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Wednesday,
January 9, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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CM’s winter sojourn from January 22 Naina Devi-Anandpur Sahib ropeway gets Cabinet nod Tibet peace march by German monk MP blasts Cong for opposing BJP Cong anti-govt rally on Jan 21 |
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HPSEB not to restore pay parity Subathu’s development stops for want of funds Illegal construction unchecked SFI to step up agitation Jawan cremated with state honours Checkpoints on Chamba border sealed Notice issued to Registrar, Coop Society Protest against youth’s death Stop water wastage or face
action: MC ‘Anthrax’ letter
creates scare Move to appoint
drivers on contract opposed
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CM’s winter sojourn from January 22 Dharamsala, January 8 Stating this here today, the district BJP chief and MLA from Baijnath, Mr Dulo Ram said the Chief Minister would begin his winter sojourn from the Kangra Assembly segment on January 22. “After spending three days in Kangra, he will leave for Mandi for the statehood day and Republic Day celebrations at Shimla, to return here for another three-day tour,” he disclosed. From January 28 he was likely to go to Punjab for campaigning, where the elections are due on February 13. Mr Dulo Ram said the details of the Chief Minister’s programmes during his winter stay here were still being finalised. He added that after the Punjab elections, Mr Dhumal would spend about a week’s time here to complete the winter sojourn. Mr Dulo Ram, who presided over the meeting of the executive and office-bearers of the district body, said keeping in view the fact that the elections would be due in a year’s time, party workers right up to the grass-root level were being activated. He added that the meeting of the district BJP would be held on January 14 at Palampur. Mr Dulo Ram said it had been decided by the party that committees of all four main cells of the BJP would be constituted at all 1,000 polling booths in Kangra district. So far it was only the BJP, which had these cells at the polling booth level. He said now the Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) cell, BJP Mahila Morcha, OBC and ST cell would play an active role right till the village level. He said during February, block-level functions at all 16 Assembly constituencies in Kangra would be held by the BJYM. BJP Mahila Morcha sammelans would be held at all blocks in March. He added that two district-level sammelans of the OBC cell and the SC and ST Morcha would be held in the district during April. |
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Naina Devi-Anandpur Sahib ropeway gets Cabinet nod Shimla, January 8 The meeting of the Cabinet was presided over by the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal. The project is expected to cost about Rs 35 crore and will be constructed and operated by the private sector on build-own-and-operate basis after inviting open bids. An agreement will be signed between the two state governments for constructing the ropeway and royalty for the land will be charged from the private party, which operates it. Both governments have in principle agreed on the construction of the ropeway. It will reduce the distance between the two pilgrimages, which are undertaken by thousands of devouts every year. The project parameters will be finalised by the consultants who will be appointed for the purpose before inviting the bids. The Cabinet decided to increase the procurement rate for raw wool by 20 per cent for all the three clips to benefit the Gaddi community. The winter clip will be procured at the rate of Rs 19.20 per kg against the existing rate of Rs 16 per kg. The rate of the summer clip has been fixed at Rs 30 per kg against the existing Rs 25 per kg and the autumn clip will be procured at Rs 38.40 per kg against Rs 32 per kg. To give further encouragement to the promotion of sports, the Cabinet decided to make additional provisions in the eligibility criteria for selection of outstanding sportspersons for employment in the government departments, boards, corporations and universities in the state. The categories of medal winners in South Asian Federation (SAF) games, participation in SAF games, and at least three times participation in National Championship and the Senior National Championship will also be eligible for 3 per cent reservation in government jobs. The Cabinet reviewed its earlier decision regarding 1 per cent central sales tax (CST) for the sale of telecommunication-related goods to MTNL, BSNL and VSNL. In view of the rates prevailing in some neighbouring states (2 per cent in Rajasthan), it was decided to have a uniform rate of 2 per cent CST on the sale of telecom related goods to VSNL, MTNL and BSNL. This will not only make the local industries competitive, but also result in a substantial growth in tax revenue. It is also expected that some more units in the telecom sector will be set up in the state. The Council of Ministers also decided to seek Presidential assent to amend the Punjab Excise Act, 1914, to give powers of detention and confiscation of vehicles involved in smuggling of liquor. An excise officer can detain a vehicle, whereas an assistant excise & taxation commissioner (AETC) can confiscate such detained vehicles after giving due opportunity to the person concerned. |
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Tibet peace march by German monk Dharamsala, January 8 Undeterred by age and the fact that he would have to face harsh climatic conditions and difficult terrain, he will leave for his journey in March. Johannes Haufschild, was ordained a monk in 1996 by the Dalai Lama and given the name Gelong Jampa Yontan. “The fact that I was born in 1939 at the time of World War II and compelled to flee Germany because of the 1944 war, makes it easy for me to understand the suffering and agony of the Tibetan people whose homeland has been forcibly occupied by the Chinese,” he said. He has set-up a society called “Europe Helps Tibet” at Hanover and will seek the help of Tibet help groups during his peace march. “Political leaders of the western world prefer to keep silent despite seeing the deplorable condition of the Tibetans, as they do not wish to offend their mighty business partner, China,” he said. Gelong Jampa said though a large number of westerners were being drawn towards Buddhism, it was sad that not many of them were aware of the suffering and injustice being meted out to those living in Tibet. He said even those who were members of various Tibet support groups, the world over were not sparing enough time for the Tibetan cause. “During my peace march, I shall draw strength from the support, solidarity and sympathy of all freedom loving people, especially Buddhists,” he said, adding
that he would pull a solid metal handcart bearing pictures and inscriptions, depicting the grim situation in Tibet. “Being a monk it was not easy to arrange funds for the stupendous task that I have taken up but I am confident that people will come out with more help as they get to know about Tibet,” he said. The funds raised during the march would be used for the reconstruction of the Drepung monastery in South India and the reconstruction of the Mahayana monastery at Bodh Gaya. He said he would raise the Tibetan flag outside every town hall and present the sacred Tibetan white scarf to the Mayor of the city. He would maintain an Internet diary to which anybody could log on. “I hope I will be able to contribute in my own small way towards the Tibetan people’s fight for political, cultural and religious freedom inside their homeland,” he said. |
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MP blasts Cong for opposing BJP Hamirpur, January 8 He was addressing public at Bajuri and Anukalan, near here last evening. Ms Urmila Thakur, local MLA, accompanied him during a tour of the area. He dubbed the Congress, as anti-people. Mr Chandel said while Rs 1,400 crore had been given to the state by the Prime Minister Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee for accelerating pace of development in the state, the previous Congress government had failed to get even a single paisa as relief from the then Central Government. Credit for the all-round development of the state went to the leadership and people-oriented policies of the Prime
Minister, and Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, he added. Mr Chandel gave details of the development activities undertaken in Hamirpur district since the installation of the BJP government at the Centre. The development was not possible without the active support of the public, he said. Mr Thakur demanded more job avenues for the youth of the state in the Army. She said jawans of the district had always remained in forefront while safeguarding the Indo-Pak border. The Central Government had sanctioned Rs 1.50 crore for the construction of a pucca road between Anu and Boru, she added. Mr Chandel announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh for the Hamirpur-Bajuri road and Rs 1.50 lakh for the construction of the Anu-Baru road via Brahbalh. |
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Cong anti-govt rally on Jan 21 Kangra, January 8 This was stated by the Kangra DCC president, Dr Milkhi Ram Gomma, while addressing a press conference here today. He said people were scared following the failure of the Dhumal government in nabbing militants involved in the Damtal incident, despite information provided to the authorities about militants movements in the area by villagers. He said if this was the fate of the area were the Army was stationed, what would be the fate of the common people in the state. When asked if Mr Virbhadra Singh would attend the rally, Dr Gomma said he would be invited. Mr Vijay Singh Mankotia, former Tourism Minister, said the BJP was levelling charges against the earlier Congress government that unemployed youths were betrayed and only people from Rudoo and Rampur had got jobs. He told the BJP-HVC government that during Congress rule, the state had six lakh unemployed youths as against 11 lakh now. Nearly 300 Congress functionaries from all blocks of the 16 Assembly segments attended the meeting. Mr Sukh Vinder Singh Sukhu, state Youth Congress chief, said there would be 10 to 15 new faces, particularly from the Youth Congress, on the basis of merit. |
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HPSEB not to restore pay parity Shimla, January 8 The state is committed to follow the Punjab pattern in the matter of pay scales but the management of the state electricity board deviated from it and granted higher pay scales to as many as 66 categories. Now with the State Electricity Regulatory Commission taking a serious notice of the high employee cost and directing the board to reduce it, the issue of parity with the PSEB is again under consideration. After the latest power tariff order of the commission, the employee cost comes to Rs 1.03 per unit, which was almost triple the national average. The employee cost for most states like Haryana, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka ranges between 16 paise to 42 paise per unit. The tariff could be reduced by around 60 paise per unit if the employee cost of power supply was brought own to the national level. The board is not only overstaffed, it has also been giving higher pay scales to its employees. There is an employee for every 45 consumers as against 400 to 450 consumers in other countries. The commission wants the rate to be at least 250 consumers per employee. In all, about one-third of the 30,000 odd employees are getting higher salaries than their counter-parts in the PSEB. The annual financial burden on this account runs into crores of rupees. The board has already passed orders that no employee in future will be given a higher pay scale and complete parity will be maintained with the PSEB. However, the order will not help reduce the employee cost for now as no fresh recruitment is being made. While the board will not be in a position to implement the order retrospectively, it may face legal hurdles in enforcing it prospectively. Moreover, with the assembly elections just 14 months away, the government will not like to invite the wrath of the employees by lowering the pay scales. However, with the regulatory commission in place, the issue could be raised by the consumers who have to pay more for power because of high employee cost. Mr Shamsher Singh, Chairman of the board, said an exhaustive exercise was being carried out to study the financial and legal implications for enforcing the order. All concerned will be consulted before taking a decision. The government may face more problems if the parity is not restored. Hitherto it had been rejecting many of the demands of the employees of various boards on the plea that it could not grant any financial benefits, which was not available to their counterparts in Punjab. However, with the electricity board providing a precedent, the employees of other boards and corporation and even government department could demand higher pay scales. |
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Subathu’s development stops for want of funds Kumarhatti, January 8 The cantonment board, the local administrative body, has expressed its helpless in providing sufficient funds. In the current financial year the board has sanctioned only Rs 40 lakh as against the demand for more than Rs 1 crore. The board has generated around Rs 15 lakh from entry tax and service charges. From such meagre inflow of funds the cantonment was not in position to even think of doing any development work as salaries and allowances consumed around Rs 52 lakh annually. The civilians of the cantonment are unhappy over the imposition of entry tax in place of parking fee by the board to enhance the revenue. Moreover the cantonment cannot raise the tax amount more than that imposed by the Solan Municipal Committee. The illogical low valuation of the land in the periphery of the cantonment has been a major hurdle in raising funds opined Mr Yogesh Kumar, Executive Officer of the cantonment. The realistic value of the land for free holding (land available for purchase by the civilians) worked out to be Rs 3,129 per sq for the construction of a house that at present was merely Rs 5.70, Mr Yogesh Kumar, who has already sent a proposal in this regard to the higher authorities, said. Ironically no step has been taken to revise the taxes here, despite the fact that in 1991 the central government had asked all cantonments in the country to revise them. Only the professional tax and license fee had been revised in 1960 and 1991. The pressure of the four elected civilian members for reducing the valuation of the new constructions could be seen as another reason that deprived the board of funds. On the country the elected members have said the board should be more liberal to give sanctions for new constructions here that would facilitate the commercial prospects of
Subathu. Presently nobody wanted to settle here as the procedures for the new construction and sale and purchase of land were very complex, the members
said. Less population, developing of surrounding areas, isolation of Subathu from the Kalka-Shimla national highway and Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge train were the other factors that, according to locals, have led to the current situation. |
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Illegal construction unchecked Palampur, January 8 Thanks to the apathy of the state government, haphazard construction of shops, houses and roads is going on unchecked here. It seems there is no authority to stop such illegal activity. A number of buildings have come up without the approval of the Town and Country Planning Department. In many cases even the civic body has not opposed the unregulated growth. Matters have gone from bad to worse during the past two years. A number of influential persons and henchmen of politicians have been allowed to go ahead with illegal construction work while many other residents are yet to get clearance for building their houses. Multistoreyed buildings have come up despite a blanket ban by the government on such construction. It is surprising that not only private individuals but also certain government and semi-government departments have taken up the construction of their buildings without clearance from the Town and Country Planning Department. The civic body had constructed shops on a footpath in the heart of town, but the state government has so far failed to initiate any action to remove the illegal structures. Residents feel that if tough measures are not taken by the government to check such construction, this beautiful town may soon give the look of a slum. The civic body has also failed to maintain cleanliness. Heaps of garbage can be seen at a number of places. The lower areas of the town are the worst affected. Sanitation is also poor in the Sabzi Mandi and the Civil Hospital complex. The Sabzi Mandi is probably the most polluted area in the town. Garbage is usually not removed for days together from the
mandi, causing inconvenience to shopkeepers,buyers and those living near it. The demand of residents for shifting the Sabzi Mandi had earlier been rejected by the government. According the SDM’s office, the matter has again been taken up with the government. |
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SFI to step up agitation Chamba, January 8 Addressing a joint press conference here today, Mr Vijendra Mehra, state president of the SFI, and Mr Lakhan Pal Sharma, vice-president of the DYFI, criticised the present government for a sharp hike in fee structure in colleges and universities. Opposing the government’s move to privatise the education, both leaders castigated the government for commercialising education as in some courses, including MBA and MCA, 50 per cent seats had been reserved for non-Indian Residents (NRIs). Both leaders accused the government of saffronising the education. They said it had introduced a book titled “Gaurav Gatha” in Classes VII and VIII in which entire facts of history had been
distorted. The said owing to high capitation fee being charged from students only rich families could afford to send their wards for higher education. They alleged that workers of the BJP and the Congress were running private educational institutions in the state and minting money. The Himachal Pradesh Subordinate Selection Service Board (HPSSSB) had become a centre of corruption and was providing jobs to the persons who pay heavy sums as bribe, the leaders alleged. Even a simple proforma was being sold at a cost of Rs 100, they added. The leaders appealed all students’ organisations to join hands in their agitation. |
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Jawan cremated with state honours Hamirpur, January 8 Mr Anil Pathania, younger brother of the martyr, lit the pyre. Sushil is survived by his wife. Mr Baldev Sharma MLA, Mr Manjeet Singh Dogra, former MLA, and Mr K.D. Rana, SDM, Barsar, took part in the cremation. The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, the Parliamentary Secretary, Ms Urmila Thakur, and the Deputy Commissioner, Ms Anuradha Thakur, have sent condolence to the bereaved family. |
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Checkpoints on Chamba border sealed Chamba, January 8 Mr Sharma, who is supervising the security forces in the district, said the security arrangements had been tightened on barriers located on Tunnuhatti on the Chamba-Pathankot highway and Lahroo on the Chamba-Shimla highway. He said constant combing was going on in the forests of Bhattiyat subdivision of the district where a number of labourers had been detained in the Sinhuta police station for verification. The ASP said the police was on its toes and keeping a strict watch on the people having a nexus with militants. He said a new strategy for checking infiltration had been drawn in coordination with the local populace in the light of recent attacks on military jawans in the Damtal area. |
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Notice issued to Registrar, Coop Society Shimla, January 8 The notices were issued by a Division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice Kamlesh Sharma and Mr Justice M.R. Verma on a petition filed by Mr Balbinder Singh of Una and Mr Joginder Singh of Mandi. They alleged among those who were appointed were Mr Maheshwar Singh, son of Mr Karnail Singh, Chairman of the managing committee, Mr Narender Singh, son of Mr Kehar Singh, Vice-Chairman, Ms Manisha Kumari, daughter of Mr Munshi Ram, a Director, Mr Amit Kumar, brother of Ms Anita Kumari, another Director, and Mr Puran Singh, a close relative of the Chairman. They said they were never informed about their results and the authorities concerned had issued interview letters without declaring the written result. |
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Protest against youth’s death Chamba, January 8 The mob demanded that the CMO come out of his office and listen to their grievances but when he turned down the demand the mob barged into his office. In the complaint it was stated that Jitender was admitted to the hospital on January 3. On January 7 his condition deteriorated but the doctor concerned did not attend the patient, which led to the patient’s death. Mr N.D. Sharma, ASP told the reporter that after the police
interfered the situation became normal. A case has been registered. Meanwhile, the CMO, Mr V.D. Sharma, alleged that the unruly mob entered his office forcibly and damaged the office furniture and window-panes. He said a board of three doctors has been constituted to conduct an inquiry into the death of Jitender Sharma and they will submit the report at the earliest. |
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Stop water wastage or face
action: MC Shimla, January 8 The corporation has issued notices to the state and Central Public Works Department and other agencies maintaining these colonies and asked them to stop the wastage of water within three days, failing which the water supply to the premises concerned will be disconnected. It has urged all individuals concerned to contact the respective departments in this regard to avoid inconvenience on account of disconnection of water supply. It has also constituted a task force to identify such cases in every locality and to take stern action. It will continue intensive monitoring and improve the distribution system in the town. |
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‘Anthrax’ letter
creates scare Kasauli, January 8 The letter which was addressed to the Director, CRI, was posted from Commissioner, Family Health Welfare Department, Hyderabad. The officials of the CRI informed the tehsildar and police officials. As a precautionary measure, the employees who came in contact with the letter were given anti-biotics. They were trying to locate the postman for administering him antibiotics. The letter was sealed by the police and will be sent to the IGMC for verification. The Director was not available for comment. |
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Move to appoint
drivers on contract opposed Nurpur, January 8 Reaching to a news item published in a section of the press on Monday regarding a proposal to introduce the ‘kilometre scheme’ on the pattern of the Punjab Roadways, Mr Rajnesh Sharma state president of the federation, said the federation would not allow the anti employee decision to be implemented in the state. He alleged that some vested interests were forcing the state government to take the decision. He urged Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal to take the employees organisations into confidence before enforcing any such decision. |
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Protest pays off Nurpur, January 8 The old man dug a trench this bid to entomb himself was failed by the president and vice-president of the council. They reached the spot in time and assured him that the MC would not place benches on the land. It is learnt that a case of illegal
encroachment under Section 163 of the Land Revenue Act is pending in the revenue court against him. According to Mr Ajmer Singh, Municipal Council Executive Officer, the council had installed the benches on the recommendation of the councillor of the ward. |
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Change sought in fund allocation Shimla, January 8 In a letter to the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, the sangathan has said that at present funds were allocated under 20 demands. The funds were transferred from one head to another. It also demanded the setting up of a Scheduled Castes advisory council, 28 per cent reservation to the Scheduled Castes on the basis of population and clearing the backlog of reserved posts. |
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Parking lot mooted Chamba, January 8 This decision was taken at a meeting of senior citizens, members of various associations and NGOs with Mr Surinder Pal
Dhall, president of the MC here yesterday. Mr Dhall said it was also agreed that another parking place near Gandhi Gate would be constructed. It was decided to seek the approval of the Town and Council Planning Department and other technical agencies in this regard. |
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Residents unite to preserve heritage Shimla, January 8 The association met here on Sunday and decided to approach the municipal corporation for getting the encroachments removed from the periphery of the meadow. It decided to launch a cleanliness drive in the area. |
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