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Wednesday,
January 16, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Cong to
‘expose’ Kainthla Commission report
Big forest
projects on the cards Coop that
has improved women’s lot Sanction
to prosecute IAS officer denied |
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6 boys
killed in car mishap PARWANOO DIARY Nadaunta
BJP dissidents to continue stir Residents
without water for a week Norwegian
envoy meets Dhumal UK
national held at Kulu Dahiya
re-elected ISAE vice-president NGOs
apprise DC of their problems Make
blood donation mass movement: CM
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Cong to ‘expose’ Kainthla Commission report Shimla, January 15 In a statement here today, Thakur Kaul Singh, a sitting MLA and former Speaker, claimed that the commission did not summon Mr Surinder Kumar Walia and Mr Sagar Parashar, among others, who were crucial and independent witnesses as they had accompanied IPH Minister Ramesh Dhwala here from his village when these incidents were alleged to have taken place. He said leader of the party could not be held vicariously responsible for the acts of individuals belonging to his party and for the alleged incidents which never occurred. He said the commission had ignored the affidavit filed by Mr Dhwala in the high court in a habeas corpus petition filed by Mr Kamal Kishore Sharma on the basis of which the court had dismissed the writ petition on March 9, 1998. The most important document of Mr Dhwala’s affidavit in the high court was not given weightage by the commission, he said. Therein, Mr Dhwala, who was a minister at that time, had started that he had gone to meet Mr Virbhadra Singh on his own and he was neither pressurised nor forced by anyone to do so, he claimed. After becoming a minister, Mr Dhwala attended his office in the Secretariat and also toured various areas, addressing mediapersons at Shimla and other places and never mentioning that he was under duress, Thakur Kaul Singh said. Denying that Mr Dhwala was kept under virtual confinement and not allowed to meet anyone, Thakur Kaul Singh said he met several BJP leaders, including Mr Dhumal, on March 6 in the PWD rest house where he was staying. He was inducted into the ministry when he conveyed to Mr Virbhadra Singh that he had made up his mind to become a minister. He alleged that Mr Dhwala’s subsequent contention that he had signed the affidavit in the high court under duress was false and obviously an after thought after he was made a minister in the BJP government installed on March 24, 1998. He said the commission should not have relied on the affidavit given by Mr Dhwala before it and should have examined independent witnesses. Thakur Kaul Singh denied that anti-Kangra slogans were raised by Congress men. Most of the indicted MLAs belong to the new merged areas and there was no question of their raising such slogans, he said. He said the Congress had all along been demanding that the inquiry should have been conducted by a sitting judge of the high court and not by retired sessions judge. DHARAMSALA: Terming the report of the Kainthla Commission as “tailor-made” to suit the political motives of the government, Mr G.S. Bali, HPCC General Secretary and MLA, said on Tuesday that Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal was setting a very bad precedent by fabricating cases against his political opponents. Addressing a press conference here, he said the apprehension of the Congress that the present regime would fabricate cases against senior party leaders had come out to be true. “It is very clear that the “tailor-made” report of the Kainthla Commission, whose composition the Congress has already challenged in the court of law, was made and timed to serve the political ends of the government,” he alleged. Mr Bali, whose name figures in the list of the five Congress MLAs indicted by the commission report, said these were pressure tactics being used by the Chief Minister to undermine his political opponents. Mr Bali alleged that the
government was using the administrative machinery and the police to fabricate cases against senior Congress leaders. “I warn all those police officials who have readily become tools in the hands of the government that an inquiry would be held against them when the Congress comes back into power,” he stated. He said within the next two months the Congress would hold a rally in Kangra district which would be addressed by the AICC General Secretary and other senior party leaders. Challenging the charges made by the IPH Minister, regarding his kidnapping by Congress leaders, Mr Bali said the BJP legislator, who had won as an Independent, had come to meet Mr Virbhadra Singh on his own. “If he had been kidnapped, then why did he not lodge an FIR or file a complaint with the Prime Minister or the Home Minister, since he was freely moving in the entire state?” Mr Bali said. |
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Big forest projects on the cards Mandi, January 15 The minister who was speaking at the concluding session of a state-level conference of conservators said the first stage of the project launched by the Overseas Development Administration (ODA) Britain, in 1994 had yielded good results in Mandi and Kulu districts. The second phase would be extended to the entire state. The first stage which was confined to Mandi and Kulu districts had achieved the desired objective of bringing about “attitudinal change” among the beneficiaries of forests. The concept of a joint forest management under the DFID had taken roots in the area of operation promoting the UK to take up the phase II. Mr Roop Singh said the objective of the joint forest planning and management was to enlist participation of the people in designing, monitoring and evaluating forestry activities by empowering them to take decisions and the Forest Department would play the role of a “facilitator and enabler” . For the first time an awareness had been created among forest beneficiaries that forests belonged to them and it was their duty to safeguard this treasure. The minister said the Sutluj Valley Integrated Watershed Management Project was being shortly launched in Himachal Pradesh. It would be implemented in five phases in a period of 15 years and the total cost of the project was likely to be over Rs 100 crore. Another Rs 174-crore Swan River Integrated Watershed Management Project was in the pipeline which would be funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). An ambitious project of Rs 225 crore had been drawn up envisaging plantation in one lakh hectares of forests involving beneficiaries of 1,500 villages under the participatory forest management programme. The main thrust would be on to uplift the economic status of the beneficiaries, he added. The minister stressed that the conservation and development of forests should be taken up on a war footing. He advised the forest officials to draw up small projects at the circle and division level for which funds could be provided by the Centre and other funding agencies. He stressed the need for extensive touring by senior officers to monitor the progress of plantation and other forest activities and to mobilise people’s participation in planning, plantation and preservation of the forest wealth. He said the government had drawn up a plan to promote eco-tourism in the state. It would be first launched in Tirthan, Sainj, Jiwa and Parbati valleys which fall under the Himalayan National Park. The minister also released a book on eco-tourism. Mr Avay Shukla, Financial Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Forests, stressed the need for harnessing vast potential of eco-tourism in the state. He said five ecological destinations had been identified in the state — Great Himalayan National Park (Kulu), Renuka Wildlife Sanctuary (Sirmour), Kufri Nature Park and Potters Hill in Shimla. Earlier, welcoming the chief guest Mr R.A. Singh, Principal Chief Conservator, Forests, assured the minister that vigorous efforts would be made to implement various forest projects in the state. |
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Coop that has improved women’s
lot Chamba Being the first women’s cooperative of Himachal Pradesh, it has emerged as a force to reckon with during the past five years. The saga of the Samridhi Mahila Cooperative Society began with the support provided by the Indo-German Changar Eco-Development Project, which bowed to change the destiny of the women of Palampur and Bhattiyat regions in 1995-96. Inputs, apart from technical guidance, were provided by the project authorities to the society for creating the infrastructure required for its functioning. However, the project involved two voluntary organisations under the eco-income generation programme. These were New Hope of Kangra and Himalaya Bachao Samiti of Chamba. In collaboration with the Changar project, these NGOs lent a helping hand to the women’s groups towards
achieving its concept. The success story of Samridhi reveals that the Changar and Bhattiyat regions provided the required resources for harnessing the potential available in the form of fruit trees that grow naturally in forests. Both the Changar and Bhattiyat regions are degraded belts of broken hills and ravines. The local resources are dwindling rapidly. But in the degraded belts there are pockets of fruit trees. These have supported nutritional, medicinal and fodder needs of local villages since time immemorial. The common fruit trees comprise
amla, ‘bil’, mango, ‘harad’, ‘beher’, etc. These fruit trees grow abundantly in these regions, most of them are disposed of as these are surplus. The Changar project identified the availability of local fruit as a comparative advantage that could be a source of income generation. The cooperative society is now a federation of village-based women’s production groups. It works to strengthen the capacities of women and empowers them in their struggle against natural and social conditions. They bring in fresh wild fruits from trees and do the initial processing in their production centres under stringent quality controls. The products are then brought to the apex unit at Thakurdwara for finishing. The production involves manual labour and uses processes derived from the traditional skills of sun-drying and natural preservation. The products being made by Samridhi include chutneys of amla and mango, pickles of mango, garlic, green
chillies, amla and sweet lime. Even candies of amla, citrus and ginger are produced, apart from amla preservatives. In 1995-96 the number of women members was just 16 and the production was 375 kg. During this period Samridhi made a profit of Rs 6,250. The organisation has travelled a long way. During 2000-2001 the production of the society touched as 28,000 kg while the number of women members rose from 16 to 182. Today the number of women’s clusters is three and the number of
women production groups has enhanced to 15. The payment made to members of the society this year stands at Rs 4,35,103. All the products are checked to ensure complete adherence to quality. The products are marketed under the brand name, Changer, and are receiving a good response from consumers. Another important area of eco-income generation is through medicinal plants. The scrub forests of Changar are full of diverse trees and vines that are known to have medicinal value. However, there exists no sizable economic activities related to these medicinal plants. The women of poor families constitute a segment of the village society that can be organised as a cultivation and production group to take up seasonal activities. The Changar project has lent its support to a dedicated organisation, Lok Vigyan Kendra, to develop technical and social models for income generation through cultivation of medicinal plants on degraded land. This will not only generate income from lands considered useless but also lead to ecology and bio-diversity restoration. |
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Sanction
to prosecute IAS officer denied Shimla, January 15 The government has intimated the Vigilance Department that instead of granting permission to prosecute, it had decided to take departmental action against the erring officer. Mr Ajit Narain, Additional Director-General of Police, (Vigilance), confirmed that the department had received a communication in this regard. However, he was not aware of the reasons for the denial of sanction for prosecution. An inquiry was ordered by the Shanta Kumar Government in the purchase scam in the Kinnaur district on the complaint of Mr T.S. Negi, the then
Speaker, who represented the area. Subsequently, a case was registered by the Virbhadra Singh Government on the basis of the inquiry. The Dhumal Government, which came into power in 1998, took a long time in deciding the issue. It may be recalled that the state high court had passed strictures against the officer while rejecting his application for anticipatory bail and the investigation conducted by the Vigilance Department had revealed serious tampering with record, which made a very strong case for grant of sanction for prosecution. Besides Mr Gupta, Mr P.C. Sharma, the then Divisional Forest Officer, Pooh, was also named in the FIR registered in 1996. The charges pertained to excess purchase of substandard material worth over Rs 50 lakh. The codal formalities were not completed and the recommendations of the technical committee were ignored. The Vigilance Department had sent the file to seek sanction for prosecution the second time. Earlier, the government had sent it back to the department, asking it to make the case stronger. It is learnt that the sanction for prosecution was denied after the Law Department found the evidence “insufficient” to prosecute the officer. The denial of sanction was quite surprising as FIR against senior officials are registered with the approval of the government only after an
in-depth inquiry into the charges against them. |
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6 boys killed in car mishap Kulu, January 15 Five of them died on the spot while one succumbed to his injuries at the Zonal Hospital here. The deceased have been identified as Rishu, Gagan, Chandan, Ashish, Dev Raj and Rajiv, all from Kulu. The Deputy Commissioner, SDM and President of the Municipal Council have rushed to the spot. Shopkeepers of the town closed their shops as a mark of respect for the deceased. |
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PARWANOO
DIARY Parwanoo Though Parwanoo has carved a niche for itself on the world industrial map, poisonous smoke emitted by the factories is seriously affecting the health of the residents of this town. The residents of Sector 5, for instance, complain that some factories in this sector start emitting a dense smoke in the morning. As a result, it becomes very difficult for the residents to breath and sleep comfortably at night. The factories keep on emitting poisonous smoke and fumes all throughout the day. The residents complain that the local Nagar Panchayat also dumps the garbage in the open space and light it. This emits black smoke for days together. The residents of Sector 1 also complain of poisonous fumes emitted by a chemical factory and smoke by the steel plant. The residents of Sector 1-A say that the smell of burning rubber, in the evening, has become a health hazard because the factory owners burn their waste in the open. The residents complain that it becomes very difficult for them to breath fresh air in the evening. The National Highway No. 22 passing through this town is also full of smoke, specially in the mornings, when the dhabas situated on the road start lighting their ‘‘bhattis’’
which emit lot of smoke. Heavy vehicles passing through this road also emit smoke. There is no check on these vehicle, complain residents. The doctors say that breathing problem, bronchitis, allergies and skin disease are on the rise in this town. It is said that most of the industrial units do not have pollution control instruments and are flouting bylaws and norms of the Pollution Control Board with impunity. *
* * * * RED CROSS MELA: The local unit of Red Cross Society organised Red Cross Mela here in the ground near the Nagar Parishad office to raise funds for the local unit and to create awareness about the Red Cross Society among the residents of this town. The mela was inaugurated by Mr Sanjay
Suri, Managing Director M/s Morpen Lab and the closing ceremony was attended by Mr K.
Murthy, Deputy Commissioner of Solan. Thousands of people attended the mela. People enjoyed the eatables put up in the various stalls. The children participated in various games and the people played ‘‘Tambola’’. In the closing ceremony, draws were taken in a lucky dip and attractive prizes were given to the winners. Trophies and mementoes were also given to the winners in the various games and to the organisers. Mr Sanjay Sharma, Assistant Commissioner, thanked the chief guest and the organisers for making the mela a success. *
* * * * CHALLANED: The local police have challaned drivers of about 240 vehicles during the Traffic Safety Week here last week. According to Mr Sanjeev Lakhanpal, Deputy Superintendent of Police, during the Safety Week, the local police have checked about 2,000 vehicles and challaned 240 vehicles for various violations under the Motor Vehicles Act. He added that 35 people were challaned for not wearing helmets, 34 for using extra lights in the vehicles, 16 for not using the dipper lights, and 80 for not painting black in the lower portion of the headlights. *
* * * * MONKEY MENACE: The residents of Parwanoo have complained to the local administration about the increasing monkey menace in the town. They say that the monkey menace is increasing every day. Most of the sectors are situated near forests from which monkeys come and create nuisance. The monkeys do not allow the children to carry eatables to the schools and sometime they attack them. The residents said that the monkeys do not allow the house owners to dry clothes outside. They have appealed to the administration to check the menace. |
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Nadaunta BJP dissidents
to continue stir Hamirpur, January 15 The decision of the party’s state high command to suspend two senior BJP activists of the Nadaunta area for their alleged anti-party activities has aggravated the situation in the area. The dissidents have been demanding the removal of Mr Baldev MLA, Sharma, from the post of the district party chief and a public apology from him for his anti-people stance. Mr Dhian Chand Sharma, convener of the manch, in a statement here today demanded a CBI probe into the property amassed by Mr Baldev Sharma since he became MLA. Meanwhile, the district unit of the party has come out openly in support of Mr Baldev Sharma. |
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Residents
without water for a week Kasauli, January 15 The first day when the supply was hampered it was learnt that a pump had developed a snag which was taken for repair. But it could not be repaired due to non-availability of funds. The Junior Engineer concerned tried to evade the queries of the residents. The Assistant Engineer, however, assured them that water supply would be resumed the next day, but even after six days no water has been released. The Junior Engineer, when contacted on phone by people, said it was the number of the police station. However, the policemen confirmed that it was not their number. The residents are demanding the transfer of the entire staff. Besides this, no water is released on Tuesdays on the plea of staff shortage. Repeated requests to various officers, including the Executive Engineer and the Assistant Engineer, have fallen on deaf ears. Water is supplied on Tuesdays only for construction activity. No inquiry has been initiated against the erring officials though a number of irregularities have been brought to the notice of the department. |
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Norwegian
envoy meets Dhumal Shimla, January 15 |
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UK national held at Kulu Shimla, January 15 According to Mr A.P. Siddiqi, SP, Kulu, 1.9 kg of charas was seized from Jas Pal, a resident of Naggar, and 150 gm from Yogi Machal Nath, a resident of Alwar in Rajasthan. As much as 40 gm of charas and 7 gm of brown sugar was seized from the British national during the checking of vehicles. |
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Dahiya
re-elected ISAE vice-president Shimla, January 15 The annual conference of the ISAE was held at Gulbarga. The ISAE is the premier body of agricultural economists hailing from state agriculture universities, ICAR institutes, NABARD, other universities and agro-economic research centres of the country. |
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NGOs apprise DC of their problems Nahan, January 15 The issue of inflated water bills being issued in Paonta Sahib without mentioning month was raised by employees. The Deputy Commissioner asked the Irrigation and Public Health Department to look into the matter. Repair of houses at Paonta Sahib was also discussed. They urged the government to provide accommodation to employees serving in the trans-Giri area along with special additional allowance. Non-payment of the zoo allowance to class IV employees of Dadahu sanctuary was also raised. The matter would be sent to the Principal Conservator, Forest Wildlife, the Deputy Commissioner assured. |
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Make blood donation mass movement: CM Shimla, January 15 Speaking on the occasion, Prof Dhumal said there was need for making blood donation a mass movement and thanked donors saying the blood would be used for personnel of armed forces. Army and police personnel donated blood at the camp organised by a voluntary organisation, Ashadeep. Referring to terrorism, the Chief Minister said the country had lost 62,000 lives which was a matter of concern and time had come when the world should unitedly fight it, he added.
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