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4 months on, no HRTC bus service in Lahaul-Spiti
assembly in session
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NWI condemns statement
Lone drug testing lab in state without analyst
246 cases of violation under Section 118 registered during 2010-12
Patients return without ultrasound, forced to visit private clinics
PCC chief for zero tolerance against corruption
Centre provides Rs 2.17 cr for cocoon sheds
Hamirpur Nagar Parishad passes budget of Rs 6.08 cr
HPU withholds interview result of 37 teachers
Cong misled people during elections: BJP
‘Ensure safety of people in border areas’
Chaitra Navratra fair
Dharamsala to host summer carnival
Insurance firm told to pay Rs 3.70 lakh to complainant
Training programme for faculty of polytechnics
Vivek is director of rural development bank
Ornaments, cash worth Rs 10 lakh stolen
Man imprisoned for eve-teasing
Youth killed in accident
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4 months on, no HRTC bus service in Lahaul-Spiti
Mandi/Keylong, April 8 Many of the HRTC officials are holidaying in Kullu and enjoying a ‘long luxurious winter break’, while the residents are at the receiving end. On the other hand, jawans and drivers of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), who maintain the Manali-Keylong-Leh National Highway, braved the sub-zero winter temperatures and restored road connectivity in the valley. But the sluggish HRTC is yet to wake up to the problems being faced by the residents. The people in the valley are held up in their houses in the winter months due to heavy snowfall as “babudom almost shuts down offices in the valley during the freezing winter months and make it an excuse for camping in Kullu,” resented the residents. “We are paying Rs 1,500 for taxi services from Udaipur to Keylong on a daily basis, as the HRTC service is not available here,” rued Dinesh Ajey and Rinzing, local residents. The patients seeking treatment at the Keylong regional hospital are the worst-hit. They have to pay Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 as transport charges,” said the two. The vegetables and other essential supplies have been resumed in the Kishtwar region of Jammu and Kashmir on the Killar-Udaipur-Keylong road. It was restored by the BRO about 10 days ago. The snow had melted in the lower Pattan-Tindi-Killar tribal belt, while the Chandra and upper Bhaga valleys still had a thick blanket of snow, sources in the BRO told The Tribune. BRO engineers said snow had been cleared from the Koskar-Keylong, Udaipur-Keylong and Keylong-Jispa-Darcha-Mehendinagar summer base camps of the Army. The BRO trucks are moving on the road, but the HRTC buses are getting rusted at their workshops or depots at Keylong, said the residents. HRTC regional manager Mangal Chand said the HRTC staff had booked flights to Keylong. For returning, no flight was available as Rohtang Pass remained closed due to heavy snowfall. The staff would reach Keylong via the Kishtwar route within two days, as they had received directions from the head office, he added. The HRTC staff, once in Keylong, will have to run the buses parked for the past four months. “We have to seek fitness certificates from the regional transport authorities as well,” Chand said. Lahaul and Spiti DC BS Thakur said they had taken up the matter with the HRTC and asked them to ply buses, as the roads had been restored in the valley. “Next time, we will retain the staff at Keylong so that the HRTC resumes service as and when the roads are cleared,” he said. The Keylong HRTC depot has started running 24 more buses from
Manali. |
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assembly in session
Shimla, April 8 The trouble arose when Kaul Singh, while replying to a call attention motion of Sarveen Chaudhary on the issue, said the BJP government had also downgraded health institutions and cited the example of Nurpur Civil Hospital. He said the Congress government had upgraded it into a 100-bedded hospital but subsequently the BJP regime downgraded it to a 50-bedded institution and again upgraded it later without providing any staff. This was objected to by former Health Minister Rajiv Bindal who insisted that requisite staff was provided and said the minister was misleading the House. Other members also joined him and after some heated exchanges with the treasury benches, the entire BJP group staged a walkout. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Agnihotri condemned the action by saying it uncalled for and said the BJP members did not want to sit in the House as they did not have any issue to raise. Speaker BBL Butail said the matter was raised under rule 62 and a member could only seek clarification on the reply of the minister and there was no provision for discussion. Earlier, Kaul Singh said the 30-bedded Community Health Centre was upgraded to a civil hospital on the poll eve without raising the bed strength or providing staff. He said the government had an open mind and it would upgrade institutions wherever required and feasible. Raising the issue, Sarveen Chaudhary said the annual number of outdoor patients was 1.27 lakh and 655 deliveries were performed in a year as against 757 in Nurpur and 786 in Kangra. It catered to 54 panchayats of Kangra and Chamba districts. |
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Gorkha community members protest against BJP MLA’s statement
Dharamsala, April 8 Ravi, in a statement during the recent budget session in the Himachal Assembly, had allegedly proposed that the Gorkha and Naga regiments should be posted in Himachal to tackle the monkey menace. As per his statements reported by a section of press, Ravi had said that Gorkhas and Nagas were fond of monkey and dog meat. Hundreds of members of the Gorkha community today gathered in front of the Dharamsala police station and demanded that a case be registered against the BJP leader for making defamatory statements against their community. They took out a procession from the Dharamsala police station to the Kachehri crossing raising slogans against Ravi. President of the Himachal and Punjab Gorkha Association Bhupinder Singh Gurum, while taking to The Tribune, said, “Our community is staunch Hindu. We worship monkeys as symbols of Lord Hanuman. Before the festivals of Dasehra and Divali, we worship even dogs. It seems that the MLA has no knowledge regarding the Gorkha community and its rituals.” “Ever since the statement of the BJP MLA has been reported, we have been getting calls from Gorkha soldiers posted across the country that the MLA’s statement had hurt their sentiments,” said Gurum. President of the Gorkha Vikas Parishad Sarvan Thapa said the Gorkha community was protesting across the country against the statement of BJP MLA. In a memorandum addressed to the state Governor, the Gorkha community has demanded an apology from the BJP MLA for the defamatory statement pending which they would start a country-wide agitation. The Gorkha community has also threatened to move court against Ravi. Ravi said he had been misquoted in newspapers. He had participated in a debate on the menace of wild animals and the problems being caused to the farmers in the state. I had not talked specifically regarding any community or species of animals and had not made any defamatory statement against anyone, he said. There is a considerable number of people belonging to the Gorkha community in the Dharamsala region. Most of the Gorkhas settled in Dharamsala are ex-servicemen who had served in the Army. Even the The Gorkha regiment was raised in Dharamsala during the British times. Many Gorkha families are settled in the Dharamsala region for the past more than 100 years. In case the issue is settled, it is likely to work in the favour of the Congress in Dharamsala in the coming parliamentary elections. |
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NWI condemns statement
Shimla, April 8 Taking exception to the statement, Negi said it was contrary to the entire Constitutional and legal provisions regarding animal rights and their welfare. He said it was a highly racist comment reflecting not only on the ethnic identity of the communities referred to but also an affront to the Army. He said during the BJP rule, despite a stay order by the High Court in operation, notification permitting the random killing of monkeys was issued. Such a suggestion by a former minister was in total disregard of the judicial sanctity of the order and by implication it violated the provisions of the Wildlife Act, 1972, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.The state BJP should make its position clear whether or not it endorsed Ravi’s statement. He alleged that certain individuals and political parties, instead of raising important issues, sought to whip up unreasonable antagonism towards animals. However, they were made to bite dust by the people in the just concluded Assembly polls and their manifestos had been soundly rejected. |
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Lone drug testing lab in state without analyst
Solan, April 8 This crucial post has to be filled in accordance with the provisions laid down in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and a candidate having adequate postgraduate experience in testing drugs apart from a graduate’s degree in the relevant field is eligible for the post. According to the Act, no other official is eligible to even receive samples of drugs which are sent to the lab for testing. As per the Act, a government analyst is supposed to compare the seals on the packet or on portion of sample or container with the specimen received separately and note the condition of the seals. No other official can, therefore, accept sealed samples in his absence. The failure of the government to initiate the process of appointing a government analyst well in time before the retirement of the last incumbent has adversely hit all the drug testing works and reflected the non-serious attitude in regulating manufacturing of drugs. Ashok Sharma, director, Food and Drug Control Administration, said they were seized of the matter and the government had been apprised about this vacancy and an officer would soon be appointed for the post. “The appointment has to be made after advertising the post and adopting the required procedure and it will take several months,” he said. Laboratory testing of seized samples is a crucial part of the drug regulatory mechanism in a state as it alone can confirm if the manufactured drugs are of standard quality or not. The quality of drugs sold by various chemists in the state is also tested in this lab apart from drugs seized by various drug inspectors from various retail counters. The state has about 700 pharmaceutical units and the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial area, which houses about 350 units, is known as the pharmaceutical hub of Asia. The absence of a government analyst will, therefore, put on halt routine works relating to testing the efficacy of drugs manufactured in the state and showing the state in poor light before the Central regulatory authorities. |
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246 cases of violation under Section 118 registered during 2010-12
Shimla, April 8 Priyanka Vadra and Prashant Bhushan are the prominent among outsiders who were given nod to buy land by the previous BJP government as per the written reply given by Revenue Minister Kaul Singh in the Vidhan Sabha today. Priyanka was given permission to purchase 922 sq m of land in Charabra, near Shimla. Aam Aadmi Party leader Prashant Bhushan was allowed to acquire 4.68 hectares near Palampur in Kangra district in 2010 for Kumud Bhushan Educational Society. Three private universities and 52 educational societies were also granted permissions for purchasing the land. Out of the 246 cases of violation of Section 118, 110 have been disposed of and 136 are pending. A maximum number of 61 violations were in Shimla district, followed by 47 in Hamirpur, 40 in Solan, 30 in Sirmaur and 28 in Kangra. Replying to a question, Kaul Singh informed the House that there was a shortage of revenue staff right from tehsildars and naib tehsildars down to patwaris. In all, 22 posts of tehsildars, 47 of naib tehsildars, 35 of kanungos and 595 posts of patwari were lying vacant in the state. He said the process to fill the vacant posts was underway and in case of posts to be filled through promotions, action would be taken after the verdict of the Supreme Court, which had granted stay in the matter. |
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Patients return without ultrasound, forced to visit private clinics
Nurpur, April 8 Patients Shahni, Nirmala, Mamta, Rano, Anil, Rajinder and Amit rued that after awaiting for 15 days they were refused ultrasound test yesterday and forced to visit private clinics for the same. They alleged that the radiologist who had not come last week, today refused to attend more than 20 patients and left the hospital after three hours. Hospital in charge SK Mahajan said the Rogi Kalyan Samiti was paying Rs 2,000 to the radiologist for his single visit to the hospital. Meanwhile, former local MLA, Rakesh Pathania threatened to gherao the radiologist if he failed to render satisfactory services to the patients. “The harassment to the patients will not be tolerated henceforth. Earlier a regular radiologist was doing around 45 to 50 ultrasound tests in a day, but now only 20 to 25 patients are being attended to,” he said. Chief Medical Officer, Kangra, Gurang said he would enquire into the matter and action would be taken. He admitted that there were no guideline for doing
only 20-25 ultrasound tests in a day from the Health Department. |
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PCC chief for zero tolerance against corruption
Nahan, April 8 He also urged the party leaders to keep a watch on the working of the officials who indulged in corruption and report about them to the state government. Earlier, he was given a rousing welcome at various places from Kala Amb to Nahan while visiting the district for the first time after assuming the charge as the PCC president. He attacked the BJP for having “perpetuated corruption” during its five-year rule in the state. He alleged that BJP MLA Rajiv Bindal had exploited farmers by selling their land to outsiders at higher prices. Adopting a tough posture against those indulging in indiscipline time and again, he said they would not be spared and tough action would soon be taken against them to send the right message in the party’s rank and file. He said 270 names of those having worked against the official nominees of the party had been received and action would be taken against them soon. While addressing party men from across the district, he said there was a need to introspect as they had lost three seats in Sirmaur district, which was the hub of the Congress. He said all the senior leaders of the district had an impeccable reputation and the need of the hour was to give a united fight against the BJP in the next year’s parliamentary polls. He said it was time to take tough decisions and he would not hesitate to act tough against those indulging in indiscipline time and again. He directed the party men to air their grievances within the party platforms and said using public platforms to do so would also be considered an act of indiscipline. Those who were present on the occasion included Chief Parliamentary Secretary Vinay Kumar, former MLAs Kush Parmar, Harshwardhan Chauhan and Gangu Ram Musafir among others. |
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Centre provides Rs 2.17 cr for cocoon sheds
Bilaspur, April 8 Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Forests and Fisheries) Rajesh Dharmani stated this while inaugurating the building of Silk Training and Demonstration Centre at Ghumarwin today. He said more than 450 families, mostly women from weaker sections, were presently employed in this cocoon production who supplement their income through this cottage industry. Dharmani said seven centres were preparing quality silk thread in this area, giving a boost to this industry. He said they were also getting better prices for their products in markets outside the state. A silk production awakening camp and a seminar was also held on the occasion which was addressed by experts from Sericulture Department officer Baldev Chauhan, REC Hatwaad scientist Dr SK Tyagi and Dr RK Dhingra, among others. Dharmani also distributed cheques, each worth Rs 17,500, to 25 families working in this field. A large number of silk cocoon producers were also present on the occasion. |
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Hamirpur Nagar Parishad passes budget of Rs 6.08 cr
Hamirpur, April 8 Twenty per cent of the budget will be spent on developing a colony for the weaker sections besides the completion of on going tiling works, installing streetlights in new areas and repair of drainage systems in the region. Another major expense to be taken care of will be meeting the salary expenses of the parisahd employees. The main sources of income will be the house tax worth Rs 90 lakh, rent from the nagar parishad properties of Rs 4.50 lakh, different fees collected by the parishad and collection revenue of Rs 1 per bottle from the sale of liquor in the town etc. |
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HPU withholds interview result of 37 teachers
Shimla, April 8 The new members of the EC, including MLAs Bamber Thakur, Harish Janartha and Chander Shekhar, demanded that the results of the interviews held last year should be withheld. The selection of 37 teachers in the departments of mathematics, psychology, political science, chemistry and some others had been made by the selection committee. The matter will be placed before the High Court for a final decision as the matter is listed for hearing later this week. “Since we doubt that the screening committee acted with mala fide intentions, we want that the results of the interviews be withheld and fresh directions from the court be sought on the issue which is already before the court,” said Harish Janartha, an EC member. The selections had been made by the HPU after obtaining a prior approval of the Election Commission of India (ECI) as the code of conduct had already come into force. |
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Cong misled people during elections: BJP
Shimla, April 8 Party spokesperson Ganesh Dutt said the Congress had all through been alleging that one lakh bigha of land had been given to private universities but in reply to a question in this regard, the government had stated that no land had been allotted to any institution . The Congress leaders, including Union Minister Anand Sharma and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, had been repeatedly stating during the election campaign that the BJP government failed to spend Rs 1,000 crore provided by the Centre and if it was so then the Congress government should utilise the unspent funds for providing unemployment allowance to youth as promised by it in its election manifesto. He charged the Congress regime with wreaking political vendetta on the employees by ordering vindictive large-scale transfers throwing norms to the wind. |
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‘Ensure safety of people in border areas’
Chamba, April 8 The SP, who is the chief of the security forces deployed on Chamba borders, directed the police and security personnel to ensure safety and security of people living in the border areas. He asked the police officials to behave with propriety with the public while protecting them and their property. At the meeting, the SP reviewed the facilities provided to the security personnel on the outer checkpoints set up on the border of Chamba district. |
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Chaitra Navratra fair
Bilaspur, April 8 Sharma has taken the step with a view to maintain law and order during the Chaitra Navratra fairs scheduled to be held in Naina Devi shrine from April 11 to 21. No one can carry or possess any type of weapon or arms or ammunitions, explosives, missiles or sharp-edged weapons during the ban period in the area. More than 12 lakh pilgrims are expected to visit the shrine during the 10-day fair from all parts of country. Another order passed by the DM bans the use of loudspeakers, DJs and other noisy instruments during the fair. Any announcement can only be made through the state Public Relations Department. He also ordered posting of 110 Home Guards jawans of the 5th Battalion posted here in district on the mela duty from April 9 till the end of the fair at the shrine apart from a large police force being posted here for a 24-hour vigil. |
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Dharamsala to host summer carnival
Dharamsala, April 8 He said the local talent, including folk singers of the region, would be given a chance to perform during the summer carnival. Various government departments will organise exhibitions during the carnival. It will provide an added spectacle to tourists who are likely to throng the region during summer months, he said. The summer festival is being organised in the district after a gap of four years. The previous government had discontinued the summer carnival at Dharamsala. However, till date the district administration has not announced participation of any major artiste during the proposed carnival. — TNS
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Insurance firm told to pay Rs 3.70 lakh to complainant
Mandi, April 8 The forum also awarded Rs 3,000 to the complainant as a compensation for harassment and Rs 2,000 as the cost of litigation. The forum, headed by president Rajiv Bhardwaj and members Rama Verma and Lal Singh, dismissed the plea of the company that the vehicle was stolen from a private repair shop and hence, the latter bore the responsibility for compensating the client. The forum found no reason why the company should not pay him the money for the vehicle insured with it. It was found that the complaint lodged by Sunil Kumar, a resident of Slappar, was legitimate and directed the company to pay him the insured amount of Rs 3.70 lakh with 9 per cent interest. The company could not prove that the owner of the stolen vehicle violated the terms and conditions of the insurance company. Sunil Kumar said he had insured his Mahindra pickup with the company, but it was stolen from a repair shop while the vehicle was still under the term of the policy. He cited the copies of the FIR lodged with the police and other documents for claims, but the company rejected his application and he moved the forum for the redressal of his grievance. |
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Training programme for faculty of polytechnics
Sundernagar, April 8 The programme is being delivered by the faculty of the National Institute of Technical Teachers’ Training and Research (NITTTR), Chandigarh, through video-conferencing facility. While inaugurating the programme, Vijay Chandan, director, Technical Education, Vocational and Industrial Training, thanked the NITTTR for making efforts for conducting the programme.
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Vivek is director of rural development bank
Bilaspur, April 8 Vivek was earlier selected by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who was the then in charge of the youth activities of the party, as the president of the HP State National Students Union of India (NSUI). Vivek thanked Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Congress state president Sukhvinder Singh and chairman of the State Planning Development and Twenty Point Implementation Committee Ram Lal
Thakur.
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Ornaments, cash worth Rs 10 lakh stolen
Palampur, April 8 A senior police officer briefing mediapersons said Urmila Devi of Kona village had gone to her son’s house last night. When she came back the next morning she found her house burgled and jewellery and cash over Rs 8 lakh stolen. In the same village, Chuni Lal’s house was also ransacked. He was away to Patti village near Palampur. He found the locks broken open and valuables, including jewellery worth over Rs 2 lakh, missing. The police reached the spot, along with a team of forensic experts. A dog squad was also pressed into service. But no clue was found till the filling of this story. Village residents have decided not to venture out their houses after sunset. They have also decided to guard the village in rotation. The police has registered a case under different sections of the
IPC.
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Man imprisoned for eve-teasing
Mandi, April 8 The judge observed that the accused was guilty under Sections 354, 356, 353 and 341 of the IPC. The police had lodged an FIR in 2009 after the husband of the victim, Prakash Chand lodged a complaint at Mandi police station. The convict will spend additional seven days in prison if he fails to pay the fine, the judge added.
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Youth killed in accident
Nurpur, April 8 Nurpur DSP said the victim met with an accident while overtaking a tipper.The person who was driving the motorcycle escaped unhurt. A case under Sections 279,337 and 304 of the IPC has been registered.
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