H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Carnival-like campaign at Solan over
SOLAN, Feb 15 — The fortnight-long intensive campaigning, which had given this town a carnival look, ended peacefully this evening. The two main contenders the ruling BJP-HVC combine and the Congress held their final public meetings in the heart of the town at locations hardly a furlong apart, at the same time.

Solan: BJP keeps fingers crossed
SOLAN: The absence of Union Minister Shanta Kumar and HVC chief Sukh Ram in the election campaign of the official candidate of the BJP for Solan, Mr Rajeev Bindal, is causing embarrassment to ruling circles.

Bank customers swindled
UNA, Feb 15 — Passbook entries of customers of the Punjab and Sind Bank at Mubarakpur, 37 km from here, do not exist in books of the bank, it was learnt yesterday. The customers had reportedly been cheated by a cashier of the bank.

Wasteland project for Tissa block
CHAMBA, Feb 15 — The Central Government has launched a Rs 5 crore Integrated Wasteland Development Project (IWDP) for the development of Mehla and Tissa blocks of this district for a period of four years.

Cong demand ridiculed
SHIMLA, Feb 15 — The state unit of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh has ridiculed the Congress demand for the resignation of Transport Minister, Krishan Kapoor in the wake of the bus accident near Arki in which seven persons lost their lives two days ago.

Carnival-like campaign at Solan over
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Feb 15 — The fortnight-long intensive campaigning, which had given this town a carnival look, ended peacefully this evening.

The two main contenders the ruling BJP-HVC combine and the Congress held their final public meetings in the heart of the town at locations hardly a furlong apart, at the same time. This had given some anxious moments to the police which kept its fingers crossed till it was curtains. However, with both the Congress and the BJP showing the required political maturity, no ugly incident marred the day’s proceedings. Even as a stream of vehicles of visiting dignitaries dotted almost every inch of the town’s, narrow roads, the traffic police acquitted itself creditably by speedily managing resultant traffic jams.

The lone Independent candidate, Mr Netar Singh who made a show of his strength by brining out an impressive procession of his supporters here yesterday, did not organise any public meeting and instead chose to go from door to door soliciting votes.

The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, who addressed the BJP public meeting at Ganj Bazar criticised the Congress for neglecting this constituency, particularly the town and the farmers. He said the Congress regimes had confined themselves to doing out subsidies and other benefits to the farmers of a particular area whereas his government had given equal treatment to all. The same subsidies which were earlier given to apple growers were now being given to growers of other fruit and vegetables.

The present government had sanctioned a number of projects aimed at improving civic amenities, educational and health facilities of this town which was in sharp contrast to decades of neglect at the hands of the Congress. Projects like the setting up the lake at Sadupul in this constituency would provide tourism related job opportunities to the local people. He maintained that his government had accelerated the development of Himachal Pradesh like never before and reiterated his claim that his government’s achievements were far more than what the Congress had achieved in its 47 years of rule.

Solan: BJP keeps fingers crossed
From S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

SOLAN: The absence of Union Minister Shanta Kumar and HVC chief Sukh Ram in the election campaign of the official candidate of the BJP for Solan, Mr Rajeev Bindal, is causing embarrassment to ruling circles.

None of these leaders has so far turned up for campaigning although campaigning for the seat ends tomorrow.

Interestingly, Mr M.N. Sofat, a former BJP minister, who has been denied the ticket, has reportedly moved to Chandigarh and is allegedly seeking support for the BJP rebel, Mr Netar Singh.

While Mr Shanta Kumar had been seeking the ticket for Mr Sofat, Mr Sukh Ram wanted HVC candidate, Haminder Thakur should be allowed to contest from Solan. Both were apparently annoyed over the denial of the ticket to their respective nominees.

The photographs of Mr Shanta Kumar and Mr Sukh Ram were missing from the BJP election posters. Pictures of Mr Sukh Ram used to be there on BJP posters. In the past as the HVC was an alliance partner of the BJP the State BJP chief Suresh Chandel’s picture too was not on the posters this time.

Mr Kishori Lal, Industries Minister, said fresh posters with photographs of Mr Sukh Ram were being got printed, he said.

Ministers belonging to the HVC were campaigning for the BJP candidate.

However, the presence of BJP rebel Netar Singh in the election arena has upset the calculations of the ruling BJP. The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, has been camping at Solan along with his entire ministry to campaign for Mr Bindal, who was his nominee for the ticket. He has been addressing election rallies in the constituency since February 11.

However, Mr Netar Singh, who has wide contacts with the peasantry in his capacity as a forwarding agent of fruits and vegetables, might play a spoilsport for the BJP or the Congress.

The BJP campaigners are laying stress in the rural areas as they consider the urban of the constituency as their stronghold.

Mr Bishan Dass Sharma, a Congress activist and campaign manager of Mr Netar Singh, claims that the Independent candidate enjoyed sympathy of the masses.

Mr Netar Singh claims that his fight was against the injustice caused to Mr Mohinder Singh by denying the ticket to him. His 15-page election pamphlet carrying caricatures mostly aimed against Mr Dhumal. Mr Netar Singh is considered as a man of the Shanta Kumar faction and a supporter of Mr Sofat.

On the other hand, the BJP was counting on the achievements of Mr Bindal in his capacity as president of the local Municipal Committee. However, the Congress campaigners were pointing out the failures of Mr Bindal.

CLP chief, Virbhadra Singh and PCC chief, Sat Mahajan, has been campaigning here for the past over one week. The Congress is putting up a united face with its activists from even far-flung areas of Chamba, Kulu and Kangra campaigning for Ms Krishna Mohini, a senior legislator of the Congress.

Mr Mahajan accused the ruling BJP is misusing official machinery in the byelection.

Senior Congress leader, Vijay Singh Mankotia alleged that officers of the police and the HPSEB were pressuring employees to vote for the BJP candidate.

Bank customers swindled
From Lalit Sharma

UNA, Feb 15 — Passbook entries of customers of the Punjab and Sind Bank at Mubarakpur, 37 km from here, do not exist in books of the bank, it was learnt yesterday. The customers had reportedly been cheated by a cashier of the bank.

Mrs Sushila Sharma told this correspondent that the entire savings of her and her husband, amounting to Rs 1.3 lakh, which have been entered in their passbooks, find no mention in the bank account.

There is a shortage of more than Rs 1.25 lakh in the account of Shiv Shakti Maruti Service Station.

Mr Vinod Singh said he wanted to take a loan to buy a tractor and had given Rs 70,000 as margin money. The cashier made the entry in his passbook but did not deposit the money with the bank, he alleged.

Mr Lekh Ram, a Junior Engineer, deposited about Rs 80,000 on various occasions with the bank. However, they find mention in his passbook but not in the bank account.

All of them had paid the cash to the cashier who used to issue duly-stamped deposit receipts to them. He made the payments of cheques even though they were not debited in the accounts concerned.

Bank Manager Gurmit Singh, when contacted, said the cashier had misappropriated a large sum of money but said the bank could check only those cash entries which had been made in the bank books.

He said the fraud came to light when the owner of a Maruti service station complained that his cheque for a few thousand rupees had bounced even though he had more than Rs 1.25 lakh in his account.

About 200 passbooks had been tallied with the bank books and there is a fraud in almost every passbook, he said, adding that so far no police case had been registered but bank officials had been informed.

Wasteland project for Tissa block
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, Feb 15 — The Central Government has launched a Rs 5 crore Integrated Wasteland Development Project (IWDP) for the development of Mehla and Tissa blocks of this district for a period of four years.

Stating this here today, Mr K. Sanjaymurthy, Deputy Commissioner, said the project had been initiated for these backward blocks by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.

Mr Sanjaymurthy said the project envisages to cover five micro watershed development schemes in Mehla block in an area of 6747 hectare and four micro watershed development schemes in an area of 5753 hectare in Tissa blocks.

He said under this project major works to be undertaken includes afforestation, treatment of soil erosion points, conservation of water resources, forest pastures and grasslands besides development of horticulture.

Congress demand ridiculed
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Feb 15 — The state unit of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh has ridiculed the Congress demand for the resignation of Transport Minister, Krishan Kapoor in the wake of the bus accident near Arki in which seven persons lost their lives two days ago.

Mr Ashok Purohit, president of the sangh, said the demand was misplaced as the accident did not occur due to the negligence of the driver or technical failure and as such the state road transport corporation could not be held responsible for it. The mishap took place due to narrow road.

Mr Purohit reminded Mr G.S. Bali general secretary of the Congress, that accidents had been taking place when his party was in power, but there was no instance of a minister owning moral responsibility and quitting office.

Teleconference today
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Feb 15 — The Department of Primary Education will use the mode of teleconference for the first time in the State to train resource persons at the block and cluster levels under the district primary education programme on February 16 and 17.

During the teleconference, which is being organised in collaboration with Indira Gandhi Open University, the trainees will be able to ask questions from experts. The conference will be viewed at over 300 centres.

Besides, the various district education and training centres set up under the programme, it will also cover the study centres of the IGNOU across the country. At each centre television sets, Fax machines and telephones have been installed to enable the trainee and resource persons to ask questions.

Body recovered
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Feb 15 — The police today recovered the body of a fireman employed in the local fire station, from the Depot Bazaar area of the town.

According to the police, the body of Paras Ram, was noticed by the people in the area today morning. Injury marks were also noticed on his body, that has been sent for the post-mortem examination.

Mr K.C. Sadyal, SSP, said Paras Ram (40), who belonged to the Chamba district had been missing since February 5. However, no missing report had been lodged in any police station.