 |
| Tuesday,
July 17, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Virbhadra’s no to probe panel Development
grant unutilised: DC More funds
for states: Shanta Bus
operators asked to call off strike Panic as
FMD kills 10 cows |
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Memorandum
against VC Bus
falls into khud, 3 dead Threat
to Devikothi wildlife Water-borne diseases
spreading Scheme
to train girls in self-defence launched Phone
tariff modified Dental
chairs cry for repair
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Virbhadra’s no to probe panel Shimla, July 16 The Congress leader said it was a small issue and there was no need for a committee at all. It was a fact that there used to be a colour photograph of Indira Gandhi on the wall behind the table used for signing the historic Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan. It was definitely there during the tenure of Mrs V.S. Rama Devi, the then Governor, and also during the term of her predecessors. He has conveyed his decision to the Governor in a letter. He said the photograph used to be taken off the wall while polishing the wall and then put back. He said he did not know whether now it was there or not. The right thing to end the controversy was to put the photograph back. He did not think that it would serve any useful purpose to go further in this matter as envisaged under the terms of reference of the committee. Dr Suraj Bhan, Governor, had last week constituted a five-member committee under the
chairmanship of Mr Gulab Singh, Speaker. It had Mr Kishori Lal, Industries Minister, Mr Jaikrishan Sharma, state BJP chief, Mrs Vidya Stokes, state Congress president, besides Mr Virbhadra Singh to inquire into the replacement of Indira Gandhi’s photograph with a decorative plaque. The move came after the Congress launched an agitation on the issue, terming it as an attempt to undermine the prestige and dignity of the great leader. The party and its front organisations had been holding dharnas and demonstrations all over the state to protest against the removal of the portrait. The committee was to establish when exactly the portrait was shifted from the place of display and the reasons for doing so. It was to make recommendations whether the portrait or the existing plaque or any other object be displayed at the place and regarding remedial measures in the wake of the controversy. With Mr Virbhadra Singh declining to join the committee and suggesting that the controversy be ended by putting the photograph back, the committee will find it difficult to make such a recommendation. The controversy had taken a curious turn as Raj Bavan initially claimed that the portrait was removed when changes were made in the interiors on the advice of the Chief Architect vide his letter dated May 19,2000, and that Dr Vishnu Kant Shastri, the then Governor, had nothing to do with it. However, subsequently it stated that the portrait might have been removed during the tenure of Mrs Rama Devi who had a great taste for aesthetics and made efforts to improve the interiors and the exteriors of Raj Bhavan. |
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Development
grant unutilised: DC Shimla, July 16 Mr P. C. Katoch, Deputy Commissioner, while highlighting the achievements under various programmes admitted that the funds could not be spent as the agencies concerned either could not start work or failed to complete the schemes for which these were meant over the past six years. He said the matter had been taken up with government so that unspent funds could be diverted to other schemes. Once the government gave its approval the funds would be allocated for schemes in accordance with the priorities fixed by panchayats. Mr Katoch said under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, construction of 15 link roads were taken up last year and Rs 6 crore were sanctioned. The allocation for the current year was yet to be decided. The district surpassed the targets set under various programmes for 2000-2001. Loans to the tune of Rs 2.27 crore were advanced to those living below the poverty line as against the target of Rs 2.22 crore under the Swaran Jayanti Rozgar Yojna. As many as 234 self-help groups were organised and 96 such groups were provided Rs 1.45 crore as loan through tie-ups with banks. Besides loan of Rs 82 lakh was also provided to 278 individuals for self-employment, he further added. The Deputy Commissioner said 1.43 lakh man-days were generated against the target of Rs 1.21 lakh and an amount of Rs 99.41 lakh were spent at panchayat level under the Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojna. He said 598 schemes were completed and Rs 1.68 crore were utilised under assured employment scheme by generating 1.76 lakh man-days. Mr Katoch said 53 new houses were constructed and 90 were repaired under the Indira Awas Yojna while 191 schools were provided sanitary latrines under the rural sanitation programme. To develop waste lands, two projects involving an expenditure of Rs 7.92 crore were being implemented in Shimla district to develop 19,806 hectare. While 7386 hectare would be developed in Mashobra, Basantpur and Theog blocks through 14 water sheds by utilising Rs 2.95 crore, 12,420 hectare would be developed in Rampur and Chopal blocks through 21 water sheds at a cost of Rs 4.97 crore. He said to ensure a minimum of three rooms in every primary school, 1,715 rooms were being constructed in the district under the Sarswati Bal Vidya Sankalap Yojna and Rs 15 lakh were being spent to provide housing facilities to the teachers serving in the remote areas of the district under the Yashwant Gurukul Awaas Yojna, while 162 rooms had been completed, 462 were under construction. Mr Katoch said Rs 11.97 crore were being spent on development and providing basic facilities to backward areas of the district. He said under the food for work programme different schemes worth Rs 3 crore had been sanctioned to provide employment in rural drought-hit areas. Besides, 8,735 families living below the poverty line were also being provided 10 kg wheat at Rs 2 per kg. and 15 kg rice at Rs 3 per kg under the Antyodaya Ann Scheme and 548 aged persons who were not getting any pension were being provided 10 kg wheat free of cost under the Annpurna Scheme. |
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More funds for states:
Shanta Dharamsala, July 16 He was talking to mediapersons at a meet the Press organised by the Dharamsala Press Club here today. He said the mid-term appraisal of the Ninth Five Year Plan (1997-2002) by the Planning Commission had brought to light factors which were very disturbing. “Factors like poor governance, lack of funds, corruption and absence of transparency in the system are some factors that have prevented the proper implementation of schemes and the benefits reaching to the poor and needy”, he pointed out. He said as per the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission and the promise made in the national agenda for governance of the NDA, the share of the state governments had been raised from Rs 2,26,000 crore to Rs 4,34,000 crore thereby making an increase of 90 per cent. Mr Shanta Kumar said after this decision Himachal’s share had also gone up from Rs 4,761 crore to Rs 7,460 crore. He said though we had made progress, yet in the absence of social justice, the bridge between the rich and the poor had further widened. “Farmers of rich states have become richer while farmers of poor states have become poorer and in order to overcome this our efforts will be to increase the growth rate from 2.7 per cent to 4 per cent”, he said. He said his ministry had launched a number of schemes for the welfare of people, especially poor farmers. “We have raised the foodgrain quota from 10 kg per family to 25 kg per family for those living below the poverty line and at 30 per cent subsidy for those living above the poverty line”, he disclosed. He, however, regretted that state governments had not responded to the food-for-work scheme of the government under which 25 lakh tonnes of foodgrain had been provided. “They are demanding that the subsidy under this scheme should be raised from 50 per cent, and this demand is under the consideration of the government”, he said. The minister said it was responsibility of the Centre as well the state governments to strengthen the public distribution system. He added that the government had imposed heavy duty on import of rice, wheat and sugar and had set a target of exporting 50 lakh tonnes of wheat, 30 lakh tonnes of rice and 10 lakh tonnes of sugar this year. Regarding the Agra summit, he said everyone was hopeful that something positive would come out of the talks. “It has become clear before the whole that despite booming guns, infiltration of terrorists and cross-border terrorism, India sincerely wants peace and had taken an initiative in this direction”, he said. |
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Bus operators asked to call off
strike Dharamsala, July 16 Addressing a press conference here yesterday, he requested private bus operators to call off their strike in the larger interest of the people of the state as bus was the main mode of transportation in Himachal Pradesh. “Never has any government in the history of Himachal Pradesh given so much rebate and concession to the private bus operators and it is only a handful of people with vested interests who have given the call for the strike,” he said. Regarding the demand of the private bus operators to increase the bus fares, after the prices of diesel increased, he said the government was waiting for the report of the committee, which had been constituted for this task. He added that the government was aware of the fact that increasing the fare would put a burden on people of the state. Mr Kapoor said after the formulation of the new transport policy, the government had been considerate towards the problems of the private bus operators. “Keeping various factors in mind, we have reduced the passenger tax from 50 per cent to 25 per cent on the buses plying on national highways,” he said. He said under the new transport policy, a five-year tax-free holiday was being given to those operators who were plying their buses on kuchcha roads. “The giving of 33 day holiday to bus operators, has earned them a profit of 4 per cent and they have also got relief from the toll tax and bridge tax, used to be charged earlier, he stressed. The Transport Minister said the government had had a series of talks with the Joint Action Committee of the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation
(HRTC) employees on the charter of demands given by them. “We have had discussion with them on practically every demand and they seem to be satisfied with our stand,” he revealed. He said a misinformation campaign was being launched that vacancies in the HRTC had not been filled. He informed that during the past three years, the government had appointed 289 Class III employees and made 100 promotion, so the demand for filling up vacant posts was unjustified. He said the HRTC was already over staffed as there were 149 extra drivers and 90 conductors. HE added that the fleet of buses was decided on the basis of the demand. |
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Panic as FMD kills 10
cows Kulu, July 16 Mr A.N. Vidyarthi, former Chief Secretary and member of the All-India Congress Committee, Executive, said in a press note issued here today the Department of Animal Husbandry had failed to check the disease due to the shortage of staff in the tribal district. He said the post of Assistant-Director, who is the District Animal Husbandry Officer, at Keylong, had been lying vacant since September 1998. Similarly, the post of VAS at Gemur and other villages had been lying vacant for a long time. He said the condition was such despite the Minister of Animal Husbandry in the BJP-HVC government being a representative of Lahaul and Spiti districts. The indifference of the department had caused a big loss to the farmers as about 10 milch cows and more than 100 sheep had died during the past one month. Mr Vidyarthi said a team of the Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Palampur, visited the area and diagnosed the disease of F and M and respiratory distress syndrome (RSD) and suggested curative measures but the suggestions and measures have not been implemented. He said the farmers of Lahaul were already distressed over the likely poor returns from their crops of green peas and seed potatoes due to the acute draught and now, the livestock loss had added to their woes. He demanded immediate filling up of the vacant posts in Lahaul and Spiti districts and stressed the need for taking curative measures at the earliest to check the disease. |
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Memorandum
against VC Shimla, July 16 They urged Dr Bhan to intervene in the matter and save the careers of over 15,000 students placed under compartment in the plus two examinations as they had been denied admission to the next class. The main demands include removal of retired professor appointed as private secretary of the Vice-Chancellor, check on the misuse of emergency powers of the Vice-Chancellor, withdrawal of fee hike and making English an optional instead of a compulsory subject up to graduation-level. |
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Bus falls into
khud, 3 dead Kangra, July 16 The Subdivisional Magistrate Mr Naresh Kumar Laath, who rushed to the spot along with a medical team, said the bus was half submerged in the khud. The cause of the accident was not known and the driver was absconding. Local youths rescued the injured with the help of the fire brigade and the police. An unidentified passenger died on the spot and two passengers identified as Ramesh Chand (45) and Ran Singh (60) succumbed to injuries at the hospital. Two persons were referred to Dr R.P. Medical College, Dharamsala. Four passengers were washed away in the khud but were rescued. An ex gratia relief of Rs 5000 each was sanctioned for next of kin of the deceased and those injured seriously were given Rs 3000 each, Mr Laath said. |
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Threat to Devikothi
wildlife Devikothi (Chamba) Though Devikothi is not a wildlife sanctuary, yet it is said that the forested Devikothi wooded hillsides have a number of different species of fauna. Poaching for getting skin and flesh of wild beasts for medicinal purposes has not only posed a danger to the breeding of wildlife but has also put it on the verge of extinction in the natural habitat of Devikothi dell. Spread over an area of about 100 sq km, Devikothi dell is located about 110 km away from the district headquarter town of Chamba. In the ambience of Devikothi hills fall the scattered and inaccessible hamlets of Devikothi and Deygran panchayats. The Devikothi wildlife habitat is situated at a height ranging from 2000 to 4390 metres. According to local residents wild animals usually come down at dusk to the banks of Baira stream to quench their thirst. The important species in the habitat are thar (kerth), ibex, musk deer, barking deer, ghoral, black bear, leopard, and birds such as monal, koklas and tragopan. It is learnt that poachers earn huge profits by selling organs of beasts and their skin. The state government has not been taking any notice of the census of various surviving species of wildlife in habitats like Devikothi wooded dell, which have not yet been declared as wildlife sanctuaries. The wildlife officials of the area have not been able to detect any poaching case so far. It is perhaps because of the reason that the Devikothi dell is not a wildlife sanctuary and does not come within the purview of the wildlife department. |
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Water-borne diseases
spreading Parwanoo, July 16 Doctors say that most of these persons are suffering from diarrhoea, jaundice fever, nausia and vomiting. No serious case has been reported from Parwanoo and Kalka so far, but 184 cases of gastroenteritis have been reported from Dharampur block. Dr Shashi Pal, District Health Officer of Solan, said the situation in villages of Dharampur block was now under control and no fresh case of gastroenteritis had been reported in the past four days. He also said a control room had been established in the Banasar Panchayat area with two doctors, five paramedical staff and one ambulance to monitor the situation. Dr Shashi Pal said the main reason for the spread of the disease in these villages was contaminated water of the natural springs of the area. Samples of the water of these springs prove this thing. At least 30 labourers who stay near the stone-crusher zone of Pinjore are reported to have been taken ill after consuming contaminated water from the Ghaggar. The Chief Medical Officer of Panchkula said no other serious case had been reported from Pinjore. The CMO said a medical team had been regularly visiting the area since July 8. Private practitioners of these areas said they were handling the rush in their own way “Cases of viral fever, influenza and maleria are also being reported,” said Dr
Bhaskar, a private practitioner of Parwanoo. He said he received at least six cases of various water-borne diseases in his clinic and most patients were residents of slum areas. Another private doctor of Kalka said once the sun was out after days of rain, the chances of the spread of infection would increase. |
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Scheme to train girls in
self-defence launched Shimla, July 16 Mr A.N. Sharma, Superintendent of Police, formally launched the scheme from Government High School, Dhalli. He said to begin with, the scheme had been introduced in eight schools and if the response was good, it would be launched in other towns of the state. Besides judo and karate, girls would be trained to protect themselves against armed persons. In all, nine teams of trainers, each comprising two males and two females, had been constituted. The police, he said, was also trying to ease vehicular congestion on roads by regulating traffic and taking strict action against roadside encroachers. A three-lane system had been introduced for the smooth flow of traffic at Victory Tunnel and 13 police assistance booths had been set up at various places. As many as 40 towaway zones had been identified in and around the town keeping in view the peak-hour traffic congestion. Traffic staff had been provided training to guide tourists and work in coordination with the Tourism Department. The police proposed to install traffic lights at Boileauganj Chowk, local bus stand, Chhota Shimla, Sanjauli Chowk and bazar and the Dhalli tunnel. He said a special drive was launched against traders, particularly motor mechanics, who encroached on the road. Besides, those who carelessly dumped construction material and other wares on the roadsides were also booked. In all, 160 cases were registered in this connection. A major problem was the lack of adequate parking space. The town had room for parking 600 to 700 vehicles whereas peak requirements during the tourist season was 4000 to 5000 vehicles. Mr Sharma said there had been no appreciable increase in the crime rate in the town. As many as 652 cases had been registered up to June 30 this year as against 598 during the corresponding period past year. While there were four murders as against two last year, the cases of theft decreased from 75 to 65. The cases under the Excise Act had also come down from 69 to 44, largely due to the fact that liquor had become in state and there was no incentive for smuggling. |
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Phone tariff
modified Mandi, July 16 Talking to reporters Mr Mahinder Singh said he had taken up the matter with the Union Minister following resentment among the people of Mandi and Sarkaghat who had been surprised to see an increase of Rs 120 in their bi-monthly rental bills. The rent had been increased from Rs 240 to Rs 360. He said modified rates would come into force this month. General Manager Telecom, Pradeep Kumar when contacted said no official confirmation had been received so far. The department would charge the modified rated as and when the orders would be received, he added. |
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Dental
chairs cry for repair Bilaspur, July 16 Reports confirm here today that there are three dental chairs at the local Regional Hospital, but these need repair. Similarly, equipment at Jukhala, Ghumarwin and Naina Devi Health Centres is not in use due to want of essential repair. The chairs cost about Rs 1.5 lakh. A source told our correspondent here that dental doctors were not left with any choice but to extract tooth with a ‘Jamoor’. It is learnt that the authorities concerned have requested the state Directorate of Dental Services to get the equipment repaired but there is little response from the headquarters. |
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