P R A D E S H
Saturday, December 12, 1998
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H I M A C H A L P R A D E S H |
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Saturday, December 12, 1998 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Congress fails to |
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HC accepts green belt
proposal Hospital
committed to poor Dissident
party men censured NSUI
delegation meets Governor Drought-like
conditions in Chamba |
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Congress fails to corner govt SHIMLA, Dec 11 — The aggressive postures of the Congress not withstanding, the eight-day winter session of the Himachal Assembly failed to generate much heat. Barring two walkouts on the issue of price rise and deteriorating law and order situation and the attempt to disrupt proceedings on the opening day, the session turned out to be a tame affair. The Congress also raised several other issues like bus accidents, mining, shortage of seeds and fertilisers but failed to corner the government. The law and order situation came into focus twice during the session. While the calling attention motion on the issue highlighted the growing security threat in the state due to the spilling over of militancy from Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir in certain areas of Chamba, a general discussion on the subject covered sensitive matters like atrocities on Dalits and women. The government was on the defensive on the issue of price rise and took the plea that it was a countrywide phenomena and that Himachal being a consumer state could not do much to control the situation. The government by and large had a smooth sailing through the session with the Chief Minister Mr P.K. Dhumal, dominating the floor most of the time. He convincingly defended his government on all issues and lost no opportunity to hit back at the Opposition. The discussion on mining in Sirmaur district provided the government an opportunity to justify its decision to cancel the renewal of lease given by previous regime and put the river beds to open auction for quarrying sand and boulders. The discussions on the shortage of farm inputs and increasing bus accidents were a routine affair. The problem being faced by people due to the decision of the government to transfer shamlat lands to the Forest Department also engaged the attention of the House. Some legislative business was also transacted and the House passed a Bill providing for the recovery of interest on delayed payment of passenger tax. The election of Deputy Speaker could not be held during the session. The election was deferred until the next session by bringing in a motion to suspend the relevant rule. The House unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to provide Rs 236 crore to carry out relief and restoration measures in the areas hit by floods and heavy rain. However, the Congress opposed the government resolution to thank the Centre, particularly the Prime Minister and the Union Energy Minister, for taking up the 2051 MW Parbati hydel project. This was the last session of the year. The House could not complete the mandatory 35 sittings during the calendar year. Mr Dhumal assured the members that government had no intention to cut down the number of sittings.
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Hospital committed to poor KAKIRA (Dalhousie): Inspired by Swami Harigiriji Maharaj of Swami Harigiri Ashram founded in 1945, Swami Rajeshwaranandaji Bharti has built a four-storeyed hospital at Kakira, a small township 25 km from Dalhousie, in Himachal . Named as Sri Swami Harigiri Charitable Hospital and Research Centre, the hospital was inaugurated and dedicated to the people of the region on November 2 by the Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi. Sprawled over two acres of land, the hospital is committed to the welfare of the poorest of the poor. Tucked away in salubrious environs, the hospital is located on a hill slope overlooking the plains of neighbouring Punjab and J & K. The huge complex has been built at a cost of over Rs 2.5 crore. The hospital aims at curbing the high incidence of TB cases, especially in this Alpine region, and fighting AIDS. Equipped with modern test laboratories, the hospital provides mobile medicare by organising camps, one each in remote and urban or suburban area every month. Through its mobile healthcare services, the hospital can explore the probable outbreak of certain deadly diseases like TB or AIDS. Various test facilities in the labs are fully computerised. The hospital organises ENT camps every fortnight. Dr Ganga Singh Chauhan, Director of the hospital, says that besides a fully computerised autoanalyser, the facilities available include incubators for culture and sensibility to antibiotics, photometer for electrolides, elisa reader for diagnosis of HIV and thyroid problems. Thyroid investigations include T-3, T-4, TSH and TGB. The hospital has a 300 MA X-ray machine, besides a 100 MA portable X-ray machine and the Boyle's apparatus, something rare in most hospitals. Besides all types of surgeries, the hospital is equipped with an intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU), ICU (paediatrics) where premature births are handled through incubators. All TB patients are treated free of cost. Outdoor camps are organised periodically to check the incidence of AIDS and TB. The hospital organised its maiden camp at Banikhet on November 11. Medicines are distributed free of cost among poor patients in such camps. Swami Rajeshwarananda, founder of the hospital, said the hospital planned to introduce laparoscopy, TUR for prostate and endoscopy soon. A nursing training school was also on the cards. Himachal Chief Minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal has announced that the expenses for the installation of electricity and water supply arrangements in the hospital will be borne by the government. Mr Shanta Kumar, MP, has sanctioned Rs 10 lakh from the MP's fund for the construction of a "serai" for the attendants of patients. Currently 50 doctors and
paramedical personnel are rendering selfless services in
the hospital. The hospital has four wards — two each
for males and females. The 100-bed hospital has no
special or private ward. |
HC accepts green belt
proposal SHIMLA, Dec 11 — The recommendation of an expert group to develop a 25-metre green belt on both sides of the river Beas to beautify the tourist destinations of Manali and Kulu has been accepted by the High Court. The green belt will be created along the Beas from Mandi to Solang-Kothi areas. This will include the Pandoh reservoir, Aut-Panarsa, Bhunter, Kulu, Patlikuhl and Manali, besides other places en route. The expert group has recommended that the river basin be divided into 12 sectors to carry out the beautification plan. The same recommendations will be applicable for the river Ravi in Chamba district. The recommendations of the expert group will be incorporated in the final development plan of the area. Ms Trisha Sharma had filed a petition in the High Court seeking beautification of the area where illegal constructions were being done unchecked on the river banks and the ecology was being damaged. It has been recommended that the green belt will be developed by the Forests Department. Ordinarily only soil conservation, afforestation and landscaping will be permitted. Public utility structures like water pumps and sewerage treatment plants will only be allowed. The expert group has suggested that barring these, no structure of permanent nature, including those related to tourism should be allowed in the green belt. These restrictions will be applicable prospectively. The expert group has recommended that a belt of 100 metres in width extending beyond the green belt should be taken up for extensive regulation of construction activities by the Town and Country Planning Department. The department is already in the process of preparing the building regulatory plans for the area where landuse has been frozen. It has been suggested that individual landowners in the area should be allowed to construct only two storeys with a maximum coverage of 200 square metres. There should be a complete ban on construction related to hotel and tourism till the development plan is notified. The expert group has pointed out that apart from meandering of the river Beas, it has given rise to a braided pattern of drainage because of deposition of debris in the midstream raising substantially in the central bed of the river. As part of flood protection work, the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department should consider removing the debris from the centre of the river. It has been stressed that lack of coordinated action in carrying out soil conservation works is a major drawback. Therefore, it has been proposed that multiplicity of implementing agencies should be done away with and the budgetary allocations can be pooled and placed at the disposal of the Divisional Commissioner or the Deputy Commissioner who will be the nodal officer for executing the plans. The group has recommended that mining in the riverbeds should be regulated to minimise the erosional effect. Extraction of stone, sand and bajri should be allowed only from the longitudinal islands which have developed within the river bed between its source to the Pandoh reservoir. The report has also
ordered that sewage treatment plants be set up in all
towns along the rivers Beas and Ravi as raw sewage is
being disposed in to these rivers. |
Dissident party men censured SHIMLA, Dec 11 — The Pradesh Congress Committee today snubbed partymen holding the party chief, Mr Sat Mahajan, responsible for the defeat of the Congress candidate, Mr Sudhir Sharma, in the recent byelection for the Baijnath assembly seat. A resolution censuring the dissident party men was adopted at a meeting of office-bearers of the PCC here this morning. The resolution warned that disciplinary action would be taken against party men who continued their "anti-party" activities by rushing to the press and issuing statements criticising the functioning of the party. The PCC office-bearers took strong exception to the statements of certain Congressmen against the internal working of the party. A former minister, Mr Vijay Singh Mankotia, had alleged that the Congress candidate was defeated because of mishandling of the election campaign by Mr Mahajan. He had demanded an overhaul of the PCC. Another resolution congratulated the AICC president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, for the landslide victory of the Congress in the assembly elections in Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The meeting, held under
the chairmanship of Mr Mahajan, laid emphasis on a fresh
enrolment drive. It was decided to hold a meeting of the
executive of the PCC on December 21. |
NSUI delegation meets Governor SHIMLA, Dec 11 — A delegation of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) led by PCC president. Sat Mahajan, today met the Governor, Mrs V S Rama Devi, and demanded a judicial enquiry into the lathicharge on peaceful protesters outside the Vidhan Sabha earlier this week. They complained to the Governor that the lathicharge was uncalled for. Congress Legislators, Mrs Asha Kumari, Mrs Viplove Thakur, Mr B B Butail NSUI chief, Mr Atul Sharma and Youth Congress chief, Mr Sukhwinder also accompanied the delegation. They submitted a memorandum to the governor alleging that the BJP government was trying to "saffronise" education and that NSUI activists were being victimised. The memorandum said that the NSUI will not allow oppression of the Christian community. It demanded a crackdown on drug-peddling.
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Drought-like conditions in Chamba CHAMBA, Dec 11 — The entire Chamba region has been affected by drought for the past over one and a half month. It has affected the rabi crop causing concern among farmers. Owing to drought situation, the alps and massifs of Chamba's hilly region are going dry and looks barren as there is no snowfall. The snowfall on the mountains of the Himalayas is useful for hydropower generation and irrigation in the plains. A survey of certain areas of the district show that the farmers are facing shortage of fodder for their livestock.
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