Paragliding camp violates norms
DHARAMSALA, June 9 — The Tourism Department's paragliding training camps at Billing near Baijnath is in violation of safety norms.

Chamba Dharamsala Shimla

Teachers begin relay fast
SHIMLA, June 9 — The Himachal Postgraduate Teachers Union started a relay fast in support of its demands here today.

Old areas being ignored : Congress
SHIMLA, June 9 — Two senior Congress legislators, Mr Kaul Singh and Mr Yogendera Chandra, have accused the BJP-led government of Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal of discriminating against the old areas of the state.

Board to construct link roads
CHAMBA, June 9 — The Himachal Pradesh Marketing Board is giving top priority to the construction of link roads upto five km in the far-flung corners of the state with a view to facilitating the farmers to carry their produce relating to agriculture, horticulture, forest and animal husbandry to the convergent market points.

Hospital staff end strike
SHIMLA, June 9 — Employees of Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital ended their two-day-old strike here today after the government suspended Mr Opinder Thakur, Superintendent of Police (Enforcement), who allegedly misbehaved with doctors and the paramedical staff on June 7.

Paragliding camp violates norms
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, June 9 — The Tourism Department's paragliding training camps at Billing near Baijnath is in violation of safety norms.

Interestingly, the Tourism Department, which has failed to hold the National Paragliding event for the fourth consecutive year at Bir, had cited the lack of international safety guidelines as the reason for not holding the event.

Paragliders and others related with the industry point out that if the department is unable to hold paragliding events in which experienced pilots participate how can you risk trainees, who are just learning the sport.

Though it is almost two years since the central government directed the state Tourism Department to strictly observe all safety guidelines. Tourism authorities here do not even have a copy of the guidelines. The DTO, Mr Himanshu Chaudhary, when contacted said that they had so far not received a copy of the guidelines from the directorate in Shimla although one training camp had already been held in Hamirpur, and a second ten-day course on at Bir, will finish on June 10. He said that at present the department does not intend holding the paragliding event as its Rs 4 lakh budget for the sport in the current financial year has already been spent on holding the two camps.

Hoteliers and travel agents here and in Kangra say the government has failed to promote paragliding although it is a major attraction for foreigners. The standard too has dropped from the international level to the local level, as two international paragliding events were held at Bir at the outset. But instead of promoting the sport, the government has not even been able to hold a national event. Hardly anyone is aware of the training camps being held at Bir either although paragliding Bir is one of the best aerosports site in the world.

Three years after work started on it, the aerosports centre being constructed at Bir remains incomplete and the 13 kilometers road to the take off site at Billing is narrow and unmetalled with the risk of closure during monsoons. A travel agent charged that the training events were not very beneficial for the public as only "chosen pilots", were given training and benefited. Infact the formalities for all such camps were chalked out by the directorate in Shimla, with the tourism staff here not even aware of dates. "It is futile to advertise Himachal on various television channels facilities here are not up to the mark," felt a travel agent. He revealed that the sports enthusiasts who come here once are not willing to return as there is virtually nothing on offer.

Cow lands teacher in trouble
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, June 9 — The police today arrested a government school teacher, Daljeet Singh, on charges of exploiting schoolchildren by forcing to them to construct a cowshed in his house.

According to the SSP, Mr K.C. Sadyal, on June 5, the teacher, posted in the Senior Secondary School, Dhameta, directed four students of class six to accompany him home. The four students Rakesh, Babu Ram, Rajesh and Surinder of Dyal village had no option but to obey their teacher. Later up pradhan of the village and some other residents and complained to principal of the school about the incident.

Mr Sadyal, said that the principal of the school failed to take any action. Following this the police took cognizance of the offence and arrested the teacher today. A team led by the DSP, was sent to the village to verify the allegations. A case has been registered under Section 14 of the Children's Act, Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 342 and 506 of the IPC.

A number of similar cases of school teachers exploiting children and making them work in their house have recently come to light.

Old areas being ignored : Congress
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, June 9 — Two senior Congress legislators, Mr Kaul Singh and Mr Yogendera Chandra, have accused the BJP-led government of Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal of discriminating against the old areas of the state.

In a statement, the two legislators have alleged that the schools, dispensaries and panchayat institutions in the old areas were being starved of staff by the BJP government.

They pointed out that the government has failed to meet its promise of providing adequate staff in these institutions. Students were suffering as there were hardly any teachers in the schools in interior areas. The health institutions in most areas were without doctors and paramedical staff.

They claimed that in the new merged areas, the staff in such institutions was overflowing at many places. Patients were the worst sufferers as they have to walk long distances for the treatment.They claimed that many high schools were being run by a single teacher.

Both legislators alleged that the BJP government was not serious towards the problems of the people of the old areas of the state.

Board to construct link roads
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, June 9 — The Himachal Pradesh Marketing Board is giving top priority to the construction of link roads upto five km in the far-flung corners of the state with a view to facilitating the farmers to carry their produce relating to agriculture, horticulture, forest and animal husbandry to the convergent market points.

Stating this here today, Mr Virendra Kashyap a Chairman of the board, said that the board was spending Rs 2.33 crore on various developmental activities.

He said that the board would construct rope-ways in the interiors of the state to help the farmers to bring their fruits and vegetables to the collection centres being set up by the board so that the farmers would be able to get remunerative prices for their crops.

He said first such collection centre had started functioning at Kangra. There were 10 market committees functioning in state and the state government had planned to set up sub-markets in every district of the state, he added.

He said that a kisan rest house was nearing completion which had been constructed at a cost of Rs 15 lakh. He said that the market complex at Chamba would be expanded by raising eight more shops.

He announced that the board would distribute 30,000 crates among the farmers of the state on subsidised rates for the facility of vegetable and fruits supply.

Hospital staff end strike
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, June 9 — Employees of Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital ended their two-day-old strike here today after the government suspended Mr Opinder Thakur, Superintendent of Police (Enforcement), who allegedly misbehaved with doctors and the paramedical staff on June 7.

Action against the erring officer was taken on the basis of an enquiry conducted by Mr Bharat Khera, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Shimla. The enquiry report submitted to the government today held the officer guilty of misconduct. The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, asked the authorities concerned to take appropriate action as this was not the first time that the officer had been involved in such an incident.

The agitating employees had threatened to go on an indefinite strike if the government failed to suspend the officer by 5 pm today.

Earlier, services in the hospital remained paralysed for the second day today and only emergency services functioned. Although senior doctors were not on strike, they could not do much in the absence of the paramedical staff.

The employees will resume duty tomorrow.

Teachers begin relay fast
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, June 9 — The Himachal Postgraduate Teachers Union started a relay fast in support of its demands here today.

The union expressed its resentment against the indifferent attitude of the Director of Education towards its demands and alleged that he did not arrange a meeting with Education Minister to settle the demands.

The demands of the union included the finalisation of the national seniority list of school lecturers in accordance with recruitment and promotion rules, withdrawal of wrong order regarding the withdrawal of advance increments, the release of the seniority list of postgraduate teachers and the restoration of the award of lecturers grade to postgraduate teachers to all teachers, including those of psychology, Urdu, drawing and sociology.