BJP will contest Baijnath seat: CM
UNA, Oct 1 — Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, HP Chief Minister, talking to newsmen at Una today said that the BJP would contest the Baijnath assembly election and win the same.

Xen placed under
suspension
JWALAMUKHI, Oct 1 — An executive engineer in the Department of Irrigation and Public Health, Mr G.P. Mahajan, was placed under suspension today.

Weekly completes 20 years

Include languages in Union list: academy
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Oct 1 — The Rashtriya Hindi Academy has made a strong plea for making languages, presently in the state list a union subject. It also favoured compulsory teaching of Hindi across the country.

Stating this at a press conference, Dr Swadesh Bharati, chairman of the academy, said that placing the sensitive subject of languages in the state list was a big mistake and it sowed the seeds of disunity in the country. It was a pity that even 50 years after independence the country did not have a common language.

He said politicians had been using the issue of language further to their partisan end and they were neither in a position nor expected to solve this problem. It was time the President promulgated an ordinance to make teaching of Hindi compulsory all over the country from class I.

To promote regional languages autonomous academies should be set up, he said. The academy was for bringing about a sentimental integration of all Indian languages to achieve this it had started the tradition of honouring eminent writers who had enriched various Indian languages by their contribution.

The academy had announced Rashtriya Sahitya Samman to several poets which would be conferred during the three-day all-India rajbhasha sammelan and international seminar on literature beginning here tomorrow.

As many as seven writers and 15 public undertakings would be honoured.

The poets who will be honoured rajbhasha samman include Dr Prasanna Patasami, (Oriya), Ashok Bajpai (Hindi), Srikant Srinivas (Hindi author), Mrs Sunita Jain (Hindi poetess), Dr Mahendra Kartikeya (Hindi), Dr Balshouri Raddy (Telegu author) and Prof S.M. Shah.

Dr Bharti said the academy was working to produce audio and video cassettes on the life of Rabindranath Thakur, Poet Subramanyam Bharati, Fakir Mohan and Jaishankar Prasad. Besides, two books of contemporary Nepalese poetry and Konkani stories in Hindi would be published soon. It also planned to start an international Hindi university.

The issue of launching a literary channel would also be discussed during the seminar.

In all 200 writers of Indian and foreign languages would participate in the seminar.

BJP will contest Baijnath seat: CM
From Tribune Reporters

UNA, Oct 1 — Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, HP Chief Minister, talking to newsmen at Una today said that the BJP would contest the Baijnath assembly election and win the same. He said that there were no differences over the selection of candidate for the seat. Rather the Congress was a house divided.

Prof Dhumal said eight bedrooms would be added to HP Tourism's "Sombhadra" Cafe at Una, opened just two days ago. He said that more than 13 crore rupees financing from NABARD for HP infrastructure would be spent on Una district on the construction of roads. The Chief Minister said that only those industries would be allowed in Himachal which will provide employment to Himachali youth and set up head offices in the state.

The government has decided to simplify procedure for the purchase land to set up industry in state. He was against industrial units setting up in the state with the sole purpose of availing of subsidy.

DHARAMSALA: The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, has said that the Centre as well as the state government will take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the Dalai Lama.

Talking to newspersons at Indora, near Nurpur yesterday, he said that the Tibetan leader was revered and honoured throughout the world and it was a matter of pride for Himachal, that he had chosen the state as his abode.

Regarding the setting up of the Apollo Hospital, at Holta, near Palampur, the Chief Minister disclosed that the land, which had remained in the name of the government since 1992, had now been transferred in the name of the society. "Former Chief Minister and Kangra MP, Mr Shanta Kumar, has been handed over all the relevant documents and assigned the responsibility of taking up the matter with Dr Reddy of the Apollo group, so that the institute can be set up at the earliest.

On the question of the fate of the Tanda Medical College, at Kangra, Mr Dhumal, assured that the college would run and the Health Minister, Mr J.P. Nadda, was personally supervising all aspects of the institute.

The Chief Minister later addressed a public meeting at Indora.

Xen placed under suspension
From Our Correspondent

JWALAMUKHI, Oct 1 — An executive engineer in the Department of Irrigation and Public Health, Mr G.P. Mahajan, was placed under suspension today.

Posted at Dharamsala, he was going to retire today.

The IPH Minister, Mr Ramesh Chaudhary, stated this here today. Mr Mahajan was recently posted in Dehra division of the department.

Mr Choudhary said that Chander Prakash allegedly misused his position and committed many irregularities in the implementation of Rs 3-crore water supply scheme funded by the Planning Commission in 1996.

Mr Chaudhary said sub-standard pipes were used in the project resulting in loss of lakhs of rupees. Holes appeared in pipes just after two years which normally had a lifespan of 30 years. He was suspended following investigation and numerous complaints, he added.

Opportunity lost due to postal fault
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, Oct 1 — A registered letter sent by Mr Vishwajeet Sharma of Bhater village of the district to the Registrar of Himachal Pradesh High Courts, Shimla, was delivered to him five days after it was sent from Mohin Post Office.

The sender had sent his application for the posts of clerk in the high court on September 23 and last date for the filing of the application was September 26.

However, the same was returned to him on September 28. Mr Vishwajeet Sharma is upset and angry over the action of the Department of Posts. He says that he had sent the application through registered post in time. He laments that due to negligence on part of the Department of Posts, he has lost a job opportunity.

He has demanded a high level inquiry into this and action against the erring persons.

Weekly completes 20 years
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Oct 1 — Giriraj, a weekly brought out by the state Public Relations Department, completed 20 years of publication today.

Considered to be a source of official information, the newspaper is subscribed by the 2922 panchayats and a large section of people in the rural areas.

It was launched in 1978.