Dental surgeon seeks probe into kin's death
SOLAN, Nov 4 — A local dental surgeon, Dr Nisha Kashyap has, in a letter addressed to the Chairman, Human Rights Commission, sought a probe into the circumstances that lead to the death of her father, while under treatment at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla, (IGMC) on September 24.

Mohinder Singh denies leaving HVC
MANDI, Nov 4 — Setting at rest speculations about his joining the BJP, the Himachal Public Works Minister and senior Himachal Vikas Congress leader Mohinder Singh today declared that there was no question of his deserting the HVC and expressed unflinching faith in the leadership of party chief Sukh Ram.

Mid-term transfers irk officers
MANDI, Nov 4 — The large scale transfers of doctors, HAS and IAS officers in the mid-year has caused great resentment among them as these transfers have disturbed the studies of their children.

Probe purchase of computers: Cong
HAMIRPUR, Nov 4 — Mrs Anita Verma, former Himachal Parliamentary Secretary and Vice President of the state Congress committee, has demanded a CBI probe into the purchase of computers and allied equipment by the local regional Engineering College during the past five years.

MCI team to visit Tanda college
KANGRA, Nov 4 — A Medical Council of India team will visit Dr Rajender Prasad Medical College at Tanda near here in the last week of this month for granting approval to the second year of the college.

Suspension of loan recovery sought
SHIMLA, Nov 4 — The Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association has urged the government to immediately suspend the recovery of loans payable to banks and the government by apple growers whose crops have suffered an unprecedented damage.

Traffic constable assaulted
HAMIRPUR, Nov 4 — Mr Ashok Kumar, a traffic constable, on duty was allegedly beaten up by a truck driver and his friend at the Devpal Chowk here this afternoon. The constable was regulating the traffic when the incident occurred.

• Demand for quota on economic basis

Dental surgeon seeks probe into kin's death
Tribune News Service

SOLAN, Nov 4 — A local dental surgeon, Dr Nisha Kashyap has, in a letter addressed to the Chairman, Human Rights Commission, sought a probe into the circumstances that lead to the death of her father, while under treatment at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla, (IGMC) on September 24.

She has alleged that the staff posted at the CCU II/2 ward, where her father, a retired veterinary officer, was put up for treatment had, in addition to misbehaving with patients and their attendants not performed their duties properly "even to the extent of neglecting serious patients".

She has also alleged that even emergency equipment like oxygen cylinders which were supposed to be kept ready round the clock in CCU wards were found empty and defective. She has further alleged that being herself a doctor, she felt that the last minute treatment administered to her father was a pathological blunder.

Narrating her experience at the IGMC, Dr Kashyap said that her father, was diagnosed to be suffering from very low blood pressure and an abnormal increase in the blood urea at the District Hospital here on September 22. He was shifted to IGMC the next day after giving some first aid.

After some preliminary treatment in the emergency the doctor on duty at the emergency ward asked Dr Kashyap to shift the patient to the CCII/2 ward. In the absence of the staff concerned, the 'shifting' was carried out by the attendants themselves. Dr Kashyap and her aged mother "Worse was to follow." Dr Kashyap found the behaviour of the nurse on duty as unprofessional, abusive and neglectful."

The staff was also guilty of gross neglect. The blood urea was described as normal instead of very high which was actually the case. This lead to wrong treatment. Also the administration of oxygen was not monitored properly. The oxygen cylinder was found to be empty at the critical stage of the patient. When a new cylinder was sought to be placed none amongst the staff present could open the new one.

The cylinder was finally changed with the help of attendant of another patient. Precious time was lost in affecting the replacement.

Dr Kashyap further alleged that her father suffered serious blood loss during a 45 minutes ordeal when the house surgeon on duty sought to teach certain medical procedures to an intern student. She said that being a doctor herself she had no doubt that the physician who attended to her father last had administered a wrong medicine as 'my father died within a few seconds after being given the drug. She also had reservations about the 'cause of death' as mentioned in the Death Certificate.

Mohinder Singh denies leaving HVC

MANDI, Nov 4 (PTI) — Setting at rest speculations about his joining the BJP, the Himachal Public Works Minister and senior Himachal Vikas Congress leader Mohinder Singh today declared that there was no question of his deserting the HVC and expressed unflinching faith in the leadership of party chief Sukh Ram.

Addressing the HVC workers and the district executive committee of Mandi unit of the party here he accused the Congress of spreading canards about him and categorically stated that his main task would now be to expand the base of the HVC and strengthen it. He said the HVC had increased its vote percentage from 12 to 25 per cent.

Mr Sukh Ram who was also present at the meeting cautioned that any attempt to weaken the HVC would not be in the interest of the alliance as no party could stay in power without the support of the HVC.

He reminded Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and other BJP leaders of the crucial support extended by his party to the BJP for forming the government in the state in March 1998 and added that the BJP would not become stronger by weakening the HVC.

Referring to the political situation in the state he said the defeat of the Congress in Shimla Lok Sabha seat, its traditional stronghold, had exploded the myth that the former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was a mass leader.

The election result also proved his contention that Virbhadra Singh was only a leader of Rohru and Rampur, he added.

Pond beautification plan hangs fire
From Rajiv Mahajan

NURPUR: The local historical Brijeshwari pond beautification plan was mooted by the Municipal Council (MC) during the Virbhadra regime. The then government approved the proposed Rs 15-lakh plan and the then Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, also verbally sanctioned Rs 10 lakh for the project. But the money was never released.

In the meantime, the government changed in the state after the Assembly elections in 1998. Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, during his first visit here is June 1998 after becoming the Chief Minister, announced Rs 10 lakh for the project following an appeal by the local MLA and Vice-Chairman of the HP Tourism Development Corporation at a public meeting. But residents and the council were in for a surprise when the state government released the announced funds for Rs 10 lakh to the Block Development Office, Nurpur, instead of depositing the same with the HP Public Works Department (PWD) or the council. Since then, the beautification plan has been hanging fire and has become a bone of contention between the MC and the BDO as the latter was only meant to carry out development activities in rural areas.

A non-government committee was formed to carry out the construction of the proposed project despite objections raised by the council.

In the beginning, the committee got the water pumped out from the pond and gave the contract for clearing the silt from the pond to a private contractor for Rs 2.5 lakh.

After that, the committee owing to its alleged inexperience, started uprooting the retaining walls of the pond. As a sequel, during the rainy season the railing on the sides of the pond raised by the MC and a house next to it started sinking and getting damaged.

In the meantime, the pond again got filled with rain water. Had the construction of the pond started in time, there would have been no wastage of money spent on pumping out the water and clearing the silt.

The residents are demanding that the work on the pond should be got done through a government agency.

Mid-term transfers irk officers
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Nov 4 — The large scale transfers of doctors, HAS and IAS officers in the mid-year has caused great resentment among them as these transfers have disturbed the studies of their children.

An officer regretted that the exercise had not only put avoidable financial burden on them but has also placed huge expenditure on the state exchequer at a time when the pradesh was reeling under financial crisis.

Most of the government servants are sore over the manner in which they are being transferred at the whims of the vested interests. They allege that political interference was increasing and public servants were being made victims of repeated transfers. Many have been transferred after serving for a year or so in one place making a mockery of the so-called austerity drive.

Another irritating feature of the recent transfers is that the couples have not been adjusted at one place as a result of which family members have been separated, it is alleged.

Probe purchase of computers: Cong
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, Nov 4 — Mrs Anita Verma, former Himachal Parliamentary Secretary and Vice President of the state Congress committee, has demanded a CBI probe into the purchase of computers and allied equipment by the local regional Engineering College during the past five years. She has alleged large-scale bunglings in the purchases of computers under an ambitious programme of the Central Government named Centre for Excellence in Computeronics.

Talking with mediapersons here, yesterday she said sub-standard computers had been purchased by the college authorities.

She demanded immediate posting of a regular Principal in the college. No Principal had been posted in the college despite the fact that the area falls in the Bamsan Assembly segment of the Chief Minister Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal. For want of a regular principal, important issue were hanging fire, causing inconvenience to teachers and students.

She expressed concern over the alleged lathi charge on people during the recent Hamir Utsav. She said it was shocking that the police resorted to the action in the presence of the Chief Minister. She said it was the results of gross mismanagement by the district administration.

Suspension of loan recovery sought
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 4 — The Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association has urged the government to immediately suspend the recovery of loans payable to banks and the government by apple growers whose crops have suffered an unprecedented damage.

The demand was made at a meeting of the executive committee of the association here yesterday.

They demanded that the recovery of the previous agriculture cash credit limit should be converted into long term loan and fresh limit may be provided against the same security of their land.

A committee of experts should be constituted to examine the causes for decline in apple production, they said.

MCI team to visit Tanda college
From Our Correspondent

KANGRA, Nov 4 — A Medical Council of India (MCI) team will visit Dr Rajender Prasad Medical College at Tanda near here in the last week of this month for granting approval to the second year of the college.

It would set aside the speculations of its closure or shifting to Holta near Palampur, Dr R.L. Gupta, Principal of the college, told mediapersons yesterday. The construction work of the college buildings was in full swing and orders for the required equipment's were already placed and all posts of doctors were filled except four which were likely to be filled before the MCI inspection, he said. He scoffed at the rumours that there was deliberate delay in calling the MCI team.

He said it was for the government to frame a policy for admissions in the first year of MBBS after January 5, next year whether the students who have passed the PMT this year were selected or fresh tests were to be conducted. In reply to a question that if the students admitted to this college in January next year would trail behind by six months from the students of the IGMC, he said the IGMC will be holding the examinations on annual basis whereas the examinations in IGMC were held on one and a-half-year basis.

He said Rs 10 crore were sanctioned this year for the para clinic block which was likely to be handed over to them before the MCI inspection. He said 60 rooms for boys hostel were ready. The construction of six operation theatres, lecture hall, clinical lecture hall had been completed, he added.

Demand for quota on economic basis
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 4 — Swami Krishnanand, President, All-India Hindu Mahasangh, has demanded that reservation in government jobs should be fixed on the basis of economic criteria.

Swami Krishnanand said here yesterday that reservation should not be done on the basis of caste. He alleged that certain politicians were trying to divide people by seeking reservation on caste lines.

Traffic constable assaulted
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, Nov 4 — Mr Ashok Kumar, a traffic constable, on duty was allegedly beaten up by a truck driver and his friend at the Devpal Chowk here this afternoon. The constable was regulating the traffic when the incident occurred.

An official spokesman said the driver of the truck (HP-23--1783) was negotiating a wrong turn when the traffic constable on duty protested. He advised the driver to take a right turn but the driver instead started beating him with a rod. Hundred of persons present on occasion came to the rescue of the constable but in the meantime the assailants hit the constable on right eye.

On getting the information of the incident Mr Jagdish Sharma, DSP, took the driver Mr Kamal Kishore into custody.

A case under Sections 307, 353 and 504/34 of Indian Penal Code, has been registered.