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Virbhadra leaves for Delhi over Cabinet expansion
CM launches 2nd phase of pulse polio drive
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Govt withdraws MC presidents’ power to sign cheques
In-service Postgraduation
Home Dept seeks IGP’s report on cannabis cultivation
Govt to ensure ready availability of medicines
Steps for Chaitra festival underway
NIT to help convert Hamirpur into solar town
CPM for inquiry into land with Carnoustie Eco Resorts
2.5 lakh students to appear in Class X, XII exams
Enrol entire dist population for Aadhaar cards: DC
11 schoolchildren injured as bus falls into gorge
Baddi jeweller shot at, looted
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Virbhadra leaves for Delhi over Cabinet expansion
Shimla, February 24 The government had to face embarrassment when former Union Telecommunications Minister Sukh Ram’s son Anil Sharma’s swearing-in had to be put off at the last minute. Sources claimed that the faux pas took place due to some miscommunication and the Chief Minister had decided to go to New Delhi as the postponement did not send the right message to the people and the party rank and file. Others claimed that the rival camp had stalled the swearing-in. In a related development, Sukh Ram, keen to see his son inducted into the ministry at the earliest, had a long meeting with Virbhadra here yesterday. Sukh Ram had earlier met Sonia Gandhi and other Central leaders after which decks were cleared for Anil’s swearing-in. Anil has been in line for induction along with Karan Singh ever since the Congress formed the government two months ago. In case the high command gives the nod to the expansion, the exercise may be carried out before the Budget session of the Assembly. The sources say Virbhadra wants to expand the ministry in one go instead of inducting one minister at a time. The expansion is important for the Congress in view of the impending byelection to the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency, vacated by Virbhadra. The snow-bound Rohtang Pass is officially opened only in June and the byelection may be held in July or August after the revision of electoral rolls. Meanwhile, there was no dispute over the choice for the post of Deputy Speaker. The high command cleared Jagat Singh Negi’s name. He is likely to be formally elected during the Budget session of the Assembly. However, aspirants to the posts of Chief Parliamentary Secretary will have to wait. During his last visit to New Delhi, Virbhadra had discussed the issue of inducting six Chief Parliamentary Secretaries and plans to appoint more chairpersons, but nothing was finalised. Latest Update
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CM launches 2nd phase of pulse polio drive
Shimla, February 24 Virbhadra Singh said though no polio case had been reported in the state for the last three years, a constant vigil had to be maintained and mass awareness campaign carried out to completely eradicate this dreaded disease. He exhorted people to ensure that each every child up to the age of five years was covered. Abhinav of Hamirpur, Vanshika of Arki, Solan district, Divyanshu from Ghanahatti, Kanishtha and Ushma from Shimla district and some other children were administered polio drops by the Chief Minister. He said the drive would be carried out on April 7 in snow-bound areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, Dodra Kwar area of Shimla and Pangi area of Chamba. The target was to administer polio drops to 6,80,679 children, and in all 22,627 personnel had been deployed and 5,669 booths set up to make the drive successful. He said children of nomadic Gaddi and Gujjar tribes were being administered polio drops at forest checkposts, and special arrangements had also been made at temple premises, major tourist destinations, industrial clusters and bus stands for this. Chandreshwar Prasad, Chairman, Shimla Zila Parishad, Shimla, Tikender Panwar, Deputy Mayor, Shimla MC, TG Negi, Advisor to the CM, Ali Raza Rizvi, Principal Secretary, Health, Dinesh Malhotra, DC, Abhishek Dullar, SP, and Amitabh Awasthi, Director, National Rural Health Mission, were present on the occasion. |
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Congress to protest phone tapping on March 5
Shimla, February 24 “It is a very serious issue. The scale of telephone tapping has no parallel and it cannot be justified. In the late 1980s, RK Hegde was forced to quit as the Karnataka Chief Minister after a telephone tapping scandal surfaced,” he said while addressing mediapersons here. Sukhvinder said, “Dhumal cannot wash his hands off it as the persons whose telephones were tapped included politicians, government officers, judicial authorities and journalists.” Under the law, telephones could be tapped with permission only to track crime, he pointed out. He added that the action of the previous government amounted to criminalisation of the state machinery. He said the Congress would protest in support of its demand for the registration of a case under the Indian Telegraph Act, the Information and Technology Act and other laws. He said the protests would be held at all district headquarters in the first phase and at the block level later. He said investigations were required to uncover the full dimensions of the act and expose those behind it. He claimed that information gathered from sources had revealed recorded conversation like “two packets for the junior boss and three packets for the senior boss” which needed to be deciphered. He said the Congress had raised the issue in the Assembly and Dhumal had replied that only the telephones of those accused of involvement in smuggling and anti-social activity were being tapped to track crime. Sukhvinder claimed that evidence of the tapping of over 750 telephones had been unearthed during the inquiry. Talking about the decision of the government to cancel the lease of land allotted to Ramdev, Sukhvinder said there was no vendetta behind it and only a wrong act of the previous government had been undone. He said both the government and the Congress respected Ramdev, but the lease deed was a small part of the large-scale grabbing of scarce land resources by the previous regime. He alleged that the previous government had blatantly promoted the land mafia and virtually put the state on sale. He added that this was the main Congress plank during the elections and it would carry out the mandate. |
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Govt withdraws MC presidents’ power to sign cheques
Dharamsala, February 24 The practice was being followed on directions from the Director for Urban Development. The practice was discontinued by the government now. The practice had been creating problems at certain places as municipal council authorities were not able to issue cheques as their elected presidents were not signing cheques on time. The practice was creating problems for the new government as most elected municipal council presidents were from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This move was welcomed by the union of executive officers and secretaries of municipal councils. Its general secretary RS Verma said some elected representatives had been withholding payment of contractors for political reasons. The move was resented by elected municipal council presidents. They claimed that they would be reduced to dummies with this government order. The previous government had conducted direct elections to the posts of municipal council president, but did not specify the powers. This placed precariously the municipal councils where directly elected presidents did not enjoy majority. The municipal council here is an illustration. The BJP is in a majority and the directly elected president is an Independent who does not enjoy the support of a majority of councillors. Internal politics had been hitting development work. It remains to be seen if the government move helps in expediting development works or intensifying politics. Minister for Housing and Urban Development Sudhir Sharma was not available for comment despite repeated attempts to contact him over the telephone. |
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In-service Postgraduation
Mandi, February 24 The Chief Minister has assured the HMOA that the government will examine the grievance, but the Health Department is firm on its decision on the grounds that most GDOs will go in for postgraduation which will result in acute shortage of doctors even as 200 more doctors are required in the peripheral areas of the state. The HMOA has said postgraduation seats were increased from 69 to 160 at the two medical colleges in 2010-11 and there is no question of GDOs going in for a course beforehand. They claim that the policy will reduce the number of GDO specialists at hospitals and adversely affect health services already reeling under shortage of specialists. “We met the Chief Minister and he assured that he would look into the demand of maintaining a 90:10 or 80:20 ratio between GDOs and doctors coming directly,” said HMOA general secretary Dr JN Chauhan. “We apprised the Health Minister of the government decision and hope that he will revise the decision,” he added. Doctors say there are 160 seats in postgraduation of which 80 are for the CBSE and 80 for the state cadre. They point out that 90 per cent of the latter are for GDOs and 10 per cent for fresh passouts from the
two medical colleges. They claim that most doctors who do postgraduation directly leave Himachal Pradesh as they get better pay packages. The HMOA had passed a resolution opposing the government move of reducing their quota from 95 per cent to 66 per cent. They had dubbed the move as anti-public and demanded a rollback. They claim that GDOs doing postgraduation are considered to be on duty. They say treating doctors doing postgraduation to be on study leave will deprive them of the chance to pursue super-speciality courses. Principal Secretary for Health Ali Raza Rizvi said the government had taken the decision keeping in view the shortage of doctors in the state. “We still need 200 more doctors. More than 150 GDOs going in for postgraduate courses will make the problem more acute in the peripheral areas,” he added. |
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Home Dept seeks IGP’s report on cannabis cultivation
Mandi, February 24 Additional Chief Secretary for Home Prem Kumar said they were trying to combat the illegal cultivation and had sought inputs from the police how to deal with it before planning a comprehensive strategy. He was here for an inspection of the regional forensic science laboratory building. He had a meeting with IGP central range Atul Kumar, Mandi Superintendent of Police RS Negi and state laboratory scientists. Prem told the IGP to submit the report to him so that a comprehensive strategy could be planned. The illegal cultivation is continuing in the Parbati-Sainj-Malana-Banjar-Ani belt in Kullu district, the Chauhar-Karsog-Seraj belt in Mandi district, parts of Chhota Bhangal and Bara Bhangal in Kangra district, the Churah tehsil in Chamba district, Chopal and Rohru in Shimla district and some parts of Sirmaur district. The police, with the help of the Narcotics Control Bureau, has been cutting the illegal crops over the years, but village residents continue to grow it on forest land with the police yet to break the smuggler-cultivator nexus. The crops are destroyed when mature due to which seeds are dispersed making it easy to regrow those next year. District revenue officers, forest beat guards and panchayat representatives are yet to be made accountable for the detection of illegal crops. Village residents continue to grow cannabis, opium and poppy as local leaders reportedly encourage them to fetch votes. Cannabis fibre is used for local handicraft products like ‘pulas’, shoes and baskets and seeds for cooking ‘sidoo’. The government has yet to find an alternative economic substitute to it. Attempts by non-government organisations to draw village residents away from the illegal cultivation have not been fruitful so far. Atul said the illegal cultivation was continuing as village residents were growing cannabis in remote areas making detection difficult. He added that the police had a paucity of funds for the destruction of this illegal cultivation. |
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Free travel in HRTC buses for govt school students
Kangra, February 24 Minister for Transport, Technical Education and Food and Consumer Affairs GS Bali said this today at the annual day function of Government High School at Thanabargran village falling in the Nagrota Bagwan Assembly segment. He said vocational training would be started in government schools shortly from Class IX and students after passing Class X examination with vocational subjects would get direct admission in polytechnic second year. He said to connect ITI, Sarotri, by road, Rs 10 lakh had been sanctioned, besides a DPR of Rs 2.5 crore had been prepared for connecting Thanabargran village with Bussal village by road. He announced Rs 2 lakh for the construction of a stadium in the village to be named after martyr Anij of Bargran. He said the IPH authorities had been directed to install a hand pump in the Naag temple there. He also distributed prizes among meritorious students. Later Bali attended the annual day function of Government College, Nagrota Bagwan. He said an engineering college in private sector would be set up at Nagrota Bagwan. He announced Rs 1 lakh for library books, Rs 1.50 lakh for basket ball and badminton courts and Rs 50,000 for furniture of the college. At a public meeting later at Tharu village, the Transport Minister announced that a Volvo bus would be started between Nagrota Bagwan and Delhi shortly. He announced Rs 3 lakh for a community hall at Tharu village. Kangra SDM Ajit Bhardwaj, BCC president Partap Choudary, secretary Maan Singh and Manoj Mehta were present. |
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Govt to ensure ready availability of medicines
Shimla, February 24 The new public sector undertaking will be set up on the pattern of the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation to help streamline the procurement, storage and distribution of drugs and other health-related supplies across the state. At present, the bulk purchase of medicines is being carried out by Civil Supplies Corporation, the main function of which is to procure and supply rations and other essential items through the public distribution system. Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur says he has discussed the proposal with the Chief Minister and has got the information required from Tamil Nadu. The government will also adopt the procurement procedure being followed in Tamil Nadu, which has evolved a transparent e-tendering system. Each strip and bottle of medicine procured for supply to government institutions will bear the stamp ‘government supply, not for sale’ so that supplies cannot be pilfered and sold in
open market. Samples from each batch of medicines manufactured for government supply will be sent to the drug laboratory. The medicines will be tested for quality and substandard drugs will not be allowed. The system being evolved for the supply of drugs will help cut down cost drastically and the ultimate beneficiary will be the common man. An independent public undertaking will not only ensure efficiency in the procurement of medicines and equipment, but also enable the Health Department to exercise more effective control over the purchase and distribution system. The Health Services Corporation in Tamil Nadu is also engaged in the procurement, storage and distribution of over a hundred veterinary drugs to dispensaries for animals under the control of the Directorate of Animal Husbandry. The Centre had taken an initiative to promote generic medicines and supply essential drugs free to state institutions, for which an effective and transparent procurement and distribution system had to be set up. Most states have set up such corporations and Himachal Pradesh is lagging behind. |
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Nominated member may head bank board
Dharamsala, February 24 The government amended Section 34 of the Himachal Pradesh Cooperative Act, 1968, a few days ago assuming the power to appoint a nominated person as the chairman of a society in which the share of its capital is over Rs 50 lakh. Only an elected director can be appointed as the chairman at present. The Bill for amending the Act can come up in the upcoming Budget session of the Assembly. There are 16 elected members and the government nominates three members of the board. During the last board elections, 12 elected members were from the BJP and four from the Congress. The Congress government has already removed three nominated members. The sources say lobbying for nominated membership has already started. Elections to the KCB board are due in September. In case some nominated member is appointed as the KCB chairman, he will be able to retain the post for a few months. Members are of the view that the government should maintain status quo by appointing an elected member as the chairman. The sources say pressure is being exerted on KCB Chairman RS Mankotia to resign. He is refusing to put in his papers on the plea that the BJP is in a majority on the board. There is no major charge against him due to which the government may find it difficult to remove him. A demand is also being raised from certain quarters that the Congress appoint a member from Kangra as the chairman. No government has appointed a person from the district as the chairman even though Kangra has the maximum members. The KCB is generating profit and benefiting members most of whom are small farmers. |
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Steps for Chaitra festival underway
Hamirpur, February 24 Carrying arms and ammunition in the temple complex and surrounding areas would be banned and police personnel deployed during the month-long festival. He said devotees would be issued permits for vehicle entry and traffic police personnel posted to guide visitors and regulate traffic flow. The administration directed the authorities concerned to provide drinking water and medical facilities, maintain cleanliness and check the use of polythene. The temple premises would be divided into four sectors for proper management and each headed by a sector officer. Shopkeepers were directed to instal fire extinguishers. BILASPUR: Steps are being taken in preparation for the month-long Chaitra fair, which will begin at the Baba Balak Nath temple, Shah Talai, 70 km from here, on March 14. Efforts are on to ensure cleanliness, 24-hour supply of clean chlorinated drinking water and electricity, maintenance of law and order, availability of essential items at reasonable rates and provisions for medical facilities and parking. This was stated by DC Ajay Sharma while reviewing arrangements for the fair and presiding over a meeting of the Mela Management Committee. He said Ghumarwin Subdivisional Magistrate Rajiv Kumar would be the mela officer. The mela area would be divided into five sectors and additional police and Home Guard personnel would be deployed this year, he added. He said a free round-the-clock langar would be organised and no serai owner would be allowed to overcharge devotees. Special buses would be plied and only small vehicles charging Rs 10 per passenger would be allowed from Shah Talai, he said. Noisy traditional drums, roadside vendors and disco jockeys etc would not be allowed, he added. Former legislator Biru Ram Kishore, Nagar panchayat president Anju Kumari and vice-president Pawan Kaushal and non-official committee members Shiv Ram Bhardwaj, Jeet Ram, Nand Lal Sharma, Surender Kumar, Jaswant Singh, Raj Kumar Chaudhary and Anita Kumari were present. |
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NIT to help convert Hamirpur into solar town
Hamirpur, February 24 NIT has been approached by the parishad for preparing a detailed project report (DPR) and installing solar lights. Hamirpur town has been selected by the Central Government out of two cities of Himachal Pradesh for providing the solar lighting system, the other being Shimla. Funds for the installation of the solar system will be provided by the Central Government for which a DPR is to be submitted by urban local bodies. The parishad had taken the services of a private agency to prepare a DPR, but it was not approved by the Central Government. NIT, Hamirpur, has an expert team which specialises in solar energy uses and its implementation. A hostel mess catering to more than 500 students is being successfully provided solar geysers and solar lighting system in the Hamirpur campus here. After preparing a DPR and design, NIT experts will also train parishad officials in the installation and upkeep of the solar lighting system. Initially, the nagar parishad will provide solar lighting system in large buildings like the Deputy Commissioner Office complex, Town Hall and District Courts and later every building here will be lit with solar lights. The NIT experts will prepare the DPR and design by April next and work on solar lighting will begin in two-three months. |
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CPM for inquiry into land with Carnoustie Eco Resorts
Shimla, February 24 It has also urged it to probe all the land deals effected during the BJP regime, including the land acquired in Sirmour by Carnoustie Eco Resorts Limited, company of BSP leader Mayawati’s brother Anand Kumar. Member of the state secretariat Tikender Panwar urged the government to take steps for reverting the 98 bighas to the state and ensure that no law and order situation was created as a result. His party would effectively counter the frivolous propaganda unleashed by the Yogpeeth. The allegation that the erstwhile BJP government allowed Carnoustie Eco Resorts Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Carnoustie company, which had been accused of money laundering and the real speculator, and with which Mayawati’s younger brother Anand Kumar was associated. There was a charge that the company gave heavy kickbacks to the previous government and some of the leaders of the then ruling party. It had violated the conditions under Section 118, Land Reforms and Tenancy Act, and pollution control norms. The CPM had also demanded a vigilance probe into the change of land use of the land surrounding the Annandale ground and expose those who had purchased land in its vicinity. Further, the government should acquire the land in the interests of national security and the state by paying a reasonable interest on the amount mentioned in the sale deed. |
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2.5 lakh students to appear in Class X, XII exams
Kangra, February 24 Disclosing this here today, Board secretary Rakhil Kahlon said 98,000 students of Class XII and 1.5 lakh of Class X would appear in 1,596 examination centres from March 4. She said for the first time fictitious roll numbers would be affixed on answer sheets of Class XII, including science, arts and commerce subjects, whereas for Class X only three subjects, maths, science and English, answer sheets would have fictitious roll numbers. She said the fictitious roll number affixing process had been outsourced, but the evaluation and other activities would be carried by the Board itself. She said spot evaluation of the answer sheets would start from March 28 at 32 evaluation centres in the state and Class XII results would be declared by the end of April this year. Board secretary said the results of Class X would be declared in May.
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Enrol entire dist population for Aadhaar cards: DC
Mandi, February 24 The cards were essential for getting subsidies, he said. In an interactive session with mediapersons here, the DC said they had extended the deadline given to the enrolling centres to collect data for Aadhaar cards in the district despite the fact that the contract with the company was over. “We expect to cover the remaining 1 lakh population by November this year, after which the facility will not be available in these centres,” he said. “The Government of India has decided to disburse subsidies and cash benefits to beneficiaries through Aadhaar cards,” he said. The DC said once the Aadhaar data was collected, they would verify the information before putting it online. “The UID is given to each applicant and if he has any complaint, he can just give his UID number to the centre,” he said. The DC said they had directed all 473 panchayats in the district to put in place a proper system of collecting solid waste. Pits had been made to dump biodegradable waste in them, he said. “They will collect plastic items from panchayats so that they are safely disposed of or recycled,” he said.
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11 schoolchildren injured as bus falls into gorge
Palampur, February 24 Hundreds of villagers from adjoining areas rushed to the spot and took the injured children to the Civil Hospital at Baijnath. Most of them were discharged after first aid. Kishori Lal, Congress MLA from Baijnath, reached the local hospital and supervised the relief operation. He asked the doctors to provide free medical aid to all the injured children He also assured children’s parents that necessary steps would be taken for the repair of the Paprola-Utrala road. The police has registered a case against bus driver Bachitar Singh under Section 304-A, IPC. Later he was released on bail.
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7 selected in placement drive at Arni University
Kangra, February 24 The interviews of the candidates were conducted by the company associate vice-president Rakesh Gupta and regional managers Rajiv Dhandha and Satinder Jeet. Congratulating students on the occasion, Arni University Vice-Chancellor Shri Kant Kaushal said private universities were facing a tough competition presently and only those which provided better and genuine placements to their students would survive in the long run.
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Baddi jeweller shot at, looted
Solan, February 24 The incident was a well-planned move as the youths, who appeared to be migrants, had visited the shop yesterday and enquired about a pair of ear-rings from Verma. Verma had told them that either he or his son would be available at the shop this morning and they could collect the ear-rings. The same youths arrived at his shop when he was alone and fled on a two-wheeler within minutes of looting the shop after firing a shot at him. They were recognised by Verma’s son who saw them flee. Verma was rushed to a local nursing home by his son. Verma revealed about the looting incident after gaining consciousness and the police was informed. He was later referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, where his condition was stated
to be stable. Verma had recently opened a shop at Sai Road near a private nursing home and hails from Bharatgarh area of Punjab. Superintendent of Police, Baddi, S Arul Kumar said they had registered a case and were on the lookout for the three miscreants.
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