Cabinet Decisions

* Rape victims will get monetary help, shelter, counselling, medical aid, legal assistance, education and vocational training

* VAT on diesel will be reduced from the present 9.70 per cent to 9.60 per cent

* Five per cent of pension allowance will be released to retirees in the age group of 65 to 80

* Information Technology Education Society will be formed to regulate the service conditions of IT teachers engaged under outsourced arrangements in various schools

* Approval given for filling of 154 posts of forest guard in the Department of Forest

* New ITIs with two trades will be opened at Dehar in Sundernagar, Naina Devi in Bilaspur and Sunni and Kharahan in Shimla

Manali, September 18
The 13,050-ft-high Rohtang Pass, gateway to the Lahaul-Spiti valley, today experienced season’s first snowfall, while lower parts of the region were lashed by heavy rain, causing a sharp fall in temperature.

The entire higher reaches of the Manali region, including the Pir Panjal ranges, the Hamta Pass, Bhrighu slopes and the Beas Kund, also had fresh snow.

Due to fresh snowfall in the entire higher reaches in the Manali region, wintery conditions made people take out their woollens.

Sources in the Border Roads Organisation (BR0) said the 4,883-m-high Baralacha Pass on the Manali-Leh highway also experienced fresh snowfall today.

The Himachal Road Transport Corporation has suspended its bus services on the 475-km-long Manali-Leh highway.

Vehicular traffic on the Manali-Kaza road in the Spiti valley has also been disrupted due to fresh snowfall at the Kunjum Pass.

According to Himachal Road Transport Corporation, all buses plying to the Lahaul valley, including Keylong, Udaipur, Trilokinath, Jalma and Darcha from Manali, has suspended today.

Continuing spell of heavy rain and fresh snowfall on the entire higher reaches of Lahaul-Spiti and Kullu valley have also disrupted adventure tourism-related activities.

Dharamsala, September 18
Nature’s fury again wreaked havoc on residents of T,ali village. They had lost their houses last month as the hill on which they were camping started sliding. Yesterday heavy rain damaged the tents in which around 80 displaced residents of Tali were housed, further damaging whatever remains they had salvaged for their deserted village.

The villagers along with block Congress president of Jwalamukhi Nardev Kanwar met Deputy Commissioner (DC), Kangra, KR Bharti. They alleged that their tents had been torn down due to rain.

They had to spend the night in the open in the forest area in which they were lodged. Their belongings were also damaged, they alleged.

Kanwar demanded that the displaced residents should be housed in some pucca building till they were provided land for constructing new houses.

Tali, a small village located in the remote forest area of Khudian panchayat in the Jwalamukhi developmental block of Kangra district, became totally inhabitable.

All the 14 families of the village, comprising 80 persons, were now living in tents provided by the district administration in the forest area near Khudian braving heavy rain and lack of basic amenities.

Since the primary vocation of villagers was animal husbandry, they were surviving in the same tents along with their domestic animals.

The Power Department had demanded an amount of Rs 1.25 lakh from the district administration for giving temporary power connections to the displaced residents.

The DC said the district administration provided tents free of cost to the displaced.

Besides, they were provided Rs 5,000 per family as an ex-gratia grant. The damage to their houses was also assessed earlier and displaced villagers were provided financial grant ranging from Rs 30,000 to Rs 60,000.

The DC also admitted that since the entire village area was sinking and was not fit for rehabilitation, the residents would have to be provided alternative land for houses.

The process for identification of land had already been started, he added.

Kangra, September 18
The Kangra valley has been lashed by heavy rain since last night coupled with fog and a mild snowfall, a first of the season, on the Dhauladhar mountain range overlooking the lush green Kangra valley and dropping the temperature considerably.

The rain started last night and continued till this afternoon. Kangra town received 80 mm of rain during the past 24 hours. Life was thrown out of gear following the rain, and traffic was also disrupted on some link roads.

Mercury dropped considerably following the first mild snowfall on the Dhauladhars.

Most people remained indoors due to the heavy rain today. Vehicles were forced to move with headlights on as it was an evening-like situation in the morning.

Rain also lashed the Palampur, Mallan Yol, Jwalamukhi, Shahpur, Gaggal, Kotla, Dehra and Ranital areas.

Most of the rivers in the valley were swollen following the rain. School-going children had also faced the wrath of rain.

Nowadays marriage season is at its peak and the incessant and unprecedented rain with mild cold in the valley has put families to inconvenience. 

Shimla, September 18
Eyebrows have been raised over the decision of the government to carry out a second inspection for the enhancement of seats in a private university after the closing of admissions, making a mockery of the State Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission.

The government, after conducting an inspection to ascertain the availability of faculty and other required infrastructure, had granted approval for various courses along with an intake to various universities in July itself so that admissions for the 2012-13 session could be carried out as per the norms set by the commission.

Accordingly, the admissions were closed on September 10 (extended from August 30) and univerisites were required to upload the details of students admitted by September 15.

However, the government constituted a second committee for inspection in respect of the Baddi University of Emerging Sciences and Technology for the enhancement of intake for the session on September 4. The inspection was conducted on September 13.

In case the government enhances the number of seats on the basis of the second inspection, it will not only put the commission in an awkward position, but also contravene the State Regulatory Commission Act under which it is empowered to lay down the norms in accordance with the UGC regulations.

Moreover, any such precedent will open a Pandora’s box as other universities will seek similar favours, which will make the commission irrelevant.

It will encourage universities to admit more students than the approved number of seats and get these enhanced subsequently.

It will put the entire exercise, being carried out by the commission to bring transparency in admissions, to nought.

It is not the first time that the government has tried to undermine the authority of the commission. Recently, the commission issued notices to two private universities for advertising unapproved courses in violation of its directives, but the government came to their rescue by granting approval for the courses concerned.

Meanwhile, some universities, including Bahara University, Career Point University, Eternal University and Indus University, have already put the details of admissions on their websites by the stipulated time. 

Shimla, September 18
“Journalists have to exercise abundant caution and restrain in reporting events and issues to maintain the credibility of the media amidst the ongoing “explosion of information,” these views were expressed by experts at a national seminar on the challenges posed by the digital age, organised at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), here today.

In his inaugural address, HPU Vice-Chancellor ADN Bajpai said digital communication was facilitating the flow of information as never before, but information must lead to the creation of knowledge. Journalists must analyse the available information and also think about its implications as mere publication of news would not help.

All sorts of news was being carried in the media these days, which had put a question mark over its credibility. At a time when the media had virtually been reduced as an industry with commercial interests controlling the flow of information, only “value-based journalism” could pull out the media from the “crisis of credibility”.

Resident Editor, Indian Express, Vipin Pubby said the digital modes of information like the Internet and mobile phone had empowered the common man, but it was not an unmixed blessing. All kinds of information was being disseminated without any check, polluting minds and creating a host of other issues. Information nowadays reached people first through cellphone, followed by radio, TV and newspaper, he added.

“The editors have to play the role of gatekeeper and ensure that only credible, authentic and verified information was passed into the public domain, ” he said.

Earlier, Birbala, Head of Journalism and Mass Communication Department, introduced the topic.

Palampur, September 18
Taking cognizance of the complaint submitted by Subhash Sharma of Palampur regarding alleged medical negligence in the case of the death of his brother Hans Kumar Sharma, the Medical Council of India (MCI), New Delhi, has directed the Registrar, HP Medical Council, Shimla, to investigate and take necessary action in the matter under Clause 8.4 of the Indian Medical Council Regulations, 2002.

The HP Medical Council has asked Dr Anil Chauhan, Principal, Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (DRPGMC), Tanda, to send a detailed report. The Principal has constituted a court of inquiry consisting of three senior medical college teachers headed by Dr Ramesh Bharti, Head, Department of Surgery.

The case relates to the death of Hans who met with an accident while alighting from a bus at the Palampur bus stand on December 10, 2009. After administering first aid, the victim was referred by Dr KL Kapoor of the local Civil Hospital to the Tanda medical college. Later, Dr Karan Singh also assisted Dr Kapoor while shifting him to Tanda. But the victim died on reaching the hospital.

Subhash, elder brother of the victim, and the family alleged that it was sheer medical negligence, non-professional and casual approach and glaring medico-administrative lapses that led to Hans’ death as he simply died of blood loss as indicated in the post-mortem report.

This incident had led to massive protests against the hospital’s callousness.

It took Subhash almost three years to obtain documentary evidence under the RTI Act, 2005, to come out with charges of medical negligence. He petitioned Chief Minister PK Dhumal who directed the DC, Kangra, to take action in the matter.

Later, the CMO, Kangra, at the DC’s behest ordered an inquiry, but the inquiry was not only shoddy, but also farcical as the complainant was never made a part of it at any stage.

Earlier, Dr Kulbhushan Sood, Joint Director, Health, Shimla, too had conducted an inquiry into the sorry state of affairs in the Civil Hospital, Palampur, alleged by the president, Palampur Welfare and Environment Protection Forum, under e-samadhan. However, this too fell short of expectations as it gave a clean chit to the hospital.

Subhash Sharma hopes that the present inquiry under the aegis of the Indian Medical Council will make an in-depth probe into the charges in a fair and impartial way.

Shimla, September 18
The CPM has decided to observe September 20 as national protest day in which massive demonstrations will be held throughout the state against the hike in the prices of diesel and limiting subsidy on LPG cylinders.

Member, State Secretariat, CPM, Tikender Panwar said here today that the UPA government had struck cruel blows on people one after another by doing this. “It has opened the multi-brand retail trade to foreign supermarket chains endangering the livelihood of more than four crore people occupied in retail trade and the mass of consumers,” he remarked.

He further accused the UPA regime of selling off shares of profitable PSUs and navaratna companies like NALCO and Oil India. He appealed to farmers, workers, women and youth to join the protest against such anti-people decisions. He also called upon transporters, shopkeepers and traders to join the struggle.

He also made an appeal by writing to principals of all schools to declare September 20 a holiday to save students and parents from inconvenience. 

Chamba, September 18
Five persons were killed on the spot when the Maruti car in which they were travelling hit a parapet and plunged into the Ravi near Kalsuin in an outlying area on the Chamba-Bharmour highway in the district yesterday, according an official report received here today.

The report said the bodies of the deceased had been pulled out from the river by the police with the help of locals while carrying out a rescue operation which continued for till late evening.

The deceased had been identified as Kalyan Singh, Kalaso, Makhouli, Kamal Kumar and Kirpa Ram, all residents of the contiguous areas of the accident site, the report said adding that the bodies of the deceased had been handed over to their kin for cremation after the postmortem.

The mishap occurred due to the carelessness of the driver of the vehicle.

Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Speaker Tulsi Ram conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner, Chamba, Sunil Chaudhary said an immediate relief of Rs 10,000 each to the next of kin of the disbursed had been disbursed.

Shimla, September 18
The government today ordered the posting and transfer of four IAS and one Himachal Administrative Service officer (HAS). RD Nazeem, Registrar, Cooperative Services, who is also holding the additional charge of Director, Energy, has been posted as Divisional Commissioner, Kangra.

Maneesh Garg, Secretary, Finance, has been posted as Divisional Commissioner, Shimla, relieving Ajay Bhandari of the additional charge.

Garg will continue to hold the additional charge of Secretary, Finance.

RS Negi, Divisional Commissioner, Mandi has been posted as Managing Director, HP Agro Industries Packaging Limited, of which he was holding an additional charge.

Budhi Ram Verma, settlement officer, Shimla, has been posted as Divisional Commissioner, Mandi, in place of Negi.

Rajdev Singh Jasrotia, an HAS officer, has been posted as Additional Secretary, Urban Development.

Chamba, September 18
The Chambial Sabha has shown concern over the destruction of natural resources in Chamba district in the aftermath of the construction of hydroelectric projects.

The sabha had decided to launch a plantation drive of different species of medicinal herbs and other saplings in all the 84 parganas of Chamba district with the help of the Forest Department, Dharam Malhotra, president of the sabha, said here yesterday.

The sabha had decided to grow at least two “billav pattar” plants in each panchayat of a pargana of the district so as to facilitate people worshipping Lord Shiva and celebrate the “nawalas”, thereby keeping the tradition revived, Malhotra said.

Malhotra added that Kishore Gupta had been nominated propaganda secretary of the Chambial Sabha, Chamba, and Sudesh Thakur general secretary of the Bhattiyat block of the sabha.