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Cong infighting looms over monsoon session
Two killed in Kangra house collapse
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Patients in emergency at receiving end for 3 hours
Maheshwar blasts Cong, BJP over corruption
Mehatpur-Amb road may not be express highway
Two get life term for murder of couple
Veterinarians demand implementation of promotion scheme from 2009
Power board staff to hold protest on Sept 4
Remove roadside encroachments: DC
HLM to gherao Assembly on Aug 29
Foetus of raped minor aborted
Shahpur hospital to be upgraded, says CM
Workshop on vocal classical music at Chamba ends
Environmentally sustainable methods emphasised
International Youth Day celebrated
Students of nursing celebrate youth day at Yol on Saturday. Photo: Ashok Raina
Pension benefit for journalists sought
Woman sets 25-year-old daughter-in-law on fire
Miscreants set 2 buses on fire
Over 1 lakh beneficiaries get job cards
Artist to be promoted
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Cong infighting looms over monsoon session
Shimla, August 26 The fallout of the leadership tussle was evident when the party was forced to cancel its plans to gherao the Vidhan Sabha on the opening day of the session. Senior leaders had been camping with supporters in Delhi to settle the leadership issue and there was no one to mobilise public support for action outside the House. The party will go to the Assembly without the required preparation. The meeting of the legislative party has been convened for 11 am tomorrow, just before the start of the session. There may not be any serious debate, but the four-day session is likely to produce fireworks. The Congress will be on the offensive and will try to set the poll agenda by highlighting its
chargesheet. The BJP will spare no efforts to counter the onslaught by pointing to the developments at the
Centre, where coal-gate has put the UPA on the defensive. Chief Minister PK Dhumal and other BJP leaders have been countering charges outside the House by saying the Congress has no moral right to raise the issue of corruption as the UPA is embroiled in scams at the
Centre. Congress media department in charge Mukesh Agnihotri said that the leadership issue was an internal matter and it would not have any impact on the performance of the party in the House. The party was united and it would hand out a knockout punch to the BJP in the House to set the stage for its defeat in the electoral arena, he said. It will be interesting to see the impact of the proposed move to appoint Virbhadra Singh as the state Congress chief in place of Kaul Singh, who has been at the helm for over four years, on the performance of the party within the
House. Virbhadra Singh is not a member of House, but a majority of party legislators have stood by him every time he has demonstrated his strength. There are reports that Kaul Singh will be rehabilitated as Congress Legislative Party leader after the session. |
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Two killed in Kangra house collapse
Kangra, August 26 Local residents tried to remove the debris and pull the bodies out, but could not do so. Congress ticket aspirant Rajesh Sharma reached the spot and pressed two JCB machines into service. Harsh Lata’s body was recovered in the evening and Manu Bharti’s around 1 am. The injured girl was rushed to the DRPGMC at Tanda. Deputy Commissioner KR Bharti and district police chief DS Thakur reached the spot to supervise rescue operations. SDM Ajeet Bhardwaj said the girls’ hostel of the MCMDAV College near the site was declared unsafe and the college management told to vacate it. Officiating College Principal KC Gupta said 53 girls were shifted to the lower hostel. Bhardwaj said the body of Manu Bharti, a resident of Nurpur, was sent home. He added that Harsh Lata’s body was handed over to her relatives after autopsy. He further said Rs 15,000 each was given to the next of kin of the deceased. Bharti said Rs 1.5 lakh would be given to the kin of the deceased after an assessment of the loss. The SDM said 40 houses and six cowsheds were damaged in the subdivision during the recent rain. |
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Patients in emergency at receiving end for 3 hours
Kangra, August 26 When patients were arriving at the hospital this morning, the registration counter was unmanned. A patient’s attendant, Surender Kalra, said he arrived at 9 am, but there was no one to register names. When a large number of patients reached the emergency, doctors started treating them without official prescription slips. The patients were referred to various departments, where they were asked to get tests conducted. This was not possible without registration slips and fee payment. Attendants holding blood samples in their hands kept waiting in a long queue at the unmanned counter. A weeping woman in her 60s said her daughter’s delivery was due and doctors required a particular blood test immediately, but she could not deposit the fee, which left her daughter suffering labour pains. There was no one to help patients till 12:15 pm, when the hospital management woke up and asked a person to handle the job. This person could not operate the computer and was forced to work manually, which was cumbersome. Later in the day, the contractor deputed another person to the job. The Medical Superintendent, Dr Dinesh Sood, was not available for comment. According to sources, the hospital administration had outsourced registration and fee collection, but those working with the contractor were not getting salaries on time and salaries for last month were not paid. The sources said the six workers had been penalised earlier when, after an embezzlement of Rs 45,000, the contractor collected the amount from them, following which they approached the Medical Superintendent, who was not receptive. They added that the contractor was telling the workers that Rs 800 each per month was being deposited as their provident fund accounts, but did not give them any proof thereof. |
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Probe involvement of politicians in pulses scam, says Sofat
Shimla, August 26 Party spokesperson Mohinder Sofat said the vigilance inquiry had vindicated the HLP stand that substandard foodgrain was being supplied through the public distribution system and politicians and bureaucrats were looting the exchequer in connivance with suppliers. He said the inquiry was confined to officials and the government was going soft on suppliers and not pursuing the probe further to expose the politicians behind the scam. He added that the owner of the firm had not been arrested and was being protected by a BJP leader from Solan district. He also demanded an inquiry into the takeover of the Arni University by Gopal Kanda, who was allegedly involved in the Geetika suicide case. He said there were reports that a political family from the state had a stake in some institutions, which could be ascertained only if an impartial probe was
conducted. Sofat alleged that the government and the ruling party were violating a Supreme Court order by painting slogans on parapets and walls along roads, including national highways. He said Superintending Engineers were responsible for ensuing that parapets, walls and other public spaces were not sullied, but they were not taking
any action. The HLP would take legal advice in the matter and, if required, initiate contempt-of-court proceedings against the officers, he asserted. He said the Election Commission of India had registered the HLP as a state party. He also presented the party’s red and white flag, with the two colours representing revolution for change and purity. He said the HLP would maintain equal distance from the BJP and the Congress and present a third alternative. He further said the Himachal Lok Morcha, of which the HLP was a constituent, and Left parties would gherao the Vidhan Sabha on August 29 to highlight corruption and acts of omission and commission of the government. |
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Maheshwar blasts Cong, BJP over corruption
Hamirpur, August 26 He said, “While various scams under the UPA government have indicated the involvement of the Congress leaders at the national level, various scandals in the state have brought corruption by BJP leaders to the fore.” He criticised the BJP government for the alleged sale of land to outsiders and giving huge chunks of land to private universities in violation of the land reforms Act. He said, “Education in government schools is in dire straits and the state government has done little to improve it, as a result of which private schools are thriving.” The HLP leader said, “There are no specialists in many government hospitals and poor patients are being forced to go to private hospitals for treatment.” Talking to mediapersons later, he said, “The HLP will hold a demonstration and a dharna before the Assembly in Shimla on August 29 to raise public issues.” He said, “Chief Minister PK Dhumal’s statement about the state having little scope for a third party is misleading. He should not forget that he became the Chief Minister in 1998 with the support of the HVC, formed by Sukh Ram.” HLP vice-presidents BR Mandial and KR Dharmani were present. |
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Mehatpur-Amb road may not be express highway
Una, August 26 Sources here told The Tribune that the width of the road had been reduced in urban areas to 17.5 metres, allegedly to save the buildings of some influential persons, whereas it should be at least 18.1 metres, as per the original detailed project report. As per the report, bus lay byes, that could have provided parking for buses, were to be constructed in urban areas, but the idea was dropped as the district administration had not acquired land for the purpose. The sources also said Longjian, the Chinese company carrying out work on the road, had constructed 6,000 metres of pucca and covered drains along the road, much above the length specified in the original design, as the government authorities failed to clear encroachments. The failure to clear encroachments might lead to congestion and it would not serve the purpose of an express highway. The sources also said changes in design were one of the major factors for the delay in construction. Asked about the reduction in road width, Executive Engineer SS Kutlehria, who was supervising the work in urban areas, said it might be due to a reduction in the width of footpaths in certain areas. He added that the central line of the road had not been changed. He admitted that there was no plan to construct bus lay byes at present. He also admitted that the company was forced to construct extra drains. Work on the 45-kilometre Mehatpur-Amb road was much behind schedule. A number of accidents, some fatal, had taken place on the incomplete portions of the road. The work on bridges on the road, worth Rs 47 crore, that was outsourced to a local contractor, had come to a standstill. The sub-contractor who was given the work abandoned it. The company was seeking more time from the government to reallocate the work on bridges to some other contractor. The government was yet to give the company permission for the purpose. |
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Two get life term for murder of couple
Solan, August 26 The duo was found guilty of murder, robbery and causing disappearance of evidence. The Judge also sentenced another accused Satya Prakash of Shimla village to simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000 for committing an offence under Section 411, IPC. The case involved the murder of an aged couple Ramesh Sood and his wife Uma, who were killed at Gauri Apartments, Salogra, near here, on June 14, 2009. The police, however, during its initial investigations had termed it as a case of suicide and failed to collect vital evidence in the form of two unknown mobile phone handsets from the spot. The police on the contrary was carrying on inquest proceedings under Section 174, CrPC. Sanjeev Sood, son of the deceased couple, who stays in Delhi, contested this claim and met the then IG (South) Ashok Sharma, requesting for a thorough probe. Sharma visited the spot in August and inspected the video footage of the apartment that the police had recorded during its investigations. He not only managed to establish it as a case of murder within two days, but also undertook the investigation of the two mobile phones found on the spot. A subsequent search for subscribers of the SIM cards found in the handsets helped to trace its origin to Som Dutt, who had worked as a carpenter in Gauri Apartments, which was constructed by the deceased couple, and was instrumental in hatching the conspiracy. Dutt’s interrogation led to the arrest of Rakesh and Satya and stolen gold ornaments were later recovered from the spot. Public prosecutor CB Acharya, despite being transferred during the trail, continued to appear on behalf of the prosecution and examined 36 witnesses and firmly established the offence done by the trio. Sanjeev praised IG Ashok Sharma and public prosecutor CB Acharya who gave a right direction to the murder case.
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Veterinarians demand implementation of promotion scheme from 2009
Shimla, August 26 Hailing the decision to restore the scheme for eight services, association members rue that the scheme is being implemented from August 9 onwards and only on a notional basis with effect from August 27, 2009, as a result of which the veterinarians will be denied arrears. Association general secretary Amit Mahajan and finance secretary Sanjeev Kalia said the service benefits under the ACPS were being held in abeyance for veterinarians and seven other categories of technical employees without any justification since 2009 and had demanded immediate release of the legitimate benefits due to them. Mahajan said the time scale was operational for eight categories of employees, including veterinary doctors, even prior to 2009 and, thus, the benefits under the ACPS to vets were pending since 2009, when the scheme was withdrawn temporarily without any valid reason. The ACPS under which time-bound promotions were granted after the completion of 4, 9, and 14 years of service to eight categories comprising veterinary doctors, medical doctors, engineers and other professional employees, was put on the backburner. They also urged the Chief Minister to restore the original notification and payment of all the outstanding arrears under the ACPS, more so because the veterinarians did not get any promotion during their entire service span. A delegation of the association would soon meet the Chief Minister to pursue its demand. |
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Power board staff to hold protest on Sept 4
Shimla, August 26 Kuldeep Singh Kharwara, president of the State Electricity Board Employees’ Union, said the union had also sought the support of power consumers as they would be the worst-hit in case the board was liquidated due to the “ruinous policies” of the government. The financial position of the board had been deteriorating and it had now become difficult to manage its day-to-day affairs. The board had assets of Rs 5,000 crore but its borrowings has reached at Rs 3,300 crore, which included short term loan of Rs 2,000 crore. The union alleged that the present management of the board was the weakest and it had failed to manage the organisational affairs efficiently. The staff strength was being reduced drastically and had come down to 19,000 from 43,000 whereas the number of power consumers had increased from 6 lakh to 20 lakh. The union demanded that the BBMB share be provided to the board on Bus Bar Rates and royalty being charged from the board from its projects be waived. It also demanded allotment of more projects for execution to ensure utilisation of staff.
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Remove roadside encroachments: DC
Palampur, August 26 In his communication to the SDMs, the DC said increasing roadside encroachments on national and state highways had become a major traffic hazard resulting in frequent accidents. Therefore, there should not be any delay in their removal. He said legal action should be initiated against offenders as per laws to check roadside encroachments in the state. Palampur town has maximum roadside encroachments. Over 100 fruit and vegetable vendors have encroached upon the national highway near the gurdwara where frequent traffic jams are witnessed daily. This part of the road has turned into an accident zone. Ram Chowk on the Ghuggar road has been squeezed to 3 m because of encroachments. However, the PWD has failed to remove the encroachments because of “political pressures” from local leaders. Despite repeated complaints, no official has bothered to remove the encroachments. The Palampur Welfare Forum welcomed the step of the DC. KB Ralhan, spokesperson of the forum, said no one should be allowed to encroach upon the roads in the town and the government should initiate tough measures to get the land vacated immediately.
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HLM to gherao Assembly on Aug 29
Mandi, August 26 CPM general secretary Bhupender Singh accused the Congress and the BJP of pursuing anti-youth, anti-farmer and anti-people economic policies. Successive state governments discarded 1 lakh government job vacancies by signing memorandums of understanding with the Centre in the name of fiscal and financial reforms, he added. While the UPA government at the Centre was neck-deep in scams, the BJP government in the state had broken records in corruption as land and resources were mortgaged with commercial interests from outside, he alleged. According to the CPM, unemployment in the state had increased manifold. The youth were frustrated as the trained and educated were not getting employment, due to which they had raised their voice on the roads, HLM leaders said. The HLM would stage the gherao on issues like corruption, price rise, unemployment and failure of the government, They said. They alleged that the Congress and the BJP were two sides of the same coin. Both parties had signed memorandums of understanding with the Centre, they added. “People are fed up of both parties and are looking for a third alternative,” Bhupender Singh said.
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Foetus of raped minor aborted
Kullu, August 26 The parents and the police are still clueless about the identity of the accused who raped the girl. Sources said the girl’s parents got the shock of their lives when doctors told them that their daughter was five-month pregnant. On August 21 the girl was taken to a health centre in Rampur from where she was referred to the IGMC, Shimla. The doctors there further shifted her to Kamla Nehru Hospital where she was found to be pregnant. Head, Gynaecology, Kamla Nehru Hospital, Santosh Mihas, told The Tribune on phone that the patient had undergone abortion with her parents’ consent. “She is
still in the hospital and healthy,” she said. Dr Mihas said they had handed over the sample of the aborted foetus for DNA analysis to help police investigations. The abortion was carried under the guidelines of the law and the police had also been informed in this regard, she added. A case of rape under Section 376, IPC, has been registered on the complaint of the victim’s father Lagan Dass at Nirmand police station. The victim’s parents said their daughter used to be alone at home when they would go out for work. The girl’s family and relatives have demanded that an identification parade of the possible accused be carried out by the police. Superintendant of Police (SP), Kullu, Ashok Kumar, said the police would take the help of the DNA test to establish the identity of the culprit. “We have received the case from the Shimla police and investigations will begin soon,” the SP said. |
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Shahpur hospital to be upgraded, says CM
Dharamsala, August 26 On his tour to Shahpur, the Chief Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various projects. He dedicated the building of Centre of Excellence of ITI, Shahpur, constructed at a cost of Rs 1.10 crore, motorable bridge over the Gaj rivulet constructed at a cost of Rs 1 crore, laid the foundation stone of a flood irrigation scheme for the Bhanala-Hara area, water supply scheme Boh Darini and a bridge over Chambi khud. Later, while addressing a public meeting at Shahpur, Dhumal said in the past five years, people of the state had been economically empowered as per capita income in the state had increased to Rs 73,600 as compared to Rs 43,000 in 2007-08. He said vocational education was on the agenda of the government and lauded the achievement of ITI Shahpur where students were taking education in three shifts and had best in campus placement facilities. A number of companies had recruited qualified students from the institute. He said the state government had decided to open one industrial training institute in each of the Assembly segments of the state and polytechnics in every district in a phased manner. Dhumal announced Rs 5 lakh for the Press Club, Shahpur, and funds for various mahila mandals in the area. The Chief Minister was accorded a rousing reception by the people en route places he visited to dedicate development project and for laying foundation stone. |
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Workshop on vocal classical music at Chamba ends
Chamba, August 26 Twenty students of the college as well as other schools of the region participated in the workshop. It was held in the tradition of the guru-shishya parampara. It was an opportunity for budding and upcoming singers to polish their talent under the guidance of the renowned vocalist Pt Arijit Das Gupta from Kolkata. Pandit Arijit is an exponent of the Mevati and Patiala gharana and a disciple of Pandit Jasraj. Pandit Arijit taught to young students the subtle nuances of using notes in khayal gayaki. He also shared valuable singing techniques of refining voice culture. Principal of the college ML Sharma inaugurated the workshop and Prof Vidya Sagar Sharma, head of the Music Department of the college, supervised the weeklong workshop. Padma Shri Vijay Sharma, a connoisseur of classical music, concluded the workshop and enlightened the students about the major role of music in the Pahari painting.
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Environmentally sustainable methods emphasised
Shimla, August 26 He expressed satisfaction over the achievements of the state in the field of social infrastructure and underlined the need to evolve better PPP (public private partnership) formats for increasing efficacy of private sector participation in infrastructure development. In his keynote address, Shailesh Pathak stressed the need for increased public spending and government taking a lead role in infrastructure creation using private sector expertise in operation and management of infrastructure projects. Cherian Thomas, CEO, IDFC Foundation, briefed about various successful PPP models across the country and emphasised the need to ensure financial viability and source of funding of the PPP projects from planning stage itself. Earlier, CN Dhar, chairman, CII, State Council, called for making concerted efforts for creation of infrastructure in the state. |
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International Youth Day celebrated
Kangra, August 26 Ashok Kumar, guest of honour on the occasion, urged nursing students and other people present at the function to adopt Swami Vivekananda’s teachings in their lives. He said the younger generation must come closer to religious and spiritual teachings to avoid drugs, wine and illegitimate sex. They were told that the Baghwat Gita was a code of conduct on how to live and become a man and a woman with capital ‘M’ and ‘W’, respectively. He regretted that parents were shirking from their responsibilities towards their children once they were admitted to professional colleges. Dr RK
Sood, District AIDS Control Officer, stressed on youth to avoid such practices which pushed them closer to AIDS. Students presented different items and skits regarding drug addiction and AIDS and took an oath to be away from the two menaces by adhering to discipline in life.
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Pension benefit for journalists sought
Bilaspur, August 26 The federation unanimously passed six resolutions in this regard at the executive committee meeting held at Thural in Kangra recently. Federation president Jai Kumar said the Chief Minister had earlier accepted these demands, but the same had not been implemented so far. The federation has demanded that the form for the health insurance scheme be suitably changed and only an affidavit from the journalist or an attestation from the District Public Relations Officer concerned should suffice to become a member of the scheme instead of a certificate from the editors of their publications. The federation members have also urged the Chief Minister to call a meeting of the state Journalists Welfare Fund Committee of the government to change some of its rules which have become obsolete. The president said the federation also thanked the Chief Minister for sanctioning Rs 50,000 to late journalist Ashwini Sud’s wife on the recommendation of the federation. |
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Woman sets 25-year-old daughter-in-law on fire
Kangra, August 26 The police said Anita Devi, wife of Arjun Singh of Looni village in Chamba, was admitted to DRPGMC, Tanda, this evening with 90 per cent burn injuries. Anita in a critical condition deposed before doctors and police that her mother-in-law Dharshana Devi had been torturing her for more dowry and for having no issue after her marriage which had taken place three years back. Anita, in her statement, said she was in the kitchen when her mother-in-law sprinkled kerosene on her and set her on fire. She also alleged in her statement that her sister-in-law Biasa Devi too was torturing her. Doctors attending on her said her condition was critical. No arrests had been made as yet. The police has registered a case.
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Miscreants set 2 buses on fire
Solan, August 26 DSP, Rajgarh, Ram Lal said they had registered a case under Section 436, IPC. Samples of the torched buses were being sent for chemical analysis to ascertain what material had been used to set them ablaze. Both vehicles were parked at Manwa village after completing their respective routes which were Solan-Manwa and Solan-Manwa-Rajgarh. General secretary, Bus Operators’ Union, Mehta Raghuvir Singh today requested the government to provide better security to bus operators. |
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Over 1 lakh beneficiaries get job cards
Chamba, August 26 This was stated by state Vidhan Sabha Speaker Tulsi Ram while presiding over a review meeting of the 20-point economic programme held here on Friday. Addressing the meeting, the Speaker said Rs 10.45 crore had so far been spent on various schemes launched under the MNREGA in the district. The Speaker said 5,72,324 man days had been generated under the programme during the current fiscal. He said 654 houses had been constructed against a target of 699 under the Indira Awas Yojna during this period. |
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Artist to be promoted
Chamba, August 26 This decision was taken by the state government in the Cabinet meeting, which was presided over by Chief Minister PK Dhumal at Shimla recently. Sharma is working as painting artist with Bhuri Singh Museum in Chamba. |
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Hamirpur, August 26
KR Bharati, Deputy Commissioner (DC), Kangra, on Thursday directed all the sub-divisional magistrates in the district to remove roadside encroachments in their respective jurisdiction immediately so that smooth flow of traffic was maintained.
In his communication to the SDMs, the DC said increasing roadside encroachments on national and state highways had become a major traffic hazard resulting in frequent accidents. Therefore, there should not be any delay in their removal.
Kangra, August 26
