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| Wednesday,
May 16, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Declare Gaddis ST, Dhumal urges
Centre Rail line: Tibetans see
red Exemplary care at Zonal
Hospital Road turned into
dump CPM workers hold
conference |
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Cong party of
scams: minister NDA govt should
quit now: Cong Implement 20-pt programme strictly: panel Photographer robbed
of camera, cash Bhuntar airstrip
to be extended Water theft affects supply Attack on Mining Inspector flayed Mechanics demand auto market
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Declare Gaddis ST, Dhumal urges
Centre Shimla, May 15 Mr Dhumal told the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Mr Jual Oram, currently on a visit to Shimla, that the Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and Pangi and Bharmaur areas of Chamba district had already been declared Scheduled Tribe areas and Kinnaura, Bodh, Khampa, Lahaula, Swangala, Pangwalas, Gaddi and Gujjar communities in these areas enjoyed the Scheduled Tribe status. However, Gujjars and Gaddis of the merged areas had not been declared Scheduled Tribes though they belong to the
same race and their culture, language and profession were also the same, he added. He said it was only on account of historical, territorial and delineation that the Gaddis and Gujjars of merged areas, except those of Lahaul and Spiti, had not been declared tribesmen. It was an aberration that the same community living in different parts of the state was having different status and it must be rectified, he added. After the reorganisation and merger of certain areas of Punjab with Himachal Pradesh, the same community living in different areas of the state and having different status has led to an anomalous situation and this anomaly was required to be rectified. He said similarly the communities living in the trans-Giri areas of the Shillai and Sangrah area, which were very backward in terms of economic development, also merited being declared as Scheduled Tribe because such communities living in the adjoining areas of Uttaranchal have been given the status. The Chief Minister apprised Mr Oram the state legislative assembly had also passed unanimous resolution in support of this demand which had also been conveyed to the Government of India. The Union Minister for Tribal Affairs while agreeing in principle with the suggestion assured the Chief Minister he would take an early decision on this issue as similar proposals from other state governments had also been received by his ministry. Earlier, the Union Minister reviewed the development activities being undertaken in Himachal for the development and welfare of tribesmen. Chet Ram Negi, Parliamentary Secretary, and the Secretary, Tribal Development, Mr Subhash Negi, were also present at the meeting. He expressed satisfaction regarding allocation of 9 per cent Plan outlay being made by the state government for the tribal areas against the Scheduled Tribe population of only 3 per cent in these areas. He also expressed satisfaction about the construction of hostels for boys and girls for colleges and schools on which about Rs 7 crore are being spent. He also assured the proposal of the state government for construction of hostels at Chamba, Solan and Shimla would be favourably considered by his ministry. He impressed on the state government to assess the requirement of funds for post matric scholarship and send the proposal to his ministry. The minister suggested the state government should start model schools for tribal students at Nichar in Kinnaur district wherein the students would be selected on merit basis and free education, including boarding and lodging, would be provided to the students and the syllabus would be on the pattern of public schools. The minister said a separate Scheduled Tribes Finance Corporation had been set up by the Union Government and funds would be provided through this corporation for starting self-employment ventures in service sectors, processing of agriculture and horticulture produce in private sector, including cold storage. He also urged the state government to consider setting up independent ITI and Polytechnics for tribal students for vocational courses for which funds would be provided by the Government of India. |
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Rail line: Tibetans see
red Dharamsala, May 15 Talking to mediapersons, the Minister for Information and International Relations in the exiled government, Mr T.C. Tethong, said the proposed 2.34 billion US dollars project was directed towards enhancing “national defence and domestic strategy” with no concern for the adverse affect it would have on Tibet’s fragile eco-system. “The decision to construct the rail line connecting central Tibet with China is a political decision with a political and military objective of cementing the Chinese rule over the Tibetan plateau”, he stated. The decision to go ahead with the railway line, despite experts’ objections on the unsustainability of the project, would have a major negative impact not only on Tibet but also on Tibet’s neighbours. This would enormously increase Chinese ability to move troops and supplies rapidly across the vast Tibetan plateau.” “Though we are still in the process of studying the geo-political implications that the rail line will have, we have identified defence ports with nuclear arsenal from where the mobility will be made easy to increase pressure along the borders,” said Mr Tethong. So far the movement of troops and supplies to the borders had remained slow and expensive but the completion of the rail line would enable China to pile up stocks that could last for years, he added. The minister said neither the exiled Tibetan government nor the Tibetans themselves were against development, but were opposed to projects over which the Tibetan people had no say and which contributed towards undermining their distinct cultural identity. Since it is a big project, we feel that China, despite claiming that it will not take any outside help, will resort to overseas investment,” he said. Though plans to connect Tibet with China by rail were discussed as far as 1950, the final decision on the Lhasa-Golmud line was taken by the National People’s Congress and the State Council of the People’s Republic of China in March this year. The project to be launched in June, 2001, had a stipulated distance of 1,118 km covering four Tibetan prefectures of Golmud, Kyigudo, Nagchu and Lhasa. To construct the rail line, which would have 30 bridges and tunnels, 67,000 skilled labourers from China and a local force of 16,000 would be drawn from the neighbouring Chinese provinces. “The project would attract a massive influx of labourers and immigrants, who would be given special provisions like resident’s permit, marginalising the Tibetan population physically and socially,” said Mr Tethong. Mr Tethong said the rail line would have environmental implications such as erosion, silting and pollution due to drilling and shafting. He urged Tibet support groups throughout the world to campaigns against the project so that it was stalled, otherwise it would prove to be a disaster for the Tibetan people. |
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Exemplary care at Zonal
Hospital Kulu Sunita Devi, wife of an employee of a goldsmith here who belongs to Nadaun village in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh, told this correspondent that after her marriage in 1993 she had conceived four times. However,two of her babies were stillborn and two foetuses were aborted during the third month of pregnancy. She visited the Zonal Hospital in April last year for a check-up for her fifth pregnancy. Dr Sumedh Kaul,a gynaecologist, admitted her to the hospital the same day. She remained an indoor patient for the full period of her pregnancy (eight and a half months) and was taken care of. Finally, the fortunate day came, on December 14, and she gave birth to twins. But all was not well. The doctors attending on her were doubtful whether one of the babies, a boy, would survive as his weight was below the minimum required. She said Dr Deepak Kapoor worked hard for three weeks and saved the baby. She said the doctors were not hopeful but God helped them in their efforts. Surjit Singh, the husband, was overcome with emotion and thanked the doctors and the nursing staff for all that they had done for his family. A doctor standing nearby hugged him, wished him all the best and gave him a piece of advice — no more children. |
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Road turned into
dump Shimla While the government agencies are using the road as a storage place of water and sewer pipes and dumping garbage, private individuals have stacked construction material almost along its entire length. The orders of the district authorities prohibiting the dumping of any material on the highway are being flouted with impunity. Heavy vehicle drivers in particular are facing problems as the road has become narrow because of these dumps and at certain points it is fit for only one-way traffic. The Superintendent of Police had some time ago banned the storage of any material on the highway. Garbage and excavated material being dumped on the sides of the road are affecting drinking water sources, which are not only getting contaminated but also blocked. The Shimla Municipal Corporation is itself dumping garbage, including dangerous hospital waste, on the bypass. Signboards prohibiting the dumping of excavated material have been put up along the bypass but nobody bothers about these.Truckloads of such material are often thrown on the slopes on the side of the road. Those constructing houses and other buildings find it a convenient place to dispose of unwanted material. One has to cover one’s nose to avoid the foul smell while driving through the place where the town’s garbage is being dumped. The road has become narrow there with mud and other material being dumped on the roadside. The Irrigation and Public Health Department has kept large pipes on the roadside. The Municipal Corporation has parked condemned vehicles and dumped construction material on a curve. Private traders dealing in construction material have stacked it right on the road. Workshops are also coming up in violation of the rules. |
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CPM workers hold
conference Mandi, May 15 The conference took a serious view of the alleged attack on its local office and assault on the office secretary recently by some persons. Mr Mohan Singh, member of the committee, alleged the new economic policy of the government had started playing havoc on the country by generating unemployment, poverty and starvation, besides ruining the domestic industry. The anti-people policies of the government had caused great resentment among the people who had been disillusioned with the false and attractive slogan of the BJP which it had coined to come to power, he alleged. He said corruption was rampant in both spheres of life-political and administrative. The Tehelka had exposed the real face of the BJP, he added. |
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Cong party of
scams: minister Chamba, May 15 Reacting to the Congress move to misguide people about the Tehelka defence deals, the minister said the Congress was a divided house. He said a split in the Congress had come to the fore at its recent Nagrota Bagwan rally. The Congress had lost its base, he added. He said a meeting of BJP workers was held here in which 227 activists were honoured for depositing their annual contribution of Rs 1,000 each to the “aajeevan sehyog nidhi” of the party. |
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NDA govt should
quit now: Cong Chamba, May 15 In a fax message received here today, Mr Mahajan congratulated Mrs Sonia Gandhi, President of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC), for the victory in Assembly elections. He said the people had shown full faith in Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s leadership in these elections. |
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Implement 20-pt programme strictly: panel Nahan, May 15 He said a sum of Rs 1.44 crore had been extended to 297 poor families under the district under the Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna for establishing self-employment ventures. An amount of Rs 1.31 crore was spent which would benefit 574 families under the Indira Awas Yojna. As many as 56 Scheduled Caste girls had been trained in tailoring by the Industries Department. The Fisheries Department had provided nine fish cart, nine fish nets and constructed five ponds by spending Rs 74,000. Mr Dharmani asked agriculture officers to see that the seeds, tools and implements reached the right beneficiary. At least 29 persons were trained in the scavengers category in different professions so that they were gainfully employed. The District Horticulture Officer disclosed that Rs 1.45 lakh was spent on providing tools and implements and on promotion of floriculture. Mr Dharmani said 41 Scheduled Caste societies were working and 17.5 hectares of land belonging to the Scheduled Caste families provided irrigation facility by spending Rs 11.5 lakh on construction of minors. |
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Photographer robbed
of camera, cash Kangra, May 15 The Kangra District Additional Police chief Mr N.D. Sareen said Mr Thekaidar, resident of Birta village near here, was running a photostudio at Raijiana on the Pathankot-Mandi highway in the subdivision. The three youth approached him for shooting a movie at Chamunda temple. On Sunday last, he accompanied the three youths first to McLeodganj and then to Dharamsala market for shooting a film and later had lunch with them. He said they asked him to accompany them to Chamunda for the last phase of the shooting. On the way, they gave him some cold drink following which he fell unconscious. They left him at Banoie at roadside and took away his belongings. He was immediately rushed to Palampur hospital by some passerby from where he was referred to Kangra hospital. |
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Bhuntar airstrip
to be extended Kulu, May 15 Mr Yadav is heading a parliamentary committee on civil aviation which will explore the possibilities of development of the aviation activities in Himachal Pradesh. Mr Yadav said the airstrip at Bhuntar would be extended up to 6,000 ft with the help of the Centre and the state government. Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said the frequency of the Indian Airlines flights to Kulu from Delhi would be increased keeping in view the heavy tourist traffic. Mr Maheshwar Singh, Lok Sabha member from the Mandi parliamentary constituency, thanked the Union Minister for considering the long-pending demand of the people of the state. Mr Yadav said the terminal facilities at the Bhuntar airport would also be improved. Later, the Chairman of the Airports Authority of India, Mr D.V. Gupta, inspected the Bhuntar airport along with Mr Maheshwar Singh and state officers and directed the authorities concerned to make certain improvements immediately. |
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Water theft affects supply Nahan, May 15 The scheme cost more than Rs 5 crore. It was commissioned in 1995. The scheme pushed 24 lakh litre of water in 12 hours. The town gets 16 lakh litre through its old water supply scheme. The daily requirement of water of the town is 40 lakh litre. Water supply reduced to a trickle in the past week. On Saturday the town did not get a drop of water. The SDO, Irrigation and Public Health, Mr Mahesh Sharma, along with other employees found residents of Badde-ka-Bas near Trilokpur pumping the supply water to their fields. When questioned, the residents not only misbehaved with the officials but also did not allow them to remove their pumps. The police has seized the pumps, but has not registered any case so far. There is no water source around the village. The residents have dug ponds and trenches to harvest water. The lush green fields of off-season crops are testimony to rampant diversion of the scheme water for irrigation. In Tadhibroti village alone, six diesel pump sets have been purchased. Sources in the department admit that water thefts were going on for the past many days. Earlier, the offenders could not be caught as thefts were made during night hours. Mr B.D. Thakur working as an Executive Engineer, here, when contacted, said the officials were keeping watch on the pipeline and if required, police personnel would be deployed. The department was also mobilising public opinion against using pumps. |
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Attack on Mining Inspector flayed Shimla, May 15 Mr Verma visited the Brindaban area of Kangra district to check the illegal mining being allegedly carried out by Mr Daljit Bhatedia and others. When the inspector tried to stop them, he was allegedly attacked by Mr Bhatedia and others. The attackers later threw him on the side of a hill thinking him to be dead. When Mr Verma did not return home, his family members contacted the office and came to know about his official visit to
Brindaban. When they visited the area, they found Mr Verma lying
unconscious in a naked state and was profusely bleeding from head. The family members took him to the local hospital from where he was referred to the
PTI, Chandigarh, where his condition is stated to be critical. |
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Mechanics demand auto market Shimla, May 15 They drew his attention towards the difficulties being faced by the mechanics in carrying out the work at Dhalli due to the decision of the administration not allow repairs of vehicles on the road side. According to Mr N.L. Chaudhary, general secretary of the union, Mr Dhumal directed the Deputy Commissioner, Shimla, to get the work of the new motor market started immediately. |
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