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| Tuesday, January 30, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Preparations
for HP Govt’s winter move on Construction in quake area on No personality clash with anyone:
Stokes Farmers committing suicide :
Stokes Election for ZP
chief today |
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STD owners forced to close
shop Cong warns govt
against drought Regularise daily earners:
union
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Preparations
for HP Govt’s winter move on DHARAMSALA, Jan 29 — Preparations are on for the annual winter move of the state government, which begins on February 2, with Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, holding a series of functions in the Baijnath constituency. The winter move of the state government started by the then Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, in 1995, has become an annual tradition with the Chief Minister and senior functionaries spending a fortnight in the lower areas of Kangra, Chamba and Una. The winter move was started with the intention of bringing the government closer to the people of the merged areas, who otherwise find it inconvenient to visit the state capital, Shimla. Though the demand of according the winter capital status to Dharamsala has been gaining ground for the past some time, but so far it remains the scene of all activity for a fortnight’s time. During the stay of the Chief Minister here, the state Cabinet holds meeting at Dharamsala. Last year, for the first time the cabinet held its meeting at Palampur. During the winter move of the government, the Chief Minister reviews the progress of the development schemes announced earlier. With the Chief Minister, confining himself to the lower areas of the state and visiting the remote and interior areas of the districts, the condition of the roads and other services are spruced up. Though the final tour programme of the Chief Minister is still being chalked out, Mr Dhumal will be entering Kangra from Baijnath, where he will hold a series of programmes. After spending three days in Kangra he will go to Hamirpur, to return on February, 9. He will visit various parts of the district till February, 16. The BJP after coming to power had continued the tradition of the annual winter move started by the Congress government. In a significant political move, Mr Virbhadra Singh, had started the winter move to strike regional balance and woo the people of the merged areas. While during his stay here in Dharamsala, Mr Virbhadra used to camp at the Kashmir House, along with the entire Chief Minister’s office, Mr Dhumal has preferred to stay at the Circuit House, which remains the centre of all activity. The winter move holds great significance for Mr Dhumal, as Kangra, the biggest district of the state is the home district of his rival, Mr Shanta Kumar. |
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Construction in quake area on DHARAMSALA, Jan 29 — Despite the havoc and trauma caused by the devastating earthquake that rocked Kangra region in 1905 killing 20,000 people followed by successive tremors of high intensity in Chamba, Kangra and Sundernagar areas over the years, the state government has failed to enforce a building code and earthquake resistant design giving rise to perilous high-rise concrete structures. Even a mild tremor in this seismologically sensitive zone which is capable of generating earthquake of large magnitude could spell doom for the people as construction of multi-storeyed buildings in the Naddi and upper Dharamsala area continues. This seismic belt experienced several destructive earthquakes in 1905, 1968, 1978, 1986, 1995 and the latest one which worked Sundernagar in Mandi district in 1997. The recommendations made by the Wadia Institute of Seismology, Dehra Dun, after the earthquake in Chamba in 1995 and the Sundernagar earthquake in 1997, have been gathering dust as the state government has not bothered to give a serious thought to the observations made by the scientists who held extensive field surveys after the tremors. The laboratory of the institute, located at Naddi, near here, records mild tremors in the area. According to the in charge of the laboratory, Mr R.S. Negi, the tremors which measured 4.8 on the Richter scale were recorded yesterday morning. The destructive earthquake which wreaked havoc in Gujarat on the morning of January 26 was felt at 8.49 a.m. here which was three minutes and nine seconds later than in Ahmedabad, “he said. Being a long distance wave, it did not have much impact in this area, he added. Mr Negi said since the Kangra, Chamba, Mandi and Sundernagar area was one of the most active earthquake zones in the Himalayan seismic belt construction of high-rise concrete structures must be discourage so that the loss of life and damage to property could be restricted to the minimum. The field observations made after the Sundernagar earthquake indicated that it was the buildings which caused maximum loss of life and injury and not the earthquake. In fact, Naddi, where a number of multi-storeyed hotels had mushroomed, indicated the presence of recent extensional tectonic activity in the form of surfacial cracks. Geologists from a number of countries who were here to attend a workshop recently had expressed surprise as to how the government was permitting construction of such hazardous high rise buildings in a sliding area prone to earthquakes. The recommendations made by the Wadia Institute of Seismology had suggested the construction of single storeyed buildings
with light roofs, use of seismic bands and high quality construction. The Dharamsala area is located in the vicinity of the main thrust and a number of local thrusts had shown recent reactivation. Moreover, the slip movements on the active fault plane take place due to overburdening pressure. The earthquake that had rocked Sundernagar in July, 1997, measured 5 on the Richter scale. The earthquake that had rocked Chamba area on March 24, 1995, measured 4.9 causing a large-scale damage. |
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No personality clash with anyone:
Stokes SHIMLA, Jan 29 — Mrs Vidya Stokes, PCC chief, has said that she has no reservations in sharing a public platform with Mr Virbhadra Singh, the Congress Legislative Party leader, as she has her own identity and stature and there is no personality clash with anyone. Talking to newsmen here today, she said no leader, howsoever senior, should stand on prestige and come forward to participate in the programmes of the party. She said Mr Virbhadra Singh was a senior leader and understood his responsibilities. When asked about the continued absence of the CLP leader from her rallies, she said by organising various programmes she was only trying to activates the workers at the grassroots and had no personal stakes in this. She expressed concern over the tendency of certain senior leaders to air their grievances in the media and said it would be more appropriate if they discussed the issues with her directly. Referring to the party’s decision to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the partymen who moved court during the organisational poll, she said the district unit had been asked to give 15 days’ notice to them for withdrawing the cases, failing which action would be taken against them. She said the new state executive of the party would be announced within a day or two. She had already sent the list to Mrs Sonia Gandhi, the party President, for approval. Regarding the inquiry by the CID to identify those behind the annonymous letters against ministers, she said Mr P.K. Dhumal, the Chief Minister, instead of undertaking such a futile exercise, should try to find out whether there was any substance in the allegations. She blamed the Dhumal Government for the drastic cut in the annual plan size for the current year from Rs 1720 crore to Rs 1382 crore. The government had failed to mobilise the necessary resources required to support a plan of the size of Rs 1720 crore and this would have disastrous implications for the state and slow down the pace of development, she alleged. |
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Farmers committing suicide :
Stokes JAWALAMUKHI, Jan 29 — The President of state Congress Committee, Mrs Vidya Stokes today charged the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, of selling the interests of the state to private parties by signing MoUs regarding various power projects of the state. She further alleged that most of the MoUs were anti-Himachal and that the Congress would reexamine them once it comes to power. She said that the BJP was giving these projects to the near and dear of leaders. While talking to media persons here today at local rest house, she said the coalition both at the Centre and the state, had failed on all fronts. The policy of liberalisation had ruined the rural economy and farmers had been forced to commit suicides. The performance of the state government was equally dismal. There was much publicity of the plans being formulated by the government for the betterment of the people but nothing had been done so far. Spurious insecticides and pesticides had flooded the market and traders were minting money. She said the Congress Legislative Party was united and it would oppose the coalition government tooth and nail. |
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Election for ZP
chief today DHARAMSALA, Jan 29 — The election to the post of the Chairman, zila parishad, Kangra, which had been deferred twice, will be held tomorrow. With both the Congress and the BJP claiming majority in the 56- member zila parishad, political observers remain sceptical about the elections. Both the parties are leaving no stone unturned to woo the newly elected zila parishad members to capture the coveted post of the biggest district of the state. Senior BJP ministers and Congress leaders have already started arriving here to ensure victory of their candidate. However, with both the rival parties not arriving at a consensus regarding the name of the candidate to be fielded by each one of them, there is hectic political activity to tilt the scales in their favour. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr R.C. Kapil, said in case the election was not held tomorrow, show cause notices would be issued to the members who do not turn up for the election. The election to the said post had to be postponed twice as the quorum could not be completed. |
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STD owners forced to close
shop SHIMLA, Jan 29 — The latest facility of local calls within the state has brought difficulty to telephone subscribers as they are not getting their connection easily though this was a welcome step taken by the Telecom Department. The STD owners are annoyed with this decision of the department as it has reduced the number of telephone subscribers. The STD owners are giving 20 per cent share to the department out of their income. “This decision has forced us to close shop because we do not make any profit now,” says an STD booth owner. All lines are busy due to limited lines and subscribers are waiting in a queue for their turn. “It was better when we have STD and connection was easily available. Now it is time-consuming and line are very busy,” says a telephone subscriber. “Most of the people make calls within the state. It is very rare for subscribers to make calls outside the state. This decision has reduced our subscribers and forced us to close our business,” claim STD owners. According to the Director, Telecom, Mr B.R. Kashyap, this facility will benefit the people. “It is our policy matter and we cannot help the STD owners. But we are trying our level best to make sure subscribers get their connection easily,” he said. |
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Cong warns govt
against drought NURPUR, Jan 29 — Mr Sat Mahajan, senior Congress leader and former president of the party’s state unit has cautioned the Prem Kumar government that the severe drought in the state may lead to destruction of rabi and fruit crops. Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Mahajan said the government should formulate a plan to cope with the drought. He suggested that the government should invite industrialists from Delhi, who had been closing their units there, to set up industry in Himachal Pradesh. The Haryana Government had been following this policy, he said. Mr Mahajan alleged the government had brought the state on the verge of bankruptcy. He alleged the ruling government had grabbed the posts of the block development committees and zila parishads in the state by misusing official machinery and creating an atmosphere of terror. |
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Regularise daily earners:
union SOLAN, Jan 29 — Mr J.C. Sharma, Additional General-Secretary of the HP State Electricity Board Employees Union, in a press note issued here today urged upon the government to regularise the services of all those daily wage employees who had put in more than 10 years of service on the analogy of regularisation of services of similar employees of other government departments. He also demanded that some promotion channel should be created for the fitters working in the generation wing of the Board. He said that there were numerous cases of fitters not getting any promotion even after putting in 30 years of service. Mr Sharma also alleged that the government had ordered transfers of certain board employees on the recommendations of politicians which had caused resentment amongst the technical employees. |
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