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Yashwant Sinha to take up Tibet issue in Parliament
Sheli project to be ecological disaster, says forest report
A view of the 400-MW Sheli project dam site from Mudram village in Udaipur panchayat. |
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Mallan-Mubarakpur NH okayed, says Bali
Ravi may contest from Dehra
Tanda medical college faculty demands allowances
Centre has failed to provide green bonus to state: CM
Chhari of Manimahesh pilgrimage begins
A file picture of the Manimahesh Lake.
Woman gives birth in ambulance
Twin fungal attack hits apple orchards
Indo-Czech Chambers of Commerce to explore investing in HP
Director, Industries, JS Rana makes a presentation at an industry conclave, India Show, in Czech
Republic
Unauthorised Constructions
Implement environment-friendly technologies, engineers told
Change of BJP candidate from Badsar sought
BIS certification made mandatory for steel
Ticket for Sudha Sushant opposed
BJP criticises PM for allowing FDI in retail
BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra addresses mediapersons in Shimla on Sunday.
HLP lashes out at Centre, state govt
Dhumal for socially responsible media
Pensioners resent welfare fund misuse
MC pleads to govt over dilapidated school building
National honour for Chamba
Consumer awareness body lambasts UPA, Oppn
BJP seeks relief for HP
Cook hit by safety valve cap, dies
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Yashwant Sinha to take up Tibet issue in Parliament
Dharamsala, September 16 Sinha visited the the fourth session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile in wake of the current crisis in Tibet due to the self-immolation by 52 Tibetans there. He interacted with officials of various departments of the Tibetan Government-in-exile on the first day of his visit yesterday, the Tibetan authorities said. He also held a meeting with representatives of the International Tibet Network and five NGOs -- the Tibetan Youth Congress, the Tibetan Women’s Association, the Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet, the National Democratic Party of Tibet and the Students For a Free Tibet. Representatives of the NGOs urged him to write to India’s Foreign Minister to address the Tibet issue at various International forums, including the upcoming UN General Assembly. Sinha signed a pledge to stand up for Tibet and called for global diplomatic intervention to resolve the current crisis. He said his visit was overdue. During the meeting, he highlighted the urgency for more concerted international action on the issue and the need to keep public opinion better informed. He said he would to raise the issue in the next session of Parliament. Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay hosted a dinner for Sinha today.
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Sheli project to be ecological disaster, says forest report
Mandi/Udaipur, September 16 According to a forest report, 10,160 class V and IV trees and 2,640 class III trees comprising deodar, kail, poplar and willow and 44,383 saplings of different species will be cut for making way for the project. The thick grove of forest meanders along the rushing Chenab in the lower Pattan valley will be trimmed and 33 seedlings wiped out. The Sheli Project Sangharsh Samiti, Mudgran, has been opposing the project allotted to Moser Baer, citing its ecological and economic implications. “We want the project to be scrapped or the height of the dam to be decreased to save the hard-earned greenery of the Pattan valley, which is the only major green island in an otherwise cold desert,” says Sudershan Thakur, convener. “It will decimate forest and pastures and cultivable land in Mudran, Kuraki, Salpat and Ratoli in Tindi and Udaipur panchayats once the project comes up,” he fears. Ecologists say the destruction of over 57,000 small and big trees and saplings will be an ecological disaster. “It takes a lot of time for species to grow in the high-altitude area. The Forest Department’s track record in raising fresh forest is poor as the survival rate is less than 30 per cent,” they say. The company claims that there are 11,689 trees of various classes, 1,854 seedlings and 40,194 saplings which may be affected under the Miyar and Sheli projects. SK Khare, senior vice-president, Hydro, Moser Baer Projects, says the company has planted over 4,500 saplings in a plantation drive since 2011 and will plant about 6,000 more. In all, the Forest Department will plant around 10,17,000 plants under its compensatory afforestation programme on 678 hectare funded by the company, which will contribute Rs 56 crore to the Local Area Development Fund and Rs 7.124 crore for undertaking various social development activities under the corporate social responsibility. Lahaul forest division DFO Hira Lal says the report has been sent to the Ministry of Environment and Forests for clearance under the Forest Conservation Act. The ministry has carried out an independent inspection recently, he adds. |
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Mallan-Mubarakpur NH okayed, says Bali
Kangra, September 16 He said funds for the projects had been made available to executing agencies. Bali announced that a handpump would be set up and a children’s park constructed at Bhaloglova. He said a 4.5-km road connecting Bussal and Thana Bargran would be constructed at a cost of Rs 4.5 crore. He said the Surface Transport Ministry had approved the Mallan-Mubarakpur national highway project. Bali said the BJP was a divided house and had failed to decide the ticket for Ravinder Ravi and Rajeev Bindal. He said Shanta Kumar had reportedly opposed ticket allotment to them. Bali said PK Dhumal was attempting to take back Rakesh Pathania in the BJP, but Shanta Kumar was against it. Bali added that the BJP divide was evident from the tussle between Dhumal and Shanta Kumar. Bali said the Congress was united to defeat the BJP. He said the Congress would form the next government in the state and withdraw ‘anti-people’ decisions of the Dhumal government.
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Ravi may contest from Dehra
Shimla, September 16 The only hitch in his shifting there is that PK Dhumal loyalist Kirpal Parmar is preparing to contest from there. Ravi has been
scouting for a constituency as his constituency Thural has been scrapped in delimitation. He is eyeing Palampur and Jwalamukhi in particular. Shanta Kumar has been opposing his shifting to any of the two constituencies as his loyalists Praveen Sharma and Ramesh Dhwala are the MLAs from there. The Shanta Kumar camp has suggested Nagrota Bagwan, the stronghold of Congress leader GS Bali. Shanta Kumar loyalists have been accusing Ravi of interfering in their constituencies. This is one of the reasons for the revolt against Dhumal culminating in the formation of the Himachal Lokhit Party. Shifting Ravi may help contain the infighting in Kangra. If Ravi shifts to Dehra, he will be out of the Kangra parliamentary constituency. Dehra is a part of the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, represented by Dhumal’s son Anurag Thakur. According to sources, candidates for 32 seats have been virtually cleared by the core group, though the announcement will be made later. These include PK Dhumal (Hamirpur), Urmil Thakur (Sujanpur), Praveen Sharma (Palampur), Vipin Parmar (Sullah), Krishan Kapoor (Dharamsala), Ramesh Dhwala (Jwalamukhi), Sarveen Chaudhary (Shahpur), Pawan Kazal (Kangra), Gulab Singh (Jogindernagar), Jai Ram Thakur (Seraj), Mohinder Singh (Dharampur), Narinder Bragta (Jubbal-Kotkhai), Sukhram Chaudhary (Paonta Sahib), BK Chauhan (Chamba), Renu Chaddha (Dalhousie), Satpal Satti (Una), Virender Kanwar (Kutlehar), Rajeev Sehjal (Kasauli), Rakesh Verma (Chopal), Khimi Ram (Banjar), Kishori Lal (Anni) and Gobind Thakur (Manali). Of the three constituencies reserved for Scheduled Tribes, the party has
ecided to retain sitting legislators Ram Lal Markandey (Lahaul-Spiti) and Tejwant Singh (Kinnaur). There are reservations about Tulsi Ram and a new candidate is likely to be fielded from Bharmour. The re-induction of Rakesh Pathania, who won as Independent from Nurpur, and the nomination of rebel MP Ranjan Sushant’s wife Sudha Sushant from Fatehpur have also been discussed. The core group will meet again later this week to finalise more names. |
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Tanda medical college faculty demands allowances
Kangra, September 16 General secretary, TAMCOT, Amit Gupta said the demand was raised by the members during an executive committee meeting which was chaired by TAMCOT president Atul Mahajan. Gupta said the time-bound promotion of the faculty should be implemented immediately. He said this step did not involve any financial implication as TAMCOT had already submitted all the details in this regard to the state government. Gupta said earlier also the association had been trying hard to get these demands redressed by meeting various high-ups of the Health Department, but nothing concrete had been achieved so far. He said TAMCOT this time had sought the intervention of Chief Minister PK Dhumalas he had accepted most of the demands of various employees of the state. Gupta said the government had granted specialist allowance to doctors in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, while the faculty in medical colleges had been ignored. He alleged that this had created anomaly in pay as certain senior residents were drawing higher salary than their teachers. TAMCOT demanded that the ceiling of pay of the faculty be raised to Rs 85,000 as was in Punjab because Himachal was following the Punjab pattern. The association demanded that a conveyance allowance of Rs 1,800, along with academic allowance, may be granted so as to attract and retain the faculty in the medical colleges, Gupta added. |
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Centre has failed to provide green bonus to state: CM
Shimla, September 16 He was speaking at a function organised by the Department of Environment for the release of a book titled “The Real Action - Green Growth Development Story of Himachal Pradesh” by Nobel Laureate RK Pachauri, Director-General, TERI, here recently. Dhumal said the state would propose a “green budget” for 2013-14 by incorporating tools for green accounting in planning and budget process. He rued that owing to “policy paralysis” at the Centre, there were no buyers for the vast hydropower being produced in the state. Despite registering an increase of 11 sq km in its forest cover, the state was not compensated in the form of green bonus or any other benefits. While stressing the need for the setting up of a trans-Himalayan development authority, he said the needs of hill states were peculiar and different for which a different yardstick had to be adopted. Having achieved the top position in the country after dislodging Uttarakhand in having the best Environment Performance Index (EPO), he said the government was working in close coordination at the panchayat level to make it a people’s movement. “Our resolve is to promote green growth across all sectors without compromising in the net growth rate,” he remarked. Dhumal said several initiatives, including ban on polythene, promoting use of CFL, creation of environment fund, eco-monitoring and environment-auditing scheme, assessing carbon footprints and preparing a environment master plan, had been taken to mitigate the issues of climate change and global warming. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretray S Roy said several initiatives had been taken by the state to combat the looming threat of climate change. “Assessment of carbon footprints in 1,000 panchayats would be done along with vulnerability assessment,” he said. He added that the World Bank had also approved the $100 million development policy loan for the state which would further help in inclusive sustainable development. |
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Chhari of Manimahesh pilgrimage begins
Chamba, September 16 Sadhus of dashnam akhada, local residents and district officers accompanied the chhari, along with Home Guards and local bands. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sunil Chaudhary, who is also chairperson of the Manimahesh Pilgrimage Committee, said the holy chhari would halt at various places and reach the lake on September 22. The district administration was all set to provide adequate security cover to the pilgrims, especially those coming from the Bhadarwah area of Jammu and Kashmir. The DC said the district authorities had already been directed to make necessary arrangements such as the regulation of traffic, parking lots, medicines, fuel, water and electricity. The use of intoxicants had been banned during the pilgrimage. He said langars (free kitchens) had been banned in the precincts of the lake with a view to keeping the Manimahesh Lake clean. The DC appealed to the pilgrims to bring with them pullovers, sweaters etc required for a pilgrimage. Besides, the police had also set up information and wireless centres at important points for the parking of vehicles. |
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Woman gives birth in ambulance
Hamirpur, September 16 Anju Patial’s attendent told The Tribune, “Reena Kumari of Utpur village was admitted to the Regional Hospital, Hamirpur, on September 11 and referred to the Tanda medical college as she was having low HB and we immediately shifted her to Tanda.” “At Tanda, the doctors attending on Reena said her child had died in the womb and as surgery was not possible due to her low HB, we should take her to the PGI, Chandigarh, if we wanted to save her life,” she added. Reena was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, at about 4.20 pm from the Tanda medical college. Her attendant said, “We pleaded with the hospital authorities to send a nurse along as Reena was having labour pains, but they did not listen.” Reena gave birth to a baby in the ambulance through a normal delivery conducted by the attending women near Ropar on way to Chandigarh. The mother and the baby were then taken to the PGI. Anju Patial said, “We are happy the mother and the baby are fine, but the callous attitude of the medical staff attending on our patient is definitely a matter of concern.” Director, Health, Dr DS Chandel said, “We have asked the hospital staff to maintain a register for noting details of the referred patients to verify the treatment given at the referred hospital to know if any negligence took place; I will enquire from Hamirpur hospital, but can’t comment on the Tanda medical college.”
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Twin fungal attack hits apple orchards
According to reports reaching here, the maximum impact of ‘marssonina’ and ‘alternaria’ fungi has been at orchards located at a height of 7,000 feet and more. A large number of orchards in Kotgarh, Narkanda, Matiana and Chopal areas have been affected. In worst-hit plantations, hardly any leaves have been left. The situation could have been worse had the infestation not been contained by insecticide sprays in July. Incessant rain and persistent cloudy weather in the second half of the monsoon created conducive conditions for the fungi. The dry spell in the first half of the monsoon provided ideal conditions for the infestation, which appeared at a number of orchards in June. The Horticulture Department cautioned growers and asked them to spray Naiden, Omite and Magister, which helped contain the problem. Growers ignored the fungi which infected plants in May and June, but remained latent. The appearance of spots and discolouration of leaves were visible only towards the end of August and in September. Ranjeet Mehta, a grower from the Kotgarh area, said orchards where fungicides were sprayed as per the recommended schedule were in fine shape. He said his orchard was unaffected, but many in its vicinity suffered premature defoliation. He added that plants affected were rendered weak and as a result, the fruit did not attain full size and normal weight. He pointed out that this was one of the reasons for low crop despite good fruit setting. In case of a severe attack, production could be affected the next season as well, he warned. Horticulture Department Joint Director ID Gupta said not much could be done in areas where harvesting was under way as fungicide could not be sprayed there. He recommended a combination of Mancoze and Carbendazim or a single fungicide like Dodine, Scor or Contaf for orchards where there were between 15 and 20 days to go for harvesting. For the next season, growers should follow the schedule recommended and spray in orchards at the time of fruit setting in May and June without waiting for visible signs, he stated.
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Indo-Czech Chambers of Commerce to explore investing in HP
Solan, September 18 An indication to this effect was given by the chambers at Brno, Czech Republic, to a delegation of officials from the state government, comprising Additional Chief Secretary PC Kapoor, Director, Industries, JS Rana and Deputy Director, Industries, Tilak Raj Sharma at an industry conclave, India Show, recently. Sharma said the chamber had expressed interest to invest in the state. With thrust on tourism, hydel power generation and pharmaceutical units, the state had inherent advantages like cheaper and quality power, peaceful ambience and single-window clearance authority offering hassle-free investment options. This visit of the officials is aimed at luring overseas investors for bringing the FDI in Himachal. With more than 600 pharmaceutical investors comprising more than 100 World Health Organisation (WHO)-approved units and also a sizeable number of the US FDA-approved units, the state is called the pharmaceutical hub of Asia. A stall exhibiting various products, put up by Baddi-based Ashoka Spanners which manufactures various hand tools, was appreciated by the visitors. The Indo-Czech Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organisation which facilitates in bringing the FDI to India. Amit Rana, chamber’s secretary (overseas trade and liaison), while interacting with this correspondent telephonically, said foreign investors were looking forward to invest in Himachal owing to its high potential in hydel power, pharmaceutical, including ayuerveda, electrical and electronics sectors among other
key sectors. The chamber has under its ambit various companies, including Vitkovice Machinery Group (power & energy), CKD Group (power and energy), Rosh Solar Panels (textile and pharmacy sector), Fit Craft-Stavus (mining equipment) and Kovohute Rokycany (copper and nickel) among others. |
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Architects seek public referendum on retention policy
Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service
Shimla, September 16 Seeking an end to the allurement by various political parties on the eve of elections in the form of retention policies, the association while echoing its concerns over the haphazard growth of Shimla said it was only a public referendum which would make it clear as to how many were in favour of such a populist decision. “Let the public, including voluntary organisations, as well as resident welfare associations across the town echo their views whether they are in favour of retention policy or let violators be dealt sternly as per law,” said Rajeev Verma, general secretary of the association. He termed the proposed policy to regularise unauthorised constructions by way of amendment to the Town and Country Planning Act as absurd, which will amount to encouraging violators. He said the public could register its opinion by way of referendum in the office of practising architects, which would finally be conveyed to the Secretary, Town and Country Planning. The architects did not mince words in stating that the six retention policies brought in by successive regimes had done more damage than benefit and this time too it was unlikely that the policy could be enforced before the model code of conduct was enforced. Verma said he, along with his other colleagues, was in favour of the issue being settled within permissible limits. “We want the promise of retention policy to go missing from the election manifestos of parties so that the town can grow in a planned manner,” he remarked. While presenting arguments both in favour and against the retention policy, he said the policy for which suggestions and objections had been invited had no cut-off date, which would lead to more violations. “Deviation in setback up to 99 per cent is unthinkable and it should under no circumstances cross 66 per cent along with adoption of a lenient view on using attic for some basic use and allowing the road-level floor for parking,” he suggested. A majority of the architects were of the opinion that there should be no more retention policies.
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Implement environment-friendly technologies, engineers told
Shimla, September 16 Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), RP Singh, chief guest, said there was an utmost urgency of crystallising climate responsive technologies for inclusive growth and sustainable development and their timely implementation to thwart rising temperatures, melting of glaciers and intensification of frequent heat waves. The expeditious harnessing of hydel potential in the country could prove to be a boon in the direction of reduction of carbon footprints (GHG emissions). It was unfortunate that so far only 25 per cent of available hydel potential had been harnessed. The SJVN had been doing its bit and its Rampur hydel project (412 MW) had been adjudged as 100 per cent clean development project by the World Bank Mission. He impressed upon engineers to work for the implementation of new environment-friendly technologies expeditiously in the larger interest of the society and the mankind. Chairman of the state centre Suneel Grover, in his keynote address, emphasised that climate change was the most serious challenge the society had ever faced and concerted efforts by involving people, along with public and private sector, would be required to mitigate its impact. Any initiative to reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions without the participation of common people would not produce the desired result. The major source of GHG emissions had been identified as Power Sector (28.9 per cent), Industrial Sector (12.3 per cent) and Domestic Sector (6.4 per cent). The contribution of the Power Sector was the highest GHG and the reason was that hydro power potential had not been tapped to the extent required. As against the total hydel potential of 1,50,000 MW available in the country, only about 30,000 MW had been harnessed.
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Change of BJP candidate from Badsar sought
Hamirpur, September 16 BJYM national secretary and in charge of Punjab affairs Rakesh Kumar ‘Babli’ and more than a dozen BJP office-bearers and elected representatives of panchayats yesterday demanded the replacement of Baldev Sharma. Talking to mediapersons here recently, they said, “We have made the BJP leadership aware that to win Badsar Assembly constituency we will have to change the party candidate. Though people of Badsar have been voting for the BJP, they will not vote for Baldev Sharma this time.” They said, “Since Baldev’s home had been merged in the Nadaun Assembly constituency, he no longer holds claim for the BJP ticket from the Badsar constituency.” The BJYM leader said, “I have been touring villages, and the general consensus among people is against fielding Sharma. A forum of old party workers has been formed.” The party leader alleged, “The Badsar MLA had been ignoring and persecuting old party activists and he has proved incapable of carrying the development of the area.” On being asked if he would contest the next election in case the BJP decided to field the sitting MLA again from Badsar, Babli said, “We have apprised Chief Minister PK Dhumal and BJYM national president and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur about the general mood of the people and the demand to change the leadership in Badsar. The next course of action will be decided by the forum at an appropriate time.”
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BIS certification made mandatory for steel
Solan, September 16 As per the BIS new guidelines, all manufacturers, foreign and domestic, can not manufacture, import, store or distribute steel and its products which do not conform to the standards and do not bear the ISI mark. The Union Steel Ministry as per its Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order, 2012, has made it mandatory for primary and secondary steel manufacturers to register with the BIS and seek a
licence. The steel industry is concentrated in Paonta Sahib, Kala Amb,
Baddi, Nalagarh and Barotiwala industrial areas of Solan district and
Sirmaur. Sub-standard or defective steel will be disposed of as scrap as per the scheme of testing and inspection by the BIS authorities. While this certification will put an extra financial burden on small units, the maintenance of quality will ensure better product availability to consumers. It was observed that poor quality steel items had been used in the realty sector for flats, which besides effecting the quality of construction had become a matter of concern for
buyers. Prem Sharma, Director (Marketing), Dev Bhumi Steel, Baddi, said the certification would hit only small players, and the industry in Himachal would have a minimal impact as various units had installed modern machinery along with quality labs. Jai Pal
Jain, owner of Jai Bharat Steel in Sirmaur district, said since the bureau had extended the deadline to March 31, industries had got sometime to switchover. |
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Ticket for Sudha Sushant opposed
Nurpur, September 16 The meeting, in which party ticket aspirants, office-bearers of the BJP Mandal and frontal organisations of the party were present, was presided over by mandal president Kartar Singh Pathania. It was also announced that if ticket was given to her she would be opposed in the elections. According to Pathania, it was unanimously resolved that Sudha was a weak candidate for the party as the electorate would not support dynasty rule in the constituency. He said the mandal had urged the party high command to allot party ticket to old party worker who was loyal and dedicated to the party. “The mandal has submitted copies of the resolution to national BJP president Nitin Gadkari, state party chief Satpal Satti, Chief Minister PK Dhumal and national party vice-president Shanta Kumar,” he asserted. He hoped that the party would consider its resolution. Madan Rana, state BMS delegate, Rajesh Thakur, state general secretary, BJP kisan cell, OP Chowdhary, state general secretary, BJP OBC cell, and Baldev Chowdhary, party candidate in the 2007 Assembly polls (all ticket aspirants), and Jagdev Thakur, Kangra Zila Parishad vice-chairman attended the meeting. The party had denied ticket to Sudha in the last election despite her resignation from government service, which had led to differences of her husband MP Rajan Sushant with the Chief Minister. |
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BJP criticises PM for allowing FDI in retail
Shimla, September 16 Interacting with mediapersons here, he alleged that the normally docile Prime Minister flexed his muscle only to promote the interests of the US. He claimed that the Prime Minister was ready to put the government at stake. He said the TMC, the BSP and the SP were opposed to the decision, but Manmohan Singh did not relent. Mitra accused the Prime Minister of having failed the country on the economic front and rushing with such decisions without taking UPA partners into confidence. He added that the decision having been taken under US pressure was obvious as Barack Obama had said reforms were not being pursued in India and the retail market had not been opened. He said the US policy was to constantly expand its economy, but with most traditional markets having reached a point of saturation, it was eyeing the Indian retail market. He claimed that this move would jeopardise the livelihood of over 4 crore small traders engaged in the retail business in India. He said Manmohan Singh had adopted a similar approach in case of the nuclear deal. He termed Coalgate as the biggest scam of the UPA. He said all coal blocks should be deallocated and a CBI probe should be conducted into the allotments under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court. |
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HLP lashes out at Centre, state govt
Bilaspur, September 16 This call was given by HLP spokesman and former Transport Minister Mohinder Nath Sofat while addressing a youth wing conference of the party at Ghumarwin in the district this afternoon. He said people were fed up of the ‘corrupt’ BJP and Congress and would get an alternative in the front formed by the HLP with the CPM, the CPI and others. He said the front would contest all 68 seats. He lashed out at the BJP and the Congress for failing to formulate any specific policy on generating employment. He said recent elections proved that people were opting for the third alternative. He declared that former MLA Karam Dev Dharmani would be the candidate from Ghumarwin. Dharmani criticised the Centre for the diesel price hike and demanded the abolition of VAT on diesel.
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Dhumal for socially responsible media
Shimla, September 16 He also said criticism should be healthy and based on facts and figures. The media was associated with socio-economic conditions and media organisations would have to be more accountable to the public, he added. He said the media should be monitored so that professional integrity and ethical standards were not sacrificed. Community participation was the goal the media should strive for, he added. He said the media should be fair, objective, relevant and truthful. There was a need for self-regulation to ensure that the professional code of conduct and ethics was adhered to, he added. Indian Media Centre chairman Chandan Mitra stressed on quality reporting and training of mediapersons. Centre director Shyam Khosla stressed on correct and factual reporting. Resolutions demanding the replacement of the Press Council of India, a re-look at sedition laws and doing away with the TRP system for television were passed. |
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Pensioners resent welfare fund misuse
Kangra, September 16 Kangra Central Cooperative Bank Pensioners Welfare Association secretary Ashwani Sharma said information procured under the RTI Act showed that pensioners were ignored while spending funds. While considering the allocation of funds generated from profit for 2001 to 2008, the annual general meeting of the bank had noted that the welfare fund and the pension corpus fund were the same, he said. The bank management had allocated Rs 7.61 crore to this fund, which was shown in the balance sheet, he added. He said the Managing Director had given an undertaking that the fund was created for pension. Sharma claimed that the bank earned Rs 18 crore as interest on the fund, but this income was not credited in the welfare fund account. He said the bank was making allocations since 1987 and Rs 26 crore was accumulated in the fund. He added that pensioners wanted the interest to be deposited in the pension corpus fund for restarting the pension scheme. He also sought the framing of rules for the utilisation of funds. |
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MC pleads to govt over dilapidated school building
Nurpur, September 16 In the meeting, which was presided over by MC Chairperson Krishna
Mahajan, the state government was urged to take immediate steps either to shift the school building from the historical Nurpur Fort premises or undertake repair and maintenance of the same as students had been studying in classrooms most of which are declared unsafe. The MC said if any mishap occurred in the building, the government would be responsible for it as the MC had time and again raised the issue with the government. The MC also resolved to submit a survey report of the loss incurred due to damage of streets, drains and retaining walls in the town due to downpour to the government and seek liberal grant-in-aid for repair and maintenance. |
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National honour for Chamba
Chamba, September
16 The event, organised by the Department of School Education and Literacy of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, was an integral component of the recently launched Saakshar Bharat
Abhiyan. Vice-President Hamid Ansari addressed the mahotsav. Union Minister of Human Resource Development Kapil
Sibal, UP CM Akhilesh Yadav and Joint Secretary and Director General, National Literacy Mission Authority, Jagmohan Singh Raju were among the dignitaries present. |
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Consumer awareness body lambasts UPA, Oppn
Kangra, September 16 State president, NCAO, Lt Col Shakti Chand (retd) and district vice-president Ved Prakash Shandil, in a joint statement here today, said it was an act to disturb the peace in the country. They blamed the Opposition too for creating a mess of the democracy as was evident from the recent monsoon session. |
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BJP seeks relief for HP
Shimla, September 16 In a statement here yesterday, state BJP spokesperson Ganesh Dutt said people who were in no position to bear the enhanced cost of LPG cylinder would automatically resort to felling to use wood as a fuel. “Keeping in view the blanket ban on felling in the state, the Centre must compensate Himachal by not enhancing prices in the hill state,” he demanded.
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Cook hit by safety valve cap, dies
Bilaspur, September 16 Reports said the incident happened when
Roshan, along with other cooks, was preparing a mass lunch for a political function at Uparla Smella village in Mandi district. He was taken to nearby Baldwada Primary Health
Centre, but died there. The police has registered a case. |
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The proposed 400-MW Sheli hydroelectricity power project on the Chenab will be an ecological disaster in the high-altitude Lahaul-Spiti as over 12,800 big and small trees and 44,386 saplings will be destroyed or affected on 276.1875 hectare of forestland to be diverted for the project.
Chamba, September 16
Solan, September 18
Lambasting the UPA regime for allowing FDI in the retail sector, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra today said the “pro-US” economic agenda being pursued by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was fraught with danger.
Interacting with mediapersons here, he alleged that the normally docile Prime
Minister flexed his muscle only to promote the interests of the US.
Shimla, September 16