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Weak monsoon so far, says Met
Rainfall after fortnight brings cheer to farmers
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No congestion charges from Lahaul-Spiti residents at Kothi barrier
Panel rates implementation of Swan river project as good
Himachal sets up Commission for Protection of Child Rights
Pharma unit flees after availing loan
Tussle in Congress over location of IIM
No relief in admission norms for tech colleges
BJP executive meeting from July 25
Small investors await revision of ceiling
Yatra to Shrikhand Mahadev peak begins today
Chamba writer’s book on Urdu released
Teachers educated on fundamental duties
Shanta: Need to review Governor’s post
MCI proposal on restoration of MBBS seats hailed
Pinegrove girls lift soccer trophy
153 ASHA workers to be recruited
Kotkhai murder: Sketch of accused released
Youth killed in road accident
Girl commits suicide
Badminton tourney from July 19
160 donate blood
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Weak monsoon so far, says Met
Shimla, July 14 “Heavy to very heavy rain is likely in some areas in mid and lower hills of the state for four days from July 15 onwards and the deficit may be covered,” he added. Monsoon remained active in mid and lower hills in the past 24 hours and heavy rain lashed the parts of Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi, Una and Dharamsala, which was the wettest in the region with 136 mm rain, while Hamirpur and Bangana received 125 and 101 mm rain, respectively. Guler in Kangra received 98 mm rain, followed by Nadaun 95 mm, Gaggal 93 mm, Dehra Gopipur 83 mm, Bharwara 80 mm, Jogindernagar 79 mm, Mehre 72 mm, Arki 70 mm, Nagrota Suriyan 64 mm and Bhoranj and Kandaghat 54 mm each. The day temperatures dropped marginally after rain and Una recorded a high of 36°C, while Bhuntar and Sundernagar recorded a 34.4°C and 32.8°C, followed by Nahan 29.2°C, Dharamsala 28.8°C, Solan 28.5°C, Manali 26.6°C, Kalpa 25.8°C and Shimla 24.2°C. The minimum temperature dropped by a few notches at some places and Una recorded a low of 19.8°C, while Sundernagar and Bhuntar recorded the minimum temperature at 21.3°C and 21.6°C, respectively. The sowing of paddy and maize has picked up after the fresh spell of rain in mid and lower hill of the state. The state had received 43 per cent less rain in June. |
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Rainfall after fortnight brings cheer to farmers
Una, July 14 Besides maize, kharif crops such as sesame and pulses such as maash were also suffering reversals due to patch of drought during the germination and emergence stage, he said. RK Dogra, Divisional Forest Officer, said about two lakh saplings of various species had been developed at various nurseries in the district, adding that all these would be planted in different parts of the district. He said aforestation activities had been delayed due to the delayed monsoon. |
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No congestion charges from Lahaul-Spiti residents at Kothi barrier
Shimla, July 14 The residents have hailed the decision as a major relief, said Ringzin Hayerpa, coordinator, Adivasi Welfare Committee. But the NGOs and residents demand the scrapping of the permit system in petitions to the chairman, NGT, pleading that permits based on the entry for tribals would result in a feeling of alienation among them because nowhere in the world do people seek permits while returning home. Acting on the oral direction of the NGT which had heard the appeals at Shimla in June last, the district administration of Kullu has received a communication from the state government saying that they should not seek the congestion charges from residents of Lahaul-Spiti while issuing them the one-time permits with immediate effect, revealed officials. Various NGOs from the Lahaul-Spiti resented that quite a number of the vehicle owners had paid the congestions under protest as they wanted to go home to look after peas and potatoes. “We are not charging the congestion charges from people of Lahaul-Spiti at the Kothi barrier as they have been exempted by the state government on the oral direction from the NGT,” said Vinay Dhiman, SDM, Manali. The administration has allowed all tourist vehicles to the Rohtang Pass after charging Rs 100 from buses and Rs 50 from cars and four-wheelers as congestion charges before they are issued permits, he added. The charges must be returned to people, demanded the residents. “We have full faith in the NGT that the tribunal will wave off the permit-based entry for people of Lahaul-Spiti and Pangi, and other Buddhists who travel back home to Leh-Ladakh on the 473-km-long Manali-Rohtang-Keylong-Leh highway every year, said Chering Dorje, vice-president, Richen Zangpo Buddhist Cultural Society, Lahaul-Spiti. A part of the Rohtang Pass falls in the Lahaul valley, but they are not getting anything from the green tax being collected from the Rohtang Pass, pointed out Dorje and Duni Chand Thakur, an elderly resident of Lahaul. On the other hand, the district administration is facing problems in setting up a barrier at Vashisht about 1 km from Manali as nine villages are located uphill from there and asking them to get permits will incur their wrath and it will face the same problems that Lahaul-Spiti is facing, revealed officials. |
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Power projects hit a roadblock in tribal belt
Shimla, July 14 The state government has amended its hydropower policy in March. But the MoEF laid down fresh condition that each project in the tribal belt has to get the gram sabha’s approval. Apart from this, the fate of power projects hangs in balance due to other reasons as well. The tribals are not allowing the power producers to start the work on many power projects, mainly the 104-mw Lara-Sumpti, 130-mw Sumti-Kuthang on the Spiti river and the 261-mw Yangthang-Khab and 180-mw Chango-Yangthang and 60-mw Tidong II in Kinnaur on the Satluj. The Lara-Sumti and Sumti-Kuthang were allotted to Reliance in May 2011, while Yangthnag-Khab was allotted to Gammons in 2009 during the previous BJP regime. Chango-Yangthnag was allotted to the Bhilwara group in August 2007. In the Lahaul valley, power producers are facing opposition from the tribals, mainly in the 420-mw Sheli power project. Others include 61-mw Tinget, 130-mw Rashil, 104-mw Tandi, 126-mw Bardang, 300-mw Purthi, 300-mw Gyaspa, 420-mw Reoli-Dugli, 94-mw Teling and 267-mw Sachkhas in Pangi. Another blow to power producers has come from the first-ever Cumulative Environmental Impact Assessment (CEIA) study of 38 hydro power projects in the Sutlej basin. The study has recommended that the government should designate the eco-fragile Spiti, the Pin valley national park, the Kibbar wildlife sanctuary and Upper Kinnaur along with 10 protection areas in the basins as “no-go areas for hydro projects”. What is significant is that the successive state governments hurriedly allotted these power projects even as not even a single major private project has seen the light of the day mainly in Lahaul-Spiti so far, reveal hydropower experts. Since these projects have made no headway due to stiff opposition from tribals, independent power producers have sought extension. Also, the fate of the controversial 960-mw Jangi Thopan Powari, which was allotted to the Brakel company, remains mired in legal hassles as the government has slapped anticipating damages worth over Rs 2,500 crore on Brakel, and is now re-allotting the project through global competitive bid, revealed the sources. |
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Panel rates implementation of Swan river project as good
Shimla, July 14 The cost of the project, estimated at Rs 166.87 crore in 2006-07, was revised to Rs 225.05 crore and it achieved the financial targets to the tune of Rs 194.41 crore by the end of 2013-14. The project aimed at regenerating forests, protecting agricultural land and enhancing agriculture and forest production in the catchment area of the Swan River by carrying out integrated watershed management activities for soil protection, land reclamation and livelihood improvement. The expert penal adjudged the overall work as “very good”. Three watersheds of Pandoga Khad at Una, Sunkali Wali Khad at Sunkali and Churudukhad at Amb, implemented by SRIWMP, were monitored and evaluated by the team during March to July 2013 and the report was submitted recently. The panel observed that the water harvesting scheme has been planned and designed in a very successful manner and farmers were benefitted. As a consequence, the water users associations were functioning satisfactorily. The component of water conveyance has played significantly in the programme as water harvesting structures without water conveyance have insignificant relevance to the farmers and the ground water level has also increased. The structures are large enough to be shared by the villagers and not only that, the stored water is being used for irrigation. It is planned for aquatic production as well, which is likely to take some time. Care has been taken to reduce the sediment load to the reservoir by constructing series of silt detention structures of 3-6 metre drop, the report said. Construction of retaining walls, ground sill, cross barriers, temporary and semi-permanent check dams helped the watershed to be protected while water management helped the farmers in crop diversification, enhancing the production and proceeding for better life. Expressing satisfaction over the plantation raised, the panel observed that more area could have been brought under this and added that demonstration of agro- forestry, live stock as alternate employment have also been attempted successfully. The Swan river was known as “Sorrow of Una District” and realising the havoc caused by frequent floods, the state implemented the project with financial assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The Swan river catchment is characterised by fragile and vulnerable Shivalik hills and sparse vegetative cover and the total length of the river that overflows and erodes the banks during monsoons and causes damage to the properties
is 55 km from Daulatpur to Santoshgarh. |
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HPU forcing decision on colleges, say teachers
Claim existing staff inadequate to implement CBCS Bhanu P Lohumi Tribune News Service
Shimla, July 14 The examination branch of the university is paying the cost of the slow implementation of RUSA without proper groundwork. The declaration of results has been delayed for nearly a month and the results of several examinations are yet to be declared. Former Controller of Examination Narinder Awasthi sought premature retirement and was relieved on June 30. Teachers rue that the HPU has taken an arbitrary decision and it is forcing the decision on colleges. Himachal was the first to implement RUSA and it adopted the new system even before the Union Government took a decision, but its main objective was to get grants. The situation had become so paradoxical that the Project Approval Board (PAB) of RUSA sanctioned Rs 82.64 crore for the implementation of the new system during 2014-15. But detailed plans and proposals for availing the grants are yet to be worked out and students and teachers in colleges are up in arms against RUSA. Basic requirements such as adequate staff to maintain 1:30 teacher-pupil ratio and accreditation from NAAC are yet to be met. Teachers rue that the existing staff is inadequate to implement the CBCS, as it will require more teachers as the number of subjects in each semester has increased from four to seven under RUSA and a majority of the staff is not familiar with the newly introduced “Standard deviation” method to give grades. Neither the examination branch nor the colleges were consulted about their constraints, while taking the arbitrary decision that involved the future of lakhs of undergraduate students. The university has also failed to provide a “self-speaking software” to make all functions online to the examination branch as promised and a complete chaos prevails. Ironically, the software was not provided even after the examinations were over and a number of colleges refused to send the data online. They generated their own series of roll numbers and sent the hard copies of awards, adding to the burden of the examination branch, already reeling under staff crunch. Sources in the examination branch confided that out of 2.45 lakh awards in the first year of undergraduate courses, discrepancies were detected in 90,000 cases and some colleges did not generate the 14 digit roll number for conducting examinations. Another problem being encountered in declaring the result was that the entire results had to be prepared in one go and there was no scope for withholding some results due to non-receipt of awards, they said. The results of most of the post-graduate courses have been declared through the old manual process, but the number of students in under-graduate courses is too high to declare the results through manual applications, especially when over 350 posts of non-teaching employees are lying vacant. The HPU has now directed the colleges to immediately send the required data online so that the system could be streamlined.
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Century-old Paprola town cries for attention
Palampur, July 14 Potholed streets, garbage dumps and overflowing drains welcome visitors here. The town has turned into a garbage dump in the absence of proper planning. The successive governments have meted out step-motherly treatment to the town as all development activities were suspended. No new project has been sanctioned for the past 10 years. The long-outstanding demand of residents for setting up a municipal council was hanging fire. A parking complex sanctioned by the government has even failed to take off. All interior roads and streets of the town are in a bad shape. Due to overflowing drains and leaking pipes, water collects on streets and roads making it difficult for residents to move. Garbage is seen littered in every nook and corner of the town. The sanitary conditions here are unhealthy and deplorable. Congress MLA Kishori Lal said he had requested the state government to sanction a sewage system for the entire town as prevailing conditions were alarming. Besides, there was a shortage of potable water, he added. The MLA said the narrow Pathankot-Mandi national highway, which passes through the town, had become a major traffic hazard for residents due to frequent traffic jams. He said the detailed project report (DPR) for the construction of a bypass was underway and the same was being forwarded to the Government of India for funding. He admitted that the population of the town had increased manifold in the past 10 years, therefore panchayats were helpless to maintain the town with meagre funds and the municipal council was urgently needed. Residents said since the town was expanding at a fast pace, a plan should be drawn up to provide basic amenities to them. Funds should be sanctioned to panchayats for the installation of streetlights and sewage system in all localities of the town. |
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Forest fire brought under control
Chamba, July 14 Looking at the difficult terrain, the forest officials sought the help of the local fire brigade, which reached the site and with the help of fire engines and forest officials, the fire was brought under control within two hours. After investigation, it was found that an unknown offender had set fire in the forests. A total of 1 hectare forest had been affected by the fire, whereas the loss caused was negligible, as only uneconomical bushes such as lantana had been burnt, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) ARM Reddy said. So far, only 53 cases of fire have taken place, affecting an area of 375 hectares and the total loss caused to the state has been only Rs 2.7 lakh, the CCF said, adding, “All efforts we took, such as the creation and maintenance of fire lines helped a lot in keeping the fires under control, besides some favorable climatic conditions.” He stated that fire taskforces and fire control rooms had been set up comprising 155 forest personnel this year and the fire season was likely to end by the end of this month. Compared to last year, the loss caused by fire incidents was only 10 per cent, the CCF added. |
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Himachal sets up Commission for Protection of Child Rights
Shimla, July 14 Shyama Dogra, who assumed the charge of her new assignment in June, said as per the Central Act under which the commission had been set up, at least two members should be women. She said the panel would visit places where children were exposed to exploitation and jails to see the condition of children of prisoners. The panel had powers to take suo motu notice of new reports regarding violation of rights of children and take action against the defaulters. The commission would also examine the complaints of mental and physical torture of children, she added. The statutory body has been set up on the analogy of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, constituted in 2007, under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005. India had ratified the United Nations Child Rights Convention in 1992 and this Act was passed as one of the necessary steps to protect the rights of children in the country. The commission will examine and review legal safeguards provided by or under any law for protection of child rights and recommend measures for their effective implementation. It will also enquire violations of child rights and recommend initiation of proceedings in such cases.
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Pharma unit flees after availing loan
Solan, July 14 Not only this, its five directors are not traceable as their residential addresses have been found to be fake when verified by bank officials. The bank officials confirmed that the unit had failed to pay any instalment for the past six months and had availed cash credit limit of Rs 27 lakh and a loan of Rs 15.75 lakh which was yet to be repaid. They said the firm was operating from Parag village near the Chambaghat area of the town and was operational since 2006. Inquires made by The Tribune revealed that the unit had systematically scaled down its production for the past nearly one-and-a-half years. Dheeraj Mittal, Superintending Engineer, HP State Electricity Board, said the unit had an outstanding liability of Rs 18,000 and its security deposit was adjusted against this amount. Drug Controller Navneet Marwaha said the unit which had renewed its production licence in 2011 had given no information to the drug controller to cancel its licence for closing its operations though its production was on the decline for the past one-and-a-half year. The unit which was operating from a rented building had pending rent worth Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh confided the owner Mohan Sharma, who said the unit management had left behind some machinery. What this means
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Tussle in Congress over location of IIM
Shimla, July 14 As the decision on the location of the IIM is yet to be taken by the Congress regime, the BJP, which is taking credit for the IIM, is adopting the wait and watch policy. “I have still not given a thought as to where the IIM should be, so we have yet to make up our mind on it,” said PK Dhumal, former Chief Minister. State BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti said there should be no politics on the issue as the entire state is one and the benefits of development should go to each and every part. He cautioned that the IIM should not meet the same fate as Central University, which has been divided into two campuses. Sources in the BJP indicated that whether it was Dhumal or Lok Sabha MP Shanta Kumar, both would want the IIM in their constituencies. With the BJP being in power at the Centre, it could have a major say on the issue even though it was for the state government to suggest and provide the required land. On the other hand, as far as the ruling party is concerned, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has already indicated that he will prefer it either in Shimla or Solan district but former minister Ram Lal Thakur has demanded that Bilaspur should be given preference as there is no major institute here. Kuldeep Singh Rathore, member, AICC, too has demanded that since all major institutes such as the IIT and ESI Medical College and Hospital are in Mandi, Central University in Kangra, NIFT Hamirpur, Hydro Engineering College Bilaspur and IIIT are located in Una, the IIM must be located on the suburbs of Shimla. Considering the row over the location of Central University, Kangra, which will have two centres, it remains to be seen how best the issue of location of the IIM is tackled. Dharamsala had been decided the venue for Central University while the Congress was in power in 2007 but later with the BJP assuming power, it was decided that an alternate campus be developed at Dehra. The issue has still not been settled as Central University is functioning from Shahpur near
Kangra. Bone of contention
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Farm varsity to conduct plantation test on Russian seabuckthorn varieties
Palampur, July 14 This was disclosed by Dr KK Katoch, Vice-Chancellor, HPAU, and Dr SP Sharma, Director, Research of HPAU, here on Wednesday. They said the university had earlier provided a local variety of seabuckthorn named ‘Drilbu’, which was less thorny and rich in vitamin C. This variety was planted by around 350 farmers in 100 hectares of marginal lands in upper areas of Lahaul under the National Agriculture Innovation Project, which was funded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). They said on the demand of local farmers, the HPAU had imported seeds of seven varieties of thornless Russian seabuckthorn through the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources. “The Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, has also sanctioned Rs 38 lakh for the project to the university to conduct a plantation test and evaluate the Russian varieties at the university farm at Kukumseri in Lahaul,” they added. They said Dr Virendra Singh, Principal Investigator of the project, and Dr LK Sharma, Co-Principal Investigator of the project, would finalise two or three most suitable Russian varieties for cultivation in Himachal after the completion of the evaluation study. The Russian varieties of seabuckthorn are thornless with large-sized fruits. They are high-yielding and rich in oil. The size of the fruits of the Russian varieties is two to five times bigger than local seabuckthorn plant varieties. Dr Virendra Singh said these varieties had been successfully cultivated by farmers in 30 countries, including China, Mongolia, Sweden, the USA, Canada, Germany and Finland. He said the HPAU was the first university in the country to have imported the Russian varieties of seabuckthorn. “Seabuckthorn are being cultivated by farmers and the Forest Department on marginal lands, particularly in higher altitudes like the Chandra valley of Lahaul. Farmers have shown a keen interest in growing the Russian varieties in grasslands or in their private lands as it has desirable economic characters and adaptation to local environmental conditions,” added Dr Virendra Singh.
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Shimla gets Rs 28-cr modern abattoir
Shimla, July 14 Addressing the gathering, Sharma said the modern abattoir had the latest machine that would conserve cleanliness and protect environment. “It has service and commercial slaughter houses, which will be manned by trained staff in two shifts of eight hours each,” the minister added. “The anti-mortem and postmortem inspection will be carried out every day in a clean and pollution-free environment,” he said. After inaugurating the slaughter house, Sharma opened the Auckland complex. He said Rs 20 lakh would be spent on the toilet block meant for public near the complex, while Rs 5 lakh would be spent on the drainage pipeline. He said the government was committed to improve the basic amnesties in the towns in the state. He flagged off four air-conditioned vehicles from the abattoir which would deliver at different retailers in city. Dr KS Jaswal, president, Aukland tunnel, welcomed the minister, including Shimla mayor Sanjay Chauhan, deputy mayor Tikender Panwar, councillors Kala Sharma, Rajni Singh and other representatives and officials present on both occasions.
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No relief in admission norms for tech colleges
Shimla, July 14 The Cabinet at its meeting held here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh approved fresh guidelines for new fair price shops. The second priority for allotment of fair price shops will be to ex-servicemen and unemployed educated youth with no family members in regular employment followed by gram panchayats and cooperative societies. The fair price shops are to be opened for a population of 1500 or above and in tribal, remote and inaccessible areas, the norms can be relaxed up to a population of 1,000 or above or 150 ration-card holders. The Cabinet decided not to grant any relaxation to technical and vocational educational institutions over admissions in violation of the prescribed norms of Central and state regulating bodies from the session 2014-15. In case of any violation, the regulating body will take action and ensure the maintenance of academic standards which are a prerequisite for placements of students. The Cabinet also approved global bids for Jangi-Thopan-Powari (960MW) hydro-power project. The Cabinet approved the extension in commercial operation date of small hydroelectric projects up to 5 mw capacity. Besides, the Cabinet cancelled the Baggi Nallah Small Hydel Electric Project and Ghayagi project falling in Mandi and Kullu. Apart from this, the nod was given to restore the cancellation of 3mw project in Chamba. The Cabinet relaxed the norms for the construction of Jakhu ropeway which includes six habitable floors, besides the height of the building under the HP Municipal Act 1994. The Cabinet also approved the construction of multi-level parking at Tutikandi. The 11-storey building will have parking facility on its eight floors, besides two floors will be used for office and one for restaurant. The Cabinet approved 50 per cent promotional avenues in the administrative services from tehsildars and Block Development Officers. The Cabinet also enhanced the honorarium for tailoring teachers from Rs 1,600 to Rs 2,000 per month.
Cabinet decisions
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BJP executive meeting from July 25
Solan, July 14 The core committee meeting will be held on the first day and it will be attended by all state MPs, former party presidents, four general secretaries, party in-charge Babir Punj, besides the former Chief Minister PK Dhumal and party president Satpal Satti. The next two-days will be dedicated to the state executive meeting, where various issues such as chalking out the party’s programmes for the future and finalising a strategy for the civic body and panchayat polls will be chalked out. A postmortem of the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls will also be done, where causes of good and bad performance in various areas will be taken into account, so that steps can be taken to improve the party’s performance for the civic body polls slated to be held in December 2015. Dr Rajiv Bindal, general secretary, was also present to oversee the arrangements. He confirmed that all senior party leaders would descend here from July 25 to 27 to discuss various issues concerning the party.
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Small investors await revision of ceiling
Solan, July 14 A committee comprising ministries of Finance and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and the Reserve Bank of India has been directed to look into this issue and put forth suggestions to amend the ceiling. The MSMEs presently comprise all units whose investment is between Rs 25 lakh to Rs 5 crore. Majority of units in the state are included in this category. All units whose investment is up to Rs 25 lakh are listed as micro units while those investing till Rs 2 crore are small category units and those whose investment is Rs 5 crore fell in the medium-scale category. Arun Rawat, chairman, Himachal chapter of CII, said since the sector contributed nearly 75-80 per cent to employment, revising the financial ceiling was a long-pending demand. Sailesh Aggarwal, senior vice-president, Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industries Association, said they hoped the new financial ceiling would be enhanced in view of the high inflation. With no exemption from the high interest rate to the MSME sector, the ever-rising cost of operations was affecting the health of the sector. They were compelled to pay the same rate of interest as the medium and large scale enterprises and this was another point of concern which the investors hoped would be addressed by allowing some interest subvention. With more than 80 per cent of the industrial units in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh comprising the MSME sector, the investors are awaiting major changes in the financial aspects of
MSME.
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Villagers protest police inaction in Singan woman’s death case
Una, July 14 The protesters, led by panchayat pardhan Jaswinder Bindu, blocked the traffic around 1.15 pm. Harjinder Singh, Haroli SHO, failed to convince the people to lift the blockade. Surinder Sharma, DSP (headquarters), reached Tahliwal and told the protesters that the autopsy report had been received from the Tanda medical college and that the police were investigating the case. The semi-burnt body of Nisha Devi was found in the forests near the village on June 17. While the autopsy report had established that the woman had died before being burnt, the police investigations so far been futile. The DSP said, if required, polygraph tests would be conducted on some people, including the family members of the deceased. The traffic was allowed to move at 3.15 pm.
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Yatra to Shrikhand Mahadev peak begins today
Kullu, July 14 Kanwar said rescue teams and medical camps had been established at Singhgad, Thachdu and Bheemdwari and only medically fit persons would be allowed to carry out the difficult
25-km trek. The administration has decided to set up oxygen chambers for the first time. The journey to the peak will start from Baghipul village in Nirmand division of Kullu district. The administration has put up camps in places where food, tea and water, besides night shelter, will be provided. Local residents also pitch tents and offer paid food and stay for the night. Hundreds of revellers and pilgrims take this tough challenge to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva and witness majestic and enchanting landscapes.
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Chamba writer’s book on Urdu released
Dalhousie, July 14 Hooda said he hoped that this book would prove useful for beginners of Urdu language. Kanwar, writer and editor of the book, who
hails from Sahla village of Bhattiyat tehsil in Chamba district, said the book was a simple medium for those who desired to learn Urdu. Kanwar said Urdu language had played an important role in giving impetus to the freedom struggle and contributed a lot in nation-building. Moreover, most of the land records of the country were in Urdu. Therefore, the book would go a long way in disseminating the knowledge of Urdu, Kanwar further stated. The efforts of Kanwar have been lauded in appreciation letters received by him from Prof Hari Mohan Sharma, Head, Department of Hindi, University of Delhi, and Dr Manjit Singh, Head, Department of Punjabi, University of Delhi, for writing the book on Urdu, the prestigious language of India.
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Teachers educated on fundamental duties
Solan, July 14 Presiding over the camp, District and Sessions Judge SL Sharma said since students were largely influenced by teachers, imparting awareness about our fundamental rights and duties to them would help educate the students. The authority would also organise slogan and essay-writing competitions on this theme and the winners would be awarded at the district, state and national levels, he added. Sharma said the DLSA was trying to create awareness among the masses by holding legal literacy camps in schools, panchayats and mahila mandals so that more people could be benefitted. Addressing delegates on this occasion, Additional District and Sessions Judge PP Ranta gave information about the upkeep of public properties. Subash Chander Bhasin, Judicial Magistrate, also spoke on the occasion. Madan Kumar, Special Secretary (law), talked about the need to inculcate scientific temperament among the future generations The gathering, comprising 200 teachers, was made aware about the various fundamental rights and duties by the CJM Hansraj, who also thanked the teachers for participating in the training camp.
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Shanta: Need to review Governor’s post
Addressing a press conference here, Shanta said he was agreed with Chetan Bhagat, a well-known writer, who had in a tweet last month advocated for the review of the Governor’s post instead of replacing Governors appointed by the Congress government. He said this was an important issue and need discussion on the higher level. Shanta Kumar reminded that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, while presenting the Budget, had already apprised the nation about the precarious financial health of the country and pleaded for cutting down the non-planned expenditures. He said on the one side, the government had enhanced the railway fares, prices of fuel and other goods, at the same it should give message to public that it was also serious in cutting down the public expenditures. Shanta also suggested that there should be only one Governor for three states of Punjab, Himachal and Haryana at Chandigarh which could easily serve the purposes instead of three state heads at three places. This step of the government could also save crores of rupees of state exchequers, he added. He said there were many other government departments at the Centre and states which also needed review. These departments should be merged with others so that the huge administrative burden on the exchequer was reduced. He stated that there was no shortage of funds, but the country needed planning and policies. He said these were his personal views not the BJP’s stand and any final decision had to be taken by the Cabinet or Parliament. He said regarding implementation of austerity measures, he had already written to the Prime Minister to initiate steps. Referring to Himachali Pradesh, Shanta said if serious efforts were made, the tourism industry alone could fill the coffers of the state.
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MCI proposal on restoration of MBBS seats hailed
Shimla, July 14 He said the students eyeing MBBS seats and their parents could have been saved from the stress if the government was concerned about the issue. — TNS
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Pinegrove girls lift soccer trophy
Solan, July 14 Gurneet Kaur and Amanatbir Kaur spearheaded the home team attack scoring one goal each within no time, stunning the visitors and leaving them clueless. The best defender award was given to Dhwani of Modern School, Delhi, and Vedika Kanodia of Mayo school. Muskan Gill of Pinegrove was adjudged the best goalkeeper of the tournament. Pema Yankee Bhutia, also of the host school, walked away with the highest scorer award, while the best upcoming player awards were taken by Pritika of Birla Ballika Vidyapeeth, Pilani, Rajasthan, and Sangay Ongmu Lepcha of Pinegrove School. The best player of the tournament award was taken by Yachika Garg of the host school. Col Kapil Sood, Commandant, 14 Gorkha Training Centre, Subathu, was the chief guest at the closing ceremony and gave away the prizes. — TNS
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3 cops suspended for negligence
Dalhousie, July 14 Stating this here today, the police said there were five burglars who had come to the temple on three bikes and one of them had been arrested from Punjab. The burglars had made a forced entry into the temple with the sole intention of stealing the goddess idol, gold and other valuable items. A chowkidar
of the temple, who heard some noise, foiled their attempt. Bhalei Mata Temple Management Committee chairman Kamal Thakur said the idol was 485 years old. Earlier in 1973, the idol was stolen by thieves and
recovered from a nearby place at Chaura.
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153 ASHA workers to be recruited
Kangra, July 14 Disclosing this here today, Dr Susheel Sharma, Block Medical Officer, Shahpur, said interviews of candidates from 27 panchayats surrounding Shahpur would be held at CHC, Shahpur, on July 21. On July 23, interview will be held at PHC, Charri, for 12 panchayats surrounding Charri. For seven panchayats falling under PHC, McLeodganj, interviews will be held at PHC, McLeodganj, on July 25. For seven panchayats
surrounding Darini, candidates can appear for interview at PHC, Darini, on July 31. For eight panchayats surrounding Lapiana, the interview will be held on August 4 at PHC, Lapiana, Dr Susheel added.
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Kotkhai murder: Sketch of accused released
The relatives of the accused, whose help was sought to make the sketch, said he visited Himachal for the first time and was unaware of the topography of the area. The accused killed Sudha Devi (45) and her son Krishan Chand (26) at Chhajpur village with an axe on July 11 and escaped with his family, including wife and five children.
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Youth killed in road accident
Solan, July 14 SP S Arul Kumar said the car was at high speed and it rammed against the left side of the tanker following which Harmandeep was killed. Harmandeep, hailing from Nichla Khera village in Nalagarh subdivision, was declared brought dead by doctors at the First Referral Unit,
Nalagarh.
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Girl commits suicide
Solan, July 14 As per preliminary investigations, the girl had asked for some money from her brother which he refused to give. The girl, however, in a fit of rage committed suicide when she was alone at home. Her brother works at an industrial unit and their parents reside in Bihar. The police ruled out any foul play.
— TNS
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Badminton tourney from July 19
Una, July 14 Addressing mediapersons, he said the state under-13 and under-15 tournaments would be held in Shimla from July 31, and the inter-district and open badminton championships for under-17 and under-19 age groups in Mandi from August 9.
— OC
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160 donate blood
Nurpur, July 14 The Tanda medical college team was led by Dr Paul Chander and that of the Zonal Hospital, Dharamsala by Anju Puri. SDM Ashwani Sood inaugurated the camp. NGO president Manoj Pathania said the club would organise such camps in the future too.
— OC
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Palampur, July 14
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