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| Thursday, February 22, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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HP plan size: Cong blames
Dhumal Protest against demolition by
Army Discrimination irks
engineers MLA alleges move to implicate
him Shepherds sell sheep to pay
debt |
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Shivratri fair sans cultural
shows
Pinjore-Parwanoo road okayed Students to hold dharnas on March
2 Plea to appoint
director HP’s Shimla offices to be shifted
nearby
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HP plan size: Cong blames
Dhumal Shimla, February 21 Mr Virbhadra Singh said today that the Centre’s refusal to increase the plan size clearly indicated that the BJP government had plunged the state in a ‘dire financial crisis’. Mr Dhumal had ‘failed’ to save the state government’s plan size in spite of the fact that the state government had borrowed up to Rs 2000 crore during the past 30 months and was in the process of raising a loan of Rs 350 from the open market. The Centre had already cut the current year’s plan size by Rs 348 crore. This was for the first time that the Centre had resorted to such an action. This also exposed the tall claim of Mr Dhumal about development work whereas the ground reality was that the entire development process had come to a standstill, except in a few chosen areas. A government which did not have money to pay salary to its staff could not be expected to take large-scale initiatives in the field of development. Mr Virbhadra Singh, who returned here from Delhi last night, was hopeful that some of his supporters might included in the PCC executive of the state. He is learnt to have met the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, twice during his four-day stay at Delhi and informed her about the “lopsided and unrepresentative” executive in which the minorities and tribals had been completely ignored. The Mayor of the Shimla Municipal Corporation, Mrs Jenny Prem, has also not been included in the executive although she belonged to the weaker section. |
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Protest against demolition by
Army Dharamsala, February 21 It was a sudden decision of the Army authorities at Yol to demolish encroachments, which sparked off a controversy yesterday. As some Army men started pulling down the structures on land belonging to the Army, the residents got together in protest against the move. A sizeable civilian population that resides within the cantonment alleged that the Army was doing this intentionally to harass them. A widow, Gurmeet Kaur, alleged that while she was away to Ferozepore some Army men down pulled the wall of her house and took away her belongings. She said there was no question of her house standing on Army land as the place was approved by revenue officials. The Army authorities, however, said it was essential for them to keep a check on unauthorised structures keeping in view the sensitivity and security of Army establishments. “The locals have encroached upon 700 acres of Army land in the cantonment which can pose a threat to the secrecy and safety of the place,” said Col Ajit Singh. The Army authorities had time and again requested these people to move elsewhere, but to no avail, he said. Justifying the move Col Ajit Singh said keeping in mind a large number of Kashmiri shawl sellers and labourers in the area they could not take chances. The residents have submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr R.C. Kapil, expressing resentment against the Army action. They stated the Army was harassing them and wanted to close some of the roads they had been using for several years. The SDM, Mr Himashu Mishra, visited the spot and assured the residents that a fresh demarcation and measurement of the entire area would be done. |
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Discrimination irks
engineers Shimla, February 21 Condemning the decision, Mr G.S. Chaudhary, president of the association, said the entire wing had been integrated and brought under one mechanical circle last year and undoing this was a retrograde step which would affect its functioning. The mechanical units right from section to divisions had been functioning well under one umbrella. The dual control now would create functional problems. Since the mechanical engineers and the civil engineers formed different cadres, there should be no overlapping of their functions. The association also condemned the discrimination against mechanical engineers in various matters, particularly promotions, as was evident from the promotion of only one mechanical engineer against 52 civil engineers at the recent meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee. It urged the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, to intervene. |
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MLA alleges move to implicate
him Dharamsala, February 21 Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Bali said neither had the ministers resigned nor the vehicles impounded whose numbers had been given to the police by the women members. “Despite the best efforts of the police to hush up the matter, the Congress will ensure that the matter is raised during the Budget session of the Assembly,” he stated. Mr Bali said if the ministers did not resign, he would sit on an indefinite dharna in front of office of the Kangra Deputy Commissioner. He claimed there was a plan to implicate him to divert the attention of the public from the abduction case. The MLA said if the IPH minister, Mr Ramesh Chaudhary, did not tender an apology for levelling false charges of kidnapping a zila parishad member against him, he would file a defamation suit. Mr Bali also circulated an affidavit given by the member, Rakesh Chaudhary, from Jwalamukhi, that he had joined the Congress on his own and had not been kidnapped by anyone. Mr Bali said people of Nagrota were annoyed with the Chief Minister as he had refused to step down from his car to listen to their grievances. “In a democracy everybody has the right to submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister and moreover, we had intimated the district administration about our plans”, he said. |
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Shepherds sell sheep to pay
debt Nahan, February 21 It may be recalled that after The Tribune raised the issue on January 28, the state government took a decision to purchase the wool from the shepherds, which was not being purchased by the federation for the past one year. According to shepherds, the wool federation had reduced the purchase price of the wool to Rs 16 per kilogram while last year the price was Rs 34 per kilogram. The shepherds had categorically refused to sell wool to the federation on the reduced price. They alleged that they were being harassed by the federation and the government was playing the role of a silent spectator. They told this correspondent that their economic position had worsened as they could not afford selling their wool at the present rates. They were also not able to repay loans taken from various shopkeepers. They feared that most of them would be pushed into a state of starvation if their wool worth Rs 5 lakh was not purchased immediately. Many of them had already started selling their sheep to clear their debts. Recently, Mr Chet Ram Negi, Parliament Secretary and MLA from Kinnaur district, visited the town to take the stock of the situation being faced by the shepherds. He was told by the HP Shepherd’s Union that the present purchase price of wool was not reasonable for the shepherds, who were already suffering due to odds of nature and the negligence of the government. The shepherds demanded Rs 45 per kilogram as the purchase price of their wool. Mr Negi was informed that the wool federation was established by the previous Congress government led by the former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, to save them from the exploitation by middle men. They said in previous years the federation had never purchased their wool for less than Rs 32 per kilogram. It was shocking that the price instead of being increased, was slashed to less than half the price paid last year. Earlier a deputation of the shepherds had met the Animal Husbandry Minister, Mr Ram Lal Markanday, here and had demanded that the purchase price be increased to Rs 45 per kilogram. The deputation also complained that there were no medicines available in the veterinary hospitals for the past one year. They were purchasing medicines and vaccines from the market on credit. This had pushed them into heavy debts they added. Although Mr Chet Ram Negi and Mr Ram Lal Markanday had assured them that the matter would be brought into the notice of the Chief Minister and would be resolved soon, yet nothing had been done so far. |
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Shivratri fair sans cultural
shows MANDI: Shivratri has assumed special significance in this hill town over the centuries. It is celebrated amidst week-long colourful festivities in keeping with the traditions of princely times. This time cultural programmes, which used to be among the main attractions of the fair in the evening with artistes from home and abroad participating in them, will not be held due to the earthquake disaster in Gujarat. The Mela Committee has decided to contribute the money saved for the quake relief fund. It has also been decided that coloured turbans, which used to be distributed free by the committee among VIPs, will not be provided this year. The chairman of the committee and Deputy Commissioner, Mr Prabodh Saxena, says the Shivratri exhibition this time will be on the pattern of trade fairs where modern products and goods will be displayed by reputed companies of the country. Another interesting feature of the fair will be live TV coverage. The Shivratri fair has been held since the foundation of Mandi town during the rule of Ajber Sen in 1526. Before that, the capital town of Mandi was located on the right bank of the Beas at Bhiuli. Legend has it that the area on which the present town has come up was once covered by a dense forest. Cattle used to graze in it. Once a villager found that his cow was not yielding the usual quantity of milk. He closely watched the cow and found that it had been spilling milk on a stone. News of this spread like wildfire in the town and also reached the king, who verified it personally. In the meantime Ajber Sen saw Lord Shiva in a dream who ordained that he should dig below the stone. The first thing the Raja did in the morning was to begin digging at the place. His joy knew no bounds when a Shivalinga was found. The idol, now worshipped in the temple of Bhutnath, the most popular shrine in Mandi, was installed and the foundation of the present Mandi town was laid simultaneously. The King invited people from all parts of the state to mark the event on the occasion of Shivratri. Since then, the fair has been held year after year. King Surya Sen ruled Mandi State from 1664 to 1679. He had no heir. All his 18 sons died during his lifetime. He, therefore, vested his sovereignty in Madho Rai (Lord Vishnu). The entire kingdom was dedicated to the silver image of Madho Rai. The image bears an inscription in Sanskrit describing Madho Rai as the “Master of the earth and destroyer of rivals’’. The name of the goldsmith, Bhima, who made it is also inscribed on it along with the date. A former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, restored the old grandeur of the Shivratri fair by first declaring it a state fair and later elevating it to the level of an international fair. The present state government has withdrawn all financial help to the fair. Mr Suraj Bhan, Governor, will formally close the fair on February 28. |
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Pinjore-Parwanoo road okayed Parwanoo , February 21The Pinjore-Parwanoo road, bypassing the towns of Pinjore, Kalka and Parwanoo, has been okayed by the Union Government and is likely to be constructed within the next three years. This decision was taken at a high-level meeting of the state national highway authorities with their counterparts in the Union Ministry of Surface Transport. According to sources, the Pinjore-Parwanoo bypass on the National Highway 22 is scheduled to be funded by the World Bank and the cost of this project is estimated at about Rs 60 crore. Sources add that the report of the survey of the road conducted by a Delhi-based consultant has been submitted, which says the project is at a par with World Bank standards. The proposed 20-metre wide Four-lane road will have five bridges, 27 pipe culverts, many slab culverts, 20 box culverts, two three-legged junctions, two under passes and 80 horizontal curves. The stretch of the road will be Mallha junction near HMT on National Highway 22, through Pinjore, Bina, Ghatiwala, Tipra, Kamli and Barog, to Datyar village near Timber Trail Hotel. The process to acquire the land for the proposed bypass will begin soon and the deforestation will also be undertaken soon by the Himachal Pradesh Government. Out of total length of 14.34 km, about 6 km, falls in Haryana and the rest in Himachal Pradesh. The authorities add that the length of the existing road and the proposed road is equal from HMT bifurcation to Parwanoo. The traffic congestion on the existing road has been a source of inconvenience to the residents of the area. Though the department has since long been trying to widen the existing road, the residents and shopkeepers of Pinjore and Kalka, besides the civic authorities, have resisted the same. Students to hold dharnas on March
2 Shimla, February 21 Addressing a joint press conference here yesterday, Mr Manoj Chandel, general secretary of the federation and Mr Kuldeep, vice-president of the association, alleged that the appointments approved by the Executive Council were made in blatant violation of the rules and guidelines of the University Grants Commission. While meritorious candidates were ignored, those with saffron background were appointed. The process of saffronisation had reached its zenith with these appointments, they added. The two organisations would launch a statewide stir against the appointments starting with a rally on the university campus on
February 27. The detailed action programme would be finalised at the joint meeting of the two bodies on February 24. The other demands included the induction of the SCA president in the Executive Council, ensuring transparency in interviews, ends to saffronisation of educational institutions and free travel facility to students up to 25 km. |
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Plea to appoint
director Shimla, February 21 In a statement here today, Dr Sanjay Pathak, vice-president of the association, said six health secretaries had been replaced by the present BJP government during its 34-month regime. On an average each officer occupied the office for about five months. This had left the Health Department rudderless. He said the government had failed to appoint a regular Director, Health Department, and the search had been continuing for the past three years. Posts of joint directors has also been lying vacant. |
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HP’s Shimla offices to be shifted
neaby Panchkula, February 21 This was stated by Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, at the Basic Training Centre of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police at Bhanu, today. While thanking the ITBP for its efforts in handling the flood situation last August, he offered land to it to open a training school in Himachal. The Himachal Government was providing all possible help to the families of the Kargil martyrs, he said. It was even planning to give Rs 1 lakh each as compensation to the families of paramilitary personnel who died during any operation on the border. The state would be exploiting its hydel potential by raising its installed generation capacity from 4,000 MW to 10,000 MW. Projects were at various stages of construction to harness water and produce 6,000 MW of electricity. The state had a hydel potential of 20,000 MW, he added. A large portion of this power was in the Central projects and Himachal would be getting its share free as the power producer, said sources in the power sector. Mr Dhumal said he had approached Mr Suresh Prabhu, Union Power Minister, to get a share of electricity from the Bhakra Beas Management Board on a par with Haryana and Punjab. The issue would be resolved after a decision was taken in this connection by the three states, he said. The Chief Minister said 3,000 km long optical fibre cables (OFCs) had been laid in the state till date. In addition, 1,500 km long OFCs would be laid by June-end. The entire state would have an ‘‘optical fibre’’ network during the next three years. On the tourism front, seven more spots — Keylong, Sangla, Rekong Peo, Kaza, Churdhar, Khara Pathar and Rohru — had been chosen for development besides the existing well-known tourist destinations. The state government had banned the construction of buildings beyond three storeys in the capital. To solve the parking problem, 16 more parking places would be created in the city, Mr Dhumal said. Timber
seized Mandi, February 21 Mr Vineet Kumar, DFO, said the smugglers numbering three abandoned the timber and van and fled. The timber and van have been impounded and case registered under the Indian Forest Act. |
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Man shot at by
uncle Mandi, February 21 The police has arrested Harish Kumar and taken the gun into its possession. A case under Section 307, IPC, has been registered. Body
recovered Mandi, February 21 The deceased has been identified as Rasal Singh of Haryana who was working in the BSL project as JE (Mechanical). The body was lying on the road when the people informed the police who sent it for postmortem. |
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