Shimla, October 21
Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar today cautioned that frequent disruptions of proceedings of the Parliament on trivial matters could seriously undermine the credibility of the highest institution of the democratic system.

Addressing present and former members of the Himachal Vidhan Sabha as part of its golden jubilee celebrations here, she said the tendency to stall the proceedings of the House was increasing and in the last monsoon session alone, 73.30 hours were lost due to repeated disruption of proceedings. It was not a healthy sign in a democratic system as people started losing faith in the institution itself over a period time.

However, the redeeming feature was that despite all the time lost, the House was able to pass several important Bills, including those pertaining to food security and land acquisition, were passed.

There was an urgent need to put an end to such unwarranted disruptions and it should be the duty of every member to maintain decorum and discipline in the House and not the sole responsibility of the Speaker. There were enough provisions which enabled a member to express his sentiments within the framework of rules and procedures.

She said enacting laws was not enough as they could not bring about the desired changes in the society unless the people were willing to accept these.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the trend to disrupt Question Hour was growing and it was doing no good as it was the most informative hour of the day during which members could elicit information on important public issues.

Leader of the Opposition PK Dhumal said it was a momentous occasion for the Vidhan Sabha as the completion of 50 years was an important milestone for an institution. The prestige of the event had been enhanced with the presence of the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar.

Speaker BBL Butail said the members had been conducting themselves with dignity and the mandatory 35 sittings of the House a year were being ensured. The House Committees had been working effectively. A total of 1,125 legislation were passed over the past five decades.

Meira Kumar released a book "Himachal Legislative Assembly: Origin and Growth" and a souvenir brought out on the occasion. Besides ministers and sitting MLAs, a large number of former members were also present at the function.

Solan, October 21
The failure of the state government to appoint adequate number of drug inspectors vis-à-vis strength of the pharmaceutical units is leading to repeated emergence of cases of illegal drug manufacturing.

Not only have large-scale illegal drugs manufactured in Nalagarh subdivision been confiscated in neighbouring Punjab by the police last week, but an illegal drug unit was also unearthed by the state’s Drug Control Administration recently in Kala Amb.

The illegal activities in these units have failed to be detected by the respective drug inspectors as a single inspector handles several hundred units and this gives little time to inspect each unit even once every year. The lack of regulation has helped those indulging in illegal drug trade.

An illustration of the working of the department can be gauged from the fact that three drug inspectors are supposed to look after 390 units in the BBN industrial area, apart from attending to about 400 retail licences. The situation is almost similar in the remaining Solan district where a single drug inspector is handling 80 pharma units of Parwanoo, Solan and nearly 400 retail licences.

With less than 300 working days in a year, a drug inspector in the BBN can barely perform cursory duties like routine inspections leaving virtually no time to visit a unit even once a year.

In Sirmaur district too, which accounts for nearly 300 pharma units and about 450 retailers, the job to inspect these is assigned to a single drug inspector. No wonder a unit, the licence of which had expired in 2009, continued to manufacture illegal drugs till several of its drugs were found named in the list of substandard drugs issued by the Drug Controller General of India in its monthly alert. A subsequent raid conducted by officials of the Drug Control Administration revealed large-scale irregularities, including the use of forged papers to procure government contracts in others states like Tripura and Chhattisgarh.

The state has failed to adhere to the recommendations of the Mashelkar Committee, which was constituted to streamline the weak drug control system.

According to this committee, one drug inspector should be appointed for every 200 sales premises and 50 manufacturing units.

In Punjab, where the number of manufacturing units is much less, 37 posts of drug inspector are filled, while in Jammu and Kashmir 70 drug inspectors were appointed recently.

Even in Rajasthan, 70 drug inspectors were created to regulate about 100 to 150 sales premises. In Haryana too, 40 drug inspectors were appointed in recent years.

Drug Controller Navneet Marwaha said though the staff strength had been enhanced in industrial areas, the presence of more drug inspectors could ensure stricter regulation.

He said they were ensuring that as and when such information came to their notice, strictest action was taken against those who violated law.

Dharamsala, October 21
Former Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha member Shanta Kumar today came in defence of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) and former minister Kishan Kapoor.

Addressing a press conference here today, Shanta Kumar said the way the cases had been registered against Kishan Kapoor and the HPCA by the government seemed to be an act of vendetta politics.

"We had not expected such acts from Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh," said Shanta Kumar.

He said Kishan Kapoor had himself cancelled the plot allotted to his wife as a minister. There was no need for the government to register a case against Kishan Kapoor, he said.

The government had recently registered a case against Kishan Kapoor for allotting a plot in HIMUDA colony at Dharamsala to his wife. Though he had himself cancelled the plot later, the case has been registered on the plea that the formalities of allotting the plot were completed.

About the cases registered against the HPCA, Shanta Kumar said it seemed that the cricket association had not done anything wrong. The HPCA stadium at Dharamsala was a public property and the government seemed to be registering cases against it as political vendetta.

It is for the first time that Shanta Kumar has come openly in defence of the HPCA that is headed by Anurag Thakur, the son of former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.

When asked if he would contest the coming parliamentary elections for the Kangra constituency, Shanta Kumar said he did not want to contest. He, however, said he could consider contesting if the party high command asked him to do so.

He also attacked the present UPA government. It was in a state of despair. The world is making mockery of the Indian system over the missing coal block allotment files from the office of the Prime Minister. Interestingly, no case had been registered against any official regarding the missing files. It seemed that the Prime Minister was involved in the case as no action was being taken against the guilty officers.

Shanta Kumar also said the UPA had failed to project anyone as its leaders for the coming parliamentary elections. On the contrary, the BJP had projected Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate.

Padma, former MLA from Bhattiyat in Chamba, being greeted by another former MLA in the Assembly in Shimla on Monday. Photo: Amit Kanwar

Shimla, October 21
Monday brought back fond memories in the minds of 85 former legislators, who gathered here to attend the golden jubilee celebrations of the Vidhan Sabha. They might have been bitter political foes, having remained on opposite side of the fence but today all of them shared joyous moments. A total of 85 former MLAs, six former Speakers and several former MPs came for the celebrations.

It is perhaps for the first time in the 50-year history of the Himachal Vidhan Sabha that such a function was held. Even though some of the former legislators such as Nehar Singh were members of the Pradesh Territorial Council in 1957 but it was in 1963 that the 68 member assembly was formed. Nehar Singh, who was elected Member of the Territorial Council from Rajgarh in 1957, was the oldest legislator to have attended the function.

All political leaders, including Virbhadra Singh, Leader of the Opposition PK Dhumal, Congress veteran leader and former Communication Minister Sukh Ram attended the function. Among the former Speakers who were present included Vidya Stokes, Kaul Singh Thakur, Gangu Ram Musafir, Gulab Singh Thakur and Radha Raman Shastri. Milkhi Ram Goma and his son Yadvinder Goma, who now represents his father's Assembly segment, attended it together.

Four former legislators who were honoured included 82-year-old Nehar Singh, Padma, Sukh Ram and Ishwar Dass.

Nehar Singh was a member of the Territorial Council in 1957. He won as the Congress candidate in 1962. He again won on the Congress ticket from the Rohru segment in 1985.

Another very senior woman MLA Padma, hailing from the erstwhile royal family of Chamba, specially came for the function. She won on the Congress ticket from Bhattiyat in 1972.

Sukh Ram was also honoured by Speaker Meira Kumar. Born in 1927, Sukh Ram was elected to the Assembly consecutively in 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974 (byelection), 1977, 1982 on the Congress ticket. He also won three Lok Sabha elections from Mandi in 1985, 1991 and 1996. He was a Union Minister for Telecommunication also.

Ishwar Dass, born in 1935, was also honoured as he had won the Assembly elections in 1967, 1972, 1977, 1985, 1993, 1998 and 2003 from Ani seat in Kullu. He was Minister of State for Panchayat and Social Welfare Minister in 1980 and Deputy Speaker in 1995.

Mandi, October 21
State convener of the Indian Ex-servicemen Movement Brig Khushal Thakur today accused the Ministry of Defence of dragging its feet over the Supreme Court verdict on the rank pay" case decided a year ago, which would have denied justice to veteran soldiers and war widows.

Talking to The Tribune here today, Khushal Thakur, the 1999 Kargil war veteran, claimed that the Ministry of Defence was dragging its feet on its implementation on one pretext or other.

“This has forced the veterans to file a contempt petition in the Supreme Court which is coming up for hearing on October 27”, he added.

As a matter of fact, the Attorney General had also advised the ministry in September 2013 to implement the court’s orders, but the ministry was still undecided about its implementation, he added.

Brigadier Thakur said it was ironic that over 90 per cent court cases were decided in favour of soldiers, veterans, disabled soldiers and widows relating to pay and pension but the government did not implemented these, he alleged.

As a result, the petitioners have to go in for appeal, thereby indirectly denying them the justice, he added. They drained their energy in legal battle, he resented.

He cited the Supreme Court order, saying that the re-fixation of pay for all officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force, who were eligible for “Rank Pay”, was awarded from January 1, 1986, the date of implementation of the Fourth Pay Commission. The Supreme Court order had also sought the re-designing of the minimum basic pay in the integrated pay scale of the Fourth Pay Commission to avoid different basic pay to similarly placed officers, he claimed.

He demanded that all pending pay and pension anomalies created by the Sixth Pay Commission pertaining to defence forces must be settled first and should not be extended to the Seventh Pay Commission.

Mandi, October 21
Subodh Bhargava, Chairman,Tata Communications, and chief guest awarded degrees to 98 BTech students, two Master of Science students, and one PhD student of IIT Mandi in its first convocation of the institute held yesterday on its Kamand campus.

According to a press note issued by the institute, 120 BTech students, some faculty members, and a few research scholars had moved to fully residential permanent campus in Kamand last year.

It is expected that all activities of IIT Mandi will be carried out on its Kamand campus by April 2014.

The institute’s first placement season in 2012-13 saw many students placed in top companies and government organisations. A number of students made it to top institutions such as the University of Toronto, Georgia Tech and Carnegie Mellon University for pursuing further education.

The guests of honour included M Natarajan, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIT Mandi, and Prof VS Raju, Chairman, Naval Research Board, Government of India.
IIT Director Prof T Gonsalves and Registrar Dr Sawhany were also present.

Bilaspur, October 21
Hundreds of truck operators, labourers and local beneficiaries protested against the Himachal government and took out a demonstration at Industrial Area, Gwaalthai,110 km from here, on Saturday.

Chamba, October 21
The Himachal Pradesh government pensioners on the pattern of the Centre were eligible for additional quantum of pension at the rate of 20 per cent at attaining the age of 80 years. In the case of family pensioners, the age was not depicted while processing the pension case. So they are in a dilemma about their age proof.

In case, the pensioner is not alive and the pension is allowed to the widow or the widower and the age proof is not available at the pension’s paying office, the benefit of additional quantum of pension to the family pensioner at attaining the age of 80 years is normally not allowed.

In this context, the Himachal Pradesh government recently issued instructions to supply one of the valid documents of age such as the aadhaar card, voter card, permanent account number (PAN), matriculation certificate or driving licence.

Ironically, the aadhaar and voter cards have no date of birth as only the year is shown on it. The matriculation certificate, diving licence and PAN in respect of family pensioners is not possible because of their age factor.

“These are the stumbling blocks being faced by family pensioners who are residing in far-flung areas as these facilities have not yet reached them so far,” reveals PC Oberoi, state spokesperson of the HP Pensioners Welfare Association.

Considering the problems being faced by the family pensioners in respect of age proof, Oberoi suggested that an easy and suitable method of submission of valid document of age proof, such as a certificate to be issued by the patwari or panchayat secretary of the area as these government servants were accessible to the family pensioners in the remote areas, should be worked out.

Sundernagar, October 21
The Rotary Club, Sundernagar, organised a medical camp at Kamand village yesterday. A team of eight doctors (specialists) of eye, ortho, dental and gynae departments was present to hold different OPDs. Nearly 500 patients were attended to at the camp and distributed medicines costing around Rs 45,000.

Ultrasound of 300 patients was conducted by a doctor who had come from Chandigarh.

According to KK Gupta, official spokesman of the club, the club would hold such camps in future too in the interior areas of Mandi district. 

Billing (Palampur), October 21
A glider, which flew from here yesterday, lost its route and crashed in the Dhauladhars, 9 km from here, late last evening. Inclement weather was reported to be the cause of the accident.

It is learnt that a shepherd and villagers spotted the glider in a dense forest and informed the Palampur police.

Later, a search party, headed by ASI Subhash Shastri, was rushed to the spot to locate the glider and its pilot. The team rescued the pilot and brought him to the Civil Hospital, Palampur.

Shastri said the pilot had received injuries, but was out of danger.

The pilot has been indentified as Elgar, a citizen of Kazakhstan, who has come to Billing to participate in the Pre-Paragliding World Cup championship.

Bir, a spokesman of the Paragliding Association, told this correspondent that all pilots had been directed not to fly when there were high-velocity winds. In such circumstances, it became difficult for pilots to control the gliders and many times they lost their route.

Many pilots had already lost their lives in earlier championships, therefore, they had been asked by the organisers to follow the safety measures. 

Nurpur, October 21
The local unit of the Himachal Pradesh State Body Building and Fitness Association organised a seven-state body-building championship, Mr Himachal-2013, on the premises of Arya Government College here last night in which around 40 body builders took part.

The state association jury, led by its Chairman Shahbaj Khan, adjudged Pankaj Kumar from Pathankot as Mr Himachal-2013. He was awarded a cash prize of Rs 21,000, a certificate and a trophy.

Before the final event, a competition of eight categories of body builders of 50 kg to above 85 kg was held. The first, second and third winners were awarded cash prizes of Rs 2,100, Rs 1,100 and Rs 800, respectively, along with certificates of participation and trophies. The winners of these categories took part into the final event to select Mr Himachal-2013.

Chief guest RK Mahajan, Chairman, Town Welfare Committee, and guest of honour Ranbir Singh Nikka, general secretary, Nurpur BJP Mandal, gave away prizes to the winners.

On the occasion, the chief guest, while lauding the association for holding such an event in the town, said youth should take a keen interest in body building and keep themselves away from addiction. 

Shimla, October 21
Himachal Pradesh Sports, Culture and Environment Association (HPSCEA) spokesman Yashwant Chhajta said the statement of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) regarding the misuse of funds by the HPSCEA was a bundle of lies.

He said as the activities of the HPCA were under scanner and being probed by the Vigilance Department, the statement issued by the HPCA was to divert the attention and befool people of the state. He said this statement was not only politically motivated, but highly irresponsible and ludicrous.

Yashwant said the Maharaja Padam Singh Memorial Tournament was being organised at Rohru for the last 20 years. Earlier, this tournament was being organised by the Rohru Cricket Association and now for the last three years it was being organised by the HPSCEA. The accounts of both these bodies were being regularly audited by chartered accountants and all finances received through donations were being maintained in records.

He said the association also brought out a souvenir every year on the eve of this cricket tournament. Most of the payments were received by cheques. Therefore, the question of misuse of funds and its diversion for the Mandi Parliamentary by-election, contested by Pratibha Singh, was unimaginable, he added.

Kangra, October 21
Kangra town today witnessed traffic chaos on the Dharamsala road here leaving hundreds of vehicles, including school, tourist and passenger buses and ambulances, stranded for more than an hour.

Trouble started with the wrong parking of a car with a Chandigarh registration number outside a local hotel adjacent to the State Bank of India. Meanwhile, the traffic swelled up resulting in a traffic jam.

The traffic jam spread to the SBOP Chowk, New General Bus Stand, Ujjain and up to the Old Bus Stand and Tehsil Chowk.

It was after some time that a policeman appeared on the scene and managed to get the erring driver to remove the car. However, the suffering people asked the policeman to challan him for wrong parking, which he refused to do.

SHO Mohinder Singh Manhas, along with his family, in a private car, too was caught in the jam.

People had informed SDPO Ashok Verma and asked him to send a police force to regulate the traffic.

Vehicles took other routes like the Ujjain-Rehalpura, Ujjain-Kachiari, Industrial Estate and Zamanabad roads to avoid the jam. 

Hamirpur, October 21
The trustees of the Baba Balak Nath Temple Trust, Deotsidh, have asked the district administration to lodge an FIR against two employees of the trust suspended for embezzlement in the temple office.

This recommendation was made by the trustees at a trust meeting held on Saturday.

Two employees were suspended by the chairman of the trust a few days back for tempering with a printing order of booklets by forging the figures and raising inflated bills.

The trustees have also asked the officials to put page number on every file for keeping proper record of every nature in all
trust offices.

The trust has directed to prepare a report on various issues of the trust employees such as starting PPF scheme and submit it to Commissioner-cum- DC.

They have also instructed the trust employees to improve their qualifications and pass typing test.

In another important decision, the trust members have decided to move a case for takeover of degree college and a plus two school run by the trust by the state government.

To create facilities at the Deotsidh temple, the trustees have proposed to construct a three-storey parking complex near the temple.