Shimla, April 11
The failure of the state government to create adequate infrastructure for technical education has led to declining enrolment despite availability of funds from the Centre.

The dismal state of affairs can be judged from the fact that 42 of the 84 industrial training institutes (ITIs) and seven of the 10 polytechnics are without adequate infrastructure.

As many as 67 ITIs have neither hostel facility for trainees nor residential accommodation for staff. There is acute shortage of staff and extent of shortfall ranges from 23 per cent to 72 per cent.

While intake capacity of ITIs increased from 4,912 in 2007-08 to 16,520, percentage of enrolment declined from 93 per cent to 73 per cent over the period.

As many as 21 ITIs to which 1,080 trainees were admitted could not obtain affiliation from the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) due to deficiencies like shortage of equipment and insufficient infrastructure.

In his latest report, the Comptroller and Auditor General has indicted the government for indifferent execution of Centrally sponsored schemes.

It has pointed out that the government failed to utilise Rs 19.87 crore of the Rs 85.71 crore given by the Centre during 2007-12 for infrastructure and equipment.

It has said the faculty-student ratio of 1:16 prescribed by the NCVT has not been maintained from 2007-08 and has slipped to 1:33 at some institutions.
It further says poor faculty ratio is bound to have an adverse affect on quality of education which is reflected in sharp decline in placement from 60 per cent (2007-08) to 28 per cent (2010-11).

The engineering college at Sundernagar and the pharmacy college at Rohru lack staff and infrastructure. Shortage of teaching staff is to the extent of 70 per cent.

There are only 12 teachers at the engineering college compared to a sanctioned strength of 37. There are just five teachers at the pharmacy college against the sanctioned 18 posts.

The faculty-student ratio is 1:27 compared to 1:15 prescribed by the All-India Council of Technical Education. Authorities at the engineering college have not obtained accreditation from the National Board of Accreditation for its courses.

Enrolment down 42 of 84 ITIs without adequate infrastructure Seven of 10 polytechnics lack infrastructure

Una, April 11
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said the candidate for the upcoming parliamentary byelection from Hamirpur could be from Una district.

Presiding over a party worker meeting here, he said they was considering various candidates from Una district. The statement assumes significance as the Congress had given the ticket last time to Jagdev Thakur’s son Narinder Thakur.

Narinder had left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to join the Congress. He had lost by about 70,000 votes to BJP candidate Anurag Thakur. The Congress has lost from Hamirpur for more than a decade.

Before Narinder, it had fielded from Hamirpur Ram Lal Thakur of Bilaspur. Since the Congress has done well in Una district this time, winning three of the five Assembly seats, speculation are rife that it may field a candidate from the area in upcoming byelection.

Sukhu charged Anurag with ignoring the area and staying more in Dubai and Mumbai than in Hamirpur. He claimed that people would give a befitting reply to the BJP.

Congress legislators Rakesh Kalia from Gagret and Kuldeep Kumar from Chintpurni alleged that many Congress leaders from their areas had worked against them in the Assembly elections.

Kalia claimed that 23 aspirants who had applied for the ticket worked against him, but no action had been taken against them. He added that he had filed a complaint against three aspirants who worked against him, but no action was taken.

Kuldeep endorsed the complaint and said many from the area had worked against him. The HPCC president said he had received 270 complaints from Una district, adding that an inquiry was on and no black sheep would be tolerated.

Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri informed party workers about various development activities being carried out in Una district. He alleged that constituencies represented by the Congress had been ignored by the previous government.

He asserted that the present government would give preference to the entire district in terms of development. The first meeting of new HPCC president was attended by a large numbers of workers in the district.

Shimla, April 11
Based on the inquiry report into the firing incident resulting in the death of a local youth near Totu in January this year, the government has ordered criminal as well as departmental action against constable Ranbir Singh who had fired the bullet which claimed the youth’s life.

The inquiry into the incident which took place on the night of January 9 had been entrusted by the government to NK Lath, Additional District Magistrate, Law and Order, Shimla. Based on the inquiry report completed within just 18 days, the Home Department ordered that departmental action be taken against the constable along with criminal proceedings.

Lath is posted as Additional District Magistrate, Shimla, at present. He said the inquiry had been conducted on various points, including whether or not there had been a failure of judgment on Ranbir’s part. Lath said he had also looked into circumstances as well as provocation which led to the scuffle between the police and the youths at the parking lot.

Twentyfour-year-old Udai Singh Panwar of Chakkar died and two of his friends seriously injured in a shootout resulting from the scuffle between the youths and two policemen at Kainchi Mod near Totu around 11:30 pm. The constable had said he fired at Udai’s legs but the bullet hit his abdomen because he ducked.

The incident had sparked protests by the deceased’s family and friends and residents who alleged callousness and insensitivity by the police in handling the case. The main grouse of the family was that Udai succumbed to injuries at 2 am and they were not informed. A doctor attending on Udai had informed a lawyer who was a friend of the family.

In their defence, the police had alleged that the youths were involved in criminal activities. The police said they suspected that the youths had come to the parking lot with the intention of stealing a vehicle.

Senior police officials had defended the action by saying the personnel fired in self-defence. Cases had been registered by the two policemen and the victim’s family.

A case had been registered against policemen Ranbir and Rahul under Section 304 of the IPC. A counter-case had been registered against the three youths under Sections 307, 353, 332, 579 and 511 of the IPC.

Shimla, April 11
The denial of hostel facility to 19 differently abled girls at the Portmore Girls School has raised a question mark over the ability of the government to provide inclusive education.

Four vision impaired girls had been admitted to the school two years ago when there was no school providing inclusive education as mandated under the Persons With Disability Act and the state disability policy after the non-government organisation Umang Foundation pursued the case.

This year 10 hearing impaired and nine vision impaired girls took admission in the hope that they would be extended the facility of free board and lodging, but the school authorities expressed inability to accommodate them in the hostel on the grounds that it was specifically meant for girls belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Foundation Chairman Ajai Srivastav took up the matter with Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy and drew his attention to the fact that the high court had, on his petition, ordered the government to provide free board and lodging to the girls admitted earlier.

He said since there was no other school in the state providing inclusive education with hostel facility, the girls took admission to Portmore only because of free board and lodging.

Srivastav urged Roy to intervene and ensure that that accommodation was allotted. He pointed out that the hostel facility should be made available as persons with disability were the most underprivileged.

He added that the government should immediately provide a trained graduate teacher (TGT) and a postgraduate teacher (PGT) as there was no special educator for students with hearing disability at the school.

He further said the government had recently appointed one TGT for the blind after intervention of the high court, but a PGT was required for class XI and XII students.

He urged the Chief Secretary to ensure the facilities like study material in Braille, computers with talking software and audio books werre provided to the school and it was developed as a model for inclusive education. He said one school in each district should be equipped with staff and infrastructure in the next phase.

Kangra, April 11
The nine-day Chaitra Navratras began with religious gaiety and fervour at the Bajjreshwari, Jwalamukhi and Chamunda temples today.

Deputy Commissioner (DC), Kangra, C Palrasu paid obeisance at the Bajjreshwari temple and attended the sapat chandi maha yagya for the well-being of people and national peace and tranquillity. Sixteen priests made offerings in the yagya.

With paying offerings in the holy fire of the havan this morning, Palrasu declared the Navratra festival open. He attended the traditional flag-hoisting function in the temple, an annual feature held on the first day of the bi-annual festival.

Palrasu said thousands of pilgrims thronged the Shakti peeths of Bajjreshwari, Jwalamukhi and Chamunda temples in the district today. All arrangements for security and law and order, besides for the convenience of the visiting pilgrims, had been completed, he added.

Palrasu said issues of parking and drinking water for pilgrims were sorted out as more parking lots were opened and drinking water facilities were improved.

He said the Kangra District Police Chief had visited the Chamunda Devi temple to take stock of the situation there. Palrasu said he would be visiting the Jwalamukhi temple tomorrow.

Palrasu reviewed the security arrangements and directed the police to take all steps to maintain security in the temple towns. He said six armed reserves had been deployed in the three temples and 280 Home Guards too were deployed to regulate pilgrim traffic and maintain law.

He said police personnel in civil clothes too had been deployed to keep a vigil on anti-social elements. The police was keeping an eye on hotels in all the three temple towns, he added.

The pilgrims visiting the temples were frisked and asked to pass through metal detectors. Coconut as prasad was not allowed to be taken in the temple.

Pilgrims from different states started thronging the temple towns from the wee hours today.

Pilgrims from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir visited the Nagarkot Dham to pay obeisance to Goddess Bajjreshwari.

SDM, Kangra, Ajit Bhardwaj visited the main markets of the town, leading to the temple on foot and got the encroachments removed. He made a special request to the local business community to cooperate with the authorities for providing better facilities to the pilgrims visiting the town. 

Nurpur, April 11
The HRTC today launched its new bus service from Pathankot to Dehradun via Nurpur. Local MLA Ajay Mahajan flagged off the bus.

While thanking the Chief Minister and the Transport Minister for fulfilling the long-standing demand of people of the area by starting this bus service, he said he would also raise the demand of a Nurpur-Ludhiana bus service. He said this bus would leave from Nurpur at 3.45 pm and reach Dehradun at 6 am and leave from Dehradun at 8 pm and arrive at Nurpur at 9 am. He also apppreciated the nod given for the bus stand at Nurpur.

On this occasion, Divisional Manager, HRTC, Vijay Sapiya, Regional Manager Subash Singh and Municipal Council Chairperson Krishna Mahajan were also present.

Shimla, April 11
SK Shad, former Planning Adviser to the state government, has urged the government to constitute a commission for ascertaining the reasons for less Non-Plan Revenue Deficit Grant (NPRDG) by the 13th Finance Commission and fix responsibility for it on officials to ensure that the mistakes were not repeated before the 14th Finance Commission.

The state has been facing financial crisis due to reduction in the NPRDG from over Rs 10,202 crore (12th Finance Commission) to Rs 7,889 crore for the 2010-15 period and failure to take timely action could land up the state in a similar mess for 2015 to 2020 period.

He said the grant was reduced due to the presentation of wrong data, which was different from the data in the budget documents.

The recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission had been used as a shield for the failures of officials and politicians and used to build a strong argument before the Planning Commission for higher allocation.

However, the fact was that the overall devolution recommended to the state for the five-year period was 50 per cent more as compared to Rs 14,450 crore for the 2005-10 period due to favourable dispensation in respect of state specific grants, he said. The devolution to Haryana was only Rs 19,470 crore less than Himachal and for Punjab, Rs 25,687crore, Rs 4,000 crore higher, even though their revenue expenditures were more than double in comparison.

Further, Uttarakhand, a special category state, and Assam and Sikkim did not get any NPRDG. No state except Himachal had made a hue and cry over the recommendations, he said.

Further, he said the share in the Central taxes and duties to the states had been increased from Rs 3,203.22 crore to Rs 11,327.30 crore during the 13th Finance Commission, which was 253.62 per cent higher and the grants to the local bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions had been increased from Rs 155 crore to Rs 641.50 crore, a hike of 313.87 per cent. The forest grants were raised from Rs 20 crore to Rs 100.60 crore, 403 per cent higher. Similarly, the state specific grant was increased from Rs 50 crore to Rs 600 and disaster relief fund from Rs 400.52 crore to Rs 650.30 crore.

The only major cut was on the NPRDG, which was due to the presentation of wrong facts before the commission and as the 14th Finance Commission had already started the exercise, the government must probe into the reasons for less devolution and take steps to ensure that the folly was not repeated and the state got its due.

Kangra, April 11
The training and placement cell of the School of Business and Management Studies (SBMS), Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), is organising a placement event on April 13.

Dr Ashish Nag, convener, Training and Placement, SBMS, today said Genpact Pvt Ltd, a leading finance company, was going to hire finance and accounting, backend, insurance, supply chain management, banking, customer service and collections profiles.

He said the students pursuing the final year of BA, BCom, BSc, BTech, BCA and MBA were eligible to participate in the drive. He said the selection process would include three rounds of written exam, interview with the HR team and a telephonic interview with line manager.

Candidates clearing the rounds would be given a conditional offer and could join after the completion of the course, he added.

Nag said the venue for the selection would be the Temporary Academic Block of the university at Shahpur in this district. The company would offer a post of process associate to the selected candidates and they would have to attend a training programme for six-eight weeks followed by a placement in the Delhi NCR region. Prof Yoginder Verma, Pro Vice-Chancellor, CUHP, has asked all the colleges and institutions in the neighborhood to send eligible students in the placement event.

Manali, April 11
One person was killed and six others were injured when a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus plying on the Delhi-Manali route fell into the Beas at 15 Mile village on the Manali-Kullu national highway, 16 km from here, this morning.

The bus was carrying 16 passengers. The driver lost control over the bus and it plunged into the gushing waters of the Beas flowing 30 feet below the Manali-Kullu highway.

All the passengers were rescued by some local youths and rushed to the Regional Hospital, Kullu. However, a passenger, identified as Lal Mohan, a resident of Bodh Gaya (Bihar), succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, while six others, including driver Hem Raj, are getting medical treatment.

According to HRTC Regional Manager Pawan Sharma, the Keylong depot bus was coming to Manali from Delhi.

The police, fire officials and local residents rushed to the spot to carry out the rescue operation. According to the police, the body was sent for post-mortem examination.

Hamirpur, April 11
A two-day international workshop on “Exploring Science of Transportation System”, being organised by the Mechanical Engineering Department of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Hamirpur, began here today.

Prof MK Surappa, Director, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar, was the chief guest at the function and inaugurated the workshop by lighting a lamp. Dr Rajneesh Shrivastav, Director, NIT, presided over the function.

In his inaugural address, Professor Surappa said, “In the Indian scenario, developing a strong road system is very important to improve the transportation system. Institutions have a very important role in developing it since better strategies for improving the transportation system cannot be developed in isolation.”

He appreciated the initiative of the Mechanical Engineering Department to set up a research group for transportation system.

Delegates from Japan, Iran and a few other countries would also present their research papers in the workshop.

Talking about the theme of the workshop, coordinator Dr Somesh Sharma said the scholars would present their papers based on modern research related to science of transportation system and suggest ways for developing effective transportation systems.

Prof RK Pant from IIT, Mumbai, also deliberated in the workshop today.

Dharamsala, April 11
The Punjab and Himachal Gorkha association has demanded unconditional apology from former minister and BJP MLA from Dehra Ravinder Singh Ravi pending which it threatened to launch a nationwide agitation.

Association president Bhupinder Singh Gurang said despite their strong protest, the BJP MLA had not tendered an apology for his statement against the community.

Participating in a debate on wild animal menace in the Assembly on April 5, the BJP MLA reportedly proposed that Gorkha and Naga regiments should be posted in Himachal Pradesh to check monkey and stray dog menace.

He expressed the view that Gorkhas and Nagas were found of dog and monkey meat. He observed that there was a considerable drop in monkey population earlier when the regiments were posted in the state.

Ravi had later claimed that he did not intend to hurt feelings of any community and was reported out of context. He had alleged that he was referring to the problems being faced by farmers due to wild animal menace.

The statement did not assuage feelings of the Gorkha community. They demanded an unconditional apology from the MLA within one week failing which they threatened to spread their agitation across the country.

They complained that the MLA’s statement had hurt their religious feelings as they were staunch Hindus and worshipped dogs and monkeys.

The Gorkha community has considerable presence in Himachal Pradesh. With the parliamentary byelection around the corner, the agitation may turn into a political movement.

Shimla, April 11
The state government will review its position with regard to providing personal security officers (PSOs) to VIPs in the state considering the threat perception faced by them along with complete adherence to norms pertaining to fitness and weapon training so that personnel guarding them are proficient and not mere status symbols.

Senior police officials discussed the issue at length with Additional Chief Secretary for Home Prem Kumar here today. At present 120 PSOs from the CID and armed police training have been provided to various dignitaries, including the Governor, the Chief Minister, the Chief Justice, Judges, bureaucrats, police officers and the Dalai Lama.

A detailed report will be prepared by the police on the basis of which the government is likely to review position with regard to PSOs. Sources said this will depend on threat perception faced by the VIP and fitness of personnel deputed.

An important aspect of the exercise will be ensuring that PSOs are fit and trained in use of weapons provided to them. Some of them have been found to be lacking knowledge of proper use of weapons like AK-47 and carbines given to them for security purposes. It will be made mandatory for them to undergo firing practice and weapon use by June 30.

Mandatory age condition where they should ideally be below 40 years and minimum qualification of class XII passout will be enforced strictly with possibility of exception being made in rare cases. The main endeavour will be to ensure that PSOs are professionals.

It will be made mandatory for them to undergo training with organisations like the National Security Guard, the Army and police training colleges at regular intervals. There are four main categories of dignitaries with security cover. The Z-plus security is provided to the Prime Minister and his family.

The three other categories are Z, Y and X. Barring the Governor, the Chief Minister, the Chief Justice and the Dalai Lama, most dignitaries are in the X category. These officers are provided a security cover of two personnel.

Solan, April 11
The administration of the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial area has stepped up its drive to rid the area of jhuggis, after the involvement of its dwellers in several crimes in the recent past has come to the fore.

It was observed that migrant labourers from various states, including Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh had been indulging in various crimes like thefts, murders and rape. It had become a tough task for the police to trace them in the absence of adequate information. The police has, therefore, initiated a move to verify the antecedents of those residing in the jhuggis here.

Since a thorough exercise to register them had never been undertaken in the past, several crimes had remained undetected after the migrants had disappeared after committing the crimes.

The registration of the migrants is, therefore, supposed to help the police trace them in case they are found involved in a crime.

Police officials, however, on condition of anonymity admitted that it was a tough task to verify their antecedents as the police stations of these states did not respond positively to such letters sent by the BBN police.

What added to the problem was the staff shortage prevailing in the BBN police, as a dedicated staff could pursue all such cases on a regular basis while the routine work kept the police busy throughout the industrial belt.

The police, in a joint move with the administration, had cleared various jhuggis in Baddi and Barotiwala.

The presence of unauthorised arms in the jhuggis had also become a cause of concern as they had been used in committing various crimes.

Superintendent of Police (SP), Baddi, Arul Kumar said three cases of country-made weapons being used had come to light in the BBN area in the past one month and these arms were being smuggled from Moradabad and Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh through the migrants.

He said they were seeking direct police verification from the police stations of various states about migrants whose involvement was found in various crimes. 

Chamba, April 11
The three-day legendary Suhi fair in Chamba commenced here today with the singing of songs in the praise and memory of Rani Sunayana, who valiantly sacrificed her life for the well-being of her people. The fair will conclude on April 13.

The fair is being celebrated on the premises of the palanquin-shaped Suhi temple located on a hillock above Chamba town.

“The local civic body has made all possible arrangements for the celebration of the annual Suhi fair,” said Municipal Council president Anita Thakur.

The fair also reminds one of the past time when Chamba town came into being. Thus, the fair also symbolises the “foundation year” of the Chamba state.

Meanwhile, all local organisations have urged the state government to declare Suhi fair a “district-level fair”. 

Mandi, April 11
The Joint Sangharsh Samiti of local residents and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) are on a collision course over the construction of the 4.7-km Dadour bypass with the samiti accusing the NHAI of misleading the Ministry of Surface Transport and National Highways on the cost of construction.

A delegation of the Himachal Kisan Sabha, the Beopar Mandal and residents of panchayats of Dadour, Bhour, Kanaid and Chowk submitted a memorandum for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the Mandi Deputy Commissioner.

The delegation alleged that the NHAI was misleading the ministry on the cost of the construction, which would be less as compared to that of the present alignment.

Samiti president Joginder Walia claimed that the alignment with 24-metre width would affect a thickly populated area, wells, schools, hospitals, places of worship and the business community on both sides of the proposed four-lane road. They claimed that the NHAI would displace 250 houses and 150 shops.

They said the cost worked out was about Rs 87 crore. They said the NHAI was getting laid 45-metre width for Rs 108 crore and cost escalation would be just Rs 21 crore.

Samiti members Guria Ram, Vijay Abrol and Vijay Thakur threatened to launch an agitation if the bypass was not included in the project.

NHAI Chief Engineer Satish Kaul said there was no change in alignment. “The NHAI is getting the width required on the Dadour section. The bypass will cost Rs 90 crore more and the road length will increase by 1 km,” he said.

Chamba, April 11
The forest checkpost at Karian, on the Chamba-Bharmour highway, formally started functioning this week, a spokesperson of the Forest Department said here today.

The decision to start the checkpost was taken in the wake of the proposal for a four-year extraction cycle of medicinal plants in Bharmour and Chamba forest divisions, which had already been recommended to the Government of India, the spokesperson said, adding that the proposal was expected to be okayed by the Centre in the near future. The checkpost would go a long way in preventing the illegal transportation of valuable medicinal herbs and other forest wealth, the spokesperson stated.

He said the checkpost would have a deterring effect on the smuggling of medicinal plants like naagchhatri, guchhi and other rare herbs from the remote and biologically rich areas, illegal mining of sand and bajri from the Ravi, besides the dumping of muck and building waste on its banks.

Bilaspur, April 11
At least 40 schoolchildren, from class VI to VIII of Government Senior Secondary School, Soldha, 60 km from here, were taken ill today afternoon. All children either fell ill in the school itself or after reaching home.

The children complained of stomach-ache and diarrhoea and were rushed to the nearby Primary Health Centre (PHC), Malokhar, where they were treated by a pharmacist in the absence of a doctor. Later, a child, Tamanna, was shifted to the PHC, Markand.

The school authorities said all the students were given a dose of iron and folic acid before they took their meals, prepared in the school under the mid-day meal scheme.

All the students who had fallen ill had taken the dose for the first time.

It is also being said this dose should have been given after the meal and not before it.

While some suspect it to be a result of the iron and folic acid dose, doctors said it could not be due to the dose, but a result of eating unhygienic food and was a case of “food poisoning”. No child is in danger as a team of the Health Department had already rushed to the spot.