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assembly in session
More efforts needed for growth: Guv
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Doon MLA not allowed to attend Budget session
Chill returns after fresh snowfall in Manali
Spate of thefts in Kullu temples
Little progress in NMFP implementation
It’s 14 subsidised LPG cylinders for this consumer already
Self-help groups aid rural women to earn livelihood
Row over reorganisation of Chail Wildlife Sanctuary
Ram Lal honours students
Vehicle operators withdraw strike
BJP flays photos of leaders on forms
Residents seek jobs at Mandi medical college
Solar energy plants in tribal areas on the anvil
Pillion rider killed as truck hits Scooty
Woman succumbs to burn injuries
Women SHGs savings cross Rs 7.5 crore
'Develop synergy between improved tech, production'
Three have fatal fall from hillsides
Boy falls into pit, dies
Labourer falls off train, dies
Electronic goods gutted
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BJP disrupts Governor’s Address, stages walkout
Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service
Shimla, February 3 Later, Leader of the Opposition PK Dhumal accused the government of ignoring key issues such as corruption and law and order, referring the BJP chargesheet against the government to the CBI, misleading people, the Governor and the Congress high command on the Vakamulla issue and Sai Koti power project. Quoting examples of astroturf and synthetic track, Dhumal said the government was taking credit for the schemes already inaugurated during the BJP regime and these had been the listed achievements of the government in the Governor’s address. The BJP would continue to raise these issues until there was some action on the chargesheet, he added. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh condemned the action of BJP members and said it was against parliamentary practice. He said it was a sign of frustration and hoped that the practice of disrupting the proceedings and important discussions would not be repeated. Speaker BBL Butail also disapproved of the action of the BJP members and said it was “unbecoming” on their part to have boycotted and disrupted the Governor’s address. He said he had assured the members at an all-party meeting this morning that ample time would be given to members to raise various issues, but they chose to leave the house in the midst of the Governor’s address. War of words
Even outside the House, Virbhadra Singh and Dhumal took a dig at each other. Referring to the walkout by BJP members, the Chief Minister said the BJP members were “bonded labourers” of one family. Dhumal said it was the collective decision of the BJP legislators, but the entire Congress was bonded labour of one family. Dhumal said the BJP had given permission to 1150 non Himachalis for buying land in the state and 14000 bigas of land was purchased by them while the Congress has given permission of buying 18000 bigas of land to 2298 non Himachalis. Moreover, the Congress government had failed to fulfil its election promises on unemployment allowance to the youth and special financial package to the state, he added. |
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More efforts needed for growth: Guv
Shimla, February 3 Addressing the House, the Governor referred to achievements of the government in health, education, hydropower and social sectors and reiterated the commitment of the government to policy of "zero tolerance" towards corruption. She said the government had fulfilled most of the election promises and adopted party manifesto as a policy document. The "government is committed to the upliftment of underprivileged and weaker sections of the society and has taken several policy decisions for speedy socio-economic development of these sections, especially the senior citizens, disabled, SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities". The government was spending Rs 171 crore on providing social security pension to over three lakh persons. The housing subsidy had been raised to Rs 75,000 for new construction and Rs 15,000 for repairs, social security pension from Rs 450 to Rs 500 per month, grant-in-aid under the widow remarriage scheme from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 and procurement price of milk enhanced to help the farmers, she said. "The food processing industry had been accorded high priority. With the new investments made in the state, exports had reached around Rs 3,000 crore per annum,” the Governor said. |
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CM presents supplementary Budget
Shimla, February 3 Under the non-plan expenditure, Rs 258.51 crore would be provided for pensioners' benefits, Rs 206.73 crore for internal debt, Rs 71.74 crore for interest payment, Rs 68.41 crore to police services and allied organisations for salary, wages, material, supplies and maintenance of residential buildings, Rs 62 crore for food subsidy for purchase of foodgrains under the Public Distribution System, Rs 35.16 crore for panchayati raj institutions, Rs 24.15 crore for social security pensions and Rs 24.13 crore for health services. Further Rs 16 crore would be provided for payment of medical bills of retirees, Rs 12.28 crore to the PWD for salary, compensation and maintenance, Rs 19 crore for distribution of pesticides and implements for the Horticulture Department and Rs 9.79 crore for preparation and printing of electoral rolls and photo identity cards to voters. A major expenditure proposed under the planned schemes included Rs 119.30 crore for loan to power corporation under the Asian Development Bank, Rs 64.44 crore for the PTA grant and construction of school/college building, Rs 44.50 crore under the Schedule Caste sub-plan and GIA to Chaudhry Sarvan Kumar Agriculture University for clearing the pension liability. |
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Doon MLA not allowed to attend Budget session
Dismissing his plea, the High Court observed, "It will be inappropriate to exercise the discretion under constitutional provisions to grant permission to an accused of a serious offence to attend the parliamentary session solely on the foundation that he enjoys exclusive privilege to participate in the proceedings of the House to meet the constitutional obligation." In his petition, Chaudhary had claimed that he had an right to attend the fifth session of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly commencing from February 3. The MLA further argued that he was compelled to absent himself from four sessions. Referring to constitutional provisions, Chaudhary added the House might declare the seat vacant on account of his absence for more than 60 days without permission. Jyoti, a 24-year-old resident of Bhunga village in Hoshiarpur district, was found dead on a road in Sector 21, Panchkula, on November 22 last year. According to the post-mortem report, she had died of head injury and undergone an abortion. Her father Buti Ram of Hoshiarpur has already filed a petition for an independent probe and alleged that the Panchkula police were not conducting the investigations in a fair and impartial manner as they have colluded with the prime accused, MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary. |
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Chill returns after fresh snowfall in Manali
Manali, February 3 While locals preferred to stay indoors, tourists were elated to see the region donning a white mantle. The snow-covered deodar and apple trees on both sides of the hills presented a beautiful view. Winter sports lovers, who were disappointed over lack of adequate snow for skiing and snowboarding activities in the Solang valley, were duly compensated as the weather gods finally obliged. Tourists were seen enjoying skiing, paragliding, making snowmen, throwing snowballs at each other, riding yaks and horses and clicking photographs at different places of the Solang valley. The higher reaches in the Kullu valley, including the 13,050-ft-high Rohtang Pass, which is the gateway to the Lahaul valley, Marhi, Gulaba, Kothi, Brighu ski slopes, Dhundhi, Hamta slopes, Chandrekhani Pass and Pir Panjal range also experienced moderate to heavy snowfall. Due to the fresh snowfall the cold wave has tightened its grip in the region. Rain in Kangra valley
Kangra: The Kangra valley was lashed with rain today and a fresh snowfall was experienced by the Dhauladhar range, dropping the temperatures considerably. The sky had been overcast since morning and the valley experienced cold wave-like conditions, throwing life out of gear. Most people preferred to remain indoors. The Dhauladhar range had experienced snowfall since morning, leaving people shivering in the valley. The foothills of the Dhauladhar too witnessed snowfall. The Kangra valley received rain accompanied by cold winds, making the day extremely cold. The valley also experienced high-velocity winds. The people were seen burning bonfire in Kangra to fight the cold. The reports of rain were received from Shahpur, Dhraman, Mallan, Palampur, Nagrota Bagwan, Icchhi, Gaggal, Ranital. McLeodganj, Bagsunag, Naddi and Dharamsala. Chamba hills has snowfall
Chamba: The high hills of Chamba district, including Bharmour and Pangi tribal areas, have been experiencing fresh heavy snowfall today, reports said here this evening. The reports said low-lying areas had been having heavy rain. There was once again considerable downfall in the temperature in the region. The icy cold winds sweeping lower areas had forced inhabitants to remain homes. Meanwhile, orchardists of the region, Dharam Singh Pathania of the Salooni apple belt and Uttam Thakur of the Bharmour tribal belt, have expressed joy over the fresh heavy snowfall which they observe is beneficial to the apple fruit crop. Snow predicted
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh will experience precipitation at many places and snowfall in higher reaches of the state tomorrow. According to the advisory issued by the Met here today, light to moderate precipitation activity will also affect the Western Himalayan region from February 5 onwards with chance of increase in activity on February 6 and 7 due to western disturbance. The state government sounded all the Deputy Commissioners and departments concerned to take appropriate precautionary measures putting in the place the State Disaster Management Authority. An appeal is also made to the public at large to be careful during this bad weather period. |
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Spate of thefts in Kullu temples
Kullu, February 3 Thieves targeting ancient temples has become a matter of concern for the local administration and temple committees of the district. Thieves stole ornaments worth lakhs of rupees from the temple of Sharghan Nag in Jagatsukh on December 3, 2012. An antique idol of Gatothkach at Manali was also stolen and the police were still clueless about the same. An incident of theft was recently reported at the Bhekhali temple in Kullu and the accused was nabbed with the help of locals. Another culprit was caught by residents of Siyal village in Manali with the help of CCTV cameras. The villagers caught one person red-handed while trying to steal ornaments from the Karthik Swami temple at Simsa. Thieves were nabbed by locals, while they were trying to steal ornaments from the Basuknag temple at Halan village. The police have been clueless regarding the theft of utensils worth lakhs from the store of the Jogni temple at Vashisht. Now, the robbery in the temple of chief deity Raghunath ji, at Raghunathpur has put a big question on the security of temples of the district in future. The police are still clueless and no arrests have been made so far, confirmed Kullu Superintendent of the Police Vinod K Dhawan. He said the police had taken the initiative to implement community policing, assuring to provide updated information and technical support to people for improving security standards. He said security guards could be so provided if demanded by the temple authorities. Dhawan further said there was a large number of temples in this district and the police force could not be deployed in each of these temples. He added that temple committees should install good quality CCTV cameras and maintain proper records of assets. He opined that temples could deploy security guards to keep vigil in the vicinity of the temple and report any suspicious activity. Meanwhile, there is a lot of unrest among people. They have raised their voice, demanding apt security measures for the protection of rich cultural heritage and enormous wealth in the temples of this district. Maheshwar Singh, Chief Kardar (caretaker) of the chief deity and local MLA here, said it was very unfortunate for the entire valley. |
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Little progress in NMFP implementation
Solan, February 3 Though a state-level food processing cell was constituted to monitor its progress as per the mandate in 2012, with global consultant Grant Thornton having submitted a vision document prepared to chalk out a road map for the project in August 2013, the stakeholders are yet to be consulted about its implementation. A state-level committee comprising various officials includes members of this cell. Vision Document-2023, a copy of which is available with The Tribune, has envisioned a road map for the growth of food processing industries in the state for the next 10 years. The Industries Department was implementing this project which was granted to Himachal among several other states as per the 12th Five-Year Plan. States are supposed to pool in 25 per cent of share for this scheme while 75 per cent is being borne by the Centre. Various activities, including technology upgrade, setting up of new units, modernisation and expansion of food processing industries, would be covered under the scheme. The public would be educated about its usefulness through promotional activities. Efforts to introduce a course on food processing in universities have been mooted in the vision document. Rajinder Chauhan, Adviser Industries, said a meeting of the stakeholders would soon be held where the vision-2023 prepared by Grant Thornton would be discussed threadbare and this would help them finalise what activities would be undertaken under this project and decide where such food processing units would be located in the state. The food market in the state is estimated at Rs 86 billion in 2012 and it is expected to grow to Rs 363 billion in 2023. Of this, the packaged food is estimated to grow to a size of Rs 60 billion by 2023 at the minimum according to the vision-2023. |
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It’s 14 subsidised LPG cylinders for this consumer already
Kullu, February 3 The distributor here said this was not possible, adding that his subsidy was transferred directly into the bank account of the consumer through a national circuit prevalent for the scheme, and the provision of subsidy was not within the purview of the distributors. However, the actual transfer of the amount into the consumer's bank account could not be ascertained, he said. The petroleum secretary had earlier stated in the apex court that the government had no mechanism other than the Aadhaar card to prevent the misuse of the DBTL and an anomaly like this put a question mark on the scheme's credibility. It was further learnt that there was no control on the online booking portal to automatically restrict provision of subsidised cylinders after the ceiling was reached. The data from the portal further revealed that out of a total of 16,931 consumers, 3,737 were yet to provide Aadhaar card details to the distributor agency and 918 were yet to update the details with the bank. Thus, around 4,655 consumers here had been deprived of LPG subsidy since January, after this district was covered under the DBTL. The normal routine delivery of the LPG has also been delayed and customers are receiving a refill after eight-nine days of booking. The distributor said the web portal of the company was sometimes down for many days continuously and further, the server speed was very slow during normal working hours, thus delaying the booking process. He added that the total booking procedure was online and there was no manual alternative. The recent strike by transporters had further delayed the delivery of LPG. Online booking of gas cylinders had been started in this sub-division and even Aadhaar card details could be updated online. |
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Self-help groups aid rural women to earn livelihood
Pragpur (Dharamsala), February 3 The self-help groups supported by the government are helping people
in becoming self-reliant in Pragpur, which is the biggest block of Himachal Pradesh. Lalit Jain, Pragpur BDO-cum-Assistant Commissioner, while talking to The Tribune said the self-help groups in the area were being operated under the Integrated Watershed Management Programme and run jointly by the Central and state governments.
“Each group can have members ranging from five to 20. They are provided an amount of Rs 25,000 as an untied loan, which the group can use for starting a small business, buying raw materials, paying fees and hospital charges etc. This amount can be returned in two years, when the group is expected to become self-sustaining,” he said. “We not only give seed money, but also provide them training to start home production in a particular trade. I have focused on providing them training in tailoring, pickle making, broom making and other small-scale enterprises which can be easily started from home,” Jain said. Sarika and Shiv Shakti are two successful groups in the region which have 20 female members each. These groups were given Rs 25,000 each as a revolving fund. They were provided free-of-cost training in tailoring. After acquiring the skill, they starting selling garments manufactured by them in the neighbourhood. The seed money was used by members for buying raw materials, paying medical fees, marriage expenses and schools fees of children. The group charged a simple rate of interest of 1 per cent on this loan. Today, the Sarika group has Rs 1.42 lakh as savings in its accounts. Likewise, the Shiv Shakti group has Rs 27, 943 in its account. This group has already distributed the profits accrued among the members. At Dodra village here, self-help group Radha Soami makes brooms and “pattals” out of leaves and branches of date trees. This group was provided the seed money of Rs 25,000 and today it had saved
an amount of Rs 52,000, which is being further loaned to the members. The Assistant Commissioner said he planned to develop the self-help groups further in the area. He said lemon and “Galgal” grown in the area go
waste in the absence of food processing. Plans were being made to convert these fruits into organic pickles and sell these through marketing agencies, he added. |
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Migratory birds a visual treat
Sundernagar, February 3 Not only locals, but tourists too are seen making a beeline to have a glimpse of these winged guests. However, no efforts are underway to maintain their temporary abode. As per a senior wildlife official, migratory birds like natural wetlands, but the presence of a large number of migratory birds at the man-made reservoir is a rare phenomenon and there is a need to preserve it. The balancing reservoir is a major component of the 990-MW BSL Project, which has a circumference of 5 km. The place has become a major haunt for these birds since 1980. Every year, the migratory guests arrive here in October and stay on till March. No official figures are available, but around 300 birds can be spotted here. As per a wildlife official, who conducted a survey on his own, 15 species of birds, including the common pochard, coots, gadwal, bhramni duck, common teal, tufted duck, mallard, egrets, showler, gulls, common moorhen and cormorants are spotted at
the reservoir. He says the birds come from the Trans Himalayan region after covering more than 3,000 km, adding that they use this reservoir as a transit while going to other wetlands or during their return journey.
Neither the BBMB nor the wildlife wing of the Forest Department have ever tried to formulate any plan to increase their number. As per wildlife officials, it had no such plan, as the reservoir was under the control of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). BBMB officials on the other hand claim that their only priority was power generation. |
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Row over reorganisation of Chail Wildlife Sanctuary
Solan, February 3 After the reorganisation, the entire area will be looked after by three forest divisions. Following the rationalisation exercise, the sanctuary area has been reduced to 16-sq km and the remaining 92.53-sq km has been denotified. It has been decided to hand over 975 hectares of demarcated protected forest (DPF) and un-demarcated protected forest along with private land and other areas to the Koti range of Shimla forest division falling in
Shimla circle. The remaining 2.11 hectares of reserve forest, unprotected forest and DPF along with private land would be handed over to Solan forest division falling under Nahan circle. Earlier, the Chail area was managed by the range office falling under the wildlife wing. Officials of the territorial and wildlife wings of the Forest Department were supposed to work out an early solution. They were supposed to either retain the
range office with the wildlife wing or transfer it to the nearest territorial division at Kandaghat, but the issue has rema-ined unresolved. People of the nearby panchayats, including Chail, Jhaja, Dubloo, Janedghat, Banjani Nagali, Sakori, Hinner and Dhangil, in a representation to the Secretary, Forests, had also taken up the matter with the state government wherein it was decided that the Chail area would be managed by three divisions. They even stressed the need to set up a territorial office of the range office at Chail itself. In case the range office at Chail was vested with the wildlife wing, the villagers would have to travel to Kandaghat for their day-to-day works, including sanctioning timber rights, resin tapping, etc, which the villagers said would cause a lot of inconvenience. SS Negi, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, CAT Plan, said the issue was being looked into. |
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Association demands herbal medicine factory in Chamba
Chamba, February 3 Medicinal and aromatic plants found in Chamba district have been listed among the endangered species of the state. Chamba Welfare Association president RK Mahajan has once again demanded that the state government should set up a herbal medicine factory in the district keeping in view the abundance of medicinal herbs. Setting up of the herbal medicine and aromatic marketing-cum-manufacturing plant in the district will be cost effective and profitable. It will provide livelihood to the rural population of Chamba and adjoining Doda and Kishtwar districts of Jammu
and Kashmir. Local populace will also be saved from exploitation of middlemen. Medicinal and aromatic plants will help in saving human lives. The production of herbal medicines will be cheap, easily available with the least side affects. It will counter escalating prices of allopathic drugs produced by multinationals in the country. |
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Ram Lal honours students
Bilaspur, February 3 Ram Lal said, “Knowledge further develops human values, which separate human beings from other living beings. It inculcates discipline, obedience, cooperation, sympathy, empathy and brotherhood. It makes one differentiate between good and evil.” He urged teachers and parents to maintain a watch on their wards to keep them on the right track of progress and help them develop the best of their hidden talents in their own interest. Ram Lal said all Class VI to X students in government schools were being provided two uniforms for summer and winter along with a stitching allowance of Rs 100 for each uniform under a centrally sponsored scheme. This scheme had helped in ending psychological imbalance or complex among students in every school, he added. Ram Lal presented cheques for Rs 3,000 each to Anjana of Class VI, Anjana Kumari of Class VII and Jyoti Devi of Class VII as their annual escort allowance under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan. He gave away prizes to students, who excelled in various activities. He also inaugurated two rooms in the school constructed at a cost of Rs 5 lakh under the abhiyaan. He said Rs 60 lakh had been sanctioned recently for providing drinking water in scarcity-hit villages of the Naina Devi constituency. School Principal Mohan Lal read the progress report. |
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Lt Colonel, kids hurt in explosion in Shimla
Shimla, February 3 Colonel Sharma was here to pick his luggage from Priory House, a residencial complex of ARTRAC. The victims were burning the waste material near Priory House when an explosion took place, leaving them injured. They fell unconscious on the premises with shards and splinters spreading in the area. Sharma sustained multiple injuries and his children got minor injuries. All of them were stable and out of danger, said Dr Rahul Kumar, officiating Medical Superintendent, IGMC Hospital. Helper Manjit bore the major impact of the explosion. He was operated upon at the IGMC as some splinters wounded his abdomen and arms. He was still stable though critical, said the doctors. A team from the state Forensic Science Laboratory, Junga, led by its Director Dr Arun Kumar visited the site and collected the material for examination. The exact cause of the blast would be ascertained when the test report was available, Dr Kumar said. Though police and forensic experts have ruled out the possibility of the bomb blast, the Army and forensic investigation was still on. Superintendent of Police, Shimla, Abhishek Dular said the police had registered a case of negligent conduct on the part of the Army officer under Section 286, IPC. |
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Vehicle operators withdraw strike
“The JAC leaders had talks with me at Nagrota last night and after deliberations, they have agreed to withdraw the strike call. In fact, it has already been withdrawn,” Bali told mediapersons today. The impression created among commercial vehicle operators that a steep hike in taxes was on the cards was "dispelled" and they were convinced that as of now no hike was under consideration, he said. The concern of JAC members regarding plying of private vehicles and taxis and also issuing permits to hotels were also addressed. It was decided that private taxis would be checked and hotels would use taxis for their own guests. The minister claimed that JAC members agreed that the drivers would wear uniform and have nameplates. The matter regarding metered taxis would be resolved as per the decision of the Supreme Court, he added. Bali said the revenue of Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) had increased by Rs 51.57 crore during the current financial year till January 31, 2014. He said 32 new 37-seater and 15 new 30-seater Marco Polo buses had been provided to HRTC and the corporation had paid a sum of Rs 200 crore to clear the liabilities of Rs 387 crore left by the previous BJP government. The additional revenue of Rs 32 crore was accrued from the hike in bus fares and Rs 20 crore from efficiency and improvement in KMPL, he added. After the success of low fixed-fair buses plying between Shimla and Solan with fixed fare of Rs 40, Mandi and Kullu with fixed fare of Rs 70, Mandi and Sundernagar (Rs 25), Mandi and Jogindernagar ( Rs 55), Kullu and Manali (Rs 40), Bali said four more low-fare buses (mudrikas) would ply between Kangra-Dharamsala-Tanda with Rs15 fare, Nagrota-Dharamsala-Chamunda (Rs 15), Palampur-Nagrota-Tanda-Kangra (Rs 30) and Nagrota-Baldhar-Yol-Dharamsala (Rs 10). An additional bus (mudrika) service would run in Shimla and two between Baddi and Barotiwala with low fare of Rs 5 to facilitate students, he added. Women-friendly buses
A proposal for women-friendly buses and centre of excellence for urban transport has been mooted and the HRTC has submitted a compressive proposal to the Union Government in this regard. The fleet of women-friendly buses will have GPS facility to track the buses along with CCTV cameras. |
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BJP flays photos of leaders on forms
Bilaspur, February 3 Talking to mediapersons at Shri Naina Deviji, 95 km from here, yesterday, Sharma said these application forms were carrying photos of Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and even Food Minister GS Bali, which was a “publicity stunt” by the Congress government. Sharma said nobody would be influenced by this “election gimmick” as its image was already at the lowest ebb and people now knew its strategy. Randhir reminded Congress leaders that it was the Congress government which removed and threw away ration bags worth several lakhs as soon as it came to power only because these bags had photos of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee. |
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ABVP youth on fast against student’s expulsion
Dharamsala, February 3 While ABVP activists are sitting on a chain fast against the expulsion of Aditya Sharma, elected president of the Student Council, the NSUI today submitted a memorandum to the college Principal. In the memorandum, NSUI activists demanded that the old passage to the arts block should be restored. The old passage was now part of the international cricket stadium of Dharamsala that is owned by the HPCA. ABVP activists threatened to disrupt classes if the Students Council president was not taken back into the college. The college management had expelled Students Council president of the ABVP on the plea that his graduation degree was not valid. Aditya had secured his graduation degree from a university in Meghalaya. He had taken admission in MA English on the basis of the degree. However, Himachal Pradesh University had claimed that the graduation degree from Meghalaya University
was invalid. Sources said Aditya had moved court against the college management's decision. ABVP activists were alleging that Aditya had been victimised as he had decided to invite BJP MP Anurag Thakur to his function. Principal RP Chopra had, however, denied the allegation. He said an inquiry against Aditya's degree had been on since September last year when a complaint was filed. The college management also deployed the police on the college campus to avert clash between ABVP and NSUI activists.
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Residents seek jobs at Mandi medical college
Mandi, February 3 The residents raised slogans to highlight their demand and also took out a procession in the market. They also sent a memorandum to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur, Excise and Taxation Minister Prakash Chaudhary and Regional Director of the college demanding preference in getting jobs. The ESIC medical college is in its final stage of completion and has already started the process of filling several posts for different categories. Services of about 1,000 Class III and IV employees will be required to make the college functional. Besides, there are several technical posts, recruitment for which
will begin soon. Several local residents are aspiring to get employment at the college. The college authorities have already invited applications for recruiting faculty members. The medical college is recruiting employees as per the ESIC norms wherein candidates between the age group of 18 and 25 years will be eligible for various posts, but locals are demanding recruitment as per the state government’s recruitment policy. President of the Kisan Sabha, Paras Ram, said: “The state government has given valuable land for the medical college at a lease of Re 1, but people of the area are still not benefiting and no provisions for medical facilities have been made for them at the hospital so far.” Dean DS Dhiman said: “I have sent a memorandum to the higher authorities as the issue will be taken up by the state government and the ESIC authorities.”
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Solar energy plants in tribal areas on the anvil
Shimla, February 3 In addition, the distribution of 10,000 solar lanterns free of cost in Kinnaur, solar city projects for Hamirpur and Shimla, installation of 66,000 solar streetlights, 10 kw solar plant near Nagrota Suriyan and installation of solar panels in government buildings are also covered in phase-II. The plan (2013-17) has been approved by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy but no fund has been released. The detailed project reports (DPR) for solar cities for Shimla and Hamirpur have already been prepared and sent to the ministry for the approval, project director, HIMURJA, Bhanu Pratap Singh said. After the successful completion of the first phase of the solar mission in March 2013, HIMURJA is waiting for release of funds for speedy implementation of plans which will reduce the use of conventional power by 10 per cent. In the first phase, HIMURJA installed 4 kw solar power plants at all district Secretariats and 2 kw solar plants are being installed at 219 police stations. Besides establishing a 10 kw solar plant at the Ransar Island in the Pong reservoir and a 2 kw plant and a 200 kw plant at Baru Sahib, a 6-kw solar plant had already been set up at the Secretariat in Shimla and two energy parks are developed at Dr YS Parmar Horticulture University at Nauni (Solan) and NIT, Hamirpur. The target of installing 25,000 solar streetlights in urban areas and distribution of 5,000 solar lanterns was achieved, while a plan for installing 66,000 solar lights and distribution of 10,000 solar lanterns free of cost in Kinnaur district have been prepared for the second phase. The installation of the 2-MW solar plant at Kaza will meet the energy requirement of the Spiti valley, while 50 solar power plants of 20 kw to 50 kw in the remote tribal Pin valley will ensure the uninterrupted supply of power in the valley.
Reliable power
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Two-day Spectrum 2014 comes to end
Kangra, February 3 NIFT Director Bala Siddhartha, inaugurated the Spectrum. The programme was declared closed by Congress leader RS Bali, who was the guest of honour on the occasion. Bali appreciated works of students, who had used eco-friendly material in their creations. Professor Siddhartha said different cultural programmes, solo songs and declamation contests on various eco-friendly topics were appreciated by the audience. Celebrity band performance was a major attraction. The festival was organised by fashion design and accessory design students of
NIFT.
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Pillion rider killed as truck hits Scooty
Kangra, February 3 The police said Sandeep Kumar, husband of the deceased, of Ujjain village was driving the scooter. They were on their way home on the outskirts of this town when an oncoming truck hit their vehicle. Sandeep, who was injured, was rushed to the DRPGMC at Tanda. The truck driver sped away towards Pathankot. The Gaggal police alerted all police stations on the Pathankot-Mandi road and the driver was arrested at Shahpur and the vehicle impounded. The police said a case against truck driver Bhola Ram of Pathankot was registered under Sections 279, 337 and 304-A,
IPC, and Section 187, MV Act. Further investigationwas on.
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Woman succumbs to burn injuries
Kangra, February 3 Station House Officer (SHO) Bhadur Singh said the victim identified as Neha (33), a resident of Geora village under the Gangath police post, was married 12 years ago. She had an eight-year-old son and four-month-old twins. SHO Bhadur Singh said she was cooking in the kitchen when her clothes caught fire. She was rushed to the Gangath hospital, from where she was referred to the Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College at Tanda where she died. The body was handed over to her relatives after postmortem. The police were investigating the case under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
(CrPC).
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Women SHGs savings cross Rs 7.5 crore
Una, February 3 Disclosing this at a review meeting of the project in Una district, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abhishek Jain said these groups were formed by anganwari workers. Jain said 93 beneficiaries living Below the Poverty Line were given grants during this fiscal for the marriage of their daughters, while cash incentives for the remarriage of 10 widows belonging to the economically lower strata were given to the groom. He said 239 women belonging to the Scheduled Castes were distributed free LPG connections in the district. Earlier, presiding over a meeting of the Total Sanitation Campaign, the DC said during the current financial year, ~1.95 crore had been earmarked for the distribution to 8,360 beneficiaries for the construction of personal toilets.
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'Develop synergy between improved tech, production'
Palampur, February 3 Addressing around 100 scientists associated with the mission, he advised them to develop synergy between improved technology, delivery, production, storage and marketing besides making available quality planting material. He said under the mission, infrastructure had been made available which needed to be optimally utilised. He further said around 150 research projects worth Rs 77 crore were in operation in the university which included 20 projects under mini mission.
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Three have fatal fall from hillsides
Chamba, February 3 Sharif and Girdhari Lal of the Maloonda and Bharari areas, respectively, too died when they skidded from a hillside in two separate incidents in the district. The police were investigating the cases, the reports said.
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Boy falls into pit, dies
Bilaspur, February 3 He was noticed after some time when children did not find him with them. They found him lying in the pit and shouted for help. Some villagers immediately reached the spot and extricated the body out of the pit. A case had been registered by the police.
— OC
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Labourer falls off train, dies
Nurpur, February 3 His son, staying in Jammu, was contacted by the police. The body was handed over to him after postmortem. The railway police have registered a case under Section 174 of the CrPC.
— OC
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Electronic goods gutted
Palampur, February 3 The police said the fire was noticed at an electronics shop at midnight. All electronic equipment and gift items were reduced to ashes. Shopkeeper Goldi Mehata said he suffered a loss of Rs 3 lakh. DSP, Baijnath, Puneet Raghu visited the spot. Mukesh Sharma, panchayat pradhan, said a compensation as per the HP Relief Manual would be paid to the shopkeeper.
— OC
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Chandigarh, February 3
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