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HC rejects objections of IT Dept in Virbhadra’s case
Students being deprived of creativity joy: Prof Yash Pal
20 wireless sets missing from police custody
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BJP ups ante after HJC MLAs disqualified by HC
Five of 16 pvt universities get nod for PhD, MPhil students
Govt notifies criteria for courses run by pvt varsities for 2015-16 session
Mining kills two in Solan
Drug inspectors beaten up
Daily life is a struggle for rural women in state
Evolve techniques to check purity of foods: HPU Pro-VC
Guv urged to find solution to rural problems
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HC rejects objections of IT Dept in Virbhadra’s case
Shimla, October, 15 The IT Department raised preliminary objection of maintainability of the writ petitions on the ground that the orders passed by the IT Department already stand implemented and therefore it had submitted that the writ petitions have become infructuous. It was also submitted by the IT Department that before passing of stay orders by the High Court, the jurisdiction and entire records of the case had already been transferred on July 21 to the Commissioner Income Tax, Central Circle, Gurgaon, and the Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax, (DCIT) Central Circle, Chandigarh, for further investigation. While rejecting the preliminary objection, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan held: “Mere implementation of the order cannot be a ground to dismiss the petition or it cannot be said that the petition has become infructuous. The preliminary objection raised by the IT Department fails and is rejected.” The court observed: “Coming to the second point raised by the IT Department that the interim direction i.e. stay order granted is adversely affecting the department since the actions which are to be drawn in a time-bound manner would become time barred, we may observe that since the parties have not argued the cases on merits, it is not fair to return findings whether the stay is to be vacated or to be made absolute. However, it is made clear that in case any action becomes time barred in the interregnum, the period from the date of passing of the stay order shall be excluded, while computing the time limit.” In its earlier order passed on August 4, the High Court had stayed the order of the Commissioner Income Tax, Shimla whereby he had ordered to centralise and transfer the cases relating to investigations into the income-tax returns of Virbhadra Singh and his family members from Shimla to Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax, Central Circle-I, Chandigarh. Virbhadra and his family members had filed petitions against the order. Apart from Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh, daughter Aparajita Kumari and one Anand Chauhan (caretaker of Virbhadra Singh’s orchards), Chunni Lal Chauhan (proprietor of M/s Universal Apples) had challenged the orders of the IT Commissioner to transfer their cases to Chandigarh on the ground that this order was illegal and coordinated and joint investigation of all cases could be done in Shimla as well. The case comes up for hearing on November 18. |
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Students being deprived of creativity joy: Prof Yash Pal
Shimla, October 15 Delivering a keynote address on “New Ethical Input in History” on the occasion of the First Himachal Pradesh Science Congress held here, he said creativity and curiosity in young minds was being compensated by giving them very high marks in examinations. “Science is taught to children by reading authoritative textbooks and asking them to memorise answers to questions which will obviously kill creativity,” he said. The event, with the theme on “Role of Science and Technology in Sustainable Development”, is being organised by the Himachal Pradesh State Council for Science, Technology and Environment. “I very often found that a child’s question cannot be answered by a standard answer from a textbook or even by the one which I might give in the first instance,” he said. He said it was because of this reason that he liked to engage with children to re-learn what he thought he already knew. He said every human being had the remarkable gift and capability through which he could independently understand instead of being brainwashed by a belief or a system. “It is the result of extensive interaction with schoolchildren that questions of apparently ‘ignorant’ children often lead to perceptively new knowledge,” he remarked. He said such learning in schools, colleges and universities might encourage the growth of a society that could escape imprisonment within “astha” or rigid systems of thought. |
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20 wireless sets missing from police custody
Shimla, October 15 The security experts describe it as a serious lapse which can breach VVIP security, especially on the eve of the one-day international match between India and West Indies at Dharamsala on October 17. Dharamsala is already a sensitive place from the security point of view because of it being the seat of Tibetan spiritual head the Dalai Lama. Now, many celebrities and VIPs are expected to converge there for the ODI. The messages passed on police wireless network are available on activated wireless sets and as such the information regarding the movement of VVIPs could be leaked to anti-social elements and their security could be at risk. DGP Sanjay Kumar claimed that the frequency of the sets had been immobilised and an FIR was registered. Two police constables had been placed under suspension and some more policemen may face action, sources said. Sources said one of the constables accompanying the vehicle carrying the sets went to a police station at Palampur, but the report was not lodged, allegedly on the pretext that the computer was not working. The police lodged the report on October 11, but showed no urgency to locate the sets. The wireless sets were kept in four boxes for transit to Dharamsala, but one box with 20 sets went missing. |
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BJP ups ante after HJC MLAs disqualified by HC
Shimla/Sissu, October 15 The BJP has got a shot in the arm following a recent Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict that disqualified five HJC legislators, who had defected to the Congress after 2009 Assembly poll. The BJP is aiming at killing two birds with one stone, upping its ante against CM Virbhadra Singh, whose alleged case of money laundering will be coming up for hearing in the Delhi High Court on October 16. Speaker BB Butail has just two-and-a-half months to dispose of the BJP petition that seeks to disqualify all four independents on the plea that they violated the Anti-Defection Law. Sources said the four MLAs denied BJP allegations but accepted that “they were giving support to the CM from outside”. They submitted their joint reply because the Speaker had served notices on them after the BJP submitted a petition before him in September charging that “they violated Schedule 10 of the Constitution” and the Anti-defection Law. But they claimed that they did not join the Congress and were sitting in the Assembly on the allotted place. “We are giving outside support to Virbhadra Singh”. The BJP had demanded that the Vidhan Sabha should disqualify all four MLAs, Manohar Dhiman (Indora), Balbir Veram (Chopal), Pawan Kajal (Kangra) and Kirnesh Jang (Paonta Sahib). They were elected as independents but had now associated with the Congress, the BJP charged. “They have betrayed public trust and they deserve disqualification under Schedule 10 of the Constitution and their membership should be cancelled,” the BJP petition alleged, adding that “The CM had considered them as party members as all four MLAs had canvassed for the Congress during the last Lok Sabha election and issued statements in the media”. |
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Five of 16 pvt universities get nod for PhD, MPhil students
Shimla, October 15 The private universities were keen on enrolling students for Ph D and M Phil, but most of them failed in fulfilling the criteria and in maintaining the quality of research, hence the commission did not make any compromise with the norms, sources in the commission said. The rules provide that “all universities, deemed universities and colleges, institutions of national importance shall lay down criteria for the faculty to be recognised as research supervisor for Ph D and M Phil programmes and no university or institution shall conduct these programmes through distance mode of education.” Further, no supervisor should have more than eight Ph D and five M Phil students at any point of time. To fulfil these conditions, the universities required regular faculty and qualified teachers and as such the requests of most of the private universities were not entertained. Solan based Shoolini University got the approval to intake 30 Ph D and 53 M Phil students, while Eternal University, Baru Sahib in Sirmaur district, Career Point University in Hamirpur district and Maharaja Agrasen University at Baddi (Solan) were given approval for intake of 14, 10 and seven Ph D students, respectively while Bahara University at Kandaghat in Solan district was given approval to admit five Ph D students. The Shoolni University got approval for 15 M Phil students each in chemistry, bio tech and micro-biology and eight in physics. Besides intake of eight students in Ph D in pharmaceuticals, five each in chemistry and bio-technology, four in micro-biology, three each in food technology and mechanical engineering and two in botany were approved by the Regulatory Commission. Eternal University got the approval to intake six Ph D in bio-technology, three each in physics and chemistry and two in economics while Career Point University got the approval for intake of four Ph D students in physics, three in chemistry, two in civil engineering and one in management. Maharaja Agrasen University got approval for intake of three management, two tourism and travel management and one each in physics and mathematics at Ph D level, while Bahara University was allowed to take three students in pharmaceuticals and two in mechanical engineering. |
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Rural sports to get impetus: Pathania
New Delhi, October 15 “Encouraged by the positive result of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s initiative to promote rural games, the government will intensify its efforts in this regard.” Pathania, who is the manager of Team India for the 118th World Powerlifting Benchpress and Deadlift Championship, to be held in Las Vegas, USA, from October 17-19, said the CM was of the firm opinion that youths of the state must be imbued with sports culture for their holistic development. It was on account of government’s drive towards rural sports that for the first time three boys had found berth in the 63-member Indian contingent for the ensuing championship, which was being organised by the International Powerlifting Federation, he said. He further said seven athletes, including three women, figuring in individual and team event medals, especially in kabaddi and hockey, was a result of the encouragement of rural sports by
the government. He said upgrade of play grounds was included in the government’s drive to promote rural games. “The state faces financial constraints, hence its present focus is only on low-budget sports. Moreover, 90 per cent of Himachal is rural”, Pathania said. Before leaving for Las Vegas, he called on Virbhadra Singh, who was in the Capital, along with the team for the event and sought his blessings. While giving a pep talk to the entire team, the former urged them to do the country proud in
the championship. |
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Govt notifies criteria for courses run by pvt varsities for 2015-16 session
Shimla, October 15 The notification, whose copies have been sent to all 16 private universities, clearly states that the basic qualification for admission to technical and professional courses, run by private universities, would be 10 plus two with minimum 60 per cent marks in the qualifying examination, relaxed by five percent in case of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates. Private universities had last year rued that the information regarding minimum 60 per cent marks in the qualifying examination was not given to them “well in time” and the last minute change in criteria would harm the interests of the institutions as well as that of students. Initially, the government was adamant that there would be no relaxation in admission criteria, especially the minimum qualifying marks and the state Cabinet turned down the proposal in July, but turned a volte-face in the next meeting on August 13 and relaxed the minimum percentage of marks to 50 per cent. However, the Cabinet had made it clear that “it will be a one-time relaxation and no further relaxation/exemption in the prescribed criteria of All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and HP Act, 2008 will be allowed.” The Cabinet decision came too late and most of the private universities did not benefit much as the last date of admissions as fixed by the Supreme Court was August 15 and a few admissions were made on the last day. The decision to relax the norms came after the High Court dismissed the petitions of Private Technical Institutions’ Association and Private Universities’ Management Association, upholding the powers of the government to fix the admission criteria. |
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Mining kills two in Solan
Solan, October 15 This caused huge boulders to slide down and fall into a nullah. This created a scare among a group of villagers, who were preparing to cremate a body from a nearby village in the hillock lying opposite the affected road. A septuagenarian Parmanand and Nitesh (18) were killed as they got buried under huge boulders, while another person Santosh Kumar received grievous injuries. Two other persons also received simple injuries. While Mining Officer Sarit Kumar said he would enquire into the issue, he clarified that no permission to carry out any mining had been granted at the site and a show-cause notice would be issued to Tarsem Bharti, who owned the JCB machine, and was also operating a stone crusher at a nearby site. Superintending Engineer of the PWD Suresh Ganju confirmed that no such permission had been granted to extract boulders for any activity pertaining to widening of the road. DSP (Headquarters) Hemant Kumar said a case under Sections 336, 337 and 304-A, IPC, had been registered against the JCB driver, supervisory staff and the owner would also be booked for this reckless act. |
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Drug inspectors beaten up
Solan, October 15 The team, including drug inspectors Lovely Thakur and Sonam, found 18 used syringes filled with blood and three cartons of allopathic medicines from the clinic. They confiscated it and while they were about to complete the formalities, they were attacked by an employee, who worked at the clinic, his brother and a large number of locals. They not only thrashed the trio but also snatched the items that they had confiscated. Woman drug inspector Sonam’s clothes were also torn. The officials later registered a complaint with the police. An FIR was lodged and the medical examination of the injured staff members of the drug department was also conducted. Drug Controller Navneet Marwaha, while confirming the news, said an FIR had been registered with the police as staff members were badly thrashed by the unruly mob. |
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Daily life is a struggle for rural women in state
Shimla, October 15 The worsening part of the life of rural women, living around the capital city and tourist high spots of Kufri, Mashobra, Naldehra, Chail and others, is that their struggle for survival has multiplied over the years. To earn a square meal, they have to fight an army of prowling monkeys, wild boars and stray cattle. They struggle for clean drinking water for self and animal as the water sources are polluted due to leaking sewerage or have dried up or tapped for city people. Santosh Kumari said there was no health facility for a village of 50 in Bhanrandi, Koti panchayat. “The teachers posted in the rural areas say it does not matter whether you send your children to school or not as they have to do odd jobs”, she added. The government has allowed hotels in places like Kufri, Mashobra and Fagu, which have installed big water storage tanks to cater to tourists, but villagers are deprived of enough water, said Shakuntla Devi from Kufri. “There are a few link roads and those which exist are not approved by the PWD for vehicle and ambulance as the government has no policy of rural areas”, Devika Sharma and Kamala Thakur added. “The sources like Churhat nullah, Jagroti, Guma and Ashwani khud have been tapped for supply to the hoteliers, hostels, tourists and urban residents”, said Dr Kuldip Tanvar, state president of Himachal Kisan Sabha. The government needed to intervene and make provisions in MGNREGA for rural rain water harvesting schemes rather than worrying about the water supply from Giri to Delhi, he added. But the rural women have joined hands, stressing that the monkeys needed to be eliminated to save their crops and homes. “There were cases where husbands thrashed women for failing to guard the fields from monkeys,” observed Ramesh Verma from Sangrah Sirmaur. He urged the government to solve the problem. |
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Evolve techniques to check purity of foods: HPU Pro-VC
Shimla, October 15 He said the workshop was a step towards an interaction between the industry and academics so that the industry could understand the need of academicians and vice versa. Besides, it was designed to include topics on basics, instrumentation and applications of liquid chromatography techniques with emphasis on the techniques of
High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Ultra Performance Liquid Chromato-graphy
(UPLC). |
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Sirmaur team wins overall women sports tourney
Mandi, October 15 Sirmaur won the overall championship. While appreciating the women players from the state who won medals in the recently held Asian Games, the minister said the government had announced ~20 lakh for gold medallists, ~10 lakh for silver medallists and ~6 lakh for bronze medallists. He said indoor and outdoor stadiums were being constructed so that players could prepare themselves for various competitions. He said nearly 50 sports grounds would be developed at the village level in the current year. |
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Guv urged to find solution to rural problems
Shimla, October 15 The HGVS and SRC organised a function on International Rural Women Day today and submitted a memorandum to Governor Urmila Singh, demanding immediate government intervention to solve the growing problems such as wildlife menace, water shortage, shortage of teachers in rural schools, lack of health and roads infrastructure. |
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