistants’ dharna enters 7th day
Man gets 3-year jail for carrying 1.5 kg opium
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Allow Dalai Lama to visit China, Chinese Prez urged
Dharamsala, March 28 Hu Jintao is visiting India to attend the 4th Summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). While talking to newsmen here today, speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile Penpa Tsering said they wished to remind BRICS members that the situation in Tibet had continued to deteriorate. So far, 30 Tibetans had self-immolated in Tibet out of whom 22 had succumbed to their injuries. Three more Tibetans self-immolated in India and Nepal, the latest being Jampel Yeshi, who set himself on fire on March 26 in New Delhi and died this morning. “We urge the BRICS leaders to raise the issue of Tibet with Chinese President Hu Jintao, along with Syria and Iran,” Tsering said. He further said the root cause of Tibetans being driven to such drastic acts lay solely in the policies and programmes of the Chinese government in the past over 60 years. The Chinese policies were aimed at the eradication of the Tibetan national identity. Hu Jintao, as the Communist party Secretary, was responsible for imposing martial law in Tibet in 1989, followed by a hard-line policy towards the Tibet issue in general and the Dalai Lama in particular since 1995. The Chinese leadership led by President Hu Jintao in the past nine years of his tenure witnessed heightened tension in the national minority regions, including Tibet. The Chinese leadership, including top leaders, blames the Dalai Lama or Tibetans-in-exile for instigating such actions. Neither does the Chinese leadership engage in constructive dialogue nor do they try to understand and fulfil the wishes and aspirations of Tibetans. The reality is that the Chinese leadership neither has the political will nor the courage to resolve the Tibetan issue, he said. “It is in the hands of the Chinese leadership to save Tibetan lives and find a lasting solution to the Tibetan issue,” Tsering said. “Since Hu Jintao is responsible for creating such a mess of the minority nationalities in the past few decades, and now during the remaining period of his Presidency, it should be his responsibility to resolve these issues too. Otherwise President Hu Jintao will go down as one of the most irresponsible leaders in the Chinese history,” he added. The Tibetan parliament-in-exile had demanded independent fact-finding delegations and media to visit Tibet to assess the ground reality, removal of military deployment in Tibet and start of negotiation with the Tibetan leadership to find a mutually beneficial and lasting
solution to the issue of Tibet, he added. |
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Noisy scenes in House over pulse purchase scam
Shimla, March 28 Congress members started getting restive as Kapoor continued to read from papers in response to a question of Vinod Kumari regarding the sewerage scheme for the Baddi-Barotiwala area. Mukesh Agnihotri alleged that the minister was unnecessarily stretching his reply so that there was no time left for inconvenient questions regarding the pulse purchase scam. He along with other party members sought intervention of the Chair. They raised their pitch as the minister continued with his reply, leading to angry exchanges with the treasury Benches. Kapoor refuted the charge and in the meantime the Question Hour was over. As Congress members continued to protest, the Speaker intervened and said in his view there was little time left and even if the question had been taken up it would not have been possible to give a detailed reply. The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs said members were at liberty to ask any question and seek a reply but there was no connection between the two questions. If the Opposition was not satisfied, there were other options available to discuss the issue under the rules of business. In the written reply to the joint question of Mukesh Agnihotri, Rajesh Dharmani and Prakash Chaudhary, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramesh Dhawala admitted that conditions in the tender invited in November 2011 were unauthorisedly altered to curtail competition and a case had been registered under Section 15 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Insertion of the word “required” reduced competition. In the fresh tenders after the deletion of the word “required” the rates came down from 39 to 22 per cent. Two officers had been suspended, but no one had been arrested so far. Every year about 51,000 tonnes of pulses worth Rs 180 crore were purchased. Earlier, Education Minister Ishwar Das Dhiman informed the House that under the Atal School Uniform Yojna 9,27,205 students, including 4,63,525 girls, up to Class X studying in government schools be supplied two sets of uniform. The contract for supply of uniform had been awarded to Gupta Textile Trading Company of Ambala City. Chief Minister PK Dhumal said technical specification had been laid down by the textile engineering department of the Jawaharlal Nehru College of Engineering, Sundernagar, and it would be ensured that the material supplied matched the samples for which arrangements would be made at 124 focal points for delivery and the state headquarters.
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Food Safety Act not draconian, traders told
Kangra, March 28 Chief Medical Officer KS Dogra said this while addressing mediapersons here today. Earlier, he called office-bearers of the Kangra District Beopar Mandal in Civil hospital here and explained them about the FSSA, 2006, and said the Act was for the safety of the health of people and was no way draconian as was alleged by them yesterday. The CMO was accompanied by medical officer (health) GR Kaushal, Kangra SMO Dr Gurdharshan Gupta and Kangra SDM Vinay Kumar Singh when he interacted with members of the business community, who had demanded revocation of the fee hike and had given a bandh call for tomorrow. The CMO said under the Act, the business community was divided into two categories, the first one whose turnover of food items was below Rs 12 lakh annually and the second whose turnover was above Rs 12 lakh. He said those who belonged to the first category need no licence, but had to undergo registration only. The CMO further said those who had an annual turnover of above Rs 12 lakh had to get a licence from the Health Department without any formality. He said self-attested turnover certificate too would be accepted. The CMO said for the first category, registration fee was Rs 100 whereas for the second category, the licence fee was Rs 2,000. He said there was no increase in the fee under this Act. Dogra told shopkeepers that the medical examination would be conducted at the nearest medical centre which included PHC, CHC, civil and zonal hospitals and there was no need to report to his office. He said forms would be available locally and Medical Officer (health) would issue registration certificates and licences in Civil Hospital here for local businessmen. The CMO said the last date had already been extended to April 30. However, the Act would be enforced in letter and spirit only after August 6, this year. Dogra asked the business community to withdraw their bandh call for tomorrow on this issue. Ved Prakash Sharma, district president, Kangra District Beopar Mandal, told the CMO that the call for the bandh in the district was given for two issues, the FSSA and in support of Jewellers agitation. However, the bandh would continue tomorrow from 9am to 12 noon in support of Goldsmiths’ agitation and not for the FSSA. |
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Minister blames Centre for bad highways
Shimla, March 28 Replying to the debate on cut motions for the demand pertaining to the Public Works Department, he said in the 2003-07 period the total spending on roads amounted to Rs 1,282 crore, whereas the present government had over the past four years provided Rs 2,976 crore. Similarly, the allocation for maintenance was only Rs 1,685 crore during Congress regime as compared to Rs 3,075 crore provided during 2008-12, and with an allocation of Rs 1,195 for 2012-13 , the total amount would cross Rs 4,200 crore. The state received only Rs 512 crore for roads from NABARD during 2003-07, whereas the present government had secured Rs 1,151 crore in just four years. The comparative figure for under the Central Road Fund was Rs 89.36 crore (2003-07) and Rs 173.48 crore (2008-12). Earlier, initiating the debate Kaul Singh said roads across the state were crying for repair and the government had faltered on the construction of new roads under the Prime Minister’s Rural Road Programme. The quality of maintenance works was substandard and surface was peeling off soon after fresh tarring. The government had been harping on the construction of tunnels for the past four years, but so far even detailed project report for even a single project had not been prepared. Work on the road projects in the constituencies of Congress MLAs was being delayed for one reason or the other. Gangu Ram Musafir drew attention to the bad condition of the Chhaila Kumarhatti road and the overall dismal state of roads in the state for want of proper maintenance. Kuldeep Pathania said in his Bhattiyat constituency not a single road had been constructed over the past four years, while Mukesh Agnihotri alleged that funds allocated for various roads and bridges in his Santokhgarh constituency were being diverted to other segments for political reasons.
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Central team reviews waste management project
Mandi, March 28 Though team members said they would submit the report to the CPCB shortly after inspection, they said the second phase of the project would be given to the central agency, National Building Construction Corporation. The team members included three scientists from the CPCB - Dr Ranuwal, ML Chaudhary and JP Minna - and Deepak Dogra of the state Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board. They inspected the infrastructure the Mandi Municipal Council had created in the first phase of the project. The CPCB has given Rs 1.8 crore for the council to put in place the infrastructure to manage over 28 tonnes of solid waste produced in the town daily. The team found channelisation of 12 different nullahs tardy as these wre still clogged with trash and junk dumped by nearby residents. It also inspected some of the 54 “hot spots”, where the council has erected “mesh wire” to prevent illegal dumping of waste, which ends up in the Beas. It also verified whether or not residents were using 14,000 dustbins that the council claimed they had bought and distributed among them for safe collection and disposal of solid waste from houses. The council has also bought one JCB machine, a twin-lift carrier, three three-wheelers, one compacter under the first phase. Under the second phase, the CPCB will fund Rs 2.5 crore for setting up the composting unit at Bindrabani and other components of the project. The board will provide Rs 2.25 crore and the remaining 10 per cent cost of the project would be generated by the council, sources said. Executive officer of the council Urvashi Walia said the team assessed the progress of the project after the council had submitted a report to the CPCB and it had expressed satisfaction over the progress made in the first phase. |
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House indicts Urban Development Dept
Tribune News Service
Shimla, March 28 The report presented by Chairman of the committee Desh Raj pointed out that the required detailed project reports were not prepared and work on sanctioned projects was progressing at a snail’s pace. It specifically mentioned the two schemes approved for providing housing facility to the urban poor and called for their early completion. The committee underlined the need for completion of the solid waste plant, Auckland tunnel and bridge project and the new sewerage scheme for Shimla city. It took notice of the fact that the sewerage facility was only being provided to towns and the department should amend laws to pave for extending the basic amenity to areas where urbanisation was taking place. It also asked the department to formulate projects to provide the sewerage facility in town areas that lacked it, including the suburbs. It also took an adverse notice of the fact that urban bodies were not spending funds on roads and the records of birth and death were not being maintained in a scientific manner. It recommended immediate computerisation of the record and effective steps for recovery of huge arrears on accounts of house tax. It recommended that a survey be conducted of individual urban bodies to help identify the ways and means for raising resources. Use of solar energy be encouraged for street lighting to reduce pressure on conventional energy and a master plan be prepared for catering to the increasing number of tourists. Efforts be made to provide energy for streetlights at domestic rates and wherever commercial complexes had been constructed, shops were hired out at the earliest.
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State fails to regulate fee structure of private schools
Hamirpur, March 28 Every year, with the beginning of a new session, many private schools have been increasing the annual fee, tuition fee and other charges. A parent, not wanting to disclose his identity, told The Tribune, “Private schools are not only increasing tuition fees by 15 to 20 per cent every year, but are also charging Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 from every student as annual charges.” “Besides, these schools are asking students to deposit tuition fee and other charges for a period of three or six months and levying late fees for not depositing the same,” he added. After opposition by people over the charging of admission fee and building fund every year, school managements have adopted a new method of collecting money in the name of annual charges. Private schools providing hostel and transport facilities are not only increasing the charges every year, they are also collecting a huge amount by asking students to deposit the charges for the entire session or for six months in one or two instalments. At present, about 2,000 private schools are operating in the state and lakhs of students are enrolled there.Though the Supreme Court and the high court have been issuing directions to the state and even the government had been making announcements to regulate the fee structure of private schools, but concrete steps are still to be taken by in this regard. Education Minister ID Dhiman said: “We are going to regulate the fee structure and functioning of private schools in the state soon and are taking steps in this direction.”
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‘Need to make 100-year town development plans’
Shimla, March 28 It has called for finding a permanent solution to the issue and underlined the need for formulating development plans for a period of 100 years to ensure planned growth of towns. The report presented on the performance of the Town and Country Planning Department in the Vidhan Sabha by Chairman of the committee Roop Singh recommended that the basic data regarding the requirement of the people for preparing the development plan should be entrusted to some independent agency. Further, it should be ensured that development plans were prepared and implemented in close coordination with the departments concerned. It observed that out of the total 35 planning areas, there were 17 areas where no development work was being carried out. If these areas did not have any sources of revenue, the department should ensure that funds were available for providing basic amenities to people. Keeping in view the fact that well-qualified and trained staff was essential for effective functioning of the department, it recommended review of the qualification for various technical posts as there was no dearth of qualified candidates nowadays.
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CPM opposes increase in ministers, MLAs’ salaries
Hamirpur, March 28 In a joint statement, CPM leaders Kashmir Singh Thakur and Joginder Kumar said it was strange that on the one hand the state government had failed to pay arrears of lakhs of government employees due to the financial crunch and on the other hand salaries of ministers and MLAs had been increased. They said, “The state government has been insensitive to the demands of lakhs of employees and made a meager increase of Rs 10 in the wages of daily paid employees in the Budget, paying just Rs 1,000 per month to mid-day meal workers.” The CPM has stated that effecting increase in the salaries of ministers and MLAs at a time when thousands of low-paid employees like panchayat assistants, technical assistants and contract employees are being employed for a pittance and denied even minimum wages, this increase cannot be justified in any manner.
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BJP leader favours new districts
Nurpur, March 28 Quoting the example of Una and Hamirpur, Parmar said earlier these two districts were tehsils, but after getting the district status, these new districts had developed fast. Exhorting those who are opposing the move by emotionally blackmailing people in the name of division of the biggest Kangra district, he said they should adopt a positive approach in the re-organisation of districts. “Punjab has carved out Pathankot and Fazilka districts having three Assembly segments, whereas Nurpur, Palampur and Dehra subdivisions have four, four and three Assembly segments, respectively,” Parmar said. |
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3 gang rape accused held
Nurpur, March 28 The gang rape victim hailing from Jalani village of Danni gram panchayat of the area had approached the police on Sunday and lodged an FIR under Sections 376, 323 and 341, IPC, against three unidentified youths. She had stated that she was overpowered by the culprits on Saturday evening when she was going to fetch medicine from Danni village. They had dragged her to a roadside field and committed the crime. The police after her medical examination had lodged a case. The police will produce the trio in the court for seek police remand to undertake further investigations in this connection.
— OC |
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Thieves decamp with mobile phones
Shimla, March 28 The thieves managed to break open the central lock of the shutter to enter the shop and remained there for more than an hour. Superintendent of the Police (SP) Jagat Ram went to the site of the burglary along with Inspector General of Police (IG) Ashok Kumar and requisitioned the services of the dog squad. A team of forensic expert lifted finger prints and other clues from the spot. Jagat Ram said the clues available so far indicated that there were at least two persons. Besides finger prints some CCTV footage was also available which indicated that the thieves entered the shop at 4.46 am and remained there till 6 am. He advised local residents to be vigilant in the morning hours as there had been similar incidents in the past on the Mall and in one case culprits revealed that people having a stroll did not take any notice even as they were throwing various items from the first floor of a shop and packing these. — TNS
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5-day historical Devta Mela begins
Sundernagar, March 28 At the inauguration of the fair, a colourful procession was taken out from the PWD rest house, led by chief guest Dile Ram, Chairman of Finance Commission and BJP MLA from Nachan. The chief guest performed puja of all deities at the Community Hall here. Afterwards the chariots of these deities were shifted to Jawahar Park. Kamrunag and Badayogi also reached the mela spot, along with a huge contingent and were given a warm welcome. Mahunag was brought here from Mahu village of Karsog subdivision of Mandi district, 100 km from here. The contingent of Mahunag, consisting of more than 100 devotees, covered more than 100 km distance on foot. Around 200 deities have been invited to the fair by the managing committee. As per tradition, the town has been decorated at various places and is wearing a festive look. The fair will conclude on April 1.
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Panchayat technical assistants’ dharna enters 7th day
Chamba, March 28 They are on a strike for their regularisation and better pay scales. In a statement, district press secretary of the association Surender Kumar said they had been fighting for justice for about a decade, but of no avail. He regretted that they were being paid a pittance of Rs 5,000 per month which could not meet their family needs. He demanded the regularisation of those panchayat technical assistants who had completed more than eight years of their service, adding that those below eight years of service should be paid the genuine salary. He warned that they would prolong their agitation if the state government failed to formulate a tangible policy for the welfare of panchayat secretaries soon.
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Man gets 3-year jail for carrying 1.5 kg opium
Mandi, March 28 The Vigilance team had caught Nokh Singh with 1.5 kg of opium on March 3, 2010, and registered a case under Section 18, NDPS Act. Acting on tip-off, the team from the state Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau, Mandi, had laid a naka at Neuli in Sainj and caught him while he was trying to smuggle the contraband in 2010.
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Mandi, March 28
