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HC notices to HPCA, BCCI, Kings XI over security spend
CM inaugurates 132-KV sub-station in Haroli
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BJP demands white paper on Congress Rs 4,500-cr loan
GPS in HRTC buses soon: Bali
Strike by state roadways staff partial
Firm asked to submit revised project on ski village project
State awaits Central funds for drug regulation system
Science Congress from today
Higher reaches receive snow; rain in lower hills
Stalemate continues as LLR college students join strike
Couple held in forgery case
100-day job sought under MGNREGA
Joint placement for pass-outs of 2014-15
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HC notices to HPCA, BCCI, Kings XI over security spend
Shimla, October 14 Issuing notices, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Chauhan further directed the respondents to file their response within four weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on December 9 this year. The Bench passed this order on a petition filed by Vinay Kumar, alleging that the HPCA and the BCCI had not paid even a single penny to the state government for security charges and other legal dues such as taxes since 2010 when the first IPL match was played in the HPCA stadium, Dharamsala. It was further alleged that at least nine IPL matches and an international match had been played in the stadium and one more international match is scheduled to be played at Dharamsala cricket stadium on October 17. It was also stated in the petition that more than 1,500 police personnel were being deployed in Dharamsala for more than a week to provide security during the match and the government had to spend at least Rs 70 lakh to Rs 1 crore for security from taxpayers’ money. It was further alleged that the government had earlier spent around Rs 10 crore on security for previous matches, but did not receive anything from the HPCA. It was claimed in the petition that the cricket body was earning crores of rupees from channel rights, letting out of stadium for matches, from IPL franchisee and other sources, but was not paying legal dues to the government. He cited the examples of the Punjab Police, the Mumbai Police and the Madhya Pradesh Police recovering security expenses from cricket bodies and pleaded for directions to the HPCA to pay legal dues. Hearing on Dec 9
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CM inaugurates 132-KV sub-station in Haroli
Una, October 14 Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the state government was committed to equal development of all areas. He said while it was the government’s endeavour to boost every sector, including industries, the real development of rural masses would come from the economic uplift of farmers. Taking a dig at the Opposition, Virbhadra said the state BJP leaders were “merely indulging in baseless criticism and had nothing much to oppose or corner the government on any issue”. He praised Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri for ushering in multi-pronged development approach for his home segment, Haroli. Reacting to Agnihotri’s demands, the Chief Minister announced a post of sub-divisional police officer of the rank of DSP at Haroli, since Haroli had recently been made a new civil sub-divisional headquarter. He also announced that Ispur Ayurvedic Institution would be upgraded to a 20-bedded hospital. He also announced a new electrical sub-division and an auditorium for Haroli segment. He also laid the foundation stone of a building of the Bathu branch of Kangra Central Cooperative Bank, on which Rs 1 crore would be spent. He laid the stone for a 33-KV electrical sub-station at Bathu, besides another stone for the upgrade of the Bankhandi-Jhalera road at an estimated Rs 17.5 crore. Since the CM had to leave for Delhi, Agriculture and Power Minister Sujan Singh Pathania later laid the foundation stone of a vegetable and grain market at Panjawar village of the Haroli
segment. |
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BJP demands white paper on Congress Rs 4,500-cr loan
Shimla, October 14 Claiming that Congress leaders were unaware of the facts and were just signing the statements prepared on the behest of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, BJP state spokesperson Ganesh Dutt alleged that during the Congress regime in 2007, the financial situation of the state was so weak that government employees were not given 5 per cent interim relief and a loan of Rs 8,070 crore was taken. However, in the BJP term from 2008 to 2012, a loan of Rs 6,672 crore was raised which was Rs 1,400 crore less than the loan raised by the Congress government between 2004 and 2007. |
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GPS in HRTC buses soon: Bali
Shimla, October 14 There were no reports from any part of the state regarding the strike and not a single bus route was affected. Bus services plied regularly, as a result of which commuters did not face any problem, he added. Bali said the government was committed to the safety of the passengers. In the first phase, buses in the government sector would be provided with the GPS system and later this facility would be introduced in private buses which would help reduce road accidents. |
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Strike by state roadways staff partial
Shimla, October 14 The protesters accused Transport Minister GS Bali and the HRTC management of misleading the employees as the corporation had not paid dues worth Rs 48 crore pending for the last eight months. The HRTC bus services were partially hit by the strike. The Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) and members affiliated with INTUC, a trade union of the Congress, abstained from the strike called by the Parihana Mazdoor Sangh (PMS). PMS president Shankar Singh Thakur charged that the transport minister and the present government were misleading the employees. The release of Rs 5 crore was misleading as nothing had been credited into the bank accounts of the employees. The employees protest would continue till all demands were practically met, he warned. Roshan Lal Thakur, president, JCC, said the PMS leaders were self-styled and their protest was a flop show. |
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Firm asked to submit revised project on ski village project
Shimla, October 14 Acting on the directives of the Cabinet, which had last month asked the Tourism Department to ask the promoters, a letter has been written to them. The letter has asked the company to submit the revised proposal to the government. HSV Company, which received the letter about 10 days back, is yet to reply to it. “The latest communication from the government seeking a detailed revised project is still being discussed and we will shortly respond to it,” said Ajay Dabra, who is a partner in the project. Once the company takes a final view, the matter is likely to be placed again before the Cabinet. “It is the Cabinet which will take the final call on whether to allow the modified project or invite fresh bids since the agreement was signed between the government and the company on December 9, 2004,” remarked an official. It was last year in September that the company had responded positively to the consent sought by the government for going ahead with the project. The company had, however, sought some major modifications in its earlier plans considering the grim economic scenario. With almost nine years having elapsed since the project was conceived, the company proposes to scale down the cost of the project from Rs 2,000 crore to almost half and it is likely to be taken up in a phased manner with private, public and community participation. “If the government is prepared for a discussion about the modified project, then we can get a design that will serve the people of HP and villagers of the upper Kullu valley and attract the investors back to risk their funds for this modified eco-friendly ski resort,” John Sims, Managing Director, HSV, had responded last year. The ski resort project which became the victim of political prejudice during the BJP regime was conceived during the Congress rule. The locals in Kullu-Manali had expressed reservation over the fact that the project would vitiate their socio-cultural environment. It is probably keeping this fact in mind that the promoters are keen to have a greater alliance with the local people by incorporating them directly in the profits and business opportunities. Fact file
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Mandi police initiate steps to thwart thefts in temples
Mandi, October 14 He said they were also providing security to some temples, including the Bhootnath temple, and had constituted a technical cell to solve the cases. “We have already prepared a list of valuable articles, idols, maps and photographs of nearly 70 per cent of the temples in the district and are maintaining the record at the police stations as well at the district headquarters level,” he said. “There are more than 180 temples in the district, including 84 in Mandi town. We have divided them into three categories on the basis of their size, historic value, donations and footfall. Nearly 16 temples fall under ‘A’ category and 30-35 temples come under ‘B’ category,” the SP said. Security measures were being taken according to the category, he added. The SP said temple managements had been asked to put necessary security mechanism in place, including the installation of CCTV and infra-red cameras, double locking system, burglar alarms and strong room for keeping precious items and donations. Sarv Devta Seva Samiti president Shivpal Sharma said they had already appointed chowkidars in most of the temples of the district and directed them to put double locks. “We have also installed CCTV cameras in Kamrunag and many other temples and are in the process of installing the device in other religious places of the district also,” he said. Two held with articles stolen from temples
The Mandi police today arrested two persons and recovered valuable articles looted from two temples of the district. Sadar SHO Sanjeev Sood said Ashish Sharma (21) of Mundkha in Hamirpur district and Ravi Dutt Sharma (34) of Yanwin also in Hamirpur district, had looted items from Jogni Mata and Bagulamukhi temples in the district on October 11. The accused were arrested from the Pandov Dam area and articles worth lakhs were recovered from them. Recently, the technical cell had also recovered articles worth Rs 5-6 lakh, stolen from a temple in Karsog, and arrested the five accused. |
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State awaits Central funds for drug regulation system
Solan, October 14 The Central Government had recommended Centrally sponsored schemes to strengthen their infrastructure, both physical and human resources. This included upgrade of state drug testing laboratories, strengthening of drug control offices and an approved plan outlay of Rs 1,200 crore to be provided for this under the 12th Five-Year Plan for various states. The Centre Government was to contribute 75 per cent share for the project. The state had likewise submitted a project of Rs 70 crore for obtaining funding under this
project in 2012, but it was still to get the sanction of funds to strengthen its regulatory system. Drug Controller Navneet Marwaha said they had prepared a detailed proposal worth Rs 70 crore and it was submitted to the ministry for funding under the 12th Five-Year Plan. He added that the issue was also discussed in the last meeting of the Drug Consultative Committee held recently, where states which were yet to submit their
proposals had been asked to submit their plans at the earliest. Though the state’s industrial hub of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh, which houses nearly 390 drug firms, including renowned names like Dr Reddy’s Lab, Cipla, Cadila, Abbot, Ranbaxy, USV, etc, is known as the pharmaceutical hub of Asia, the state was yet to develop adequate regulatory and testing facilities with a lone ill-equipped Composite Testing Lab at Kandaghat testing drug samples for the entire state and shortage of manpower being a common lament of the department. The Rs 70-crore proposal submitted to the Ministry of Family and Health Welfare has dwelt on setting up a separate lab at Baddi which would cater to this industrial hub and help in effective regulation. It has also sought funds for enhancing the staff in the Drug Regulatory System for effective monitoring of pharmaceutical units to ensure manufacture of quality drugs in the state. The officials were hopeful that some funds would soon be received under this project as the issue, after being discussed at several Drug Consultative Committee meetings, had been sent to the Government of India for release of funds. |
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Students block road, 51 arrested
Shimla, October 14 As many as 51 students, including five girls, were arrested under Section 341, IPC, for wrongful restraint by the police, but released later, police sources said. The call for chakka jam was given by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising SFI and ABVP members. Student leaders alleged that they were canecharged by the police and whisked away in buses. They were abused, beaten up and their mobile phones were snatched by the police. Vehicles moved at a snail’s place from the railway station till the Lift for almost an hour. The JAC is all set to go ahead with Jail Bharo agitation on October 17. SFI protests fee hike
Hamirpur: Activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI) today blocked traffic to protest fee hike by HPU at the Anu Chowk, near Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Government Post Graduate College. Students raised slogans against the state government and administration of HPU. SFI campus president Kapil Banyal said the student unrest might turn violent and the university administration, along with the state government, would be responsible for it. Personnel from the India Reserve Battalion were deployed to tackle the situation. The police rounded up 11 activists who were later released. Leaders and activists of the ABVP also staged a demonstration. |
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Science Congress from today
Shimla, October 14 About 250 abstracts on themes from agriculture, horticulture, forestry, life sciences, environmental sciences, biotechnology, chemical sciences, mathematical sciences, physical sciences, engineering sciences and technology, health and veterinary sciences, fisheries, science and society have been received from experts from over 50 institutes. The foundation stone of a Himachal Science Academy will also be laid during the event to give a fillip to science and technology-related activities in the state. The academy will provide a knowledge-sharing platform to professionals, further strengthening the research and development network in the state. Scientists, technocrats and all other stakeholders will deliberate on relevant issues. |
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Higher reaches receive snow; rain in lower hills
Shimla, October 14 While high-altitude tribal areas of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti received 5-10 cm snow, Shimla, Solan and its surrounding areas were lashed by strong velocity winds, followed by rains. Dharampur and Kandaghat in Solan district received 23 mm and 16 mm rains, followed by Sangrah 12 mm, Arki 9 mm, Gaggal, Sarahan and Solan 7 mm and Shimla, Mashobra and Palampur 6 mm. The minimum temperature stayed at 4.5°C at Keylong, 6.6°C at Kalpa, 7.6°C at Manali and 8.8°C at Shimla. Nahan recorded a low of 9.5°C, 7.2 degree below normal while Solan and Bhuntar recorded minimum
temperatures at 11.8°C and 12.2°C. The day temperatures dropped marginally in mid and higher hills and Una was hottest in the region with a high of 31.4 degrees Celsius, followed by Sundernagar 25.0 degrees Celsius, Dharamsala and Nahan 24.8 degrees Celsius, Solan 21.0 degrees Celsius, Bhunter 19.5 degrees Celsius, Shimla 17.6 degrees Celsius, Manali 13.8 degrees Celsius and Kalpa 11.4 degrees Celsius. The local Met office has predicted dry weather in the region over the next four days. Nip in the air
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Stalemate continues as LLR college students join strike
Solan, October 14 The worst affected were the students who reside in hostels as there is no arrangement of food and water due to the strike. They are compelled to eat in the dhabas located around the institute. Mohan
Vashisht, president of the Non-Teaching Employees Union, said though Chairman Kailash Goyal sent an indirect communication to the staff to wait till October 19, the unions of teaching and non-teaching staff of all four professional courses-institute of engineering and technology, polytechnic, management and pharmacy, did not budge and pressed for an immediate grant of their salaries as no member of the trust had come to meet them and listen to their grievances. Trust members had failed to turn up and address the students and staff members, despite it being the second day of the strike today. In a representation to the Governor, Chief Minister, Minister for Technical Education, Solan MLA, DC, Labour Commissioner, All-India Council of Technical Education and HP Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission, the staff members alleged that they had neither been given appointment letters nor were they handed over experience letters in case they wanted to leave the institute. Employees were terminated at will without any reason. Also, half of their salaries was deducted as security charges, which were not paid when an employee left the institute, they alleged. Technical Education Minister Bali said no institute would be allowed to do injustice to people and operate in such a manner. Due action would be taken against the managements who failed to safeguard the interest of its employees, he added. Holidays for students till Oct 26 . The institute management announced holidays for students till October 26 this evening and the staff was directed to get all hostels vacated in lieu of the ongoing strike by the employees. The move will adversely hit students whose examinations are underway. HP Technical University’s Vice-Chancellor Manoj Kumar, when contacted, said no holidays could be declared by the institute in this manner and said he would soon send a team to the institute to take stock of the situation and resolve the issue at the earliest. He said the chairman of the institute had also been directed to resolve the issue at the earliest.
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Fullyatra festival of Pangi tribal valley starts
Chamba, October 14 He said Fullyatra was organised to mark the completion of the crops work and the wellbeing of the tribal people at the onset of winter in the valley. On the auspicious occasion, people of the Pangi valley will assemble at Karyas village in the suburb of the Killar sub-divisional headquarters town from where they, led by local deities, will walk up to Kufa village amid beating of their traditional musical instruments. He also inspected an exhibition showcasing developmental activities of the state government. |
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Couple held in forgery case
Nurpur, October 14 They were reportedly collecting subsidised foodgrains and other ration items from the two government depots. As per information, Chain Singh, a complainant and resident of Jaloon village, had procured information under the Right to Information Act, 2005, relating to the issuance of two ration cards in the same names from two separate gram panchayats. He had submitted a written complaint, along with documentary information, to the Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, and the local Block Development Officer (BDO) alleging the preparation of two ration cards with the connivance of the gram panchayats concerned. DSP, Jawali, DC Verma said following a complaint of the Block Development Office, Fatehpur, the local police had registered a case under Sections 420 and 34, IPC, and Section 7, Essential Commodity Act, against the duo. He said the BDO after conducting preliminary investigations had submitted the complaint to the police. The police after conducting investigations arrested the accused couple and produced them in the Jawali court this evening. The court granted them bail, he added. |
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100-day job sought under MGNREGA
Mandi, October 14 In a demand charter submitted to the Deputy Commissioner, district CPM secretary Bhupender Singh said in most of the panchayats, labourers were not getting employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act which was the violation of the Act. He said in the demand charter to be forwarded to the Chief Minister, they had demanded 100-day employment and proper wages for labourers. For MGNREGA works, cement should be regularly supplied to the panchayats and technical assistants provided to every panchayats. He said a policy should be framed for the work taken up by the Zila Parishad and panchayat samitis. Labourers working under MGNREGA should be given insurance cover under the national health insurance scheme and the panchayats should provide equipment to labourers, he added. MGNREGA works should also include the protection of crops and orchards from monkeys, he added.
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Joint placement for pass-outs of 2014-15
Shimla, October 14 Launching the online web-portal of JPP, he said a joint campus placement drive had already been conducted on October 6 in which more than 10,000 students participated. In JPP-2014, more than 229 companies had recruited students in various disciplines in which the students selected from Himachal Pradesh had the highest percentage. — TNS
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