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Saturday,
May 5, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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MC chief,
MLA’s son booked in assault case TRANSFERS/ POSTINGS Farmers to
be protected against loss: CM NHPC to
spend 200 cr on development works |
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Police
posts reopen in higher reaches HP Cong groupism
sharpens Cong MLA
flays HP Govt over pay scales Encroachments
cause chaos on roads 2 cops suspended Probe
ordered into construction work MC
ignoring newly merged areas: panel Students
to protest against rustication IT raids
on mine owner’s office, house NSUI
holds fete on HP varsity campus ABVP
organises cultural function
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MC chief, MLA’s son booked in assault case Solan, May 4 Mr Tiwari in his FIR had alleged that Mr Chaudhry, accompanied by three of his friends, whom he named as Guddi, Teroo and Hardev Singh, had assaulted him while he was waiting at the Baddi bus stand yesterday. He further alleged that he apprehended a threat to his life after the attack on him. DSP Nalagarh, Mohinder Singh, when contacted, said Mr Tiwari’s complaint had been forwarded to the SDM Mr K.C. Chaman, for further action. Mr Tiwari had contested the last civic elections from Baddi nagar panchayat’s ward No. 5 against a candidate fielded by the Vidya Stokes faction of the Congress to which Congress MLA Lajja Ram owed allegiance. On the other hand Mr Tiwari is known to be close to state INTUC president Amarjeet Singh Bawa, a known Virbhadra Singh loyalist. |
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TRANSFERS/ POSTINGS Shimla, May 4 Mr Padam Singh Chauhan, Additional Excise and Taxation Commission, Shimla, under order of posting as General Manager, DIC, Solan, has been posted as Additional District Magistrate (Protocol), Shimla. Mr Sanjeev Bhatnagar, Assistant Commissioner to Deputy Commissioner, Shimla, under order of posting as Assistant Commissioner to Deputy Commissioner, Chamba, is now posted as Under Secretary, HP Public Service Commission. Mr K.K. Khanna, HAS, Subdivisional Officer (Civil), Karsog, Mandi district under orders of posting as Under Secretary, HP Public Service Commission, is now posted as Under Secretary, HP Backward Classes Development Corporation. Mr Ajay Sharma, Additional District Magistrate (Protocol), Shimla, is transferred and
posted as Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Shimla. Mr R.P. Bhardwaj, Deputy Director, Primary Education, has been posted as SDM, Arki. Mr Pyar Singh Verma, Regional Transport Officer, Mandi, has been transferred and posted as Land Acquisition Officer, PWD, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. He will also hold additional charge of the post of LAO, HPSEB, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. Mr B.R. Kundal, LAO HPSEB, Mandi, and who is also holding the additional charge of LAO, PWD, Mandi, is transferred and posted as Regional Transport Officer, Mandi. Mr Manmohan Sharma, HAS Project Officer, ITDP, Reckong Peo (Kinnaur), has been transferred and posted as Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) Reckong Peo. He will also hold additional charge of the post of Project Officer, ITDP, Reckong Peo. |
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Farmers
to be protected against loss: CM Shimla, May 4 The Chief Minister said to ensure
that the economy of the farmers did not suffer due to the failure of
crops, a “rashtriya krishi bima yojna” had been introduced to
cover all categories of farmers. They were being given 50 per cent
subsidy on premium. He said to facilitate the farmers, kisan pass
books were being distributed among them. To benefit the farmers of
Kangra, Una and Hamirpur districts, the government had deleted the
age-old entry of “khudro darakhatan malkiyat sarkar” from the
revenue record. He said to bring maximum area under irrigation, 134
projects had been sanctioned by Nabard and these projects would
irrigate an area of 2,721 hectares on completion. Project proposals of
61 watersheds, amounting to Rs 22.54 crore had been prepared for the
development of rain-fed areas. Work on the Rs 143-crore Shahnehar and
Rs 33-crore Sidhata medium irrigation schemes had also been started. |
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NHPC to spend 200 cr on development works Chamera (Chamba), May 4 Addressing mediapersons here today, Mr Yogendra Prashad, chairman-cum-Managing director of the NHPC said the corporation was all set to mitigate the power shortage in the country and it would generate more than 6000 mw of electricity by 2003. Mr Prashad informed that the NHPC had earmarked an outlay of Rs 3,000 crore in the current fiscal year’s Budget for the speedy execution of various hydroelectric projects all over the country. He said the NHPC had drawn a plan to develop 30 major hydroelectric projects totalling 44, 218 mw capacity across the country, the benefits of which were likely to accrue in the Tenth Plan. He said the NHPC had decided to commence the execution of 800 mw, stage-two, of the Parbati hydroelectric project in Kulu district by September this year. The work on 750 mw, stage-one, on this project which started in 1999 had already been speeded up. |
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Police posts reopen in higher reaches Dharamsala, May 4 A total of 11 police posts, in the
Tissa, Kehar, Khairi and Pangi sectors, have to be moved down during winters as the entire area becomes snow-bound and inaccessible. Strict vigil is maintained by the police and the
ITBP, all along the 167 km boundary that Chamba shares with the militancy infested Jammu and Kashmir. With conditions being extremely harsh in these areas, situated at the height of over 13,000 feet, it is not possible for the forces to stay here during winters. A total of 16 mountain passes, generally used by militants to frequent Himachal area, also remain closed due to heavy snow. As such the possibility of Jammu and Kashmir militants entering the Chamba area, during winters is quite remote. The DIG (North), Mr
K.C. Sadyal, said there was a proposal to improve the conditions at these high altitude posts, so that they do not have to be shifted down during winters. “With over Rs 2 crore help from the Centre we hope to make these 11 posts, permanent ones, ensuring a stricter vigil in the snow-bound areas,” he disclosed. Mr
Sadyal, said the Centre would be providing Rs 2 crore for the modernisation of the forces to tackle the
problem of militancy. He added that with this money they intend to build an armoury at every police posts for better protection of the weapons and the ammunition. “We have frequently seen that due to improper storage, our weapons and ammunition get damaged as a result of moisture, dust and stop functioning properly,” he revealed. With the reopening of the mountain passes in the summer, the chances of militants from Jammu and Kashmir, crossing over into Himachal, also increases. Though there is hardly any population in these areas, but the Gujjars come and stay here in their
kothas, during summers. The most sensitive and vulnerable passes included the Sarotri pass near
Satrundi, Mahilwar Galli, Bharathi Galli, Baju ka Bag and padri Galli in Kehar. The police has also decided to
reestablish two police posts in the Khairi area, close to Sewa tehsil, in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. Due to dam work these posts had been withdrawn, but with fresh militants related incidents taking place in
Sewa tehsil of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir, the police posts have been reopened. About a month back, the militants had looted over Rs 1 crore from government employees, who had got their salaries. Even though a ceasefire has been announced by the government in Jammu and Kashmir, but we have remain fully vigilant and cautious to check any infiltration into our area, said Mr
Sadyal. It was in August, 1998, that 35 innocent labourers were gunned down by Lashkar-e-Toiba militants in Kalaban and
Satrundi, falling in the Tissa sector. Though there have been no militant related incident in Chamba district for the past quite sometime, but apart from the first and second battalion of the HP police, the ITBP is also guarding the Himachal boundary. The government has recruited 450 Special Police Officers and formed 159 village defence committees, involving the locals in self-protection. |
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HP Cong groupism
sharpens Shimla, May 4 The Virbhadra Singh faction is sore that Mrs Stokes has allowed the merger of the Himachal Vikas Party (HVP) of Mr O.P. Rattan in the Congress without consulting it. This is likely to create further bickerings in the Congress. Virbhadra Singh supporters are not critical of Mr Rattan. They have not relished the return of Mr Kewal Ram Chauhan in the Congress, who they allege, was named in many cases of illicit felling of forests during the regime of Thakur Ram Lal, who had to quit as Chief Minister, because of the activities of the “forest mafia” in the 1980s. His supporters claim that Mrs Stokes was trying to embarrass Mr Virbhadra Singh by bringing in all such persons who had been criticising him. The Virbhadra Singh faction is likely to bring this to the notice of the AICC chief, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, and other leaders as they allege that such actions of Mrs Stokes were bound to further weaken the party. They visualise this as the opening of the doors of the PCC for critics of Mr Virbhadra Singh who were expelled from the party on charges of anti-party activities. Meanwhile, Mrs Stokes has convened a meeting of the PCC Executive and presidents of the district Congress committees here on May 9 to chalk out the programme of the second phase of agitation against the BJP government because of the Tehelka expose. The Virbhadra Singh loyalists have
been boycotting the meetings convened by her as they allege that the
PCC is lopsided. |
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Cong MLA flays HP Govt over pay scales Shimla, May 4 Mr Rao told newspersons here that the recent decision of the state government indicated that it was in the process of delinking the pay scales of the employees from the Punjab structure. He said it was strange that while the bureaucrats were being allowed to remain in service till the age of 60, the government had decided to reduce the retirement age of Class IV employees to 58 years. He accused the state government of not taking the acute drought situation in the state seriously and having failed to take steps to provide relief to the affected farmers. Mr Rao said about 80 per cent crops were destroyed because of the drought, but the government had not come out with a relief package for the victims. He said small farmers in some areas had abandoned their milch cattle as the authorities have failed to provide fodder to them. Foodgrains should be provided to the affected people at subsidised rates, he added. Mr Rao demanded that employment generation schemes should be launched in the drought-hit areas. |
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Encroachments
cause chaos on roads Hamirpur The authorities seem to be helpless as encroachers are either the henchmen of ruling party politicians or a powerful lobby in the Nagar Parishad. In the main bazaar area, the traffic problem has assumed alarming proportions. Shops and rehris selling all types of items have mushroomed on both sides of the road, leading to traffic congestion. A powerful group in the ruling party backs these encroachers. Whenever, any move is initiated to dispossess them, this lobby opposed the administration’s orders and these rehriwallahs are allowed to stay at the encroached sites. It becomes difficult for pedestrians to cross the congested bazaar road in the morning and evening, not to speak of two-wheelers or four-wheelers. Whenever any person tries to remove push-carts for smooth flow of traffic, it is stoutly resisted. Though the district administration has finalised a plan to ease the traffic problem yet that order is yet to be implemented. The one-way traffic order of the district administration in the bazaar area is being violated with impunity. Under the order, all vehicles are to move from Gandhi Chowk to Hospital Chowk. However, violating the order, many two-wheelers and cars are seen crossing the main bazaar from the hospital side towards Gandhi Chowk. The traffic cop posted on duty at the Gandhi Chowk seems to be indifferent. The worst part from the traffic point of view is the Dharamsala-Shimla highway. Scores of vehicles can be seen parked on both sides of the road, ignoring the orders of the district administration. Under the order, no heavy vehicles are allowed to stop to unload goods during the day on this road. However, vehicles of influential persons can be seen parked on the main road outside the shops of such grain dealers, thus increasing the congestion. Whenever, vehicles of these persons were challaned, they got their challans cancelled owing to their clout. The police laments that it is unable to check these violations due to orders from their seniors. They say that once these persons are checked, there will be no traffic problem on the Shimla-Dharamsala highway. Similarly, taxis and rickshaws are parked on both sides of the main road. The district administration had allotted separate sites to taxi owners and rehriwallahs and they occupied the allotted sites. However, after some time, they returned to the highway and are violating administration orders. Since there is no bypass for the town, the traffic problem is becoming acute. Thousands of vehicles cross the highway. A plan was mooted for a bypass but that remains on paper. There are reports that the new bypass would now be constructed along with the national highway connecting Shimla with Kangra through Hamirpur. It may take two to three years more for this bypass to come up. The PWD has, however, started its construction near the Krishnanagar area of the town by felling pine trees. The permission for the felling of the trees has been given by the Central Government, says Dr Pavnesh Kumar Sharma, Divisional Forest Officer, Hamirpur. The town is without a parking facility and vehicles can be seen at all such places declared no parking zones by the administration. The failure of the state government and the district administration both to provide parking place needs to be dealt with strongly. The Gandhi Chowk area where most of the government and semi government and private offices are located, is the worst hit by the haphazard parking. A traffic constable is put on duty in that area but he is unable to control the situation, as there is no other place where those working in this zone could park their vehicles. There is a need to have a taxi stand opposite the bus stand and another parking lot near the Mini Secretariat for the benefit of the public. |
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2 cops suspended Shimla, May 4 An amount of Rs 30,000 was allegedly stolen from the office of the Airtel. While Sunil Kumar and Karam Chand, the two constables in whose beat the theft took place, have been suspended, action will also be taken against the two Home Guards who were supposed to patrol the area along with them. Mr Sharma said that the police doubted the story of theft as the lock and steel shutter of the office were intact, the cash chest, which measured 14 by 11 inches, could not be taken away from a narrow slit under the shutter. |
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Probe ordered into
construction work Chamba, May 4 Presiding over a meeting of the district-level grievances redressal committee here yesterday, the minister asked the Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil), Chamba, to submit report on the controversy before May 15. The minister also directed the Superintendent of Police to ensure that eve-teasing around the campuses of schools, colleges and other public places be stopped. He asked the SP to make efforts to curb drug-addiction among the youth. At the meeting the minister also directed the forest, agriculture and horticulture department authorities to release the arrears of daily wage staff. In view of increasing traffic in the town, the minister directed the local administration to regulate the light vehicles by one-way traffic via main bus-terminus to Government College and Dogra Bazaar from May 14 to facilitate the pedestrians. The minister urged residents living along the fringes of the road to provide land voluntarily for construction of the Chamba-Kohladi road so that every village of the area could be linked. He assured the work would start on the Choori bridge to the Bakal road. The minister took note of the officials of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited being absent. He also asked the Deputy Commissioner to ensure redressal of grievances of the telecom consumers in the district. |
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MC ignoring newly merged areas: panel Shimla, May 4 The action committee has alleged that the corporation was not doing any worthwhile development work in their areas which lacked basic facilities like street lights, toilets etc. The residents of the newly merged areas are demanding that their areas be kept outside the municipal corporation limits. Action committee members held a rally yesterday in support of their demands. The committee criticised the Urban Development Minister, Mr R.D.
Kashyap, for allegedly adopting double standards and demanded his resignation. The committee also opposed the retention policy for the regularisation of houses. On the other hand, the municipal corporation claims that crores of rupees had been spent on the newly merged areas. The former mayor, Mr Manoj Kumar, said the corporation had constructed toilets, roads, and installed street lights. The development was being done without any grant from the government, he said. According to Mr Satish Kumar, a councillor, 60 street lights had been installed from Dhalli to
Mashobra, the Ambulance road had been constructed besides a car parking at
Dhalli. Another councillor of the newly merged area, Mr Inder Dutt Lakhan Pal, said the construction of rain shelter in Ghora Chowki had been completed and street lights railing and a natural water source were also being maintained. |
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Students
to protest against rustication Dharamsala, May 4 The students, who have been rusticated for a year for ragging said the action of the college authorities would jeopardise their careers. The students have decided to observe a day’s token strike in protest against the biased attitude of the college authorities. The rusticated students of the second year said even the first year students had written to the college authorities, the Vice-Chancellor, the Health Minister and the Health Secretary, substantiating the innocence of their seniors. The students claimed that they were being implicated in false cases while their exams were approaching. They said it was the duty of the college authorities to track down the real culprits rather than rusticating the entire batch. The representatives of the students said they had sent a representation to the Vice-Chancellor pleading innocence and reviewing their decision. |
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IT raids on mine owner’s office, house Nahan, May 4 According to the information available, the office of Mr Tomar at Sataun and his houses at Paonta, Kamrou and Tillour Dhar were raided by the officials and searched operations were carried out. The little known ‘Megha Minerals’ office at Sataun was also searched. The Income Tax officials seized cash worth lakhs, ornaments and documents relating to property and banks. His bank accounts were also seized. Mr Tomar, when contacted on telephone, said everything earned by his parents and himself had been seized. The raid, he felt, was conducted on complaint probably filed by his political opponent. The Income Tax officials could not be contacted. |
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NSUI holds fete on HP varsity campus Shimla, May 4 NUSI President Kewal Pathania said this was for the first time that the university had a function like this. The funds collected from this function would be donated to the martyrs relief fund, he said. Besides the students, outsiders also participated in the fete. |
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ABVP organises cultural function Shimla, May 4 “Gophana Shate” was the name of cultural programme in which 25 different items were presented “Kullu Nati, Laholi Nati, Himachali Nati and bhangra were appreciated by the audience. The function was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof S.K. Gupta. |
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