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Leaders' sons, loyalists make HPCC jumbo-sized
13 drugs declared sub-standard
Himani Chamunda temple gutted
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Snow greets tourists in Manali
CM opens police station at Dharampur
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh addresses a rally in Dharampur on Friday. Photo: Jai Kumar
Vijay Kelkar for selling gas, oil at market price
‘BJP makes mockery of democracy’
Industry seeks tax benefits
Three Bihar boys rescued
Anganwari, midday meal workers to join protest
NGO begins awareness campaign
Services in treasury office hit
Anna urged to review support to Mamata
Kiratpur-Mandi road work begins today
Couple die in car accident
German team visits power project site Man killed in road mishap Scientist awarded Leopard takes away boy
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Leaders' sons, loyalists make HPCC jumbo-sized
Shimla, February 14 Virbhadra had sought the intervention of the high command to include some more names in the HPCC when state Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu had announced his new team after taking over in January last year. He had pointed out that there was major imbalance which needed to be sorted out. It is now close to the Lok Sabha poll that the AICC has acceded to his demand, paving the way for inclusion of several of his loyalists in the state committee. Though his loyalists have been appointed to key posts, as far as the 40 new secretaries are concerned, it is a mix with many supporters of Health and Revenue Minister Kaul Singh Thakur, Sukhu and Transport Minister GS Bali finding a place therein, a move which is more of a balancing act. “New addition has been made to the HPCC to give representation to all areas and sections, including the youth and women, in view of the Lok Sabha poll,” said Sukhu. Those included in the HPCC include former minister from Mandi Rangila Ram Rao and Virbhadra loyalist and former MLA from Bilaspur Biru Ram Kishore as vice- presidents. Kishori Lal, MLA from Baijnath in Kangra, is general secretary. Former MLAs Tek Chand Dogra (Mandi) and Kush Parmar (Sirmour), and BD Choudhary and JK Azad will be the four new executive members. Five permanent invitees too have been added to the HPCC list. These include Pratibha Singh, MP from Mandi and wife of Virbhadra Singh, Excise and Taxation Minister Prakash Chaudhary, MLA Jagjivan Pal, former MLA Krishna Mohini and Kewal Singh Pathania. All of them are Virbhadra loyalists. Kuldeep Singh Rathore, a former HPCC general secretary, has been included in the state disciplinary committee headed by former bureaucrat AN Vidyarthi. A total of 40 new secretaries have been added to the existing list of the HPCC, with sons of some leaders getting appointments. Prominent among them is Aishwarya Katoch, son of Union Minister Chandresh Kumari, who had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly election from Dharamsala. Another addition to the list is Raghubir Singh Bali, son of Transport Minister GS Bali. Ashish Butail, son of Assembly Speaker Brij Bihari Butail, has been made secretary. Additions to HPCC
Vice presidents: Rangila Ram Rao, BR Kishore General Secy:
Kishori Lal Executive members: Tek Chand Dogra, JK Azad, Kush Parmar and BD Choudhary Permanent Invitees:
Pratibha Singh, Parkash Choudhary, Jagjivan Pal, Kewal Singh Pathania and Krishna Mohini. Secretaries:
Chander Prabha Negi, Anil Goel, Rakesh Chouhan, Aishwarya Katoch, Harish Janartha, Pawan Nayyar, Ashish Butail, Vikram Sharma, Sitaram Bhardwaj, Maheshwar Chouhan, Ragubir Bali, Noru Ram, narendra Mogra, Brij Lal Thakur, Anita Thakur, Pama Ram, Raj Kumar Soni, Ajay Jogita, Manjit Thakur, Lalit Chouhan, Anita Verma, Ravi Parashar, Kusum Lata, Harish Verma, Surender Walia, KP Sharma, AS Naughty, IS Thakur, CS Sharma, Sanjay Rana, Digvijay Puri, Rajnish Chander, Kuldeep Choudhary, MK Gaddi. |
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13 drugs declared sub-standard
Solan, February 14 The National Drug Regulatory Authority had introduced this measure last year to ensure such drugs were not sold after having been found to have failed to conform to manufacturing standards. Of the total of 32 drugs listed in the alert, 13 have been manufactured in various units of Baddi and Paonta Sahib. Several batches of a single drug Festive-OZ suspensions, Para-500 tablets and Ofloxacin and Ornidazole suspension manufactured by a Paonta Sahib-based unit have been declared sub-standard by the Drug Control Department (DCD) of Assam. These drugs were tested at the Regional Drug Testing Laboratory, Guwahati. The emergence of a large number of such drugs from a single unit was a matter of concern, which required immediate attention of the drug regulatory authorities of the state. A section of manufacturers contended that since they had got the drugs manufactured from a third party and only marketed them, they should not be held liable for such errors. It was found that if a third party made a drug, the manufacturer’s name did not figure in the drug alert while the company which had marketed the drug was listed. Ravinder Chawdhary, Assistant Drug Licensing Authority, said he would instruct the Drug Inspector to draw the repeated samples of various drugs and test their quality besides conducting investigations in a time-bound manner. He added that batches of all drugs listed in the drug alert would be immediately withdrawn from the market. Ronoflox-400 tablets, manufactured by a Baddi-based unit, too have been declared sub-standard owing to issues pertaining to uniformity of weight. Angizaar-50 tablets have also failed to conform to standards laid out by the Central Drug Standards Control Organisation, Kolkata, due to some fault in the description which was not specified. Ranitidine Hydrochloride tablets manufactured by another Paonta Sahib firm is also enlisted in the monthly drug alert by the Regional Drug Testing Laboratory, Chandigarh. Levori tablet, manufactured by a Nalagarh-based firm, whose samples were drawn by the CDSCO, west Mumbai, was declared sub-standard after being tested at the Central Drug Testing Laboratory. The list includes
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Himani Chamunda temple gutted
Dharamsala, February 14 Kangra Deputy Commissioner Paul Rasu said, "We are trying to ascertain the reasons for the fire. From preliminary investigations, it seems lightning struck the temple. Reasons can be found only after a team of officials reaches there when the weather clears." The successive state governments have been planning to develop all-weather transit facility to the temple to develop it as a religious tourist destination. The state government has cleared a ropeway project for it. The project was to include the construction of 6-km ropeway to the shrine. It entailed about Rs 200 crore and could have given a boost to religious tourism in the state. The previous government also tried to launch a heli-taxi service for the Himani Chamunda temple. Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal inaugurated the service by boarding the maiden flight for the temple. Later, the service could not take off. Sources here said the company, entrusted with the task of starting the service, backed out due to lack of viability. Since Dharamsala receives the maximum rainfall during the peak tourist season in the state, the number of days during which the heli-taxi service could be operated here was limited. The Himani Chamunda temple is located at an altitude of about 12,000 feet in the Dhauladhar ranges. There is no road leading to the temple. Visitors have to trek an arduous mountain terrain of about 12 km. The area in which the temple is located is supposed to be forest land. If the government wants to create a road or ropeway to the temple, it will have to seek forest clearance from the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests. |
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Snow greets tourists in Manali
Manali, February 14 Tourists were in for a surprise when they woke up to see the town covered with fresh snow. The ski slopes of the Solang valley also received a fresh snowfall. The upper Kullu valley, including the 13,050-foot-high Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul-Spiti valley, also experienced heavy snow. All long-route Manali-bound buses halted near the
Patlikulh, about 19 km from here, on the Manali-Kullu road, causing inconvenience to locals and tourists. Only light vehicles were plying between Manali and
Patlikulh. Local buses remained suspended on the Manali-Naggar-Kullu road. Vehicular traffic was also disrupted between
Manali-Kothi and Solang. Snow, rain hit Palampur
Palampur: Heavy rain and snow accompanied by chilly winds hit the region today. The upper areas of the Dhauladhar ranges experienced heavy snow while lower areas, including
Baijnath, Palampur, Paprola Jaisinghpur and Nagrota Bagwan, were lashed by heavy showers, disrupting normal life. Normal life was crippled in Chhota Bhangal in
Baijnath. The Bhangal valley was cut off following heavy snow. Reports reaching here said over 30 vehicles were trapped at different places. There had been no power supply in most of the villages for the past 18 hours. A state government official said a long spell of winter, unusual snow and rain in the region had multiplied the problems of local residents. Snowfall in Pir Panjal
Chamba: The high-altitude areas of Chamba district and the adjacent Pir Panjal ranges had been receiving snow since last night, hampering the normal life in the areas. Reports said the low-lying areas were lashed by heavy rain. The entire region was in the grip of icy winds and people of the region remained confined to their houses. Traffic was disrupted due to heavy snowfall and landslips. |
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CM opens police station at Dharampur
Mandi, February 14 Talking about the opening of a government degree college at Dharampur, he said, “The previous government had played politics over the issue, but our government has taken a decision to open a college in the area.” He said, “Our government has not only made announcements regarding opening new colleges, but we have also decided to grant Rs 5 crore for every college while making announcement to open a college.” Talking about various development activities undertaken by the Congress government in the state, the CM said, “The Congress government has given preference to backward and difficult areas of the state to bring them in the mainstream and a result of which the state has emerged as a model state in the country.” He said, “First Chief Minister of the state Dr YS Parmar had laid the foundation of development in the state and the successive governments have tried to take the state ahead in every field.” The Chief Minister also inaugurated a police station at Dharampur, a Primary Health Centre and a part of the school building at Seoh, besides laying the foundation stones of several development works. He also attended several other functions during his tour of the areatour of the area. |
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Vijay Kelkar for selling gas, oil at market price
“Trans-generational equity should be taken into consideration while selling the national assets that are exhaustible and also belong to the future generations. I am going to make this suggestion in my report to the government,” he
added. Kelkar, former secretary, finance, and Chairman of the 13th Finance Commission, was here to take part in the second annual convocation of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh. The Kelkar committee has been formed by the Centre to suggest a roadmap for increasing domestic oil and gas
production. Kelkar said, “India badly needs investment for oil and gas exploration to reduce its import bill. At present, India is facing 7 billion barrel oil and gas deficit. It is taking a toll on the foreign exchange reserves of the country. The import of oil and gas can be brought down by 30 per cent in case the reserves in deep sea are tapped. However, to tap deep sea reserves, equitable platform has to be offered to private players who take the risk of investing in exploring oil and gas fields. Even ONGC has suffered losses in its some foreign ventures for exploring oil and gas fields.” “To increase the domestic oil and gas production, investment should also be made in implanting modern technology. Many countries such as Japan and the US are now investing heavily to develop technology to tap gas hydrates as an energy source. In case India taps its gas hydrate reserves, it can be energy-sufficient,” he added. |
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‘BJP makes mockery of democracy’
Shimla, February 14 They accused the party of making a mockery of the parliamentary form of democracy just because BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s rally is scheduled at Sujanpur on February 16 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. According to leaders, BJP legislators are not discharging their duties properly because the party have to make Modi’s rally a big success to set a stage for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. State secretary CPM Rakesh Singha said if legislators had grievances, they should raise and debate in the Assembly rather than boycotting indefinitely for days together. The form of protest the BJP had adopted was against democracy, charged AAP national member and state coordinator Des Raj. “BJP’s boycott of the Vidhan Sabha is only to safeguard PK Dhumal,” AAP charged. The exchequer was spending crores of rupees on the proceedings at a time when Himachal’s finances were in doldrums, alleged AAP. “The BJP-Congress deadlock is making a mockery of democracy. We expected that the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP would sit and legislate a strong Lokayukta, but they are engaged in match-fixing,” Des Raj charged. HLP convener Maheshwar Singh said the BJP action was not in favour of public welfare. “We oppose the wrong polices of the Congress and the BJP,” he said. |
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Industry seeks tax benefits
Shimla, February 14 Sharad Jaipuria, president, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “Though the budget has several incentives to boost investment in the state, the income tax and central excise benefits, which have not been extended by the central government, may impact investment sentiments of the industry.”¯ He said central excise and income tax benefits had promoted large-scale investments in the state and proved important for long-term sustenance of the industries in the state. Hence, the government should consider extension of income tax and central excise benefits for Himachal Pradesh in order to boost the overall economic growth of the state, he added. “The economy of the state is expected to achieve the growth rate of 6.2 per cent in the current financial year which is encouraging in the wake of slowdown at global and domestic fronts,”¯ said Jaipuria. He said, “The state is blessed with hydropower potential and the proposed budget has also taken appreciated steps to harness its power potential. A total budget outlay of Rs 985 crore has been proposed for the Power Department and it is welcoming that the budget has proposed to give preferential allotment of up to 5 MW projects to bona fide residents which will encourage the entrepreneurs of the state.”€¯ He also appreciated the proposal to set up three new industrial units and HP investment promotion cell in order to attract new investment. |
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Three Bihar boys rescued
Kullu, February 14 SP, Kullu, Dr Vinod Kumar Dawan said two persons from Gaya district in Bihar, accompanying the children, were also arrested. The driver of the cab, Rajesh, was arrested who admitted that he had
earlier ferried over 10 children from the Ambala railway station to Kullu
in his three similar trips, the SP said. The police arrested the accused awaiting the delivery of the boys in Kullu. The alleged mastermind in Bihar had been identified and would be nabbed soon. |
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Anganwari, midday meal workers to join protest
Chamba, February 14 The campaign is being organised under the banner of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). District general secretary of CITU Sudesh Thakur said here yesterday that anganwari and midday meal workers had been overlooked by the state government while presenting the Budget and there was no increase in their honorarium. Sudesh said the nationwide agitation had commenced on February 10. In a series of nationwide agitations of CITU, rallies would be organised at district and block levels by the workers, he added. |
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NGO begins awareness campaign
Shimla, February 14 Simple diet, physical activity and knowledge were more powerful than the drugs and medical treatment, he said. NGO volunteers gave a presentation on a book, Heart Mafia, penned by Dr BR Chaudhary. The volunteers said certain doctors do not follow the guidelines prescribed by the American Medical Associations and other world authorities on the heart treatments and force patients to undergo unnecessary treatments. However, members of the Indian Medical Association denied that heart surgeries and procedures were done unnecessarily. |
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Services in treasury office hit
Nurpur February 14 The passing of government bills, besides medical bills and travelling allowance bills of employees, has also taken a hit. According to Nurpur Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ashwani Sood, the private company, which had installed the computerised system in the treasury office, had been asked to restore this service at the earliest. |
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Anna urged to review support to Mamata
Shimla, February 14 He reminded the social activist of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP elected from West Bengal, who was allegedly involved in a benami land deal in Shimla. Panwar said he was shocked to read that Hazare was supporting the TMC in West Bengal. The TMC MP was involved in the benami land deal of a private Charrabra school on the Shimla peripheries about which Anna was ignorant. “We admire you for your simplicity and crusade against corruption, but your move to campaign for the TMC is shocking,” he added. He said the state government had declared several acres of land as benami. “The chit fund scam rocked West Bengal and it is against this background that I would like you to revisit and update your knowledge on Mamata Banerjee,” Panwar said. |
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Kiratpur-Mandi road work begins today
Bilaspur, February 14 This was stated by DPRO Purushottam Lal here today. He said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh would preside over this function, which would be held at Mandi-Bharadi, near here. This road would be completed within a record period of three years and Rs 1,818.47 crore was estimated to be its total cost. Fifteen large and 30 small bridges, five tunnels of 4.82 km length, 253 culverts and 50 bus ways would be constructed along the road.
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Fire has destroyed the Himani Chamunda temple, located 12 km from the lower Chamunda temple in Kangra district. Legend has it that the temple is 400 years old.
Manali, February 14
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has announced that SDM offices will be opened at Dharampur and Mandi rural area.
Addressing a rally organised here today to mark the birth anniversary of Guru
Ravidas, the Chief Minister paid rich tributes to the social reformer.
He said the Congress governments in the state had always worked for the betterment of every area and Dharampur had been no exception.
Dharamsala, February 14